The Spartans started with one of the toughest schedules in recent memory by playing UNC in San Diego then traveling to NYC to play Duke. State played well at times in both games, but fell short. Since then they have won 10 in a row against a pretty easy schedule. They should be 11-2 starting B1G play.
Michigan St. is led by senior forward Draymod Green (from Saginaw), he is scoring 15 ppg so far. He is a do everyting type player, and is clearly the Spartans leader on the court. Draymond also averages 10 rebounds a game so far, and he leads the team in assists. Valporaiso transfer Brandon Wood scores 11 ppg as their second leading scorer. From what I have seen from Wood, he likes to shoot the jump shot, and it isnt falling he will take himself out of the game. State also has two very talented young players: point guard Keith Appling (scored 49 points in the 2009 state championship game) and freshman forward Branden Dawson. Offensively, they are led by coach Tom Izzo who calls a play every possession. One reason why they are so tough to beat come tournament time. They will run a lot of motion offense, with some high screens. Currently, their offense goes through Draymond Green. State has been known to have some great post players, but recently this has not been the case. They are more perimeter oriented. When they are executing their plays well, State is very tough to slow down. Last year their offensive production was hampered by terrible shot selection. One of State biggest weaknesses though is their bench. MSU has very little depth and will need their starters to handle most of the scoring.
Defensively, State mostly just runs a pressure man to man defense. This has been Tom Izzo's greatest strength as a coach, his ability to teach and coach defense is second to none. They rotate extremely well, and are seldom out of position for rebounds. Appling is the teams best defender, and will be asked to cover either the point guard or shooting guard whichever player is better. Adreian Payne is a very good shot blocker down low, but can get into foul problems since he is still learning how to play defense and not just block shots. It will be very tough for most teams to get their inside game working well against State.
How they matchup vs Michigan: This is one of those games that I cannot wait for. Trey Burke vs Keith Appling will be a great battle for the next few years. Both are not the biggest guards, but are extremely athletic and good shooters. Burke is not on the same defensive level as Appling yet. It will be telling towards the outcome just by looking at Burke's statline. If he can limit his turnovers against a great defender, and still find a way to get his standard 10-15 points, Michigan should win. I think that is a tall task to ask a freshman, especially playing on the road at the Breslin Center. I think Michigan will split with State this year. (Winning on the road at MSU again will be a good indicator if Michigan is going to compete for the B1G title.)
I think Michigan St is improving well, and will be a very tough game for all B1G teams. I think MSU can finish with 10+ conference wins this year and be in the top 3 of the final standings.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Iowa Preview
Iowa has started the season 7-5 with one more non-conference game vs Boise St. Their 5 losses have been to average at best teams. The Hawkeyes will likely finish in the bottom 3 of the B1G this year. Many people thought they were going to make a jump this year under their 2nd year coach. They return a lot of players, including Melsahn Basabe who almost averaged a double double in his freshman B1G season last year.
Iowa has been underwhelming so far, and will not get out of the B1G basemnt without dramatic improvements soon. The Hawkeyes struggling scoring the ball at times, especially when they play a team that has athletic guards and uses a pressure defense.
They are led in scoring by Senior guard Matt Gatens at almost 14 ppg. He is a 4th year starter, and has increased his scoring each year. He can knock down the occassional 3 point shot, but will not take over a game. He is a solid player, but he would not lead most NCAA tourney teams in scoring. Their second scoring option is sophomore guard Roy Devyn Marble from Southfield. He is averaging 11 ppg. He is not a great long range shooter, and usually gets most of his points from driving to the rim. Basabe averages 9ppg. Other than these 3 players, Iowa does not have anyone that can take over a game or put up 20 points.
Iowa likes to play at a high tempo, high possession style game. So on defense they play very aggressively in their backcourt, which will result in a lot of over-pursuits and easy shots. Eventually when the Hawkeyes have some more talent on the team, they will be able to create more turnovers and get some easy buckets in transition. But as of right now, they do not pose a huge threat to shut down most B1G teams.
How they matchup vs Michigan: Basabe will be a tough matchup for our big men. Last year Morgan tried to cover him, but this year Smot and Morgan can switch duties now that Smot has broken the 200 lb mark. Our guards are more athletic and more talented across the board, and will likely result in a lot of open shot attempts. Burke will be a very tough matchup for Iowa, and they will likely have to tone down their aggressive defense to guard against the 3 point line with how well we have been shooting the rock so far this year. If Michigan wants to be recognized as a top tier basketball program in the B1G, they cannot lose games to Iowa this year. Also, a loss to the Hawkeyes will not look good for the selection committee.
Iowa should be better than Penn St and maybe even Nebraska, but that will be about it. They will be shooting for 5 conference wins.
Iowa has been underwhelming so far, and will not get out of the B1G basemnt without dramatic improvements soon. The Hawkeyes struggling scoring the ball at times, especially when they play a team that has athletic guards and uses a pressure defense.
They are led in scoring by Senior guard Matt Gatens at almost 14 ppg. He is a 4th year starter, and has increased his scoring each year. He can knock down the occassional 3 point shot, but will not take over a game. He is a solid player, but he would not lead most NCAA tourney teams in scoring. Their second scoring option is sophomore guard Roy Devyn Marble from Southfield. He is averaging 11 ppg. He is not a great long range shooter, and usually gets most of his points from driving to the rim. Basabe averages 9ppg. Other than these 3 players, Iowa does not have anyone that can take over a game or put up 20 points.
Iowa likes to play at a high tempo, high possession style game. So on defense they play very aggressively in their backcourt, which will result in a lot of over-pursuits and easy shots. Eventually when the Hawkeyes have some more talent on the team, they will be able to create more turnovers and get some easy buckets in transition. But as of right now, they do not pose a huge threat to shut down most B1G teams.
How they matchup vs Michigan: Basabe will be a tough matchup for our big men. Last year Morgan tried to cover him, but this year Smot and Morgan can switch duties now that Smot has broken the 200 lb mark. Our guards are more athletic and more talented across the board, and will likely result in a lot of open shot attempts. Burke will be a very tough matchup for Iowa, and they will likely have to tone down their aggressive defense to guard against the 3 point line with how well we have been shooting the rock so far this year. If Michigan wants to be recognized as a top tier basketball program in the B1G, they cannot lose games to Iowa this year. Also, a loss to the Hawkeyes will not look good for the selection committee.
Iowa should be better than Penn St and maybe even Nebraska, but that will be about it. They will be shooting for 5 conference wins.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Indiana
IU has been one of the biggest surprises so far in this young season. They are currently 11-0 with a win over then number 1 Kentucky. Outside of this game they have not played a really difficult schedule, but still being 11-0 for the first time since 1975-76 season is impressive. They will have a good test in the B1G opener when they have to play at MSU.
Indiana is trying to get back to its rich traditions in college basketball. They have had close to a decade of disappointing seasons, and are looking to finally get back to the NCAA tourney this year. I think they can do it.
IU is a young team led by freshman Cody Zeller (his brother is a star for UNC). He is a 6'11" bean pole that has yet to grow into his frame, but is still leading the team in scoring and rebounding. He is very athletic and has a high basketball IQ. It will be fun to see him during conference play against Sullinger, Morgan, Payne, Leonard, etc. He has surprisingly good hands and a decent 10-15 foot jumper. They have their own version of Jordan Morgan (Christian Watford) except his range extends past dunks to the 3 point line. He is the player that hit the buzzer beating shot against Kentucky. He is a big body that requires a body on him at all times. Zeller most benefits from Watfords presence on the floor, since most centers will have to cover Watford leaving the smaller power forward for Zeller. Their point guard is a hometown kid from Bloomington. He is a sharp shooter when he is able to get his shot off, but is relatively easy to cover. The problem is that you will forget about him with the other playmakers on the floor. This is when he is able to impact a game offensively. IU's second scoring option is sophomore 6'5" guard Victor Oladipo. He is very athletic and tough to stop. IU is one of the national leaders in assists per game, so they are likely to be balanced in scoring. When somebody gets to 20 in their lineup, something went wrong for the other team. For being so young, and not far removed from B1G basemen dweller, they are very balanced and do not just rely on a one and done freshman.
Defensively IU will play a man to man. They are very susceptible to the back cut since they are so young. IU is not spectalur on the defensive end, but they are a very good rebounding team. So a team will likely get open shots vs the Hoosiers, but if they are not knocking these shots down IU will not give up many 2nd chance points. Their bench is still limited for another year (top 3 recruiting class next year), so a complicated motion offense like Michigan will likely stretch this IU team.
How do they match up against us? This seems to be the same formula for all of my reviews, but again we will struggle defending the post against IU. Smot, Morgan, and Horford will likely all be in foul trouble in these games. Michigan has a huge advantage at the point guard position, so if Burke can apply a lot of pressure on defense, it can limit the low post opportunities. Michigan will need to rebound well, since IU likes to shoot the 3. They are not as good of a shooting team as us, but can still get hot. These long shots will give long rebounds, so Hardaway and Burke will have to be active on the glass. Offensively, Michigan should be able to score close to 70 against Indiana. Zeller will struggle defending the pick and roll, especially if they choose to hedge after screens. Look for Burke to have 2 high scoring games against the Hoosiers. Hardaway and Oladipo will likely cancel each other out. I think Michigan should win at home, and the road test will be interesting. IU is a tough place to play, and we have to go their January 5th, right after IU plays MSU and Ohio and will likely be 0-2 in the conference. A young team could respond poorly or be angry and play some of their best basketball.
Prediction: IU has a favorable schedule down the stretch like Michigan did last year, they could get hot and finish with 10 wins in the conference. I dont know if they have the leadership like we did last year, so starting 0-3 in the conference could be a death wish and IU could implode moving forward only winning 6-7 games.
Indiana is trying to get back to its rich traditions in college basketball. They have had close to a decade of disappointing seasons, and are looking to finally get back to the NCAA tourney this year. I think they can do it.
IU is a young team led by freshman Cody Zeller (his brother is a star for UNC). He is a 6'11" bean pole that has yet to grow into his frame, but is still leading the team in scoring and rebounding. He is very athletic and has a high basketball IQ. It will be fun to see him during conference play against Sullinger, Morgan, Payne, Leonard, etc. He has surprisingly good hands and a decent 10-15 foot jumper. They have their own version of Jordan Morgan (Christian Watford) except his range extends past dunks to the 3 point line. He is the player that hit the buzzer beating shot against Kentucky. He is a big body that requires a body on him at all times. Zeller most benefits from Watfords presence on the floor, since most centers will have to cover Watford leaving the smaller power forward for Zeller. Their point guard is a hometown kid from Bloomington. He is a sharp shooter when he is able to get his shot off, but is relatively easy to cover. The problem is that you will forget about him with the other playmakers on the floor. This is when he is able to impact a game offensively. IU's second scoring option is sophomore 6'5" guard Victor Oladipo. He is very athletic and tough to stop. IU is one of the national leaders in assists per game, so they are likely to be balanced in scoring. When somebody gets to 20 in their lineup, something went wrong for the other team. For being so young, and not far removed from B1G basemen dweller, they are very balanced and do not just rely on a one and done freshman.
Defensively IU will play a man to man. They are very susceptible to the back cut since they are so young. IU is not spectalur on the defensive end, but they are a very good rebounding team. So a team will likely get open shots vs the Hoosiers, but if they are not knocking these shots down IU will not give up many 2nd chance points. Their bench is still limited for another year (top 3 recruiting class next year), so a complicated motion offense like Michigan will likely stretch this IU team.
How do they match up against us? This seems to be the same formula for all of my reviews, but again we will struggle defending the post against IU. Smot, Morgan, and Horford will likely all be in foul trouble in these games. Michigan has a huge advantage at the point guard position, so if Burke can apply a lot of pressure on defense, it can limit the low post opportunities. Michigan will need to rebound well, since IU likes to shoot the 3. They are not as good of a shooting team as us, but can still get hot. These long shots will give long rebounds, so Hardaway and Burke will have to be active on the glass. Offensively, Michigan should be able to score close to 70 against Indiana. Zeller will struggle defending the pick and roll, especially if they choose to hedge after screens. Look for Burke to have 2 high scoring games against the Hoosiers. Hardaway and Oladipo will likely cancel each other out. I think Michigan should win at home, and the road test will be interesting. IU is a tough place to play, and we have to go their January 5th, right after IU plays MSU and Ohio and will likely be 0-2 in the conference. A young team could respond poorly or be angry and play some of their best basketball.
Prediction: IU has a favorable schedule down the stretch like Michigan did last year, they could get hot and finish with 10 wins in the conference. I dont know if they have the leadership like we did last year, so starting 0-3 in the conference could be a death wish and IU could implode moving forward only winning 6-7 games.
Illinois
Currently Illinois is 11-1 with their toughest test coming up on Thursday (at #8 Mizzou). Their only loss was to a decent UNLV team. I would put UNLV and Virginia on a similar level. They also have been Gonzaga. Illinois almost lost to Cornell last night. The rest of the non-conference schedule has been very weak.
Illinois has two very good guards (junior DJ Richardson and junior Brandon Paul), and then they have their standard 7 foot goon that has unexpected range (Meyers Leonard). Their bench is pretty thin as of right now, and the remaining 2 starters are more role players and defensive specialists.
Bruce Weber had built up a national power and was thought of to be one of the top coaches in the country, but that was almost 10 years ago and now he is on the hot seat. He needs a solid year and to get back into the NCAA tourney to save his job. Illinois has never lacked talent under Weber, he just seems to lose control of his players by the end of the year.
Illinois likes to run a high pressure defense that funnels everything to the basket where their amazon will be waiting for blocked shots. They will try to jump passing routes and will hedge out a long ways on the pick and rolls because of their confidence in the post players. Leonard has improved drastically since last year (he played with Hardaway over the summer for Team USA). He just registered his best collegiate performace last night (19 points and 16 rebounds). He spent most of last season out of position which led to some foul problems, but this year he is staying on the floor for 30+ minutes a night. Think of how our offense would look if Smot could do the same!
On the offensive end, Illinois likes to move around their center while posting their power forward up. They like to run high screens with the center, and instead of a normal hard roll to the hoop, the center will subtly roll to the elbow or 3 point line for an open jumper. Most big guys struggle at reading this and defending since they are so used to hedging out and then recovering towards the hoop not to a jump shooter. The Illinois offense runs through DJ Richardson. He leads them in scoring and assists. He will be a tough matchup for many B1G point guards. He is 6'3" and very strong. With his size, Illinois will try to post him up against smaller gaurds (like Burke). The point guard position might be the deepest position in the entire conference with most teams claiming their own should be All Big Ten.
