B1G/NCAA basketball

[iam416]

Ok. Then, as I see it, the biggest question M has is after Beilein wins back-to-back-to-back national titles, how will his coaching the US Men's National team in the Olympics affect his performance at M? Well it cost M the 80+ game winning streak?

[hack]

No, Talent's right (apart from forgetting that Michigan was in the most recent Final Four). I mean, take Roy Williams, and lets say the script was flipped and Beilein went to UNC and Williams came here. If Beilein had gone to UNC he would have had exact same accomplishments.

[iam416]

Talent's right

Obviously.

[lineygoblue]

MSU fans seem to forget Michigan's NC Game appearance last year too ...

... must be the fumes from all those burning sofas ...

[hack]

I too would avoid clear-headedness if I were one of them. Talent is as well.

That said, this was the opposite of a couch-burning opportunity. What do they do there when Michigan hands them their own asses? Maybe they should build couches instead at those times.

[Hannibal]

That's fair. I also don't think the seed you play is a good metric. The metric that matters is performance. For example, Matta's team that lost to Florida didn't beat a single higher seed and, arguably, simply met expectations. Beilien's crappy 10 seed team beat a higher seed and arguably exceeded expectations. BFD. I'll take the absolute results all day long.

And, in that regard, in 6 seasons with M Beilein has been to a single S16. One. You can make all the excuses you want for him, but this is CBB -- you can rebuild quickly. I can point to lots of coaches who made more S16 in their first 6 years at a school. I'll give the talent excuse a year, maybe two at tops.

What makes you think that I am arguing with that? I have said for years that the overachievement of Beilein's teams from '09, '11, and '12 was J.B. overcoming a problem of his own making. But if you start the season the third week in March and take into account what he's got at that time, he has been excellent. Not only is his record pretty good, but most of the wins haven't been close.

[iam416]

I have said for years that the overachievement of Beilein's teams from '09, '11, and '12 was J.B. overcoming a problem of his own making.

Correct. Results are, then, what matters.

[The Oracle]

Well, acknowledge what's coming then. He doesn't have Novak, Douglass and Zach Gibson talent anymore.

[lineygoblue]

As long as he doesn't hire Brian Ellerbe as an assistant, I'm fine.

[iam416]

Well, acknowledge what's coming then. He doesn't have Novak, Douglass and Zach Gibson talent anymore.

I acknowledged the B10 is the bag -- his 2nd title in 7 seasons. I'll acknowledge BTT and NCAA results as they happen.

I mean, it sounds like you're suggesting a long run of dominance for JB. If you happen to have a prediction, make it.

[Hannibal]

Well, acknowledge what's coming then. He doesn't have Novak, Douglass and Zach Gibson talent anymore.

This.

[The Oracle]

Ok. Then, as I see it, the biggest question M has is after Beilein wins back-to-back-to-back national titles, how will his coaching the US Men's National team in the Olympics affect his performance at M? Well it cost M the 80+ game winning streak?

You summed it up nicely.

[iam416]

Damn. Well, Matta's run was nice while it lasted.

[Hannibal]

Are you trying to evaluate Beilein's legacy or are you trying to predict the next five years? Those are two completely different questions. If it's the former, then everything should be taken into account. If it's the latter, then Beilein's first four seasons are an utterly worthless set of data, because he had mediocre or shit talent for those seasons. He doesn't anymore, and there isn't any indication that the talent level will return to that level soon.

If you think that last year was a fluke and that we should expect a return to the pre Trey Burke days, then go ahead and make a prediction Michigan will make only one more S16 in the next six years.

[hack]

Frankly, OSU is the program to be most concerned about, in that Matta recruits better than Wisconsin and MSU. MSU looks set to struggle for a while, as they lose everything this year, and with the Izzo>Pistons talk (for better or worse), that's a pretty big wild card. Is there a lead assistant on Izzo's staff that could keep continuity? I hope Fran McFacialexpressions is building something at Iowa, too. I like it when Iowa's good. Indiana of course, but Crean is a question mark. Vonleh is a high lottery pick and they have Ferrell. Shouldn't be a bubble team.

But, then again, with OSU it's only a matter of time before there's another probationary period.