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Pam
01-09-2013, 08:59 PM
Tonight's game may have been only the 2nd time I have seen them play this year. I have to say that I wasn't impressed. Yes, they toughed it out and found a way to win which is what good teams do. Just wonder what the the "experts" here have to say about Michigan.

JNort
01-09-2013, 09:17 PM
Well don't base your opinion off just a couple of game. People could say the same about Duke just watch Davidson and Santa Clara and you would say Duke isn't all that either.

Bottom line though is Michigan has the best 2 guard lineup in the country (an argument could be made for UL) and college ball is a pg game for the most part and Michigan has the best in the business with Burke.

Pam
01-09-2013, 09:30 PM
That is EXACTLY why I asked the question. They are undefeated and #2 for a reason and I wanted to hear what people here think of them overall since I know so little. Your points about Duke against Davidson and Santa Clara are correct - if that was all I had seen of Duke, I wouldn't be very impressed with them either. I was just really curious on Michigan and I know that many here follow the other conferences more than I do. Every team has an off night and I thought this might have just been an off night for Michigan. Thanks for the reply.


Well don't base your opinion off just a couple of game. People could say the same about Duke just watch Davidson and Santa Clara and you would say Duke isn't all that either.

Bottom line though is Michigan has the best 2 guard lineup in the country (an argument could be made for UL) and college ball is a pg game for the most part and Michigan has the best in the business with Burke.

Utley
01-09-2013, 09:36 PM
They are a true final 4 contender in my mind. They have tremendous offensive firepower, I saw them tear apart Northwestern a couple of weeks back. I am a fan of their coach, Beilein as well. He's normally more of a defensive specialist, so its especially scary to see him with a team that can shoot like this one can.

cptnflash
01-09-2013, 10:01 PM
Tremendous offense, don't let tonight fool you. Trey Burke is a legit POY contender, Glenn Robinson is a freak of nature, Nik Stauskas might be the best 3-point shooter in the country, and Tim Hardaway Jr. seems to have finally recovered from those two broken ankles that Nolan Smith gave him a couple years ago.

Not great on defense, but not terrible either - they rebound everything in sight and don't foul much.

Definitely a contender to win the Big 10, and if they do, they'll get a #1 seed for sure. We'll find out a lot more about their ceiling over the next two games - at Ohio State, and at Minnesota.

rthomas
01-09-2013, 10:06 PM
Michigan has a really good coach too. Beilein is really good.

Pam
01-09-2013, 10:14 PM
Beilein is a great coach and I had read and heard wonderful things about the players mentioned in the thread. Just figured tonight was an off night for the team, but they won, so that will be forgotten tomorrow. I will catch more of their games going forward. I really enjoy seeing the other highly touted teams play and figured I really did not get a good look tonight.

Thanks for the feedback. You all have confirmed what I had thought - they are a team to watch and will probably go a long way this season.

scottdude8
01-09-2013, 11:30 PM
Being at the game tonight, and having attended a majority of the games in Chrysler Arena this year, I can tell you firsthand tonight was an anomaly—a combination of cold shooting and playing down an inferior opponent.

That being said, Michigan is most definitely legit. Burke, Hardaway, and Glenn Robinson III will likely be first round picks next year if they choose to leave early. Nik Stauskass is a deadeye shooter that can go for 20 every night, but perhaps more importantly is surprisingly good at creating his own shot off the dribble while also being an above average defender at 6'6''. Jordan Morgan and Mitch McGary (a guy who would've been THE ideal Duke big man—a guy who plays like a mad man, hustles for every ball, and isn't concerned with his own offensive numbers) are a solid 1-2 punch down low. And, perhaps more importantly, the Wolverines are deep—Caris LeVert has been a surprise as a freshman, when Jon Horford gets healthy he's a solid backup big, and two seniors (Matt Vogrich and Blake McClimans) who have played throughout their careers are sitting on the end of the bench, and could play a big role down the stretch for a young team.

All in all, I wouldn't be shocked to see a Michigan-Duke final. Which would be both the greatest and worst day of my life, simultaneously.

Pam
01-11-2013, 03:46 AM
Thank you for the great analysis of the team. I will definitely be catching more Michigan games over the next few weeks. Felt that the game was an anomaly based on what I have read and heard about the team and the players. I want to see the best they have to bring, so will keep watching.