How do they matchup vs Michigan? Michigan always seems to struggle against the Illini, especially on the road. I think this is likely to continue this year again. I would be disappointed if we went 0-2 vs Illinois, so the likely scenario is winning at home. Burke will have one of his toughest defensive assignments in this game, and will likely concede 15-18 points. Since Richardson is averaging 15, this is not too bad. The problem will be if Burke allows Richardson to get the role players involved. Richardson has the size to collect 7-10 rebounds in a given game, and also have 5+ assists. This could result in a lot of second chance points. Leonard will be a tough matchup for whoever has to guard him, and he will likely have a double double against our poor low post defense. Illinois does not mind playing at a slow tempo with us, so any fast break chances need to be converted on both sides. Our bigs will have to avoid foul trouble for Michigan to win these games.
On the offensive end, they will struggle with our lineup even more than we will with theirs. Like most teams in the nation, they lack the athletic wing player to shut down Hardaway. If he can come out and be aggressive for 40 minutes, he will easily get his 20 points. If our bigs can stay on the floor, Smot and Morgan can have big offensive days. With our pick and roll and back cut offense, it will challenge Leonard to play more defense than usual and could tire him out for offense or more importantly put him into foul trouble. I am not worried about our ability to score the basketball against Illinois. Any of our 5 starters will have the chance to score 15+ points in this game, so it is just a question of who has the hot hand. What is more likely to happen? Smot has 2 fouls before the opening tip, and we struggle to contain Leonard all game. We have to rely on our guards to create points, and when Burke and Hardaway are off the floor we have no offensive consistency or ability.
Illinois prediction: 9-9 conference record, good enough for an NCAA tourney appearance.
Illinois has two very good guards (junior DJ Richardson and junior Brandon Paul), and then they have their standard 7 foot goon that has unexpected range (Meyers Leonard). Their bench is pretty thin as of right now, and the remaining 2 starters are more role players and defensive specialists.
Bruce Weber had built up a national power and was thought of to be one of the top coaches in the country, but that was almost 10 years ago and now he is on the hot seat. He needs a solid year and to get back into the NCAA tourney to save his job. Illinois has never lacked talent under Weber, he just seems to lose control of his players by the end of the year.
Illinois likes to run a high pressure defense that funnels everything to the basket where their amazon will be waiting for blocked shots. They will try to jump passing routes and will hedge out a long ways on the pick and rolls because of their confidence in the post players. Leonard has improved drastically since last year (he played with Hardaway over the summer for Team USA). He just registered his best collegiate performace last night (19 points and 16 rebounds). He spent most of last season out of position which led to some foul problems, but this year he is staying on the floor for 30+ minutes a night. Think of how our offense would look if Smot could do the same!
On the offensive end, Illinois likes to move around their center while posting their power forward up. They like to run high screens with the center, and instead of a normal hard roll to the hoop, the center will subtly roll to the elbow or 3 point line for an open jumper. Most big guys struggle at reading this and defending since they are so used to hedging out and then recovering towards the hoop not to a jump shooter. The Illinois offense runs through DJ Richardson. He leads them in scoring and assists. He will be a tough matchup for many B1G point guards. He is 6'3" and very strong. With his size, Illinois will try to post him up against smaller gaurds (like Burke). The point guard position might be the deepest position in the entire conference with most teams claiming their own should be All Big Ten.
How do they matchup vs Michigan? Michigan always seems to struggle against the Illini, especially on the road. I think this is likely to continue this year again. I would be disappointed if we went 0-2 vs Illinois, so the likely scenario is winning at home. Burke will have one of his toughest defensive assignments in this game, and will likely concede 15-18 points. Since Richardson is averaging 15, this is not too bad. The problem will be if Burke allows Richardson to get the role players involved. Richardson has the size to collect 7-10 rebounds in a given game, and also have 5+ assists. This could result in a lot of second chance points. Leonard will be a tough matchup for whoever has to guard him, and he will likely have a double double against our poor low post defense. Illinois does not mind playing at a slow tempo with us, so any fast break chances need to be converted on both sides. Our bigs will have to avoid foul trouble for Michigan to win these games.
On the offensive end, they will struggle with our lineup even more than we will with theirs. Like most teams in the nation, they lack the athletic wing player to shut down Hardaway. If he can come out and be aggressive for 40 minutes, he will easily get his 20 points. If our bigs can stay on the floor, Smot and Morgan can have big offensive days. With our pick and roll and back cut offense, it will challenge Leonard to play more defense than usual and could tire him out for offense or more importantly put him into foul trouble. I am not worried about our ability to score the basketball against Illinois. Any of our 5 starters will have the chance to score 15+ points in this game, so it is just a question of who has the hot hand. What is more likely to happen? Smot has 2 fouls before the opening tip, and we struggle to contain Leonard all game. We have to rely on our guards to create points, and when Burke and Hardaway are off the floor we have no offensive consistency or ability.
Illinois prediction: 9-9 conference record, good enough for an NCAA tourney appearance.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
B1G Basketball preview: Michigan
I have talked about our very own basketball team quite a bit already this year, but I thought I would start my B1G preview with the team that I know the best.
Michigan should be heading into conference play with a 10-2 record, which is a good start since their conference schedule will be one of the toughest in the nation. This year they will play 18 B1G games, only playing Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa once. While you can make this argument most years, this is a pretty difficult slate of games since Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota will most likely finish in the bottom third of the league. We get a break with only playing one of the top teams (Wisconsin) once.
Michigan has one of the best starting backcourts in the league, and it will be very exciting watching them go up against Ohio, MSU, and Ill which also have top notch guard play. If Trey Burke can continue to keep his legs fresh, he will likely finish on the All B1G team for point guard, because currently he is outplaying preseason favorite (Aaron Craft from Ohio). Tim Hardaway will continue to be one of the toughest matchups in the nation, when he wants to be aggressive on the offensive end. He also could make a push during league play to make the All B1G team. Zack Novak has been playing the 2 guard for most of the season so far, and has been incredibly efficient on both ends of the floor. He has doubled his 2 point shooting percentage, and perfected a head fake from the 3 point line - pull up jump shot. When he can stay at the 2 guard for most of the game, Michigan will have a lot of success. We will struggle when he is forced to play the power forward position for any length of time.
While our guards are the bulk of our output in assists, scoring, steals, leadership, etc., Michigan will win and lose games in the paint. Jordan Morgan and Evan Smot will need to find ways to stay on the floor for the majority of the game. Especially now with Horford out with a foot injury. The only real backup then is McLimans who can knock down a few shots and then give up a layup per possession on defense. These guys are the defenders of the hoop, and can alter most easy looks. They are the main source of rebounds, and they ignite the fast break game for the offense. When either get into foul trouble it instantly creates a mismatch on the defensive end of the floor. Morgan continues to shoot at an unbelieveable percentage (77%) and has added a consistent mid range jumper to his arsenal. Smot has become more athletic on offense, and scores at an incredible rate when he is on the floor. You saw it in the Oakland game, he scored over 20 because he didnt struggle with fouls. Michigan's season will again exceed expectations if these guys are on the floor.
Our bench is pretty weak. We have a few shooters and that is about it. Carlton has yet to prove anything to Beilein since he barely gets to play. Stu plays a lot of minutes, but struggles at everything... including shooting some games. Eso plays hard, but is just not athletic enough for the B1G. Vogrich is one of our best shooters when he has his confidence. I do like the energy he brings to the floor, and he will need to provide an energy boost in a big game at some point this season. Horford plays like a 5'6" high school sophomore, and can get shut down by his own lack of hands and basketball IQ. If he can find a way to develop into a solid big guy that can provide 10 minutes of consistent play, it would be a huge improvement. McLimans was summed up earlier. Colton has very little offensive ability, but plays hard when given the chance. If Eso or Carlton can provide quality minutes, this team's depth drastically improves. But I dont think it can.
The starting 5 at Michigan are almost a perfect fit for what Beilein wants to do with his program, but he just doesnt have the depth to be a top 5-10 team. They will be a scary out in the NCAA tourney for most teams, but they will also lose 1 or 2 games this year that should be wins.
I think Michigan will finish with a 9-9 conference record (possibly beating Wisconsin or Ohio once, but losing to NW or at Nebraska). This record in the conference should guarantee a NCAA tourney berth.
Michigan should be heading into conference play with a 10-2 record, which is a good start since their conference schedule will be one of the toughest in the nation. This year they will play 18 B1G games, only playing Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa once. While you can make this argument most years, this is a pretty difficult slate of games since Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota will most likely finish in the bottom third of the league. We get a break with only playing one of the top teams (Wisconsin) once.
Michigan has one of the best starting backcourts in the league, and it will be very exciting watching them go up against Ohio, MSU, and Ill which also have top notch guard play. If Trey Burke can continue to keep his legs fresh, he will likely finish on the All B1G team for point guard, because currently he is outplaying preseason favorite (Aaron Craft from Ohio). Tim Hardaway will continue to be one of the toughest matchups in the nation, when he wants to be aggressive on the offensive end. He also could make a push during league play to make the All B1G team. Zack Novak has been playing the 2 guard for most of the season so far, and has been incredibly efficient on both ends of the floor. He has doubled his 2 point shooting percentage, and perfected a head fake from the 3 point line - pull up jump shot. When he can stay at the 2 guard for most of the game, Michigan will have a lot of success. We will struggle when he is forced to play the power forward position for any length of time.
While our guards are the bulk of our output in assists, scoring, steals, leadership, etc., Michigan will win and lose games in the paint. Jordan Morgan and Evan Smot will need to find ways to stay on the floor for the majority of the game. Especially now with Horford out with a foot injury. The only real backup then is McLimans who can knock down a few shots and then give up a layup per possession on defense. These guys are the defenders of the hoop, and can alter most easy looks. They are the main source of rebounds, and they ignite the fast break game for the offense. When either get into foul trouble it instantly creates a mismatch on the defensive end of the floor. Morgan continues to shoot at an unbelieveable percentage (77%) and has added a consistent mid range jumper to his arsenal. Smot has become more athletic on offense, and scores at an incredible rate when he is on the floor. You saw it in the Oakland game, he scored over 20 because he didnt struggle with fouls. Michigan's season will again exceed expectations if these guys are on the floor.
Our bench is pretty weak. We have a few shooters and that is about it. Carlton has yet to prove anything to Beilein since he barely gets to play. Stu plays a lot of minutes, but struggles at everything... including shooting some games. Eso plays hard, but is just not athletic enough for the B1G. Vogrich is one of our best shooters when he has his confidence. I do like the energy he brings to the floor, and he will need to provide an energy boost in a big game at some point this season. Horford plays like a 5'6" high school sophomore, and can get shut down by his own lack of hands and basketball IQ. If he can find a way to develop into a solid big guy that can provide 10 minutes of consistent play, it would be a huge improvement. McLimans was summed up earlier. Colton has very little offensive ability, but plays hard when given the chance. If Eso or Carlton can provide quality minutes, this team's depth drastically improves. But I dont think it can.
The starting 5 at Michigan are almost a perfect fit for what Beilein wants to do with his program, but he just doesnt have the depth to be a top 5-10 team. They will be a scary out in the NCAA tourney for most teams, but they will also lose 1 or 2 games this year that should be wins.
I think Michigan will finish with a 9-9 conference record (possibly beating Wisconsin or Ohio once, but losing to NW or at Nebraska). This record in the conference should guarantee a NCAA tourney berth.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Recruits turning to Ohio for higher education
The Whiner has already convinced two confused souls to drop their current commitment to a B1G school and turn and follow him to the land of sanctions, useless presidents, and awesome tattoo artists.
Penn State's best recruit Tommy Schutt, a highly touted defensive tackle is now committed to Ohio. His committment to PSU was very soft since the abuse scandal has been made public. Ohio was the next logical choice for Schutt. His dream school was Notre Dame, but his offer was taken away once they filled their needs on the defensive line. It will be very interesting to see how he matches up for the next4 years against our very own Ondre Pipkens. They both are huge high school seniors who are expected to come in and contribute in their freshman year. Which one will live up to their recruiting grade? If both do, us fans will be lucky to see 2 great DT's for the next few years.
Next is a recruit I was expecting to switch alliances since The Urb was announced at Ohio. Se'Von Pittman, the class of Sparty's recruits, who was turned down by Michigan earlier this year, announced yesterday that he was headed to Columbus as well. This leaves Sparty scrambling to replace half of their 4 star recruits (they only had 2 before this), and also worried what their other 4 star will do. Most expect him to switch schools to somewhere a little more big time (Ohio or SEC). What a difference a year makes. When Sparty was actually competing with Michigan on the big time recruits in the state, to now when they can't even get multiple highly rated recruits.
These two recruits teamed up together on one DLine is a scary thought, even more so when it is for our hated rival. An interesting question here though is, will these two committments help Ohio more than it will hurt the PSU/ MSU programs? It will be fun to see this play out...
Penn State's best recruit Tommy Schutt, a highly touted defensive tackle is now committed to Ohio. His committment to PSU was very soft since the abuse scandal has been made public. Ohio was the next logical choice for Schutt. His dream school was Notre Dame, but his offer was taken away once they filled their needs on the defensive line. It will be very interesting to see how he matches up for the next4 years against our very own Ondre Pipkens. They both are huge high school seniors who are expected to come in and contribute in their freshman year. Which one will live up to their recruiting grade? If both do, us fans will be lucky to see 2 great DT's for the next few years.
Next is a recruit I was expecting to switch alliances since The Urb was announced at Ohio. Se'Von Pittman, the class of Sparty's recruits, who was turned down by Michigan earlier this year, announced yesterday that he was headed to Columbus as well. This leaves Sparty scrambling to replace half of their 4 star recruits (they only had 2 before this), and also worried what their other 4 star will do. Most expect him to switch schools to somewhere a little more big time (Ohio or SEC). What a difference a year makes. When Sparty was actually competing with Michigan on the big time recruits in the state, to now when they can't even get multiple highly rated recruits.
These two recruits teamed up together on one DLine is a scary thought, even more so when it is for our hated rival. An interesting question here though is, will these two committments help Ohio more than it will hurt the PSU/ MSU programs? It will be fun to see this play out...
