3:55 pm: I cleaned up the typos and things that I typed in a confusing manner. I also got the images to work properly.

11:53 AM The podium looks really lonely. I can tell it is not because I hear inane journalist conversation in the background, and people occasionally walk by it.

12:00 PM Somebody is about to get Bill up in this joint. Sounds like Madej to me.
12:01 Maybe if I get this window out of the way, I can see that it is indeed Bruce Madej (Associate AD for Athletic Communications). He is going to introduce Martin, who will be making a couple of statements and introducing new basketball coach. Beilein will make a couple statements, and the media will be able to ask some questions of him.
12:02 Martin in the heezy.

He thanks Tommy for his service to Michigan, navigating us through a trouble period. Martin is forever indebted to him. The screening committee is also thanked: 2 former players Tim McCormick, and Marty Bodnar; Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Ted Spencer; and Greg Harden, and Associate AD.
12:04 Bill Martin states that he has a crush on John Beilein. Now he introduces him. Beilein left his beloved Eers to come here.
12:05 It’s a Beilein!

Big opportunities, big challenges. Put UM back on the national stage as national contenders. Introduces his family, including two sons at WVU (Patrick, who played under JB, graduated last year).
12:06 The people making the decision to move to Michigan: JB and his wife Kathleen. He “believe[s] it is the right decision to make.” He expresses admiration and respect for Tommy for putting program back on its feet.
12:07 Talked to almost every player except the ones who were studying [Beilein, you card]. Sense of humor. At least he has SOME personality. Wait, he’s serious. Talked to Manny’s mom, Legion is in Chi-town with his mother [Roundball Classic], but he will get in contact with them today. Talked to KGSr., on vacation in Cancun.
12:08 Beilein’s first tasks as coach: Compliance meeting, workout, practice scheduled. 1st question: came here because he believes it’s what’s right for him to do. Same type of student-athletes he’s recruited his entire career. Michigan was a very unique situation/opportunity, which was required to get him out of WVU.
12:10 Bill talked to Beilein on the phone, waited until after the NIT championship. Hit it off right away. Martin said nothing in particular about job and challenge to Beilein: Beilein felt good karma, shared Martin’s values and beliefs, and felt good about their future relationship and vision of program.
12:11 Coaching philosophy question. Response: don’t call this a Princeton offense. Don’t want to turn the ball over (hallelujah), and Eers among the top teams in the country in assists. Learn to be versatile as a coach depending on personnel, can dump it inside or “crank threes” in order to win. Adapt style to existing talent and recruit talent to your preferred philosophy.
12:12 JB values players that love their teammates and want to succeed. Love to play and hang out together. Team that fits in with the student body. Doesn’t want team on an island. Wants students to see their friends play, not their basketball team play. No magic formula.
12:13 On recruiting: JB will reach out within state, have coaching clinics and camps. Reach out to coaches within the state. Very hands on approach. “I want Kids to grow up in Michigan dreaming of wearing the Maize and Blue.”

Fighting against MSU, recruiting Michigan will be very hard as long as he is at Michigan.
12:14 Jamie Smalligan is from Michigan, so he has recruited here before. UM is a national university, and can therefor recruit from anywhere, bu they will recruit the state as well as they can. He wants to build a reputation as a coaching staff that knows what they are doing.
12:15 Facilities issue: nothing that bothers him. Beautiful locker room and film room. The facilities give the impression that fans care. He thinks UM was one of the first places he saw where the students jump up and down and wear the same color t-shirts [ed: you’d best be thinking us with a wave before each game, John].
12:16 A practice facility is in the plans for the future. JB has great faith in Bill Martin’s ability to get it done. Martin is open to all options, giving Beilein the opportunity to compete with opponents.
12:17 Recruiting includes “recruiting” existing players every day to improve. Public perceptions are that UM football overshadows UM basketball, MSU basketball overshadows UM basketball. Beilein says it’s breath of fresh air. It’s a program that competes In the Big10, in a good recruiting area, with tremendous support from alumni and fans. Athletic department gets the best of both worlds with football. Competing against MSU only helps basketball in the area.
12:19 JB is ready to recruit great players from a great basketball area. Talked to Manny’s mom and Kelvin’s dad yesterday, and will be talking w/ Alexand mother this afternoon. Everything is positive so far with existing players and 3 signed recruits.

