MICHIGAN'S MEN'S BASKETBALL: 2015-2016

[Lem B]

MSU fan, I take it?

The point is that OSU sees Michigan as a real rival. A hated rival at that. They almost always play their best game in any sport against Michigan and Michigan almost always play its best game against OSU. That's how rivalries work.

Not with one team hating the other and the other not really caring.

Got it. M's performance vs. OSU in November was their best game of the football season? The loss in hoops was also their best? I would disagree.

[lineygoblue]

Got it. M's performance vs. OSU in November was their best game of the football season? The loss in hoops was also their best? I would disagree.

I agree.

Ohio plays these games with much more determination than Michigan does. Michigan plays in a way that I can't describe, nor understand. Times have changed. It used to be that when you played your heated rival, it was a disgrace to let them come into your house and let them beat you. Nobody with any intestinal fortitude lost to their heated rival on their home court, field, etc. If you lost to your rival at home, you were a laughingstock. You didn't want to even go to class the next day, because you knew your classmates were going to rip you a new one. And, you probably deserved it.

Losing on the road was still bad, but understandable. But, even on the road, you didn't let your rival walk all over you. You played your guts out, and your attitude was, "we may lose this game, but we won't lose the fight after the game". Of course there were rarely any fights after the game, but the attitude was there.

Nowadays, these pretty-Nancy-boy-metrosexual-panty-wearing-pussies that play today's games are scared of breaking a sweat against their rivals. Shame on them.

Please remember, I was born and raised in Flint, and attended Flint schools from K thru 12. There was a very distinct attitude in Flint sports. Different from anywhere else in the state. We didn't tolerate losing, and losers were from the suburbs. Flint ball was for winners only.

Harbaugh is changing the attitude back to where it should be in Football. Basketball is going to need a coaching change for it to happen there.

[hack]

Beilein isn't going to be the coach who instills it, but it CAN come from the players. Two short years ago Stauskas was blowing kisses in Breslin after knocking off Sparty in their building.

Beilein has said he knows he's recruited a team full of nice kids and that there's a downside to that. In the past I would take that as a signal that he knows what's wrong and is aiming to fix it. At this point, I just take that as evidence he knows what's wrong. Is a fix coming? Is he going to recruit with an eye on attitude, and maybe look for kids who have skills but also that swagger and confidence? We'll see. I certainly hope so.

[iam416]

I'm pretty sure OSU and M aren't heated hoops rivals. The games are big when both teams are good, which happened with some frequency a few years ago. But last night was a big meh. Matta's first 15 games against M were a big meh.

I dunno, Turner's shot to beat M in the B10 tourney is nice and all, but eh...it's hoops.

I'm sure M's biggest hoops rival is MSU, and after that I'd guess it's IU...just because everyone hates IU at hoops.

[hack]

To an extent I think that's true. However last night the crowd seemed to be in it quite a bit more at the end. When you visited Crisler in '13, that was the loudest game I was at that year pregame. (Or maybe it was that I did quite a bit of pregaming myself?)

I think it kinda comes and goes with both schools. Sometimes football sentiment spills over and sometimes it doesn't. But without question with hoops the loss I hate the most by far is the Sparty one.

[iam416]

And there's no way Beilein is changing much and he's probably 2-3 awful seasons away from being fired.

So, he's yours. As you guys know. Make our peace with it and hope he DOES change up things a little.

[CGVT]

Got it. M's performance vs. OSU in November was their best game of the football season? The loss in hoops was also their best? I would disagree.

It was the best they had. That day. They just got their asses beaten by a better team.

[hack]

And there's no way Beilein is changing much and he's probably 2-3 awful seasons away from being fired.

So, he's yours. As you guys know. Make our peace with it and hope he DOES change up things a little.

Yeah. He's due to hit on a top-25 recruit. If he does it may change things in a hurry if that kid has heart. He could still back into some memorable success. Two more years of functional/competent inside play, and a wings pipeline right now. Wagner could blow up too and finally be a true matchup nightmare at 4. It's not hopeless. Maybe Beilein reshuffles assistants like 5 years ago.

[iam416]

I think it kinda comes and goes with both schools. Sometimes football sentiment spills over and sometimes it doesn't. But without question with hoops the loss I hate the most by far is the Sparty one.

Yeah, that's my take. I think the "Craft Era" was a really good stretch for OSU-M games. Both teams were really good -- 2 separate FF teams and 2 elite 8 teams and 1 team that was arguably better than the other 4 (certainly the best of the OSU bunch).

But that's just good on good. The OSU-M factor may amplify it a bit, but still. When it's Ellerbe/Amaker matching wits with O'Brien no one gives a flying fuck. There a few M-OSU hoops games I remember. I remember every OSU-M game even when M was a fucking dumpster fire.

From OSU's perspective, IU was always the team I got really excited to play -- I mean, they're the big dog...or were the big dog when I grew up and even when I was in college. Ah, poor Bobby Knight. Scott May in 1975 and Alan Henderson in 1993. Heh.

[hack]

I can't hate Indiana like I should, I guess b/c a close friend is a fan and we've supported each other. And I loved the particular way in which Knight was cranky.

[WM Wolverine]

This team is AWFUL defensively and their best rebounder is their point guard. Their best player is injured. As-is they'll struggle to beat anyone let alone a decent opponent on the road, even Northwestern is no gimmie.

[hack]

Never as bad or as good as your last game. In the last two games they outrebounded a top-25 team with trees, and then enabled OSU to look great on offense. Home/away, this/that. Just get a decent tourney draw and let's see what happens. Sweet 16 from this year's team would be super.

[Niffla]

Just get a decent tourney draw and let's see what happens. Sweet 16 from this year's team would be super.

Well they gotta get there first. They're still firmly on the bubble in a lot of mock brackets and are undoubtedly capable of plummeting their way into the NIT.

[jaadam4]

I don't see how this team makes it to the tourney this year and in no way do I think we deserve it.

F the NIT

[Mike]

Agreed. We might win one more game. I also heard that one of our wins doesn't count in the eyes of the committee because it was against a D2 team. We're essentially 18-8. Probably will finish 19-12.