Sunday, December 11, 2011
MBB Oakland Recap: 7-2
Before we jump into looking back on the basketball game yesterday, I just want to say that yesterday was an amazing day for the B1G conference. Undefeated IU knocking off Kentucky, MSU knocking off a ranking Gonzaga, Ohio going into KU without their best player and playing them tough all day, Wisconsin and Purdue still rolling, and of course Big Blue wins again. The B1G should get 2 more teams into the top 25 after yesterday's events.
Ok, know lets look back on the 90-80 victory yesterday. Yes, you read that right, we scored 90 points. But it might be more concerning in giving up 80 (48 in the second half) to an average Oakland team.
I only was able to watch the 2nd half of the game, but listened to the 1st on the radio. The shortcomings of this basketball team are becoming more and more defined with every game. I was hoping they would get better with time, but it looks like these will be here for the season. While Trey Burke is replacing Morris really well so far, but this team really lacks any depth at the point guard position. The offensive efficiency halts when Burke is not on the floor, Stu is still not playing like a senior. Even with his deficiencies is almost everything but shooting, I could handle it a lot better if he was even trying to run some sort of offense. Most of the time when a standard 2 guard switches to point guard the biggest drop off is in ball handling. With Stu it is decision-making. He just is not able to play the point, so unless Carlton somehow improves 200% between now and the tourney this team will tire out quickly playing back-to-back games in the conference tourney or the real tourney.
The other large problem with the current team is the inability to defend the paint. Smot cannot defend a weak 8th grader down low without fouling out or giving up easy lay-ups. Now though it seems like Morgan has been paying too much attention to Smot's guy to help out on the low post feed, that he loses his own. Smot did a good job yesterday in not getting into foul trouble, but gave up low post position time and time again. So it is a trade off, we can keep Smot on the floor and hope he outscores the guy he is guarding or he can play tough down low and foul out in 15 minutes. Things dont get better when Horford comes on to the floor, he plays weak and just wants to block shots on defense. This area needs to improve before the physical B1G play.
Offensively Michigan shot the ball extremely well, and didnt seem to take many 3s that were forced or not open. Our team is full of good shooters that if they can consistently get good looks, averaging 50% from 3 can be a realistic expectation. But it all depends on the opportunities that are produced. Burke was able to get dribble penetration at will yesterday, which most likely will not continue in B1G. Anytime you score 90 points, you are doing something right on offense. Let's hope it continues for the rest of the non-conference season.
Ok, know lets look back on the 90-80 victory yesterday. Yes, you read that right, we scored 90 points. But it might be more concerning in giving up 80 (48 in the second half) to an average Oakland team.
I only was able to watch the 2nd half of the game, but listened to the 1st on the radio. The shortcomings of this basketball team are becoming more and more defined with every game. I was hoping they would get better with time, but it looks like these will be here for the season. While Trey Burke is replacing Morris really well so far, but this team really lacks any depth at the point guard position. The offensive efficiency halts when Burke is not on the floor, Stu is still not playing like a senior. Even with his deficiencies is almost everything but shooting, I could handle it a lot better if he was even trying to run some sort of offense. Most of the time when a standard 2 guard switches to point guard the biggest drop off is in ball handling. With Stu it is decision-making. He just is not able to play the point, so unless Carlton somehow improves 200% between now and the tourney this team will tire out quickly playing back-to-back games in the conference tourney or the real tourney.
The other large problem with the current team is the inability to defend the paint. Smot cannot defend a weak 8th grader down low without fouling out or giving up easy lay-ups. Now though it seems like Morgan has been paying too much attention to Smot's guy to help out on the low post feed, that he loses his own. Smot did a good job yesterday in not getting into foul trouble, but gave up low post position time and time again. So it is a trade off, we can keep Smot on the floor and hope he outscores the guy he is guarding or he can play tough down low and foul out in 15 minutes. Things dont get better when Horford comes on to the floor, he plays weak and just wants to block shots on defense. This area needs to improve before the physical B1G play.
Offensively Michigan shot the ball extremely well, and didnt seem to take many 3s that were forced or not open. Our team is full of good shooters that if they can consistently get good looks, averaging 50% from 3 can be a realistic expectation. But it all depends on the opportunities that are produced. Burke was able to get dribble penetration at will yesterday, which most likely will not continue in B1G. Anytime you score 90 points, you are doing something right on offense. Let's hope it continues for the rest of the non-conference season.
RGIII wins the Heisman!
In one of the best Heisman races in recent years, Robert Griffin III won the 77th Heisman trophy. All 5 finalists were deserving of the award in their own way, but RGIII was in my mind the best choice. Finally the voters voted for the MVP of college football. Bama would have still had a top ranked defense without Richardson, LSU would have still have 4 of the best defensive backs without Mathieu. Stanford would have had their power running game, good offensive line, and best group of TE's, and Wisconsin would have had Russell Wilson and a very good running game even without Ball. Baylor might not have made a bowl game without RGII. Just think how much this one player has meant to the program. Before he arrived, Baylor had never been ranked to finish a year and averaged 1 conference win a year. His coach persuaded him to follow him to Baylor by saying he will be a Heisman candidate by the the time he leaves the school. Pretty good prophecy from the head coach.
I have to admit, I have watched Baylor quite a bit over the past three years but I never knew much about their star QB. He is a well spoken kid with two military parents that seems to have his act together. As always, the Heisman speech is the best part of the overdrawn event.
This leads me to the worst part of the situation. I would imagine very little people have really watched Baylor and RGIII play. Most probably just saw his absurb stat line scrolling on the bottom line of ESPN. The worst part of the story is most people still will never see him play a game since the BCS skipped Baylor for the Sugar Bowl, they are left for a terrible no-name bowl that nobody will care about. Even when Tebow won when Florida had 3 losses, they still played in the Capitol One bowl which still gets prime ratings. As much as I, a Michigan fan, would like to win the Sugar Bowl and playing Baylor would make that significantly harder, I would rather see both track star quarterbacks against each other. RGIII a world class hurdler vs Denard one of the nations fastest sprinters. Think of the ratings and the marketing ability of that game... Heisman winner vs one of next year's top candidates. If neither qb had turnovers in the game a Michigan v Baylor game could be the first to 50 and would make the Sugar Bowl as attractive and exciting as any other bowl matchup this year.
So as magical as the Heisman trophy presentation always is, the fans are left with what could have been.
I have to admit, I have watched Baylor quite a bit over the past three years but I never knew much about their star QB. He is a well spoken kid with two military parents that seems to have his act together. As always, the Heisman speech is the best part of the overdrawn event.
This leads me to the worst part of the situation. I would imagine very little people have really watched Baylor and RGIII play. Most probably just saw his absurb stat line scrolling on the bottom line of ESPN. The worst part of the story is most people still will never see him play a game since the BCS skipped Baylor for the Sugar Bowl, they are left for a terrible no-name bowl that nobody will care about. Even when Tebow won when Florida had 3 losses, they still played in the Capitol One bowl which still gets prime ratings. As much as I, a Michigan fan, would like to win the Sugar Bowl and playing Baylor would make that significantly harder, I would rather see both track star quarterbacks against each other. RGIII a world class hurdler vs Denard one of the nations fastest sprinters. Think of the ratings and the marketing ability of that game... Heisman winner vs one of next year's top candidates. If neither qb had turnovers in the game a Michigan v Baylor game could be the first to 50 and would make the Sugar Bowl as attractive and exciting as any other bowl matchup this year.
So as magical as the Heisman trophy presentation always is, the fans are left with what could have been.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Finally Class D preview!
The player of the year in Class D will likely be Bucknell bound Chris Hass, he has led the state in scoring the past 2 years. It is shaping up for him to do the same this year. He plays for Pellston, but again he is really their only threat of scoring. So if a more athletic team can shut him down (<20 points) then Pellston will struggle.
The returning champion is again Wyoming Tri Unity, and they will likely run the table again through Class D. There only losses might come from some Class A and B teams in the GR area. If they are undefeated at the end of the season, look for Tri-Unity to win another state championship. The runners-up in Class D (Fulton) return their best 2 players and look to head back to the Bres for a second straight year, but they were overmatched in last year's final.
The exciting team to watchout for is Southfield Christian, they usually play with 4 or 5 guards on the floor and run a full court press for most of the night. They have 5 potential all state guards on their team. You might recognize two them: senior Lindsay Hunter III and sophomore Lindsay Hunter IV. They are led by senior Chris Dewberry. If they ever meet Tri-Unity, usual land of the trees (Chris Kaman's alma-mater) the game could get ugly fast.
Then from a personal stand point, one of my family friends is a high school senior for Martin High and is in contention for an all-state bid: Ben Schipper. He will probably put up some huge numbers on a potential 0-20 team, not sure if he will get enough votes for all-state.
I dont think Tri-Unity will have much competition again this year.. unfortunately.
The returning champion is again Wyoming Tri Unity, and they will likely run the table again through Class D. There only losses might come from some Class A and B teams in the GR area. If they are undefeated at the end of the season, look for Tri-Unity to win another state championship. The runners-up in Class D (Fulton) return their best 2 players and look to head back to the Bres for a second straight year, but they were overmatched in last year's final.
The exciting team to watchout for is Southfield Christian, they usually play with 4 or 5 guards on the floor and run a full court press for most of the night. They have 5 potential all state guards on their team. You might recognize two them: senior Lindsay Hunter III and sophomore Lindsay Hunter IV. They are led by senior Chris Dewberry. If they ever meet Tri-Unity, usual land of the trees (Chris Kaman's alma-mater) the game could get ugly fast.
Then from a personal stand point, one of my family friends is a high school senior for Martin High and is in contention for an all-state bid: Ben Schipper. He will probably put up some huge numbers on a potential 0-20 team, not sure if he will get enough votes for all-state.
I dont think Tri-Unity will have much competition again this year.. unfortunately.
Class C preview!
As the schools get smaller, so does the list of college level recruits. The reigning state champion: Schoolcraft will be one of the teams to beat next season as they have the preseason Class C player of the year: Senior Luke Ryskamp. He is a walking double double. He only started the season with a 27 point, 18 rebound effort in a win against a Class B team. He will be a tough matchup all season, and Schoolcraft will likely have another undefeated regular season, but can they get back to the Bres?
Junior big time recruit Monte Morris resides in this class, as he plays for Flint Beecher. At times last season it seemed like he was only one playing for Beecher. He has single-handedly lead the Bucs to the semi-finals two years in a row. Is this the year they make the championship game? I hope so, because I have only been able to watch him once. Last year he averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists as a 6'1" sophomore.
The best team in Class C will be Detroit Consortium again, they play a loaded schedule of Class A and B teams. They will likely have 4-6 losses, but be almost a lock for the semi-finals. Last year they were knocked off by Schoolcraft, and they will be looking for revenge this year.
Last year's runner up team: McBain will be looking to get back to the Bres for a second year in a row. They will likely be undefeated as they dont play the type of schedule Beecher or Consortium will play, but they play great as a team and when they get the 3 ball working, they are tough to beat.
I think the Class C semifinal should be a matchup of Beecher, Consortium, Schoolcraft and McBain. Depending on who plays who in the semis, Schoolcraft vs Consortium in the final, with Detroit getting revenge this year.
Junior big time recruit Monte Morris resides in this class, as he plays for Flint Beecher. At times last season it seemed like he was only one playing for Beecher. He has single-handedly lead the Bucs to the semi-finals two years in a row. Is this the year they make the championship game? I hope so, because I have only been able to watch him once. Last year he averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists as a 6'1" sophomore.
The best team in Class C will be Detroit Consortium again, they play a loaded schedule of Class A and B teams. They will likely have 4-6 losses, but be almost a lock for the semi-finals. Last year they were knocked off by Schoolcraft, and they will be looking for revenge this year.
Last year's runner up team: McBain will be looking to get back to the Bres for a second year in a row. They will likely be undefeated as they dont play the type of schedule Beecher or Consortium will play, but they play great as a team and when they get the 3 ball working, they are tough to beat.
I think the Class C semifinal should be a matchup of Beecher, Consortium, Schoolcraft and McBain. Depending on who plays who in the semis, Schoolcraft vs Consortium in the final, with Detroit getting revenge this year.
Class B preview!
So this shouldnt take too long. Lansing Sexton is the best team in the state, hands down. They are led by 3-4 potential first or second team All-Staters. The best of which is headed to MSU next year, the coaches son: Denzel Washington. He is a 6'5" strong point guard that will likely play wing or the two in MSU's system. His pojected college ability is a little tough to determine because he is pretty slow footed, and not extremely quick, but he is too small to play the power forward position. He has a very high basketball IQ, and does a good job in running his high school offense. He will most likely be the player of the year in Class B.
Michigan recruit Derick Walton is also in Class B, but his surrounding teammates do very little to help him out. It will still be interesting to see how this point guard will lead his team throughout the year. He is a decent scorer, but needs to work on his outside shooting some. He will have to be a force on the offensive side of the ball this year if his team has a chance at making the Bres.
Muskegon Heights will be good again, and a very tough out come tourney time. They will travel more than any other team in the state just to get all 20 games. They will likely have 6-8 losses by the end of the year because most of their schedule consists of good Class A and B schools.
The best junior in this class will be competing with Troy's Young for the early choice for the 2013 Mr. Basketball. Both are top 50 recruits. Byron Zeigler is a 6'6" wing player as well, so when these two play later this year, it should be a great matchup on both ends of the floor. They meet January 14th at Harper Woods Chandler Park... I dont know where that is.. but happy early birthday to me. :) Another exciting game, which I will be able to go to is on December 30th at Kzoo Central... Central vs Sexton. I imagine Central will get beat pretty easily, but I just love the way Central plays for their coach and even if they lose they will play extremely tough.
This year's championship game most likely will be a rematch of last season Heights v Sexton with a 20 point Sexton win.. because folks they are that good (45th ranked team in the nation).
Michigan recruit Derick Walton is also in Class B, but his surrounding teammates do very little to help him out. It will still be interesting to see how this point guard will lead his team throughout the year. He is a decent scorer, but needs to work on his outside shooting some. He will have to be a force on the offensive side of the ball this year if his team has a chance at making the Bres.
Muskegon Heights will be good again, and a very tough out come tourney time. They will travel more than any other team in the state just to get all 20 games. They will likely have 6-8 losses by the end of the year because most of their schedule consists of good Class A and B schools.