12:20 Beilein will set no concrete timeline for NCAA Tournament appearances or Big10 championships. However, he brought his rings, and will earn some at Michigan soon.
12:21 UM has nothing to do with his buyout. Very interesting. Martin gave Beilein enough time to think about decision.
12:22 No system talks in the practice today, instead there will be conditioning and ball-handling drills. This is stuff for guys to do over the summer. If they don’t work over the summer, they will become familiar with the track. He wants self-starters, but ironically will help them start up.
12:23 He is still looking at assistant options. His old staff is still on WVU’s payroll. Before determining his new staff, he will determine the needs here.
12:24 Beilein hopes Michigan will be his last stop on his coaching career. He grew up on Lake Ontario, and has made a loop in his coaching career ending back there.
12:25 There ought to be pressure on him to succeed from fans, given the amount he is getting paid. Pressure hasn’t bothered him for 32 years, and he doesn’t anticipate it will anytime soon.
12:26 How to turn around direction of Michigan basketball: university has a lot to offer, needs to evaluate where the program is right now. They can attract students from a fertile area. How important was it to wait to contact him until after the NIT. Third parties do stuff all over the place, but UM didn’t really get involved with that. How to get fans involved: be approachable, have great young men repping the Michigan program. People anywhere in the world will be proud of the way they play and conduct themselves. They will be well coached. Fans all over will be proud to say, “This is my team.” Expect winning.
12:28 Asking impression of other people (i.e. in the media) on UM basketball. Once the serious discussions began, he didn’t want to give up his hand that he was planning on taking the job. OMFG! He will be available to the media. What.
12:29 Alumni relations is part of job, fund-raising for practice facility, etc. Part of the coaching decision “zone or man,” his analogy for traveling to get $$ from alums. He is also a busy husband and father, and one man can only do so much.
12:30 His career goal wasn’t to finish at any certain school, but once he was done coaching his son, he realized that WVU wasn’t “it” for him. He has grown a lot as a coach. He was physically sick before his first gig at a high school JV basketball game.
12:31 His early college days helped form him as a coach, and the 2-guard offense forced him to grow as a coach. Necessity is the mother of invention. “Failure is
a fertilizer for a coach” – Rick Pitino.
12:32 Will not return to Morgantown and renege on his decision to coach UM (lol Altman).

Then he is done. Photographers surge over his carcass.

And they lived happily ever after the end.

Posted under Basketball

Offense:
Beilein’s main philosophy here incorporates elements of Princeton Offense, Swing Offense, and Triangle Offense.
Princeton Offense
Learn from Fraschilla! Part 2!
Swing Offense
More Swing Offense
Triangle Offense
Learn from Fraschilla!

The Princeton Offense is run by Princeton (duh) and Georgetown. Swing is known primarily as Wisconsin’s offense. The triangle is famous for being the Phil Jackson philosophy that he ran with the Bulls and Lakers. Tommy Amaker’s offense, by contrast was entitled “have Jerret Smith dribble around until a) he turns it over OR b) the shot clock gets below 10, at which time you frantically try to jack up an off-balance 3.

Defense:
Beilein’s WVU teams were known for their 1-3-1 zone defense, mixed in with some straight-up man.
Base 1-3-1 – Zone Pressure
1-3-1- Trap techniques

Posted under Basketball

CBS and Fox both say Beilein to Michigan is official like a referee with a whistle.

Press conference allegedly set for Wednesday.

edit: omfg 2 facebook groups it must be true.

Posted under Basketball

What would Beilein do?

(note: he was offered the job yesterday, and all indications are that, later today, the question becomes: “What will Beilein do?”)

Short term:
1) Put butts in seats. Any coaching change is bound to do this, because it generates a little bit of excitement around the program, and people want to be able to see what the new coach will be able to do. Under Amaker, attendance soared to historic lows. I’m a student, and I’ve never bought basketball tickets. My freshman year I just didn’t care, but the last two, I’ve been looking for an excuse to convince myself to get them. Amaker’s departure provides me with just that.
2) Generate a buzz around the program. When was the last time SportsCenter talked about Michigan basketball for a reason other than: a) The Fab Five b) They are playing a legit team (OSU, Wisconsin, UCLA, etc.) or c) They are in the NIT? The answer is not recently, until they started giving updates on our coaching search.
3) Win. Rag on the guy’s recruiting all you want. In his first year, that won’t matter all that much (disclaimer: except to retain Michigan’s current commits, though it’s sounding likely that Legion will not stay with Michigan). In the first year, he’ll have to win with what is left for him. Fortunately, coaching, rather than recruiting is his strong point. Do I expect him to take the team to the tourney in his first year? No, but I’d give him a much better chance than I would Amaker coaching the same players.
4) Put butts in seats. What? I already said this one? Well, it’s for a different reason this time. Before, it was just because of change. Taking the buzz generated about the program, and the potential winning into account, even more people will start showing up. I was embarrassed to go to the NIT games last year, and to find Crisler nearly empty at the first one. However, once it became clear that the team was on a winning track (albeit in the NIT), the fans started showing up (UTEP: 4400, ND: 8554, UM: 8818)

