UM hoops 2008-2009

[Kstat]

Belien has the luxury of being in his 2nd year. I expect similar improvement out of Rodriguez next fall.

Let's not forget Michigan was 10-22 last season. It takes time to voerhaul an entire program.

[Wilfredo Ledezma]

Outstanding basketball game. I watched it start to finish, and it was more enjoyable than any football game they had this fall...

Two huge, top 5 wins that could REALLY put them in the tournament if they're on the bubble come spring...

Go Blue!

[Kstat]

Deshawn Sims developed into an elite NCAA player. Wow, what a concept.

Someone alert Tommy Amaker that you CAN make players better...

[Kstat]

Oh, and we better be ranked come monday. This bullshit needs to end. We've beaten more top-5 teams than anybody in the country, and half the teams in the rankings haven't beaten any ranked teams at all.

[MoTown]

Fantastic game. The difference between this team and every Michigan team of the past 11 years is that when they get down by 4 or 6 or 8, they're not out of it. The other teams would roll over and die. This team fights all the way to the finish.

[Tahoe]

TIVO'd...can't wait till later.

[MoTown]

By the way, as soon as Grady figures out how to finish, he'll be a very good player.

[Jethro34]

It really was great to see them play with energy and poise down the stretch.

They will certainly be ranked after this. They were nowhere to be found at the beginning of the season, ranked in the top 35-40 after the UCLA game. Now this game on ESPN has shown voters they deserve some love.

As for tournament aspirations, I'm not expecting this team to make it. I think a very good season could leave them with a similar resume to what OSU had last year. They finished 19-12 (I don't expect UM to finish with 19 wins at this point) and 10-8 in the conference. What hurt OSU was losing 6 of their last 10 games, then a first round exit in the Big Ten tourney. UM could actually lose 8 of their last 10, because their schedule gets that tough. Check it out:
at Purdue - loss
Penn State - win
at UConn - loss
MSU - loss
at Northwestern - win
Minnesota - loss?
at Iowa - (they can shoot the 3 and they're tough at home) loss
Purdue - loss
at Wisconsin - loss
Minnesota - loss

If they can split with Purdue and Minnesota, and take Iowa, they would be .500 in their last 10 (which includes a tilt against a very good UConn team on the road) and they just might make it in, especially if they make it to the Big Ten tourney championship game.

But we have months to go until then, so getting in the rankings seems inevitable right now, but it's very premature to expect the kind of sustained performance that gets them in the tourney, considering how many berths go out to conference champions.

[Jethro34]

Note - if UM reproduces OSU's win total, they might have an in because OSU was horrible against ranked opponents. The lost 9 of 11 games against ranked teams, with their only wins coming against Purdue and MSU at home, and they were ranked 18 and 20. UM's two victories over top 5 teams already has them beat. OSU only played two top 5 teams all season and lost both (UNC and Wisconsin). Unless UConn somehow drops, UM will have at least 4 games against top 5 teams.

[Wilfredo Ledezma]

We will be 10-2 before Big Ten play...

a .500 record in conference play, along with a 1-1 showing in the Big Ten Tourney, and a Loss to UCONN..

that should get us in the tournament...

Even though we'll lose to UCONN, they're going to really boost our SOS.

Plus, God only knows what Laval Lucas-Perry will bring to the table, if he's better than Merritt & Grady, than who knows what can happen.