The best junior in this class will be competing with Troy's Young for the early choice for the 2013 Mr. Basketball. Both are top 50 recruits. Byron Zeigler is a 6'6" wing player as well, so when these two play later this year, it should be a great matchup on both ends of the floor. They meet January 14th at Harper Woods Chandler Park... I dont know where that is.. but happy early birthday to me. :) Another exciting game, which I will be able to go to is on December 30th at Kzoo Central... Central vs Sexton. I imagine Central will get beat pretty easily, but I just love the way Central plays for their coach and even if they lose they will play extremely tough.
This year's championship game most likely will be a rematch of last season Heights v Sexton with a 20 point Sexton win.. because folks they are that good (45th ranked team in the nation).
Michigan High School Basketball!!! Class A preview
If you know me well, you will know that my dad is a basketball coach and this means I am a huge fan of high school basketball. Every year at the end of March I go to Sparty-land to watch the high school state finals, and I also follow the sport from the beginning of the season. I know where most of the state's recruits end up and in most college games I will randomly say "I watched that kid play in high school." It kind of scares Chels a bit.
The first game of the season for high school hoops was last night, so I thought I would give a preview of the year to come and to get some people excited early so they will join me at the Bres in March.
Class A: Kalamazoo Central is the defending back-to-back Class A champions, and 3 years ago they were runners up. Not a bad start for their 4th year under 30 coach (1 loss in 3 postseasons). Central dodged a bullet this year when the Saginaw head coaching job opened up (Thomas' alma-mater) many thought he was next in line. But he decided to stay put to continue his dynasty in the Zoo. The thing that makes his teams so good is they play so well together, and play some of the best pressure defense that I have EVER seen from a high school team. It helps that they have sent 3 players to D1 over the past 3 years, but their team defense will keep them in a lot of games this year. They play some of the most aggressive defense that high schoolers can. They are confident in their ability to protect the hoop, even a little bit cocky. They also are not scared to play anyone, anywhere. So look for them to be battle tested by the end of the year. They will have stiff competition in their own league this year since Loy Norrix (their hated rival) is also a top 10 team. This team is led by Oakland recruit Bishop Robinson (36 points 10 rebounds last night), who will most likely be a first team all-stater. These two teams will beat up on each other twice this year (both games played at Western so police can monitor better), and they will have to beat each other to win the district. Look for Central to keep it going in the tournament even if Norrix beats them in the regular season. Romulus is the Class A preseason number 1 team for the second year in a row. They are led by the young out of place coach that has no control over this team. So yes, while they are very talented again in their back court, I don't see Romulus going very far in the tournament until they can prove they can win big games.
The best recruit in the state happens to come from Class A this year. He is the future Spartan Matt Costello, he is in the driver seat for Mr. Basketball and is Bay City Western's only real talent. He is pretty slow, and will potentially get shut down by a more athletic physical team like a Kalamazoo Central or Saginaw Arthur Hill. Western made their first trip to the Bres last year (they actually won districts for the first time), I have a feeling they will be back again this year.
Arthur Hill has a big time recruit in Jordan Hare who decided to spend the summer working on his own and not in AAU ball, which means his recruiting hyp basically disappeared. But this kid can play. The problem is he is very lazy, and only seems to play his best against the best competition. So look for Arthur Hill to drop a few games this year that they shouldnt, but also to knock off a top rated team at some point.
The best conference in the state is curently not the PSL (Detroit Public School League), but involves mid-Michigan teams like Okemos, Lansing Eastern, Sexton, Jackson, Holt, etc. Sexton is the Class B reigning champ, so we will talk about them later. But the other teams are all in class A. Eastern is led by 5'6" "There is no shot I dont like" Cha Cha Tucker... yup he goes by Cha Cha. While his frame is too small for D1 basketball his ability is not. He can score in bunches from all over the court. He hit 5 game winners last year from 3, half court and 3/4 court, and he wasnt even the best player on his team. It will be interesting to see how he does this year as the teams primary offense. Okemos is led by Chris Harison-Docks, he is a do everything player. He usually will not have a huge statline, but will be assigned to cover the best player on the opposing team and will still put up close to triple double numbers each game. He is planning on going to Oakland as well.
The best player in all of Class A might be Troy's junior James Young. I am not sure where this dude came from, but is rated in the top 10 overall for the 2013 class by some sites. He is a 6'6" wing player, but he does a lot more than shoot. He is pretty strong and gets into the lane more than settle for the jumper. He also will lead his team in rebounds. The problem is that his surrounding cast is not very good, so Young will be double teamed most of the year and will probably transfer to a different school before his senior season.
I think the traditional powers will be playing in the final 8 of the season, but there is no true power in Class A this year. It should be exciting!
The first game of the season for high school hoops was last night, so I thought I would give a preview of the year to come and to get some people excited early so they will join me at the Bres in March.
Class A: Kalamazoo Central is the defending back-to-back Class A champions, and 3 years ago they were runners up. Not a bad start for their 4th year under 30 coach (1 loss in 3 postseasons). Central dodged a bullet this year when the Saginaw head coaching job opened up (Thomas' alma-mater) many thought he was next in line. But he decided to stay put to continue his dynasty in the Zoo. The thing that makes his teams so good is they play so well together, and play some of the best pressure defense that I have EVER seen from a high school team. It helps that they have sent 3 players to D1 over the past 3 years, but their team defense will keep them in a lot of games this year. They play some of the most aggressive defense that high schoolers can. They are confident in their ability to protect the hoop, even a little bit cocky. They also are not scared to play anyone, anywhere. So look for them to be battle tested by the end of the year. They will have stiff competition in their own league this year since Loy Norrix (their hated rival) is also a top 10 team. This team is led by Oakland recruit Bishop Robinson (36 points 10 rebounds last night), who will most likely be a first team all-stater. These two teams will beat up on each other twice this year (both games played at Western so police can monitor better), and they will have to beat each other to win the district. Look for Central to keep it going in the tournament even if Norrix beats them in the regular season. Romulus is the Class A preseason number 1 team for the second year in a row. They are led by the young out of place coach that has no control over this team. So yes, while they are very talented again in their back court, I don't see Romulus going very far in the tournament until they can prove they can win big games.
The best recruit in the state happens to come from Class A this year. He is the future Spartan Matt Costello, he is in the driver seat for Mr. Basketball and is Bay City Western's only real talent. He is pretty slow, and will potentially get shut down by a more athletic physical team like a Kalamazoo Central or Saginaw Arthur Hill. Western made their first trip to the Bres last year (they actually won districts for the first time), I have a feeling they will be back again this year.
Arthur Hill has a big time recruit in Jordan Hare who decided to spend the summer working on his own and not in AAU ball, which means his recruiting hyp basically disappeared. But this kid can play. The problem is he is very lazy, and only seems to play his best against the best competition. So look for Arthur Hill to drop a few games this year that they shouldnt, but also to knock off a top rated team at some point.
The best conference in the state is curently not the PSL (Detroit Public School League), but involves mid-Michigan teams like Okemos, Lansing Eastern, Sexton, Jackson, Holt, etc. Sexton is the Class B reigning champ, so we will talk about them later. But the other teams are all in class A. Eastern is led by 5'6" "There is no shot I dont like" Cha Cha Tucker... yup he goes by Cha Cha. While his frame is too small for D1 basketball his ability is not. He can score in bunches from all over the court. He hit 5 game winners last year from 3, half court and 3/4 court, and he wasnt even the best player on his team. It will be interesting to see how he does this year as the teams primary offense. Okemos is led by Chris Harison-Docks, he is a do everything player. He usually will not have a huge statline, but will be assigned to cover the best player on the opposing team and will still put up close to triple double numbers each game. He is planning on going to Oakland as well.
The best player in all of Class A might be Troy's junior James Young. I am not sure where this dude came from, but is rated in the top 10 overall for the 2013 class by some sites. He is a 6'6" wing player, but he does a lot more than shoot. He is pretty strong and gets into the lane more than settle for the jumper. He also will lead his team in rebounds. The problem is that his surrounding cast is not very good, so Young will be double teamed most of the year and will probably transfer to a different school before his senior season.
I think the traditional powers will be playing in the final 8 of the season, but there is no true power in Class A this year. It should be exciting!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Michigan vs Virginia Tech in the 2012 Sugar Bowl
The BCS voters got a few things right, but certainly not everything. Why can't we just get a playoff to decide this crap on the field.
The BCS standings were released before the bowl selections like usual, and some of the final rankings are very questionable. First off, one of the positions that didnt matter much, but how does a team move up 4 spots by beating a 6-7 UCLA team at home by less than the spread? While I think Oregon is very talented, their conference championship victory did very little to impress me enough to move up more than 1 or 2 spots. It also is a shame that Oklahoma St had to lose the one game to Iowa St earlier this year. I do actually think Alabama is the 2nd best team in the nation, but they also had their chance to beat the #1 team at home and didnt do it. I would really love to see Ok St's 4 receiver spread against the best secondary in college football that I ever remember seeing. All 5 defensive backs should be drafted in the first 3 rounds, and will likely be starters in their rookie season. WOW!
Let's move on.... How does a team that plays 1 ranked team twice in a season, and gets dominated by that one team in both chances only falls to number 11?!? Wait, what? Virginia Tech played 1 ranked team this year, Clemson. And they didnt even compete in either of those games. How does this warrant a top 12 finish? I think Georgia, Michigan, Baylor, MSU, Oklahoma (just off the top of my head) are all better than Va Tech, and all of these teams finished below the Hokies. So, I think we have a good chance at beating Va Tech in the bowl game, and it is a better matchup than Houston, TCU, or Boise St. But there are so many other more deserving teams out there.
I dont like MSU, not at all, but how do you play a team basically even with you in the standings, on a neutral field, and lose on a late special teams penalty after beating them once already in the season and fall 4 spots to number 17? There is no way that MSU should be that low. Absolutely no way.
I am glad that the rankings did not put TCU into the top 16 for the automatic bid, so I would rather watch us play the Hokies.
I think the standard SEC-B1G matchups should be pretty evenly matched (no MSU v Bama this year). Nebraska should be able to hang with SCar, they can run the ball and stop run decently well. Could be a low scoring game. MSU vs Georgia should be a really exciting game. I think State can hang with them, and if Dantonio doesnt decide to make one of his bone head decisions I think they might actually win the game.
But, I will try to limit my complaints, since we are 10-2 and in a BCS bowl for the first time in 5 years! Go Blue!
The BCS standings were released before the bowl selections like usual, and some of the final rankings are very questionable. First off, one of the positions that didnt matter much, but how does a team move up 4 spots by beating a 6-7 UCLA team at home by less than the spread? While I think Oregon is very talented, their conference championship victory did very little to impress me enough to move up more than 1 or 2 spots. It also is a shame that Oklahoma St had to lose the one game to Iowa St earlier this year. I do actually think Alabama is the 2nd best team in the nation, but they also had their chance to beat the #1 team at home and didnt do it. I would really love to see Ok St's 4 receiver spread against the best secondary in college football that I ever remember seeing. All 5 defensive backs should be drafted in the first 3 rounds, and will likely be starters in their rookie season. WOW!
Let's move on.... How does a team that plays 1 ranked team twice in a season, and gets dominated by that one team in both chances only falls to number 11?!? Wait, what? Virginia Tech played 1 ranked team this year, Clemson. And they didnt even compete in either of those games. How does this warrant a top 12 finish? I think Georgia, Michigan, Baylor, MSU, Oklahoma (just off the top of my head) are all better than Va Tech, and all of these teams finished below the Hokies. So, I think we have a good chance at beating Va Tech in the bowl game, and it is a better matchup than Houston, TCU, or Boise St. But there are so many other more deserving teams out there.
I dont like MSU, not at all, but how do you play a team basically even with you in the standings, on a neutral field, and lose on a late special teams penalty after beating them once already in the season and fall 4 spots to number 17? There is no way that MSU should be that low. Absolutely no way.
I am glad that the rankings did not put TCU into the top 16 for the automatic bid, so I would rather watch us play the Hokies.
I think the standard SEC-B1G matchups should be pretty evenly matched (no MSU v Bama this year). Nebraska should be able to hang with SCar, they can run the ball and stop run decently well. Could be a low scoring game. MSU vs Georgia should be a really exciting game. I think State can hang with them, and if Dantonio doesnt decide to make one of his bone head decisions I think they might actually win the game.
But, I will try to limit my complaints, since we are 10-2 and in a BCS bowl for the first time in 5 years! Go Blue!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
College Football Saturday so far...
There have already been 3 conference champions crowned this weekend (MAC, Pac-12, and C-USA), and there has been one major upset.
Houston got destroyed by Southern Miss today 49-28. Everybody knew that Houston had a powerful offense, but there were lots of questions about the defense. Those questions were answered today. Houston's defense is not good. It is a good thing this was discovered today instead of in the BCS game against us, so now if Michigan can get into the top 14 we will get to play a real team. Yes, that might mean we have a tougher game or might actually lose. But playing a real team will be better for this program and the B1G in the long run. Houston will now not get the auto bid for a BCS bowl since they did not win their conference. It is up to TCU to get into the top 14 to be eligible for the auto bid. It looks very unlikely that this happens, and Michigan will be paired with Kansas St (if they win against ISU) or Baylor (if they beat Texas). Both games are currently tied. If these teams find a way to lose, the rest of the weekend will be very interesting.
Oregon held serve on their home turf by outscoring a terrible UCLA team last night, and Northern Illinois came back from 20 down to beat Ohio (not that Ohio). Nothing real interesting with that.
Currently Georgia is taking it to LSU 10-0, but in reality it should be 21-0. Georgia has dropped 4 passes so far (2 would have been for touchdowns) and 2 interceptions. They were held to a field goal on the first drive after the 2nd dropped pass (1st in the endzone), then after the 2nd touchdown drop, Georgia missed the field goal. Georgia just scored with less than a minute left in the 1st quarter (only the 2nd touchdown allowed in the first quarter for LSU). Michigan better hope Kansas St can find a way to lose their new 7 point lead, or we could be on the outside looking in when the BCS standings come out tomorrow night. Everyone keeps saying that if LSU loses they will still go to the NC game, I do believe they are one of the 2 best teams in the nation. But what happens if they get blown out tonight? Will Alabama be rewarded with number 1 after sitting at home and watching? Will Ok St jump LSU? What happens if the Pokes lose to Oklahoma tonight? So many scenarios, one thing is for sure it will definitely be exciting!