Long(er) term:
1) Make the basketball program profitable again. This goes along with getting people into Crisler. Blame the lack of facilities all you want, but with Martin at the helm, there was no chance of money being spent on a profitless program (note: this is not a criticism; I actually agree with Martin’s philosophy on this). With more money coming in, the mythical practice facility and Crisler upgrade will come much sooner.
2) Increase the profile of Michigan basketball. On top of (presumably) not refusing to do a coach’s show (cough cough, Amaker, cough cough), the hypothetical winning would increase the
profile of Michigan basketball. It’s Michigan. The Fab Five place. With NCAA tournament appearances, it should be able to start recruiting itself.
3) Get facilities upgraded faster. On top of points one and two, Beilein is far more likely to campaign actively to raise funds for new facilities (it’s not much work to campaign harder than “not at all”). This, in turn, will lead to a healthy future for the basketball program.

Posted under Basketball

Game
You Play Like…:Tim Duncan
You Want To Play Like…:KG, but it’s dry
Best Hand:Right
Best Talent:My Hook
Second Best:Punching Shit
Third Best:Man, you going to far wit this shit now
Need Most Work In:My Handle
Second Most:Three point shot
Third Most:Strength
Describe Your Game In One Word:SMOOVE!!!!!!

Posted under Basketball

Nathan Fenno of the AA News reports.

This is huge news, aside from the fact that Michigan is retaining two great players, in that both Manny Harris and Alex Legion have specifically mentioned these two guys as reasons to stay committed to Michigan.

