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

[lineygoblue]

Good job guys!! You're playing with house money right now.

As much as I'd like to see Mr. Alum's classic sandbaggery before the next round, I wouldn't mind seeing UCLA as the next opponent either. A win vs UCLA in basketball is almost as good as a football win over Notre Dame.

Unranked before the season began by a lot of outlets. Now they are Elite.

[hack]

Pay Juwan NOW.

So impressed with how they’re doing it. New team with Livers out and BJJ in. New looks on offense today hi-lo. Mojo returned.

nothing better than just slowly building a lead the whole time. So much fun to watch the rest of the day’s games after a victory.

[WM Wolverine]

What I've seen, prefer to play the Bruins.

[lineygoblue]

lol .. bama and UCLA in OT

[Mike]

Can’t wait to play UCLA.

[Cody_Russell]

Just make your FTs, Michigan. Bama would have won if they didn’t shoot like Shaq when it comes to FTs.

UCLA plays a similar style. Slow paced. Tough D.
Jaquez has been on fire in the tourney.
Think M has a good shot. Sparty should have defeated UCLA in the play in game.

No doubt, feel better about playing UCLA than Bama.

[WingsFan]

I still can't believe Alabama lost to UCLA, oh well better for Michigan . Got to make your free throws, Riley couldn't shoot it in the ocean.

[Mike]

FWIW, Bama was #3 in defense according to Kenpom, UCLA was #58. They’ll probably move up but I love the matchup with them.

[WingsFan]

Time for a little payback from 1983?

[Cody_Russell]

Damn, tip off on Tuesday is so late. It would make more sense to let the West Coast Zags vs USC or Oregon play the late game!

[WingsFan]

Damn lol I remember when I worked nights I loved these late games - not any more. I don't think I have anything Wednesday morning planned though.

[hack]

Would rather face UCLA than Bama, but it is, again, a matchup against tall wings who make difficult mid-range shots. More Duane Washington kinda stuff, or Rocket Watts on a good day. So, again, Michigan has to get and make good shots and hope that it can provide enough resistance so that the other team cannot feast of those bad-idea shots that they are good at. Dickinson will have an advantage in length, but we've yet to see him manifest that in the tournament in terms of filling it up. Johns will have a tougher matchup for him. UCLA is thin at the 4/5. Odd as it is to say, I like continuing to feed Johns going downhill toward the bucket. He thrives in physical settings and seems to have a knack for getting to the FT line that nobody else on the team can manage.

One thing I liked about yesterday was that it was a blowout in which 3s played no role. Michigan only made 3. Eli and Wagner were uncharacteristically cold. Ususally in an extended tournament run the pattern is you have one blowout win and one win in which you just rain 3s all over. Usually those two things happen in the same game, but Michigan got its blowout at the rim. It's great news that Michigan blew out a team with its senior leader playing poorly and without 3s. Saw the swagger again yesterday that I haven't really seen since the Iowa game. They like and believe in the gameplan that their coach gives them, and it it showing now.

Overall, I agree with the take that it would have been house money from here on, but now we're playing an 11 seed. Even in a weird year for intelligent cross-conference comparisons, you can't call it house money against an 11 seed. You have to take care of that and land yourself in the Final Four, and give yourself a shot at it.

[Da Geezer]

Almost everyone here would rather face UCLA. That is a bad sign. Just make your free throws, particularly the front ends of 1 and 1s.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Damn, tip off on Tuesday is so late. It would make more sense to let the West Coast Zags vs USC or Oregon play the late game!

UCLA & Michigan are the only real "name" basketball programs left...this gives them a primetime audience for this game on both coasts.

[Mike]

I'm hoping Michigan's "raining 3s" game comes against Gonzaga. Absolutely correct about playing an 11 seed. Have to win this one. It's also worth noting that UCLA really should have lost to a pedestrian Sparty team in the play-in round. It took a choke job from MSU for the Bruins to advance. Then they played BYU and Abilene Christian to get to the S16. I'll give them credit for beating a 2 seed but, man, Alabama really did a lot to lose that game. Michigan is installed as 7.5 point favorite. I like the match-up.