Houston got destroyed by Southern Miss today 49-28. Everybody knew that Houston had a powerful offense, but there were lots of questions about the defense. Those questions were answered today. Houston's defense is not good. It is a good thing this was discovered today instead of in the BCS game against us, so now if Michigan can get into the top 14 we will get to play a real team. Yes, that might mean we have a tougher game or might actually lose. But playing a real team will be better for this program and the B1G in the long run. Houston will now not get the auto bid for a BCS bowl since they did not win their conference. It is up to TCU to get into the top 14 to be eligible for the auto bid. It looks very unlikely that this happens, and Michigan will be paired with Kansas St (if they win against ISU) or Baylor (if they beat Texas). Both games are currently tied. If these teams find a way to lose, the rest of the weekend will be very interesting.
Oregon held serve on their home turf by outscoring a terrible UCLA team last night, and Northern Illinois came back from 20 down to beat Ohio (not that Ohio). Nothing real interesting with that.
Currently Georgia is taking it to LSU 10-0, but in reality it should be 21-0. Georgia has dropped 4 passes so far (2 would have been for touchdowns) and 2 interceptions. They were held to a field goal on the first drive after the 2nd dropped pass (1st in the endzone), then after the 2nd touchdown drop, Georgia missed the field goal. Georgia just scored with less than a minute left in the 1st quarter (only the 2nd touchdown allowed in the first quarter for LSU). Michigan better hope Kansas St can find a way to lose their new 7 point lead, or we could be on the outside looking in when the BCS standings come out tomorrow night. Everyone keeps saying that if LSU loses they will still go to the NC game, I do believe they are one of the 2 best teams in the nation. But what happens if they get blown out tonight? Will Alabama be rewarded with number 1 after sitting at home and watching? Will Ok St jump LSU? What happens if the Pokes lose to Oklahoma tonight? So many scenarios, one thing is for sure it will definitely be exciting!
Michigan MBB now 6-2
Well, Michigan came out and played a lot better in the second half before trying to lose the game in the last minute.
They had no answer for Iowa State center Royce White who finished with a double double 20+ points and 13 rebounds. We had nobody athletic enough to cover him. Then when we double teamed him, he would consistently find the open man for a jump shot. He also finished with 4 steals and 5 assists. Not a bad game for him. If his teammates helped him out more, he would have had closer to 10 assists.
Michigan knocked down more of its open shots in the second half. Hardaway got his standard 20 points, and looked uncoverable at times. Michigan is falling into a little bit of a rut though where Burke will score about 10 points in the first half, then only finish with 11-13 for the game. While Hardaway will have 5-6 at half time then finish with 20. It would be nice if they could just be consistent for an entire game.
Morgan looked very good at times today, and he has expanded his shooting range to about 15 feet which should help out our offense quite a bit this year. I thought Michigan rebounded very well today too. There were multiple times that Vogrich, Novak, and Smot battled inside against bigger players to come away with the ball. This will need to happen every game for this team to finish in the top 4-5 of the B1G.
Michigan's zone offense has looked really bad this year, and it continued again today. I didnt see us attack the zone one time today, settling to just pass the ball around the three point line. Future opponents should see this in scouting, and use a zone more often. It takes Morgan completely out of our offense and makes us just settle for long 3s. Michigan will need to continue to work on getting the ball into the middle of the floor (at the free throw line) to break down a zone. The player that cut to this spot did not move quickly or with any aggression, and the wing player with the ball wouldnt even look at him. Once you get the ball there, the player can turn towards the basket and suddenly he has many options... shoot a tough free throw jumper, pass down to the blocks and hope that our big has good enough hands to catch the sharp pass, another option would be to pass the ball to either corner as both wings would slide down the 3 point line. The defense will likely collapse onto the free throw line, and with a quick 2nd pass there will be multiple open options. This never happened today.
It was a good win to get back at home and settle back into the easiest part of our non-conference schedule, but there are definitely things to improve on if we are going to not be on the bubble come March.
They had no answer for Iowa State center Royce White who finished with a double double 20+ points and 13 rebounds. We had nobody athletic enough to cover him. Then when we double teamed him, he would consistently find the open man for a jump shot. He also finished with 4 steals and 5 assists. Not a bad game for him. If his teammates helped him out more, he would have had closer to 10 assists.
Michigan knocked down more of its open shots in the second half. Hardaway got his standard 20 points, and looked uncoverable at times. Michigan is falling into a little bit of a rut though where Burke will score about 10 points in the first half, then only finish with 11-13 for the game. While Hardaway will have 5-6 at half time then finish with 20. It would be nice if they could just be consistent for an entire game.
Morgan looked very good at times today, and he has expanded his shooting range to about 15 feet which should help out our offense quite a bit this year. I thought Michigan rebounded very well today too. There were multiple times that Vogrich, Novak, and Smot battled inside against bigger players to come away with the ball. This will need to happen every game for this team to finish in the top 4-5 of the B1G.
Michigan's zone offense has looked really bad this year, and it continued again today. I didnt see us attack the zone one time today, settling to just pass the ball around the three point line. Future opponents should see this in scouting, and use a zone more often. It takes Morgan completely out of our offense and makes us just settle for long 3s. Michigan will need to continue to work on getting the ball into the middle of the floor (at the free throw line) to break down a zone. The player that cut to this spot did not move quickly or with any aggression, and the wing player with the ball wouldnt even look at him. Once you get the ball there, the player can turn towards the basket and suddenly he has many options... shoot a tough free throw jumper, pass down to the blocks and hope that our big has good enough hands to catch the sharp pass, another option would be to pass the ball to either corner as both wings would slide down the 3 point line. The defense will likely collapse onto the free throw line, and with a quick 2nd pass there will be multiple open options. This never happened today.
It was a good win to get back at home and settle back into the easiest part of our non-conference schedule, but there are definitely things to improve on if we are going to not be on the bubble come March.
Halftime update from Crisler
Since I didnt do a preview post about the Iowa St game, I figured I would give a quick update on the first half. I will give a full break down after the game.
UGLY! That is the only word I can use to describe what I just witnessed.
The lack of quality depth for this Michigan team is becoming more and more evident. Before the season began, I expected Stu to hold his own with the point guard spot and Burke to gradually take over the role. Well, Burke has been the guy from the beginning with Stu as the back up. But Stu has actually been pretty terrible for most of this year. He is not a point guard, and when he plays his mentality seems to not be to run the offense, but to play shooting guard. A point guard would demand the ball to start any sort of offense and to control the tempo. Stu seems to just want to stand 6 feet behind the 3 point line and wait for someone to pass him the ball so he can shoot it, and miss the shot short. He is a good shooter if his feet are set and he is right at the line. I cant handle watching him play basketball right now. I wish Brundidge was ready, or Eso was more athletic on defense because Stu's minutes would be spent on the bench enjoying the view.
Burke right now is our most consistent and pure shooter. He does not force many shots, especially 3s and knocks down a high percentage of his shots. He is a huge momentum booster when he is on the floor. What a great freshman season so far.
Hardaway seems to be playing with more energy today after sitting on the bench for most of the Virginia game. He has taken a lot of open shots, but they are not falling right now. We should have a 15 point lead right now with all of the quality shots Hardaway has had.
Going back to the lack of quality depth, or big men are just plain bad. After Morgan, and sometimes Smot, there is nobody left to play minutes down low. I watched McLimans and Horford each miss at least one easy pass for a lay up which caused 2 of our 3 turnovers. Then once they do catch it, most of our bigs do not finish strong like they should. I cannot wait for McGary next year just to increase depth down low. Iowa St is by far more athletic in their front court, and if their guards could make any of their wide open 3s, we would probably be losing. Our bigs need to get a lot stronger and play with more aggression.
Missed shots have been an epidemic in the first half so far. I didnt think college basketball players could miss so many open looks. Maybe this means the 2nd half both teams will shoot 70% and score 60 each. This cant continue another 20 minutes can it?
We will see...
UGLY! That is the only word I can use to describe what I just witnessed.
The lack of quality depth for this Michigan team is becoming more and more evident. Before the season began, I expected Stu to hold his own with the point guard spot and Burke to gradually take over the role. Well, Burke has been the guy from the beginning with Stu as the back up. But Stu has actually been pretty terrible for most of this year. He is not a point guard, and when he plays his mentality seems to not be to run the offense, but to play shooting guard. A point guard would demand the ball to start any sort of offense and to control the tempo. Stu seems to just want to stand 6 feet behind the 3 point line and wait for someone to pass him the ball so he can shoot it, and miss the shot short. He is a good shooter if his feet are set and he is right at the line. I cant handle watching him play basketball right now. I wish Brundidge was ready, or Eso was more athletic on defense because Stu's minutes would be spent on the bench enjoying the view.
Burke right now is our most consistent and pure shooter. He does not force many shots, especially 3s and knocks down a high percentage of his shots. He is a huge momentum booster when he is on the floor. What a great freshman season so far.
Hardaway seems to be playing with more energy today after sitting on the bench for most of the Virginia game. He has taken a lot of open shots, but they are not falling right now. We should have a 15 point lead right now with all of the quality shots Hardaway has had.
Going back to the lack of quality depth, or big men are just plain bad. After Morgan, and sometimes Smot, there is nobody left to play minutes down low. I watched McLimans and Horford each miss at least one easy pass for a lay up which caused 2 of our 3 turnovers. Then once they do catch it, most of our bigs do not finish strong like they should. I cannot wait for McGary next year just to increase depth down low. Iowa St is by far more athletic in their front court, and if their guards could make any of their wide open 3s, we would probably be losing. Our bigs need to get a lot stronger and play with more aggression.
Missed shots have been an epidemic in the first half so far. I didnt think college basketball players could miss so many open looks. Maybe this means the 2nd half both teams will shoot 70% and score 60 each. This cant continue another 20 minutes can it?
We will see...
Friday, December 2, 2011
First B1G Championship Game Preview
It has taken me a while to figure out what to blog about next because there is not too much new stuff with Michigan footbll, previewing the bball game against Iowa St does not sound too appealing right now, and my last post was my favorite so far.
One side note before jumping into Sparty vs Bucky... a co-worker told me one of his MSU friends has said that recruiting doesnt matter, but if it did MSU has been dominating the state of Ohio. I hope they meant compared to Michigan the past few years, because if they are just making the general statement with Ohio included, they should never be allowed to comment about sports again. the Ohio has not allowed a 5 star recruit to leave the state in quite a few years, with Michigan finally taking Kalis (and hopefully Dunn) this year. Ohio does recruit nationally, but the main reason they have so much more talent than Michigan is because Tressell would take every worthwhile football recruit from the state... leaving us with leftovers and mostly underwhelming players from Michigan, and the mountain goats from Pahokee.
On to more important things... the game tomorrow night should be an exciting one. I am looking forward to the rematch, mostly because I had to put my foot in my mouth after last game when I predicted Wisconsin to beat State similarly to what they did to Nebraska. It was going well for the first quarter, then Bielema pulled his standard coaching method and State made some huge plays and won the game.
It is hard for me to pick this game because both teams are going to be fired up with the Rose Bowl on the line, and I think Wisconsin is a more talented team but that doesnt always transition to a victory in a one game setting. Lets take a look at the matchups.
Wisconsin Run Offense vs Sparty run D: I have a feeling Bielema wants Ball to have a chance to get to Barry's TD record, so he will not be opposed to running up the score if possible. But will State allow it to happen? Gholston will be back for MSU, since he was in prison... I mean suspended... for their first meeting after he thought it was a good idea to punch a guy and try to make Denard an owl. Worthy had a big game in the first meeting, and with Gholston on the line tomorrow with him it makes State even tougher to block especially if they dial up some LB blitzes. I would imagine they would be able to get free on some. I look for Wisconsins huge OLine to eventually wear down the Sparty defensive front and for Ball to have a big game (150 yards, 2 TDs).
Bucky Pass offense vs States pass defense: If State is able to create a pass rush and make Wilson throw under pressure, State could have a great game. Wilson hasnt had to do that much this year, and when he has he looked his worst (State and Ohio rushed him pretty well at times). If he does have time though, the Spartan group of misfits will not be able to cover Wisconsin's talented receivers and tight ends. I think Wilson gets knocked around more tomorrow night than he has all season, but still gets enough time to throw on most ocassions leading to some big passing plays. I think he will have one turnover, with 2 TD passes.
State rush offense vs Badger defense: State is running the ball better lately, but still finsihed at the bottom of the B1G in rush offense this year. I look for this to continue tomorrow night, and for Wisconsin's front 7 to keep State in check. If State can run the ball, they can control the clock and keep Wisconsins good offense off of the field. It will also help set up Cousins in the playaction game, where he is usually most dangerous. I still think Wisconsin slows them down enough.
State pass offense vs Wisconsin pass defense: Kirk Cousins had one of his best games against the Badgers when they met earlier this year. I think that can continue tomorrow because Wisconsin's secondary is not that dominant. They might come up with a turnover, but they will struggle to cover Cunningham and Martin in space. I think Cousins has another big game for him, and throws for 2 TDs.
Special Teams: Last game this is the area that State dominated. The blocked punt and field goal were changing points in the game. I don't think it will be do lopsided in this game, but State is more talented in this area.
Coaching: Well tomorrow night will be the rematch of Big Game Bret and the arrogant slime bag... sorry I dont really like either of these guys if you cant tell. I think Dantonio has been successful, but I would never want him leading my team. I cant handle some of his comments about Michigan, especially immediately after beating us for a 4th straight time and him saying it will be a lot better after 5 in a row. Really dude?! You can't just enjoy beating us, you have to look to next years game. I hope we beat them like a drum, and keep this moron out of the B1G championship game from here on out. Then we cross sidelines, where Big Game Bret will likely wither under the pressure and try to outcoach himself. All of Wisconsin's losses the past two years follow the same pattern. He gets in his own head, and goes away from what makes Wisconsin successful (pounding the ball and playaction passing). Agaist TCU they outweighed their DLine on an average of 55 pounds, but they called more passing plays than they had all season. Then finally at the end of the game when they needed points, their two minute offense consisted of handing the ball off to Monte Ball. Where was that in the first 3 quarters? Same thing in the 2 losses to State the past 2 years, and the loss to Ohio earlier this season. He needs to keep doing what got them to this place and they will be tough to beat.
Prediction: Wisconsin 31 State 17
One side note before jumping into Sparty vs Bucky... a co-worker told me one of his MSU friends has said that recruiting doesnt matter, but if it did MSU has been dominating the state of Ohio. I hope they meant compared to Michigan the past few years, because if they are just making the general statement with Ohio included, they should never be allowed to comment about sports again. the Ohio has not allowed a 5 star recruit to leave the state in quite a few years, with Michigan finally taking Kalis (and hopefully Dunn) this year. Ohio does recruit nationally, but the main reason they have so much more talent than Michigan is because Tressell would take every worthwhile football recruit from the state... leaving us with leftovers and mostly underwhelming players from Michigan, and the mountain goats from Pahokee.
