MICHIGAN'S MEN'S BASKETBALL: 2015-2016

[Hannibal]

They have one relatively easy win and two realistic shots at an upset. Maybe only one if you write off the Wisconsin game. At 10-8 I wouldn't feel offended if they get left out of the tourney.

[hack]

Yeah, I don't know what it's going to take to get of the bubble already. Three top-25 RPI wins. If we don't make it I think that's pretty stupid, but it helps with the long-term goal of getting a different coach. Silver lining. Realistically though, being on the bubble should be perceived as a failure in and of itself.

[Hannibal]

Unfortunately I think that being the top seed in the NIT doesn't help you get a new coach. In that way, it's a worst case scenario. We're married to Beilien for quite a while longer. I'm thinking four years minimum.

[hack]

I agree the NIT is a risk. Very likely they might win it, and that's always a false sense of hope.

I agree with four years minimum. Might get it down to three with some more awfulness.

[Hannibal]

I'm not at that point yet. I haven't given up hope completely. An NIT championship is probably still a better long run outcome than getting bounced from it.

[lineygoblue]

The only thing you can hope for with regards to an early exit for Beilein is if Warde Manuel dislikes constantly losing to Michigan State and Ohio State, and makes that a reason for bouncing him.

[hack]

UConn was certainly in it to win it when he was there.

[Whitley]

They have not looked good (course when you struggle to shoot you are always going to look bad), but they have not lost to a team with an RPI over 100. Something only 4-5 teams have done this year. It is a team that definitely against the better opponents misses LaVert. They find a way to split the next 4 games that puts them at 11-7 and that probably gets them in.

[Cody_Russell]

Minnesota beat Maryland tonight.
Michigan plays @ Maryland next.

If it wasn't going to happen already, Michigan won't win that game now. Maryland will probably be focused.

[WM Wolverine]

Injuries have killed this team for the 3rd straight season. Caris possibly done for this season after latest setback.

[hack]

Please stop it with injuries already.

[WM Wolverine]

Take away any team's best player and they aren't going to be near as good as expectations.

[WM Wolverine]

Mitch McGary was exactly what the team needed in '13-'14, he could've pushed that team back into NT contention... With McGary that team beats Kentucky and is in the FF... That would've given M a lot of momentum in recruiting, especially those big men that M desperately needs...

Again, their best player is injured in '15-'16. This team doesn't have Stauskas but this is a team that should be near the top of the B1G with a healthy Levert who is an all B1G talent when healthy.

[hack]

They lost their presumed best player two years ago and the team was within a hair of the Final Four. We lost last year to NJIT and EMU with the full team on the floor. You can watch the games now and see for yourself the defensive miscues and spotty effort, or you can just listen to Dakich to point it out, which he does every game now. How much verifiable reality do you have to ignore to keep on about injuries, and what is the point of that?

What's frustrating is that the injuries excuse is going to obscure reality and delay change.

[*JD*]

That goes against the whiney mentality here WM.

Recruiting does have to improve to be a national power and there are things to pick apart.

However, in any objective world, losing your top player and other role players does have an impact on things.

Objectively looking at things-
Should they have won at Tosu? Maybe. It was pointed out that the bucks have been a very good team at home. I think it would have been a very big win for Michigan. I still think 2 more wins (including B1G tourney play) gets them in the tourney. 3 more, they're a lock. Wins over Texas, Maryland and Purdue are all resume'-builders. No losses to bad teams. They should get to 20 wins and have a winning conference record. Those are things that usually get a team into the dance.

Is this a season for the ages? Not at this point. Is it an embarrassment? No. They still have a chance to be a Sweet 16 team, which is what I thought they looked like in October. To do it without LeVert and Spike seems like it would be overachieving.

Players matter. Did Phil Jackson become a shit coach without Jordan? Was Chuck Daly worse when coaching Kenny Anderson or Penny Hardaway instead of Isiah? Is Izzo better off with having his 3 seniors playing than not?

Beilein is still a good coach. Like I said, he does need to improve his recruiting to have Michigan vying for B1G titles on the regular. They need something big to happen in the 2017 class.

Several posters get very K-statian in this area when things aren't going great. It doesn't have to been seen as all or nothing.