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

[Jeff Buchanan]

I didn't watch the game and it wouldn't have made much difference because I just don't know basketball but I read a couple of post game re-caps..... because I love to follow M athletics, well, football has me pissed off right now so, there is that.

Gut check, met and conquered. You have to love the comeback and the determination of the players. Howard was really the heart of the Fab-Five. He wanted to win. He still does. It rubs off.

By comparison, I just can't figure out M football. Harbaugh was a winner. Whatever was/is going on with him and how his players reflect that is a polar opposite to Juan Howard it would seem.

[lineygoblue]

Well, the guys picked up right where they left off 23 days ago, and picked up a gritty win at # 21 Wisconsin today 67-59. Michigan trailed by as much as 14 points in the first half, and by 10 at halftime. However, Michigan slowly fought its way back into the game in the 2nd half, and finished on a 23-8 run in the final 11 minutes, to come all the way back, and finish the win.

For Michigan, Isiah Livers led the team with 20 points, followed by Franz Wagner with 14, and Hunter Dickinson with 11. Eli Brooks chipped in 9 points including 5-6 from the charity stripe. Dickinson also had 15 rebounds and also shot 5-6 from the free throw line. Austin Davis came off the bench and contributed 6 points in 13 minutes of play.

As a team, Michigan had a bit of an off day shooting only 41% from the field, and 41% from three-point land. They continued to shoot well from the stripe at 75%.

Michigan will return to Crisler Center for a game with Rutgers on Thursday, before traveling to Columbus to play next Sunday. Its possible the Big Ten may slide a make up game in there somewhere, but its not final yet.

Good on the guys for a solid return to action.

[Mike]

I know it’s just Rutgers but they had won 5 of 6 and climbed to 25 in the latest rankings. Michigan is in complete control after a sluggish start. Big game on Sunday.

[iam416]

M is gonna annihilate The Holt Mann. I’d say 80ish to 65ish

[Mike]

I hope you’re right you sandbagging son of a bitch.

[lineygoblue]

He's sandbagging. Probably even more than he does during football season, if that's possible.

Michigan was sluggish tonight and Rutgers fought them hard, and may have been able to pull the upset had the game been a couple minutes longer.

Seeing Michigan rarely (never?) gets a fair shake in Columbus, I'd say pencil in the W for them on Sunday. It's going to only be one L, but hopefully Michigan won't let one L become two.

Not sure what the B1G is going to do about make up games. No games will be made up this week, so there's even less time to work with now.

[iam416]

M isn't making up games.

[Mike]

They need to pick up a game between OSU (Sunday) and Indiana (next Saturday). They shouldn't go 6 days between games when they missed so many. I'm pretty sure they'll get one in there somewhere. Juwan said there are discussions taking place about make-up games but nothing he can announce publicly yet. They clearly won't play all 20 conference games and likely won't come close. I was hoping to make up the first Sparty game next week but MSU is already playing 3 games in that stretch. There's no way they'll sign up to take an extra beating from Michigan. That might drop them out of a tie for 11th goddamn place.

Edit: Just saw your comment, Talent. I think you're probably right. At MOST Michigan will make up one game next week but that all depends on what our opponents already have scheduled. If you're Illinois, you'd probably like make up that game but most others probably have no interest in rearranging their schedules to accommodate Michigan. Can't blame them.

[Hannibal]

Takin’ care of business.

[iam416]

Illinois really doesn't have much room on their schedule. They'd have to actually cancel a game to get M. Maybe it'll happen.

At least Sparty actually had Covid. M bailed on three weeks of basketball because no one on the basketball team or in the basketball program had covid. NO. ONE. At least HARBAUGH!!!!'s boys were dealing with a hugely depleted roster (and a terrible team) when they bailed. M's Covid Fear Monkey bullshit w/ basketball ought not to be accomodated. It was total fucking garbage. At most--AT MOST-it's a one week pause.

[Mike]

Agreed.

[hack]

The conference is on the record via Brendan Quinn saying that they want every team to play at least once, and that rivalry games should be protected. Given that, you'd think it'll be 18 games, that they find a slot for the Illinois game, and that two of three games remaining are dropped: against Northwestern, PSU and Indiana. That would fulfill the above criteria. Then again, we'll see. The conference is the conference.

BQ also said that sources he's talked to say it's the second game back from a covid layoff that's the hardest, b/c of dead legs. That's kinda what seemed to happen last night: all the things that happen in a basketball game when you're low in the tank happened in the last 25% of gametime. But Michigan has certainly avoided a worst-case scenario in which it drops the first or second game back from the break and still hasn't yet played the two other title contenders. So that's good that the cushion is still there. BQ didn't say anything about Game 3 back from covid.

It would be nice not to have the Thurs/Sun turnaround, but could be worse. On paper, Dickinson has the kind of matchup he can feast on, because OSU doesn't have anyone who can prevent him from just bullying his way in. But he's still a freshman. Can Liddell bully Michigan's wings with his weight advantage? Can Michigan's smaller guards keep OSU's shooters off the 3-point line? Gonna be interesting. A win in this game very likely knocks OSU out of contention for the conference title and makes it a two team race with Illinois. Michigan would control its own destiny even if it loses to Illinois.

[iam416]

The B10 will have to cancel an Illinois game w/ Nebraska and replace them with M. That's the only way it works. And that's the only game I see being potentially re-scheduled. I'd be surprised if M plays more than 16 conference games.

[iam416]

Dickinson will have to guard Liddell for at least part of the game. I'd assume they'd stick him on Young when Young is in. If Dickinson is on Liddell then that almost certainly means Liddell will get some easy 3pt looks, which he can knock down. Last night they pulled out Penn State's gorilla -- Harrar -- and EJ hit 2.

[Hannibal]

Any chance we get a makeup game next week?