On to more important things... the game tomorrow night should be an exciting one. I am looking forward to the rematch, mostly because I had to put my foot in my mouth after last game when I predicted Wisconsin to beat State similarly to what they did to Nebraska. It was going well for the first quarter, then Bielema pulled his standard coaching method and State made some huge plays and won the game.
It is hard for me to pick this game because both teams are going to be fired up with the Rose Bowl on the line, and I think Wisconsin is a more talented team but that doesnt always transition to a victory in a one game setting. Lets take a look at the matchups.
Wisconsin Run Offense vs Sparty run D: I have a feeling Bielema wants Ball to have a chance to get to Barry's TD record, so he will not be opposed to running up the score if possible. But will State allow it to happen? Gholston will be back for MSU, since he was in prison... I mean suspended... for their first meeting after he thought it was a good idea to punch a guy and try to make Denard an owl. Worthy had a big game in the first meeting, and with Gholston on the line tomorrow with him it makes State even tougher to block especially if they dial up some LB blitzes. I would imagine they would be able to get free on some. I look for Wisconsins huge OLine to eventually wear down the Sparty defensive front and for Ball to have a big game (150 yards, 2 TDs).
Bucky Pass offense vs States pass defense: If State is able to create a pass rush and make Wilson throw under pressure, State could have a great game. Wilson hasnt had to do that much this year, and when he has he looked his worst (State and Ohio rushed him pretty well at times). If he does have time though, the Spartan group of misfits will not be able to cover Wisconsin's talented receivers and tight ends. I think Wilson gets knocked around more tomorrow night than he has all season, but still gets enough time to throw on most ocassions leading to some big passing plays. I think he will have one turnover, with 2 TD passes.
State rush offense vs Badger defense: State is running the ball better lately, but still finsihed at the bottom of the B1G in rush offense this year. I look for this to continue tomorrow night, and for Wisconsin's front 7 to keep State in check. If State can run the ball, they can control the clock and keep Wisconsins good offense off of the field. It will also help set up Cousins in the playaction game, where he is usually most dangerous. I still think Wisconsin slows them down enough.
State pass offense vs Wisconsin pass defense: Kirk Cousins had one of his best games against the Badgers when they met earlier this year. I think that can continue tomorrow because Wisconsin's secondary is not that dominant. They might come up with a turnover, but they will struggle to cover Cunningham and Martin in space. I think Cousins has another big game for him, and throws for 2 TDs.
Special Teams: Last game this is the area that State dominated. The blocked punt and field goal were changing points in the game. I don't think it will be do lopsided in this game, but State is more talented in this area.
Coaching: Well tomorrow night will be the rematch of Big Game Bret and the arrogant slime bag... sorry I dont really like either of these guys if you cant tell. I think Dantonio has been successful, but I would never want him leading my team. I cant handle some of his comments about Michigan, especially immediately after beating us for a 4th straight time and him saying it will be a lot better after 5 in a row. Really dude?! You can't just enjoy beating us, you have to look to next years game. I hope we beat them like a drum, and keep this moron out of the B1G championship game from here on out. Then we cross sidelines, where Big Game Bret will likely wither under the pressure and try to outcoach himself. All of Wisconsin's losses the past two years follow the same pattern. He gets in his own head, and goes away from what makes Wisconsin successful (pounding the ball and playaction passing). Agaist TCU they outweighed their DLine on an average of 55 pounds, but they called more passing plays than they had all season. Then finally at the end of the game when they needed points, their two minute offense consisted of handing the ball off to Monte Ball. Where was that in the first 3 quarters? Same thing in the 2 losses to State the past 2 years, and the loss to Ohio earlier this season. He needs to keep doing what got them to this place and they will be tough to beat.
Prediction: Wisconsin 31 State 17
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Explaning my strong dislike for Sparty
Recently, I have been asked why I hate or dislike our little brother from East Lansing, and also I am just getting really sick of Sparty fans complaining about this football season.
So where I grew up the in-state rival between us and State was more heated than us vs Ohio, and even us vs the golden domers. The little farm town was full of farm boys and Sparty lovers. I also grew up showing steers in 4-H, as you can imagine there are not many Michigan fans in that hobby. So I constantly was mocked for liking Michigan, and received phone calls after any Michigan loss in football or loss to Sparty in any sport.
I know there are a ton of "Wal-mart Wolverines" out there, but I was surrounded by Spartan slappies that had no affiliations with the school or any knowledge of anything related to sports. They just felt the connection to MSU because of the ag school. My very first Michigan football game happened to be the Braylon take over against MSU. I was invited by a former MSU softball player who wanted to invite me because she was convinced ole Lion's standout Drew Stanton would lead her beloved Sparty to victory. She wanted to go to the Big House to celebrate with her Spartan brethren, and rub it in my face at the same time. As you probably know, Braylon had one of the best games that a Michigan receiver ever had. It was a glorious game. So I have lived with these confused souls all of my life, and I dont like most of what Spartan fans stand for (love for Dantonio because he hates Michigan, I think he could go 1-11 and beat us and never lose his job, disregard to their national leading amount of personal fouls against Michigan, I could go on and on).
That takes me to my current annoyance with the Sparty lovers. I keep reading different articles all week about how Michigan State will get the shaft for the second year in a row because if they lose the B1G championship game, it appears they will drop from the Rose Bowl to the Outback, and we will be headed to the Sugar Bowl. But I think I can say this with the support of most Michigan fans, that I would gladly trade spots with MSU right now. Because the goal of most B1G teams is the Rose Bowl, the Grand Daddy of them all, the greatest bowl ever, etc, etc... The only way to get to this game in the current B1G format is to go to the championship game to win one last game. We have no chance of making the Rose Bowl this year, or winning the conference, but State does. So if they are more worried about us making a BCS bowl and them getting the shaft again then focusing on their game this weekend I would trade them in an instant. I would love to be watching my team play one more game, to be pumped up for one more week, knowing that there is a chance we could lose and our bowl outcome would be affected. In reality I would trade the Sugar Bowl over a chance at the Rose Bowl. Just the chance is all fans can ask for. Why are Spartan fans already counting on them losing and us going to a better bowl game? Why do they care about us more than looking forward to the first B1G championship game? I dont understand it. Also, at this point MSU should also be hoping we do make a BCS bowl game. Lets say Wisconsin wins the game on Saturday and go to the Rose Bowl, but Michigan finishes ranked number 15 in the BCS. We would not be eligible for the Sugar Bowl. The Capital One Bowl gets the first pick of the remaining B1G teams, and taking a 2 loss Michigan is the most attractive left. The Florida bowls have already shown a ton of interest in bringing Nebraska there for the first time, so they would slip to the Outback Bowl. The Gator Bowl has its matchup of Florida v Ohio. This leaves the Insight Bowl, which is a pre-New Year's bowl. Hah, talk about getting the shaft. Sorry Sparty, but I think you would rather be in the Outback in my opinion. But, maybe you could actually win the Insight Bowl... maybe. I never would think that going to the conference championship game would be such a burden. I guess we can only hope that Michigan can take this problem off of their hands for the next long while.
Poor Sparty.
So where I grew up the in-state rival between us and State was more heated than us vs Ohio, and even us vs the golden domers. The little farm town was full of farm boys and Sparty lovers. I also grew up showing steers in 4-H, as you can imagine there are not many Michigan fans in that hobby. So I constantly was mocked for liking Michigan, and received phone calls after any Michigan loss in football or loss to Sparty in any sport.
I know there are a ton of "Wal-mart Wolverines" out there, but I was surrounded by Spartan slappies that had no affiliations with the school or any knowledge of anything related to sports. They just felt the connection to MSU because of the ag school. My very first Michigan football game happened to be the Braylon take over against MSU. I was invited by a former MSU softball player who wanted to invite me because she was convinced ole Lion's standout Drew Stanton would lead her beloved Sparty to victory. She wanted to go to the Big House to celebrate with her Spartan brethren, and rub it in my face at the same time. As you probably know, Braylon had one of the best games that a Michigan receiver ever had. It was a glorious game. So I have lived with these confused souls all of my life, and I dont like most of what Spartan fans stand for (love for Dantonio because he hates Michigan, I think he could go 1-11 and beat us and never lose his job, disregard to their national leading amount of personal fouls against Michigan, I could go on and on).
That takes me to my current annoyance with the Sparty lovers. I keep reading different articles all week about how Michigan State will get the shaft for the second year in a row because if they lose the B1G championship game, it appears they will drop from the Rose Bowl to the Outback, and we will be headed to the Sugar Bowl. But I think I can say this with the support of most Michigan fans, that I would gladly trade spots with MSU right now. Because the goal of most B1G teams is the Rose Bowl, the Grand Daddy of them all, the greatest bowl ever, etc, etc... The only way to get to this game in the current B1G format is to go to the championship game to win one last game. We have no chance of making the Rose Bowl this year, or winning the conference, but State does. So if they are more worried about us making a BCS bowl and them getting the shaft again then focusing on their game this weekend I would trade them in an instant. I would love to be watching my team play one more game, to be pumped up for one more week, knowing that there is a chance we could lose and our bowl outcome would be affected. In reality I would trade the Sugar Bowl over a chance at the Rose Bowl. Just the chance is all fans can ask for. Why are Spartan fans already counting on them losing and us going to a better bowl game? Why do they care about us more than looking forward to the first B1G championship game? I dont understand it. Also, at this point MSU should also be hoping we do make a BCS bowl game. Lets say Wisconsin wins the game on Saturday and go to the Rose Bowl, but Michigan finishes ranked number 15 in the BCS. We would not be eligible for the Sugar Bowl. The Capital One Bowl gets the first pick of the remaining B1G teams, and taking a 2 loss Michigan is the most attractive left. The Florida bowls have already shown a ton of interest in bringing Nebraska there for the first time, so they would slip to the Outback Bowl. The Gator Bowl has its matchup of Florida v Ohio. This leaves the Insight Bowl, which is a pre-New Year's bowl. Hah, talk about getting the shaft. Sorry Sparty, but I think you would rather be in the Outback in my opinion. But, maybe you could actually win the Insight Bowl... maybe. I never would think that going to the conference championship game would be such a burden. I guess we can only hope that Michigan can take this problem off of their hands for the next long while.
Poor Sparty.
Congratulations Pt. 2
Our very own Coach Brady Hoke found out that he won the coach of the year in the B1G from both the media and coaches. He is the first Michigan coach to win B1G coach of the year since Gary Moeller in the early 90s.
This also gives the Hokenator 3 coach of the years in the past 4 years, and all of them from different conferences (MAC 2008, MWC 2010, and B1G in 2011). I dont think he will be winning this award in another conference anytime soon. But this is quite an accomplishment for a first year coach taking over an underwhelming 7-5 football team and program in disarray. Brady also beat out rival Sparty leader or gatherer of criminals... which ever title you prefer.
Let's hope this is a first coaching award of many for our very own double pointing leader.
Congrats Coach!
This also gives the Hokenator 3 coach of the years in the past 4 years, and all of them from different conferences (MAC 2008, MWC 2010, and B1G in 2011). I dont think he will be winning this award in another conference anytime soon. But this is quite an accomplishment for a first year coach taking over an underwhelming 7-5 football team and program in disarray. Brady also beat out rival Sparty leader or gatherer of criminals... which ever title you prefer.
Let's hope this is a first coaching award of many for our very own double pointing leader.
Congrats Coach!
OT: Rich Rod
There are a few reports coming out today from Arizona that state one of the main reasons the defensive guru took the Wildcat position was that the AD guaranteed him that they would schedule Michigan within 3 years. This seems like a crazy objective to guarantee, this is not like PS3 NCAA football where you can schedule almost anyone any year. It requires an agreement from the other school's AD and usually coach.
I get that Dave Brandon likes scheduling non-conference games that will get some national appeal (Bama, App St rematch, UMass rematch, Air Force, etc) but I am not sure how I feel about scheduling our old coach who was ran out of town by Big Blue nation. I admit, I thought RR should get fired even if he won the bowl game. I was sick of watching decent athletes fall into a blackhole and be blamed for being terrible on defense. I wanted Lloyd Carr back, I wanted consistency... even if that means traditional and boring. Funny what 3 years does to you. I dont think Brandon will agree to a home and home series with Arizona (going to the west coast for a non-conference game would be pretty tough). And if I was the Arizona AD I wouldnt do this if it was a one year game at the Big House.
I personally don't want to see RR back in our stadium anytime soon. I think there are other teams from real conferences that would love to play us, why schedule someone who will come in with a chip on his shoulder and a win at all costs attitude in a non-rivalry game.
I get that Dave Brandon likes scheduling non-conference games that will get some national appeal (Bama, App St rematch, UMass rematch, Air Force, etc) but I am not sure how I feel about scheduling our old coach who was ran out of town by Big Blue nation. I admit, I thought RR should get fired even if he won the bowl game. I was sick of watching decent athletes fall into a blackhole and be blamed for being terrible on defense. I wanted Lloyd Carr back, I wanted consistency... even if that means traditional and boring. Funny what 3 years does to you. I dont think Brandon will agree to a home and home series with Arizona (going to the west coast for a non-conference game would be pretty tough). And if I was the Arizona AD I wouldnt do this if it was a one year game at the Big House.
I personally don't want to see RR back in our stadium anytime soon. I think there are other teams from real conferences that would love to play us, why schedule someone who will come in with a chip on his shoulder and a win at all costs attitude in a non-rivalry game.
Game 7 Recap: 5-2... UGLY!
I am not sure where to even start about last night's game. There are two positive things that I can think of resulting from the game. 1. I am glad we did not play Wake Forest (worst team in ACC) because I am sure we would have lost to them, which would have hurt our resume a lot more than UVA. 2. I am glad we didnt play UNC, because they might have scored 80 by halftime and it might have been one of the biggest margins of defeats since those years of playing Duke and losing by 60. I guess there might even be a 3rd positive, we might have just watched us play the worst possible game from this Michigan team and they were a few breaks away from keeping the score within 5 against a probable tournament team.
So we got the standard positives out of the way, I will take a few minutes to analyze what actually happened last night. I am still frustrated and annoyed at how bad a team I thought was a legit top 12 in the country performed last night. We all know they played terribly, and most of us know the main reasons. So there is no reason for me to go on and on.