Funny what you say about watching a Duke/Michigan final. We keep our loyalties to our undergrad school when we move to grad school, etc. My Duke grad daughter did Law School at GW and we didn't have to worry about their BB team. She almost went to Georgetown, but chose GW for reasons of her own. I was glad she did. :)


Being at the game tonight, and having attended a majority of the games in Chrysler Arena this year, I can tell you firsthand tonight was an anomaly—a combination of cold shooting and playing down an inferior opponent.

That being said, Michigan is most definitely legit. Burke, Hardaway, and Glenn Robinson III will likely be first round picks next year if they choose to leave early. Nik Stauskass is a deadeye shooter that can go for 20 every night, but perhaps more importantly is surprisingly good at creating his own shot off the dribble while also being an above average defender at 6'6''. Jordan Morgan and Mitch McGary (a guy who would've been THE ideal Duke big man—a guy who plays like a mad man, hustles for every ball, and isn't concerned with his own offensive numbers) are a solid 1-2 punch down low. And, perhaps more importantly, the Wolverines are deep—Caris LeVert has been a surprise as a freshman, when Jon Horford gets healthy he's a solid backup big, and two seniors (Matt Vogrich and Blake McClimans) who have played throughout their careers are sitting on the end of the bench, and could play a big role down the stretch for a young team.

All in all, I wouldn't be shocked to see a Michigan-Duke final. Which would be both the greatest and worst day of my life, simultaneously.

Saratoga2
01-11-2013, 06:44 AM
Michigan is for real and may well get to the final 4. Of course, they too could suffer injury(s) as Duke has. I expect them to go down soon as they are playing two toughies this week. For Duke to maintain their position in the top 4 rankings we will need the young players to step up during the period when Ryan is on the sidelines. Hopefully, both Michigan and Duke can be ranked #1's going into the tournament.

Mike Corey
01-11-2013, 09:01 AM
M*chigan is quite good. And Burke--a Columbus native, and former high school teammate of Jared Sullinger's--is the primary reason why. He is incredibly fun to watch, though I suspect much less fun to play against.

How the Wolverines hold up in the brutal Big 10 will tell us a lot about their character. This is a program that hasn't had a ton of sustained success, but it's steered by a well regarded coach (and person). Aside from the non-existent Fab 5 teams, this is the best Wolverine squad since Rumeal Robinson and co.

3108

How they went from those beautiful uniforms to their current monstrosities is surely a tale of woe.

devildeac
01-11-2013, 10:53 AM
M*chigan is quite good. And Burke--a Columbus native, and former high school teammate of Jared Sullinger's--is the primary reason why. He is incredibly fun to watch, though I suspect much less fun to play against.

How the Wolverines hold up in the brutal Big 10 will tell us a lot about their character. This is a program that hasn't had a ton of sustained success, but it's steered by a well regarded coach (and person). Aside from the non-existent Fab 5 teams, this is the best Wolverine squad since Rumeal Robinson and co.

3108

How they went from those beautiful uniforms to their current monstrosities is surely a tale of woe.

What? Black's not one of their school colors?:rolleyes:

GopherBlue
01-11-2013, 11:45 AM
We'll learn a lot more about the Wolverines over the coming 4 weeks, with this brutal conference schedule:

1/13 @ #15 Ohio State
1/17 @ #8 Minnesota
1/24 vs Purdue
1/27 @ #12 Illinois
1/30 vs Northwestern
2/2 @ #5 Indiana
2/9 @ Wisconsin
2/12 @ #22 MSU

...thats 5 games against top-25 team, all on the road! I'd have to concede that this may be a more impressive dance card than Duke's historic November '12 schedule.

IBleedBlue
01-11-2013, 11:47 AM
Michigan's true tests are coming now. They play 6 ranked Big 10 teams in their next 10 games. We will soon find out if they are built to last through the brutal schedule.
Having said that, I personally believe Michigan looks like a well oiled machine at this time and has the ability to make the final four.

FerryFor50
01-11-2013, 12:15 PM
Michigan is the real deal. Talent at all positions, plus they have a glue guy in Mitch McGary coming off the bench to get rebounds and throw his body around.

But, I do think they'll pick up a few losses in the coming weeks with that schedule lurking...