Posted under Basketball

1:04 OSU inbounds the ball. They go right to Oden, who essentially walks right around Courtney.
1:06 Oden loves to block weak attempts at basket. Well, it’s his lucky day, becaue he’s playing against Courtney Sims.
1:08 Petway fouled before the shot, but the more foul trouble for OSU, the better. Turnover on the inbounds, of course.
1:09 Again, Michigan looks pretty lost on offense. Let’s see some (get this) “motion.”
1:10 Courtney blocks Oden WTF. Also, Dion airballs a WIDE open three. WTF again.
1:11 Petway needs to dunk in any tip opportunity he gets. TV Timeout. 42-32 OSU 15:54 2nd Half
1:14 C Sims with a curiously strong move, drawing the foul. Mike Conley’s dad was an olympian is the new Tom Zbikowski is a boxer is the new Jeff Samardzija also plays baseball is the new Matt Trannon plays two sports.
1:16 Hey guys, let’s give up wide open three.12 point lead for OSU. The game might be starting to slip away (for real this time).
1:17 Abram stems the flow, thankfully. Nice D by Dion.
1:18 More fouls on OSU. Muahaha. The more bigs they have in foul trouble, the better for us.
1:19 Lavin is inadvertently calling Conley Sr. a gangsta, as Jerret bombs a three, Lead is back down to 6.
1:20 Oden back in w/ 2 fouls, and a Udoh sighting for the first time in a while as well. He hits a shot. Hooray.
1:22 Scramble for the ball, Dave O’Brien decides it isn’t important to let us know what the call is before the commercial. I’m assuming timeout OSU. 46-41 OSU 11:33 2nd Half
1:28 I had other shit to do, and missed a 4-point barrage by OSU. They currently lead 50-41. Oden forces a jump ball, but it stays w/ Michigan.
1:29 Though I went out of my way to defend Jerret Smith at halftime, he takes a lot of really shitty layups in traffic. Now he turns it over, but Conley charges on the break.
1:30 Steve Lavin hilariously lauds the Big 10 officials, who are actually really bad (though they’re doing all right this game). Jerret hits a big 3 to bring it back within 6.
1:31 TERRIBLE foul call on Courtney, guarding Oden. There was almost literally no contact. Steve Lavin is still retarded. Sims with another block, and Matta picks up a T. Reminiscent of yesterday, when a UM fast break was stopped to T up Minny’s coach.
1:33 Dion hits both, now UM has the ball with a chance to get within one score. Prediction: turnover. Nope, foul on Jamar Butler. His 3rd.
1:34 Abram misses the front end of a one-and-one, proving that he actually can’t effectively contribute from anywhere. Another AWFUL ticky-tack foul on Sims (which they haven’t even come close to calling on the other end). Even Lavin is laying into the refs, whom he and O’Brien were recently sucking off verbally.
1:35 Oden with a chance for the old fashioned 3-point play, as Petway commits the foul, but the free throw isn’t close. Udoh takes an ill-advised jumper, then is mauled on the defensive glass, again with no call.
1:36 THEN COMES L.A. MR. CONSISTENCY. He is so hilariously inconsistent, but it’s been mostly good in this game.
1:37 TERRIBLE FOUL CALL ON UDOH. I am seriously going to assassinate a Big 10 ref. They are awful at their jobs, with stunning consistency that is lacked by Lester Abram. 54-49 OSU 7:14 2nd Half
1:40 Another missed offensive opportunity by UM. They’re going to have to start converting some of these if they want to have a chance at the end.
1:43 Dion Harris goes up strong and is fouled.
1:44 Petway makes the rare wise decision to not go for a crushing block, but the OSU player hits the 3 anyway.
1:45 Oh Jesus. Awesome OSU alley oop. Dion turns it over on a 5 second call.
1:47 Call me a homer, but this officiating isn’t even close to fair. There have been bad calls on both ends, but anything even remotely resembling an OSU player being approached by a defender draws a foul. Nice +1 by C Sims on the hard foul by Terwilliger.
1:49 GRRRRR Jerret makes a good pass to Dion on the break, and he can’t handle it for the easy deuce (and probably a foul as well, if he goes up with it). 66-56 OSU 3:47 2nd Half
1:51 Essentially uncontested hook shot by Oden. Time is starting to run out for Michigan. Execution must be at its peak, and now.
1:53 Hey guys, you’re down by 10 with 2.5 minutes left, let’s do something on offense. Michigan timeout. 68-60 OSU Hilariously, Oden whacked Petway on the dunk, and no call!
1:55 OSU gets the ball in, and O’Brien talks about Petway dunking in “multiple hairstyles.” Conley (I hear his dad was an Olympian?) hits both foul shots. Jerret Smith turns the ball over, effectively ending the game.
1:58 71-60 OSU, they have the ball, about a minute to go.
2:01 72-62 OSU Final Score.

HOORAY NIT

Posted under Basketball

(insert NBA Jam Scottie Pippen-Horace Grant hilarity). My apologies for going not-so-live for a while there; my internet connection played a hilarious prank on me.

Michigan has kept it close against a team that should be able to overmatch them, but they’re going to have to get a little more energy going on offense.

Positives: rebounding, Reed Baker has played some minutes, Jerret Smith is limiting his turnovers.

Negatives: other people have made up for Jerret’s turnovers, the offense is really stagnant.

I have also come to a few decisions. People hate Jerret Smith and Tommy Amaker. I have been one of those people. UNTIL NOW. No, Jerret Smith isn’t a great point guard. However, since he has been inserted into the starting lineup, he has definitely gotten the job done. If he would just work harder in the weight room (and on the treadmill), he could be a good PG, rather than a serviceable one.
Tommy Amaker is never going to be mistaken for a great coach. His offenses tend to look terrible. Part of this, however, is the desire of the players to work hard. In the game, he can only do so much. I have criticized him a lot for being emotionless on the sidelines, but sometimes you just have to come to terms with the fact that it’s his demeanor. The coach can only do so much, and it’s up to the players to execute (see: Courtney Sims bricked dunk, DH missed one-and-one last time against OSU).

The people who deserve a lot of the blame for the shittiness of this team are Lester Abram, who has gotten worse every year, and Courtney Sims, who is a decidedly low-ceiling guy.

Posted under Basketball

After letting the Buckeyes off the hook last Saturday, Michigan once again faces off against OState, this time in the Big 10 tournament.