FOUL TROUBLE killed us again. In my preview one of the biggest matchups was Jordan Morgan v Mike Scott. But Michigan game out and tried to defend him with a slow, unathletic gump of a dude that cant keep his hands straight up when he plays defense. So he gets whistled almost every time he plays post defense. Of course I am talking about the one and only Smot. He is so frustrating to watch, he was having his best offensive game of the year but then complimented it with one of his worst defensive performances. He racked up 5 fouls in incredible time.. maybe we wanted to play hack-a-Cavalier with just Smot. Since Horford looks weak and useless on the court most of the time, we were stuck with our back up power forward guarding a first team all-ACC-er. This is our 6'3" linebacker of Zak Novak. Mike Scott is the exact type that Novak cannot match up with at all. Scott was able to shoot over him, also able to see the court for WIDE OPEN cross court passes for easy jump shots, rebound over him, and to make matters even worse... Scott was also quicker than Novak. That made for a great outing for Mike Scott (18 points and double digit rebounds). Lets move on to our second key matchup, Tim Hardaway and Harris for UVA. Tim wanted to call on his inner-Smot by picking up 2 first half fouls in 4 minutes. Then Beilein was forced to sit him until halftime (questionable since Hardaway usually finishes with 2 fouls for games). He was held to 5 points because once he came back in he was so far out of any sort of rhythm that most shots were forced. Meanwhile, Harris was able to camp out at the 3 point line and have shooting practice since we wanted to see if a team could shoot better than Duke against us. Our defense proved that they can allow even a bad shooting team to have career games. This is going to be great watching us try to defend Sullinger. So the key matchups for the game were heavily in favor of the Cavaliers.
Why else did we lose? We outfouled Virginia 20-12, and got out scored from the free throw line by 13 from the free throw line (4-7 vs 17-22). Also, we got outrebounded by one of the worst rebounding teams in the country. We outrebounded Duke, Memphis, and UCLA, but get outrebounded by a team that never crashes the offensive glass to stop the fast break. Somehow we found ways to give up offensive rebounds, especially out of the 1-3-1. These two stats might be the main factors for the loss.
I hope this team was still tired from Hawaii, because they are going to have to play better on the road to finish with a winning B1G record. (B1G schedule and team preview will be coming soon).
Also, since this is my blog, I will keep complaining... I have had enough of Stu Douglass playing so much. As a senior I would expect one of the "leaders" to run the offense that he has been in for 4 years better, and to take better shots. How many half court threes can the dude take in one game. Yes, he made one of them, but does that give him the green light to shoot and miss 3 more? I dont think it should. Also, the moron doesn't understand the concept of boxing out anyone on the defensive end. 2 of UVA's offensive boards were from Stu not putting his body into his man (it led to 5 points). He has been struggling with that all year, I just havent mentioned much since they have won or played well until last night. As much as he can make a few shots for us, he needs to improve on the little things to see the floor as much as he does. Everyone knows how much I like Trey Burke so far this year, but last night he had so many bad turnovers. He finally looked like a freshman last night to me, maybe it was the good defense or being on the road. How many times can you try to dribble behind your back when you are inside the 3 point line. People will sag to stop dribble penetration and will be there to steal the ball when you are careless with it. He will need to improve holding onto the ball when B1G time comes around. Also, he struggled to run any sort of offense for most of the game, we were forced to take fade away shots from all over the court. We didnt try to attack the pick and roll much or get Morgan involved in the offense.
I could go on and on. I hope last night was just a bad game from a tired young team (like Duke too losing by 21 to Ohio). But I do not like losing, especially when we dont play well. So hopefully we will see some improvement as the 5-2 cagers head home to take on baby Michigan State... I mean Iowa St on Saturday!
Go Blue!
So we got the standard positives out of the way, I will take a few minutes to analyze what actually happened last night. I am still frustrated and annoyed at how bad a team I thought was a legit top 12 in the country performed last night. We all know they played terribly, and most of us know the main reasons. So there is no reason for me to go on and on.
FOUL TROUBLE killed us again. In my preview one of the biggest matchups was Jordan Morgan v Mike Scott. But Michigan game out and tried to defend him with a slow, unathletic gump of a dude that cant keep his hands straight up when he plays defense. So he gets whistled almost every time he plays post defense. Of course I am talking about the one and only Smot. He is so frustrating to watch, he was having his best offensive game of the year but then complimented it with one of his worst defensive performances. He racked up 5 fouls in incredible time.. maybe we wanted to play hack-a-Cavalier with just Smot. Since Horford looks weak and useless on the court most of the time, we were stuck with our back up power forward guarding a first team all-ACC-er. This is our 6'3" linebacker of Zak Novak. Mike Scott is the exact type that Novak cannot match up with at all. Scott was able to shoot over him, also able to see the court for WIDE OPEN cross court passes for easy jump shots, rebound over him, and to make matters even worse... Scott was also quicker than Novak. That made for a great outing for Mike Scott (18 points and double digit rebounds). Lets move on to our second key matchup, Tim Hardaway and Harris for UVA. Tim wanted to call on his inner-Smot by picking up 2 first half fouls in 4 minutes. Then Beilein was forced to sit him until halftime (questionable since Hardaway usually finishes with 2 fouls for games). He was held to 5 points because once he came back in he was so far out of any sort of rhythm that most shots were forced. Meanwhile, Harris was able to camp out at the 3 point line and have shooting practice since we wanted to see if a team could shoot better than Duke against us. Our defense proved that they can allow even a bad shooting team to have career games. This is going to be great watching us try to defend Sullinger. So the key matchups for the game were heavily in favor of the Cavaliers.
Why else did we lose? We outfouled Virginia 20-12, and got out scored from the free throw line by 13 from the free throw line (4-7 vs 17-22). Also, we got outrebounded by one of the worst rebounding teams in the country. We outrebounded Duke, Memphis, and UCLA, but get outrebounded by a team that never crashes the offensive glass to stop the fast break. Somehow we found ways to give up offensive rebounds, especially out of the 1-3-1. These two stats might be the main factors for the loss.
I hope this team was still tired from Hawaii, because they are going to have to play better on the road to finish with a winning B1G record. (B1G schedule and team preview will be coming soon).
Also, since this is my blog, I will keep complaining... I have had enough of Stu Douglass playing so much. As a senior I would expect one of the "leaders" to run the offense that he has been in for 4 years better, and to take better shots. How many half court threes can the dude take in one game. Yes, he made one of them, but does that give him the green light to shoot and miss 3 more? I dont think it should. Also, the moron doesn't understand the concept of boxing out anyone on the defensive end. 2 of UVA's offensive boards were from Stu not putting his body into his man (it led to 5 points). He has been struggling with that all year, I just havent mentioned much since they have won or played well until last night. As much as he can make a few shots for us, he needs to improve on the little things to see the floor as much as he does. Everyone knows how much I like Trey Burke so far this year, but last night he had so many bad turnovers. He finally looked like a freshman last night to me, maybe it was the good defense or being on the road. How many times can you try to dribble behind your back when you are inside the 3 point line. People will sag to stop dribble penetration and will be there to steal the ball when you are careless with it. He will need to improve holding onto the ball when B1G time comes around. Also, he struggled to run any sort of offense for most of the game, we were forced to take fade away shots from all over the court. We didnt try to attack the pick and roll much or get Morgan involved in the offense.
I could go on and on. I hope last night was just a bad game from a tired young team (like Duke too losing by 21 to Ohio). But I do not like losing, especially when we dont play well. So hopefully we will see some improvement as the 5-2 cagers head home to take on baby Michigan State... I mean Iowa St on Saturday!
Go Blue!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Michigan Ball Game 7 preview: 5-1 Virginia
Michigan basketball takes the court again tonight in their first true road test of the season against an improving 5-1 Virginia. We will get to see how this team looks after 3 games in 3 days in Hawaii, and if they are fully rested now. Also, it will be a good road test for this young team. We will need to win games like this to avoid being on the bubble at the end of the season.
While Virginia is 5-1 so far this season, they have not played a team as talented as Michigan yet. Their lone loss came to an average at best TCU team. Tonight's game will be Virginia's toughest non-conference test, and will be a major inidicator if they get into the NCAA tournament come March.
The Cavaliers are led by 6'9" power forward Mike Scott, he is averaging about 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. He will be a very tough matchup for our frontcourt players, and I expect all 3 regulars in our rotation to have some foul problems while trying to guard Scott. They have a 6'6" sophomore guard in Joe Harris who is a very streaker shooter. When he is making shots, this team can be very tough to defend and stop. Their point guard is 5'11" Jontel Evans. He is not a top tier point guard like Michigan saw in Austin Rivers or Joe Jackson, but he is a more than capable distributor who can get to double digits in points on occassion. Also, Virginia is more concerned about not giving up fast break points, that we should control defensive rebounds. Virginia will almost never crash the hoop to get an offensive board. Look for someone to have close to 10 rebounds by the end of the game. Honestly, Virginia is not extremely overwhelming offensively like teams we have already played this year, but where they win games is on the defensive end of the court.
The Cavalier coach, Tony Bennett, is still relatively new to Charlotte after turning around Washington St. Most people compare his styles to our very own John Beilein. While Virginia will not run a 1-3-1 zone tonight, they will always run a man-zone defense. It might be one of the most complicated and difficult defenses in the nation to gameplan against. Virginia's defense is rated number 9 in the nation currently, and they have held 2 opponents already below 40 points. They will play aggressive man defense on the ball, and the other 4 players will sag 2-5 steps away from their guy. This allows them to pack in the middle of the key, which will limit the amount of backscreens and dribble penetration Michigan will be allowed to do. The big men will front our frontcourt to deny any low post passes, and they will almost never allow someone to get around them on the baseline. It will be a very tough test for us to get to 65-70 points. It will be important to take care of the ball and value every possession. Also, early 3 point shots might appear open for our shooters, but the defender will quickly close the gap. Virginia wants us to launch some quick threes against them, but we cannot fall into this trap. We need to try to run our offense, try to attack with back cuts/ screens to open up good 3 point looks.
Key matchup: There are really two big matchups in tonight's game. The first is Jordam Morgan vs Mike Scott. Morgan had a great Mauii tournament, and he needs to continue that success tonight. Mostly on the defensive end of the floor. If Virginia struggles to get Scott going offensively it could be a long game for the Cavaliers. He is their first and second option. It will be important for Smot and Morgan to stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor. They need to limit stupid/lazy fouls (Smot), and continually work to keep Scott out of the paint. If our frontcourt continues to struggle with fouls, this game will be a lot closer than it really should be. Also, Morgan needs to make Scott play defense, which will hopefully wear him down so he either commits some bad fouls, affects his offense, or even if he has to sit on the bench. The other key matchup for Big Blue to walk away with the win will be Hardaway vs Harris. Harris is a shooter, and we cannot let him get into a rhythm. Hardaway will have to limit his open looks, while also being more aggressive in the first half offensively. Look for Hardaway to score close to 20 again, but if he gives up 13-18 points to Harris it will not be a success for Tim.
Prediction: Virginia will play us more like a B1G team than anyone has this year, this will be a good road test for this Michigan team. While this win is not as necessary as if they went 1-2 in Hawaii, it is one that will look good at the end of the year and could mean us getting a 5 seed instead of a 6. The key number tonight is 70. If we score 70 we should win the game. If we somehow give up 70 to a below average offense, it will be a long night and we most likely will not come home 6-1. I think our team is playing very well together right now, and they seem focused on something more than just getting into the tourney. I expect us to come out with high intensity and to eventually win this game tonight. 68-59 Michigan.
Go Blue!
While Virginia is 5-1 so far this season, they have not played a team as talented as Michigan yet. Their lone loss came to an average at best TCU team. Tonight's game will be Virginia's toughest non-conference test, and will be a major inidicator if they get into the NCAA tournament come March.
The Cavaliers are led by 6'9" power forward Mike Scott, he is averaging about 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. He will be a very tough matchup for our frontcourt players, and I expect all 3 regulars in our rotation to have some foul problems while trying to guard Scott. They have a 6'6" sophomore guard in Joe Harris who is a very streaker shooter. When he is making shots, this team can be very tough to defend and stop. Their point guard is 5'11" Jontel Evans. He is not a top tier point guard like Michigan saw in Austin Rivers or Joe Jackson, but he is a more than capable distributor who can get to double digits in points on occassion. Also, Virginia is more concerned about not giving up fast break points, that we should control defensive rebounds. Virginia will almost never crash the hoop to get an offensive board. Look for someone to have close to 10 rebounds by the end of the game. Honestly, Virginia is not extremely overwhelming offensively like teams we have already played this year, but where they win games is on the defensive end of the court.
The Cavalier coach, Tony Bennett, is still relatively new to Charlotte after turning around Washington St. Most people compare his styles to our very own John Beilein. While Virginia will not run a 1-3-1 zone tonight, they will always run a man-zone defense. It might be one of the most complicated and difficult defenses in the nation to gameplan against. Virginia's defense is rated number 9 in the nation currently, and they have held 2 opponents already below 40 points. They will play aggressive man defense on the ball, and the other 4 players will sag 2-5 steps away from their guy. This allows them to pack in the middle of the key, which will limit the amount of backscreens and dribble penetration Michigan will be allowed to do. The big men will front our frontcourt to deny any low post passes, and they will almost never allow someone to get around them on the baseline. It will be a very tough test for us to get to 65-70 points. It will be important to take care of the ball and value every possession. Also, early 3 point shots might appear open for our shooters, but the defender will quickly close the gap. Virginia wants us to launch some quick threes against them, but we cannot fall into this trap. We need to try to run our offense, try to attack with back cuts/ screens to open up good 3 point looks.
Key matchup: There are really two big matchups in tonight's game. The first is Jordam Morgan vs Mike Scott. Morgan had a great Mauii tournament, and he needs to continue that success tonight. Mostly on the defensive end of the floor. If Virginia struggles to get Scott going offensively it could be a long game for the Cavaliers. He is their first and second option. It will be important for Smot and Morgan to stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor. They need to limit stupid/lazy fouls (Smot), and continually work to keep Scott out of the paint. If our frontcourt continues to struggle with fouls, this game will be a lot closer than it really should be. Also, Morgan needs to make Scott play defense, which will hopefully wear him down so he either commits some bad fouls, affects his offense, or even if he has to sit on the bench. The other key matchup for Big Blue to walk away with the win will be Hardaway vs Harris. Harris is a shooter, and we cannot let him get into a rhythm. Hardaway will have to limit his open looks, while also being more aggressive in the first half offensively. Look for Hardaway to score close to 20 again, but if he gives up 13-18 points to Harris it will not be a success for Tim.
