MICHIGAN MEN'S BASKETBALL- '23 -'24 Season.

[lineygoblue]

I admit the emotional part of this is steering a lot of my comments right now. My biggest concern is that this is going to somehow be explained away, and that a matter that is very serious is going to be swept away a lot like what Wiz said earlier when he mentioned Bobby Bowden.

This doesn't need to be excused. MSU as an institution needs to take responsibility, and send a message to its players and fan base that this will not be tolerated.

I'm also thinking ahead to next season, when M has to go to Spartan Stadium, which also has a single tunnel entrance/exit to the field. What do THEY intend to do?

Honestly? I'd like to see them set the example, and show everyone how its done right. Based on past attitudes and behaviors, I'm skeptical.

[THE_WIZARD_]

The WWCAW is on display.

[Hannibal]

The point, of course, is that many M fans felt inclined to look at what caused Howard to lose his shit and blame THAT. Heaven forbid we do the same thing with last night while still saying Sparty players should be suspended for awhile.

If Sparty is smart they’ll use this to fire Tucker with cause and get out from under a terrible contract. And show they’re willing to take action M won’t.

What did Tucker do personally that gives MSU cause?

[iam416]

I think Sparty could find an argument if they really wanted to. He’s ultimately responsible for the team? I dunno.

I’m just saying it’s a huge contract, and if they’re nonplussed this could be the exit ramp they need. At a minimum it should reduce the ultimate settlement considerably—IF they wanna go that direction.

My guess is they’re far too proud to acknowledge their error THIS soon, so he’ll be around.

[hack]

I don't blame Wisconsin for what Howard did. He should have known better and so should have Warde, especially after the incident with Turgeon. A communications crisis plan was obviously not in place at the time, and obviously nobody thought after that ridiculous season -- with the Covid fuckup as well as the Turg incident -- to have one.

Wisconsin had a much better plan in place to avoid reputational risks. A Wisconsin assistant coach hit/pushed two Michigan players that day. Coach-on-player violence. Warde should have watched the video and talked to his coaches before issuing a statement, so it can be balanced and reflect all the facts. It was also basic malpractice to let the coach go do the press conference on his own. Wisconsin's AD knew that and spoke for Greg Gard in that press conference. Warde needed to get ahold of whatever SID was travelling with the team and make something similar happen.

As a result of Warde being a fuckup, the blame for that incident was not shared even though it should have been. As wild as it was that Juwan took a swing at someone, coach-on-player aggression is another level. Wisconsin's coach did that to not one but two Michigan players. But Wisconsin's AD beat Warde that day worst than Wisconsin's basketball team beat Juwan's.

Warde did much, MUCH better last night on the PR front. Didn't roll over or bothsides it. Of course he had a much easier job to do last night than last February, but Michigan has screwed up easy tasks many times before, so we can at least be thankful they didn't do that last night.

[hack]

In other news, this is a picture of Scott Frost on a basketball court:

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[Jeff Buchanan]

MSU's president issued a formal apology stating Tucker will hold involved players responsible. Tucker also tweeted a conciliatory statement.

Video that you can find on the internet is pretty damning of his player's conduct (obvious mugging of an M player probably McBurrow and some shoving of Andrell Anthony). Tucker, as he's exiting the field, reacts aggressively to a fan in the stands that reaches out and appears to touch his head. Looks like he takes a swing at him. In the tunnel he's in the middle of the incident, fails to intervene, angrily slams the door as he exits the tunnel to enter the visitor locker room.

There's a video from one angle that shows security standing there and not intervening as the incident begins while what appears to be a young MSU staff member running away from the area as if to avoid getting involved. While some older guys, probably M volunteers that help with seating and crowd control, jumping in to try to separate players.

I'm not making any judgements, just describing the videos I've seen. I think Tucker will take some heat from several MSU levels. Remains to be seen if he gets fired for this but CFB coaches are getting fired this year for whatever might seem like non-fireable conduct (e.g., Paul Chryst, losing too many games). We rarely know the full story - the where there's smoke there's fire sort of thing - and I feel confident we won't know it here either.

I've stated my position on the tunnel incident. It's a serious breach of respect for the game, sportsmanship and conduct. Holding perpetrators accountable for that lessens the likelihood it will reoccur.

I'm also in the crowd that gets irritated about M fans putting on the hurt bag too often for whatever perceived unfairness the football team gets handed and the burden of "carrying the cross" of various slights and unfairness. This isn't one of those "slights" and shouldn't be conflated with them but for the most part, it's fucking sports entertainment. Grow up. Get over it.

[hack]

The next step is a very clear STFU About Our Tunnel statement. Lots of teams have complaints about other teams' stadiums. Lots of teams have one tunnel. If you don't like our tunnel then don't linger in it looking for trouble, Warde can and should say.

[Hannibal]

I think Sparty could find an argument if they really wanted to. He’s ultimately responsible for the team? I dunno.

That's a big stretch. Unless he instigated a scuffle himself or egged it on, I don't see "cause" there. It's possible that discipline is a systemic issue there, but I don't see that as sufficient cause for firing without a buyout.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I haven't seen Tucker's contract so I'm spitballing here but CFB and NFL HC contracts are full of escape clauses allowing the firing of a HC for things like conduct unbecoming, loss of confidence in HC's capacity to lead the team and so forth. There absolutely are relevant football (and basketball) team discipline issues that permeate MSU sports. The record, over time, of both unsportsmanlike and criminal behavior prove that.

It's one incident. It's an egregious one. Tucker should be held accountable for failing to promote an environment of appropriate conduct within the football team, such failure facilitating the tunnel criminal assaults.

[lineygoblue]

I think "TUCK" is going to get at least a one game suspension. He didn't have control of his players, and neither did his staff. He SAID he didn't know what happened, but I think video shows that to be wrong.

This whole bad blood thing between M and MSU needs to be turned down several notches. And people on both sides need to take steps to make that happen.

[Hannibal]

In Tucker's defense, the cultural issues at MSU precede Tucker by quite a long time. They began in earnest under Dantonio, whose players have a long history of on and off-the-field thuggery that precedes his tenure at MSU. He is up there with Pat Hill as one of the all time champions of dirty thug football. For all of the shit that Urban Meyer took about what his players did off the field, I don't remember them ever doing a lot of the stuff that players under Dantonio have done.

[hack]

Based on what's in the public domain you could say they predated Dantonio even, given Izzo's approach to sexual assaults committed by his players and staff. Brian's headline yesterday is spot on: This is who they are. It's been a lot more respectful on the basketball court since the back half of Cassius Winston's career, but we're not that far off crap like Nick Ward channelling his inner toddler after being posterized by Mo Wagner or bodied by Charles Matthews.

Michigan can certainly take some responsibility for that. Our combination of sanctimony and arrogance has had an impact. But, just like I tell my nine-year-old, nobody forces you have a tantrum but you. He is progressing toward adult levels of self-control at a faster rate than MSU athletics.

[WingsFan]

[Mike]

I can't like that post enough. Sparty is a trash program, has been for many years, and it finally caught up to them Saturday night. Harbaugh is right to call them out on their shit.