12:00 Coverage begins. More Lavin. Dave O’Brien is his partner. Obligatory wrong soccer team reference.
12:03 First glimpse of hideous OSU uniforms. I thought I’d get used to them when I saw them in action, but it didn’t happen.
12:04 Petway controls the tip. Jerret Smith eventually turns it over. They let the clock run down far too low before getting anything going, but it could have just been the good OState D. Coming back down, Dion Harris feeds Smith on the break, drawing first blood.
12:06 Ohio State answers with a fast break of their own. Also, somebody please inform Dave O’Brien that Lester Abram IS left-handed. His finish with left hand is considerably less impressive when taking this into account.
12:07 Good entry pass by Jerret, fumbled by Courtney. Eventual shot clock violation as Abram passes up an open three. Seriously. Tommy. Bench Abram. Seriously.
12:08 I could have witnessed his birth 18 years ago, and still not believe that Oden is under 30. Lame Dave O’Brien Oden dicksuck.
12:10 Conley steal, fouled by Jerret. TV Timeout. 8-6 OSU 16:03 1st Half
12:11 5 Point lead bucks. That might be the game already. 2 Consecutive turnovers for Michigan, including an offensive foul on Dion.
12:12 11-6 OSU 15:04 1st Half
12:14 Dave O’Brien is talking about being high. what.
12:16 Missed Alley Oop by OSU that C Sims REALLY should have rebounded. Udoh enters the game. Good things will likely happen. Abram passes up another open 3.
12:17 Udoh forces a missed layup on the break. I love him. OH MY FUCKING GOD I DO NOT DISLIKE PETWAY EITHER. My god, he draws a charge, too. He will be missed by many (namely me).
12:18 Lavin and O’Brien are making fun of how stupid Coleman is. Why don’t they just talk about how bad he is at basketball? At least his wrist is OK to play. Lavin is talking about how much better UM is playing today over yesterday. Maybe he hasn’t noticed that they only have 8 points. Harris fouled going to the hoop. TV Timeout. 13-8 OSU 11:27 1st Half
12:23 Jerret Smith is beat up and his wallet is taken on the way to the hoop, but the foul is not called. REED COMING IN BITCHES! Tommy trying to stop the Bucks from playing zone, I assume.
12:24 Speaking of players I love, make it rain, Reed. I think announcers always call Oden “Mr. Oden,” likely because he’s as old as their parents. D Sims battles for an offensive rebound, earning a trip to the stripe, where he makes one.
12:27 Jerret Smith is actually doing a pretty good job driving and forcing the defense to react. He draws another OSU foul (though he did just commit one on the other end).
12:28 A visit from our good friend turnoverus. Also, Reed doesn’t do anything on defense. Abram passes up another wide open three. I seriously want to injure him.
12:29 D. Sims putback and a foul on Oden. It’s like Christmas! 20-14 OSU 7:40 1st Half
12:32 Analysis of UM tournament chances. It’s fairly obvious we must win today, and I think probably tomorrow (which will be a winnable game no matter who wins Iowa v. Purdue). Abram contributing the only place he can: the free throw line.
12:35 OMG he actually doesn’t pass up an open three, and lo and behold he hits it! Harris lob to Petway, with a beautiful finish. Can;t wait to see him in a dunk contest.
12:36 Jamar Butler misses another shit, UM with a chance to tie it. TERRIBLE offensive foul called on Jevohn Shepherd. Lavin thinks Shepherd is a freshman.
12:38 Jevohn Shepherd, offensive liability turns it over, but luckily the OSU player lands on the baseline. Holy christ, Oden missed a shot, hell must be freezing over, Lavin. Harris hits a 3 to bring the score within 1.
12:40 Lewis responds on the other end, to open the lead back to 4. Courtney Sims gets pounded by Oden on the way up, of course no foul called. I’m ready for Tommy to start throwing items of clothing (start with Courtney’s bra). 31-25 OSU 2:11 1st Half
12:43 Long jumper from D Sims with an expiring shot clock. Me likey the shot, not the situation.
12:45 Harris misses a rainbow three, Coleman gets the rebound, and Harris draws a shooting foul. Lavin and O’Brien are comparing coaching styles between Matta and Amaker. I don’t think they realize they just have to say “good vs. bad.”
12:47 D Sims misses the front end of a 1-and-1. Halftime 34-29 OSU

Posted under Basketball

Halftime: After discussing McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden, I ran back to my house and turned on the game. It was an impressive display of the “Motion” offense. I watched the last 5 minutes and saw a total of 8 points, four each. This is going to be tough to watch, but I’ll be here on the front lines.

19:26: I’ve become a fan of Jarret Smith lately. He makes a smart drive to the lane, draws the foul. Then he hits one of two, gets his own rebound, which he then summarily gives to Minnesota, but still… you like the hustle.