Billy Dat
01-11-2013, 12:54 PM
If Duke and Michigan do wind up meeting down the road, at least we have the foundation of having played Beilein-coached Michigan teams each of the past two seasons. The game in Maui last year featured most of the current UM players, and we beat them thanks in part to torrid 3-point shooting (we made 11). Those UM players have gotten a lot better, but so have we. As the earlier schedule post shows, they'll have much better comp over the conference schedule then we will. It reminds me of how good the ACC was in 2003/4, Duhon's senior year, when Duke, UNC, and Tech spent a lot of time in the top 5 early in the year and Wake and State were also ranked. 6 of our conference games that year, weighted toward the second half of the schedule, were against ranked teams.

NashvilleDevil
01-11-2013, 01:27 PM
3108

How they went from those beautiful uniforms to their current monstrosities is surely a tale of woe.

I think the same could be said about Duke.

scottdude8
01-11-2013, 10:28 PM
Thank you for the great analysis of the team. I will definitely be catching more Michigan games over the next few weeks. Felt that the game was an anomaly based on what I have read and heard about the team and the players. I want to see the best they have to bring, so will keep watching.

Funny what you say about watching a Duke/Michigan final. We keep our loyalties to our undergrad school when we move to grad school, etc. My Duke grad daughter did Law School at GW and we didn't have to worry about their BB team. She almost went to Georgetown, but chose GW for reasons of her own. I was glad she did. :)

Believe me, my loyalty is fully Duke. I'm more conflicted because I was a diehard Michigan fan growing up as well—Michigan won the National Title when I was seven, the first year I went to every game in the Big House. So it isn't a typical "grad-student" loyalty, it's also my childhood team. But in a Michigan-Duke final, its no question I root for Duke... I just root for Michigan in every other possible scenario.

cptnflash
01-12-2013, 01:52 AM
Michigan is a great team, certainly one of the top 5 in the country. Their issue is balance - they are much better offensively than defensively.

That being said, they will lose at Ohio State on Sunday. If we win in Raleigh on Saturday, we will be the last undefeated team in the country. Which, considering the schedule we've played and the injuries we've endured, would be an amazing achievement.

gw67
01-12-2013, 10:24 AM
I've seen Michigan play three times on the tube and I'll add my two cents.

Even though they are a very young team, they have been impressive. Beilan coached up Richmond and West Virginia and did it without a lot of raw talent. He now has the talent and Michigan is right there with Duke, IMO. They protect and share the ball; are an exceptional shooting team, and they rebound well. Their weakness may be their inexperience but I expect them to go far in the NCAAT.

gw67

gumbomoop
01-12-2013, 10:58 AM
Fwiw, the ESPN College GameDay crew guys [JWill having replaced Hubert] think Michigan is the best team right now. I think they'd have said that even if Ryan were not injured. JWill commented that Minnesota is playing the best ball right now, but he, too, said Michigan is best team.

All had Michigan and Indiana in their way-early F4 predictions, with only Bilas including Duke, adding that he "had" them in his F4 before Kelly's injury. JWill had Gonzaga in his F4, Digger had Butler. Fwiw.

ETA: All 3 picked NCSt today. JWill picked Minn to win at Indiana today. As noted above, JWill thinks Minn is playing best ball right now.

CoachJ10
01-13-2013, 03:43 PM
Us Dukies know all too well what happens when you don't have good interior defense and can't rebound on either end very effectively. Good shooting goes along way in college basketball (which Michigan has)...but when it goes on a dry spell...you are left with weaknesses that can be exploited.

I felt dirty for even remotely "cheering" for OSU today.

Furniture
01-13-2013, 03:49 PM
Not impressed! OS also had a terrible second half with some really bad shot selections.

IBleedBlue
01-13-2013, 03:50 PM
OSU's win today is good for Duke in two ways...Michigan probably won't move up over us in rankings and OSU which we defeated will move up in rankings...not that it matters much at this point of the season...but we can still say we defeated a well ranked OSU team :)

Mike Corey
01-13-2013, 04:00 PM
Always a good thing when UNC North loses.

Couldn't watch the game, but I like that end result.

Now we can remember that no team is infallible, nor need they be, in mid-January.

And just for a trip down memory lane:


http://youtu.be/ToEMyjPS2SQ