18:38: Could Harris be heating up? 2 straight threes. This one off of good penetration and kicks by Smith and Abram.

17:57: Courtney Sims gets the ball and doubled and finds an open Petway for an AG why you doin’ that? Dunk. Sims with court awareness? This could be a good thing, but I doubt that will keep up.

16:52: OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION! 14 points in 3:30 after only 36 in 20 minutes. Michigan has something that looks like offense. This could be encouraging. Michigan needs to play this game like they played against OSU. They can

15:46: Why can’t the Big Ten get good basketball officials. Michigan has an open man past the defense, good pass down, easy lay-up, BUT IT WHISTLED OFF. Why you ask? To call a technical foul on Minnesota’s coach. He’s not a puppy, you don’t have to T him up immediately for him to learn his lesson. Why would you penalize Michigan to penalize Minnesota? Damnit. At least Harris makes both to get it up to ten.

15:33: Karma. Petway makes a tough shot he normally wouldn’t off of the Technical foul.

15:05: With all due respect to Brian @ mgoblog, Minnesota’s PG just threw a post entry pass to Tacopant. Honestly, I think it might have gone over the back board.

13:43: Too bad it’s almost over, but I’m really started to dig this Smith, Petway pick and roll. If they had another year, I could imagine a TON of alley-oops coming off of that set. It just (good?) offense, which is always refreshing to see from Michigan.

11:57: Instead of the Jeff Bowden-esque 3pt shot, with the shot clock running down, Jarret Smith drives and gets a good look and gets fouled. He is really starting to make good decisions. He’s the most pure PG I’ve seen since Amaker has been here.

10:31: Minnesota can’t hit anything. 16pts in the first half, 7pts in 10 minutes in the second. Wow. I thought Michigan was bad.

10:06: What little rhythm there was in this game, the refs have completely removed.

8:34: FINALLY! After missing 9 straight field goals, DeShawn Simms gets a put back and Michigan equals it’s first half (which I thought they would about 3 minutes ago).

8:22: Courtney Sims needs to GO UP STRONG! He gets blocked from behind on a bunny.

7:08: Michigan is doing a good job crashing the offensive glass, but could do better converting, another turnover.

6:02: AGAIN. Michigan does a great job getting the offensive rebound just to turn it over. Michigan needs points, bad. It’s only a six point game.. Michigan hasn’t scored in almost 3 minutes.

5:12: Ronald Coleman (wtf?) nails a three from the corner off a sweet drive and dish by Smith. But Abu-Shamala answers right back.

4:15: Dion Harris shooting the head end of a one-and-one and hits it. Brent Musberger keeps and saying how Dion Harris “lowered the shoulder.” Having watched Harris for four years, I’ve noticed his shoulder on his ball handling side is always low. I think he does it to look gangsta’. But he did not

3:06: Coleman goes up for a rebound and a Minnesota player undercuts him (totally accidental, legal contact, just unfortunate) and he lands hard on his side. It looks like his wrist hit and then his body came on top. Ouch. I bet everyone in the United Center heard the thud. I don’t want to sound like a huge asshole, but at least it’s Ron Coleman.

2:11: Brent Musberger has a crush on Dion Harris? This is verbatim, I swear. “Dion Harris is a cutie.”

1:39: Abram fouls out. For some reason, I’m not immediately fearing for the win. Where has Udoh been this game? I missed the beginning, was there an announcement? I don’t remember him getting hurt in the OSU game.

1:12: Brent Petway is a rebounding machine. He skies up there and grabs the board over everyone else. I was really worried about Graham Brown leaving and who would fill his role. People mentioned Petway, but I was skeptical, but I was wrong. He does a lot of the little things, takes charges, makes blocks, just a good energy guy. But he also has the ability to do some of the most incredible dunks in college basketball.

54.1: Reed Baker SCORES! That’s all really, just thought that was worth noting.

6.1: So fitting. Michigan gets the offensive rebound with the shot clock off and then TURN IT OVER. I wonder what percentage of Michigan’s turnovers came after offensive rebounds.

Final: 49-40. Decent game by Michigan, but it really seemed that they weren’t playing their hardest. It could be understandable that Michigan was looking ahead to OSU, but luckily Minnesota is horrible. Jarret Smith needs to play out of his mind tomorrow, and I think he could do it.

Posted under Basketball