Prediction: Virginia will play us more like a B1G team than anyone has this year, this will be a good road test for this Michigan team. While this win is not as necessary as if they went 1-2 in Hawaii, it is one that will look good at the end of the year and could mean us getting a 5 seed instead of a 6. The key number tonight is 70. If we score 70 we should win the game. If we somehow give up 70 to a below average offense, it will be a long night and we most likely will not come home 6-1. I think our team is playing very well together right now, and they seem focused on something more than just getting into the tourney. I expect us to come out with high intensity and to eventually win this game tonight. 68-59 Michigan.
Go Blue!
Football recruiting update & Congratulations
Let's start with the congratulations... David Molk the starting center for the Michigan football team was awarded with the honor of the best offensive lineman in the B1G. He was absolutely outstanding this year, and led a very valuable line. He is a great leader of this football team, and will hopefully find success in the NFL somewhere. Also, he should rack up a few more honors this year, like All-American. It will be tough replacing him next year, especially when our first game is against Saban's Crimson Elephants.
Recruiting updates: Michigan has 3 or 4 available spots for this already amazing recruiting class. The only desperate position is wide receiver. Michigan is in the running for 3 highly rated receivers at this point with the leader being Stephon Diggs (a high school teammate of Blake Countess). He is a 5 star recruit whose interest in Big Blue continues to increase. We were just listed in his top 8, with some jokes of schools in there. It will most likely come down to Michigan vs Oklahoma. Oklahoma has their sights on a different receiver prospect, and if they land him. Diggs should commit to Michigan. The other 2 possibilities are no slouches either, both picking up 4 star praise. It will be great to land at least one of these guys (2 if we take 4 more recruits).
Brionte Dunn got the chance to talk to his new coach (The Whiner) yesterday, and from all of the reports it looks like he doesnt want to play in a spread system. Urban never had a 1,000 yard rusher in his time at Florida and Brionte has dreams to be an NFL running back. He would be the featured back in our system, most likely as a redshirt sophomore while seeing time as a redshirt freshman. His cousin (Dymonte Thomas a 2013 very highly rated recruit for U-M) has been quoted as saying Brionte wants to play in a pro style offense. A lot of the current recruits have been contacting Brionte to get him to commit to Michigan. It looks like this could be a very good possibility in the near future since he was in attendance for the Nebraska and Ohio games. Dunn is one of the top rated running backs, with a 5 star rated on most sites. This would be a huge recruit.
There are multiple offensive lineman who are still interested in Michigan, and all of them are very highly rated as well. Joshua Garnett just listed us in his final two schools, and he should be deciding soon. There is also the 5 star Jordan Diamond who was very interested in Michigan, but recently has cooled on becoming a Wolverine. Apparently his mom did not like Michigan or some stupid rumor like that. It looks like he will most likely go to the SEC. Finall, there is Zach Banner another top OL prospect who has kept his recruiting pretty low key so far. He seems to like Michigan a lot, but it looks like he could be staying closer to home in the Pac12 (USC or Stanford). At one point it looked like Michigan could land all 3 of these guys, but at this point 1 would be a great addition for the 2012 class.
Defensive Back: Yuri Wright has shown an increase in interest for the past few months now. He is listed as a 5 star recruit who was a Michigan fan growing up. It looks like he is between Rutgers and Michigan. I am not sure why a 5 star defensive back would want to go to Rutgers, but I am not the high school senior. He is planning on committing at the Army All-American game in January, so we have a while to wait. With Michigan in more of the national media recently with their good season and great finish and potential BCS bowl, this cant be a bad thing. I am assuming if we still have an open slot in January, Yuri Wright will be coming to Ann Arbor (maybe I am just hoping too).
Michigan is in a great position to get 3 more 5 star recruits, and 1 high 4 star. If this actually happens, look for Michigan to have the highest rated recruting class in the nation because of depth and quality.
Its great to be a Michigan Wolverine!
Recruiting updates: Michigan has 3 or 4 available spots for this already amazing recruiting class. The only desperate position is wide receiver. Michigan is in the running for 3 highly rated receivers at this point with the leader being Stephon Diggs (a high school teammate of Blake Countess). He is a 5 star recruit whose interest in Big Blue continues to increase. We were just listed in his top 8, with some jokes of schools in there. It will most likely come down to Michigan vs Oklahoma. Oklahoma has their sights on a different receiver prospect, and if they land him. Diggs should commit to Michigan. The other 2 possibilities are no slouches either, both picking up 4 star praise. It will be great to land at least one of these guys (2 if we take 4 more recruits).
Brionte Dunn got the chance to talk to his new coach (The Whiner) yesterday, and from all of the reports it looks like he doesnt want to play in a spread system. Urban never had a 1,000 yard rusher in his time at Florida and Brionte has dreams to be an NFL running back. He would be the featured back in our system, most likely as a redshirt sophomore while seeing time as a redshirt freshman. His cousin (Dymonte Thomas a 2013 very highly rated recruit for U-M) has been quoted as saying Brionte wants to play in a pro style offense. A lot of the current recruits have been contacting Brionte to get him to commit to Michigan. It looks like this could be a very good possibility in the near future since he was in attendance for the Nebraska and Ohio games. Dunn is one of the top rated running backs, with a 5 star rated on most sites. This would be a huge recruit.
There are multiple offensive lineman who are still interested in Michigan, and all of them are very highly rated as well. Joshua Garnett just listed us in his final two schools, and he should be deciding soon. There is also the 5 star Jordan Diamond who was very interested in Michigan, but recently has cooled on becoming a Wolverine. Apparently his mom did not like Michigan or some stupid rumor like that. It looks like he will most likely go to the SEC. Finall, there is Zach Banner another top OL prospect who has kept his recruiting pretty low key so far. He seems to like Michigan a lot, but it looks like he could be staying closer to home in the Pac12 (USC or Stanford). At one point it looked like Michigan could land all 3 of these guys, but at this point 1 would be a great addition for the 2012 class.
Defensive Back: Yuri Wright has shown an increase in interest for the past few months now. He is listed as a 5 star recruit who was a Michigan fan growing up. It looks like he is between Rutgers and Michigan. I am not sure why a 5 star defensive back would want to go to Rutgers, but I am not the high school senior. He is planning on committing at the Army All-American game in January, so we have a while to wait. With Michigan in more of the national media recently with their good season and great finish and potential BCS bowl, this cant be a bad thing. I am assuming if we still have an open slot in January, Yuri Wright will be coming to Ann Arbor (maybe I am just hoping too).
Michigan is in a great position to get 3 more 5 star recruits, and 1 high 4 star. If this actually happens, look for Michigan to have the highest rated recruting class in the nation because of depth and quality.
Its great to be a Michigan Wolverine!
Monday, November 28, 2011
BCS = slight panic attack
Many of you received texts from me in panic mode about a potential two loss Michigan team not getting a chance to play in a BCS game because of some crazy rules and rankings. I was also shocked that we dropped to number 16 in the polls.
As I looked at last weeks rankings more, I realized that us dropping to 16 was to be expected... since people enjoyed the Wisconsin beat down of then 19 ranked Penn St. That win gives them more of a boost than our win vs Ohio. Actually I think the Penn St game was looked at by the BCS as their best win of the year.
It still sucks going into this last weekend needing teams in front of us to lose for us to have a chance at the top 14. If we do not make the top 14, the choices for BCS games gets pretty thin. Assuming every higher rated team wins this next week (except Sparty because I cannot imagine a world where Sparty green fills half of the Rose Bowl) and we are still number 15. This leaves Bama, Stanford, Boise St and Kansas St as realistic at large possibilities. If we are number 15, a 3 loss Oklahoma and MSU would still be ahead of us... and who would want them in a marquee game? Bama is a lock for the championship game, Stanford should be going to the Fiesta, and the last open slot in the Sugar bowl is left for either Boise or Kansas St... whew they are real attractive for ratings. A Houston v Boise BCS game. While appealing to some, winning this game does not prove anything about that team. People want/ need to see a non-AQ team play against a big named school. That leaves Kansas St with their nursing home resident head coach. Honestly, I think most people would rather see Boise play Houston than Kansas St.
After calming down some, and looking at the numbers and likely scenarios. LSU should roll over Georgia to win the SEC. Oregon might score 100 vs a terrible UCLA team in the Pac12 final. Ok St should beat Oklahoma, and with them having this past weekend off. This game will be their first since their only loss of the year, and they will need this win to be the most impressive win of their season. If able, look for Ok St to keep passing even late in th game to make the final as lopsided as possible. It is their only hope of making the championship game. VaTech plays a completely different Clemson team than the one they lost to earlier in the season. I would be surprised if it is even close the second time around. Houston plays Souther Miss, and they should hold serve for a 13-0 season. Boise plays UNLV which shouldnt even be close. Kansas St plays Iowa St who just got smoked by Oklahoma. This game could be interesting, and if Kansas St loses, it guarantees us a BCS game... but at this point it looks unlikely. Then there is the B1G final. I predicted Wisconsin to rip apart Sparty the first time they played, and it was going well for the first few drives,then Bielema tried to outcoach himself again (he might be the worst big game coach... just look at how they played against TCU). I dont see it happening again. Wisconsin is the better team period. If they both play their best game, MSU shouldnt be within 14 points of the Badgers. I think Bielema will want revenge, and he still wants Monte Ball to catch Barry's old touchdown record of 39. Look for the Badgers to run up the score this time around and win by 20+. If this does happen, then a blowout loss for either of the B1G teams should be enough to drop them below our Fighting Hoke's.
The BCS game predictions look the same as last weekend, with us playing Houston January 3rd in the Sugar Bowl. Oregon v Wisconsin in the greatest bowl ever. Bama v LSU 2.0. Ok. St v Stanford in the guacamole bowl. and the battle of the worst conferences Va Tech v WVU in the Orange. If these are the matchups 4 of the bowls look to be really exciting, with 1 unwatchable game. Which should be good for the fans if they do pair up the ACC vs the Big LEast, instead of them playing 2 teams that win by 100 points combined. Should be exciting!
As I looked at last weeks rankings more, I realized that us dropping to 16 was to be expected... since people enjoyed the Wisconsin beat down of then 19 ranked Penn St. That win gives them more of a boost than our win vs Ohio. Actually I think the Penn St game was looked at by the BCS as their best win of the year.
It still sucks going into this last weekend needing teams in front of us to lose for us to have a chance at the top 14. If we do not make the top 14, the choices for BCS games gets pretty thin. Assuming every higher rated team wins this next week (except Sparty because I cannot imagine a world where Sparty green fills half of the Rose Bowl) and we are still number 15. This leaves Bama, Stanford, Boise St and Kansas St as realistic at large possibilities. If we are number 15, a 3 loss Oklahoma and MSU would still be ahead of us... and who would want them in a marquee game? Bama is a lock for the championship game, Stanford should be going to the Fiesta, and the last open slot in the Sugar bowl is left for either Boise or Kansas St... whew they are real attractive for ratings. A Houston v Boise BCS game. While appealing to some, winning this game does not prove anything about that team. People want/ need to see a non-AQ team play against a big named school. That leaves Kansas St with their nursing home resident head coach. Honestly, I think most people would rather see Boise play Houston than Kansas St.
After calming down some, and looking at the numbers and likely scenarios. LSU should roll over Georgia to win the SEC. Oregon might score 100 vs a terrible UCLA team in the Pac12 final. Ok St should beat Oklahoma, and with them having this past weekend off. This game will be their first since their only loss of the year, and they will need this win to be the most impressive win of their season. If able, look for Ok St to keep passing even late in th game to make the final as lopsided as possible. It is their only hope of making the championship game. VaTech plays a completely different Clemson team than the one they lost to earlier in the season. I would be surprised if it is even close the second time around. Houston plays Souther Miss, and they should hold serve for a 13-0 season. Boise plays UNLV which shouldnt even be close. Kansas St plays Iowa St who just got smoked by Oklahoma. This game could be interesting, and if Kansas St loses, it guarantees us a BCS game... but at this point it looks unlikely. Then there is the B1G final. I predicted Wisconsin to rip apart Sparty the first time they played, and it was going well for the first few drives,then Bielema tried to outcoach himself again (he might be the worst big game coach... just look at how they played against TCU). I dont see it happening again. Wisconsin is the better team period. If they both play their best game, MSU shouldnt be within 14 points of the Badgers. I think Bielema will want revenge, and he still wants Monte Ball to catch Barry's old touchdown record of 39. Look for the Badgers to run up the score this time around and win by 20+. If this does happen, then a blowout loss for either of the B1G teams should be enough to drop them below our Fighting Hoke's.
The BCS game predictions look the same as last weekend, with us playing Houston January 3rd in the Sugar Bowl. Oregon v Wisconsin in the greatest bowl ever. Bama v LSU 2.0. Ok. St v Stanford in the guacamole bowl. and the battle of the worst conferences Va Tech v WVU in the Orange. If these are the matchups 4 of the bowls look to be really exciting, with 1 unwatchable game. Which should be good for the fans if they do pair up the ACC vs the Big LEast, instead of them playing 2 teams that win by 100 points combined. Should be exciting!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
10-2 and WE BEAT OHIO!!!!!!!!
I want to scream and jump and scream some more! After a too-close of a game, we finally beat Ohio. Yes, you read that right, Michigan beat Ohio. First time since 2003. Can we start our own streak vs the stinky nuts now? Before I get to the analysis, I want to say congrats to all of the seniors on the team. The have perservered through more than most college football players, and I am so impressed with them this whole season. This win was for them!
Now, I need to be a little critical here. How the eff do we let an inept offense score 34 against us? They only scored more than that in 1 game this season (against Akron, who Western beat 68-19 yesterday). Our defense looked terrible today, in almost all phases. The DLine was not as productive as I thought they would be against a lesser offensive line, the linebackers looked non-existent for most of the day, and the secondary... umm... what happened since the last two weeks?
I figured we would use Desmond Morgan as QB spy for most of the game, and I thought he would struggle. I was not expecting as much difficulty. Morgan consistently found someone to be blocked by, and to let Miller past him to the first down marker. Ohio ran the ball on most 3rd and mediums (4-7 yards) with QB draws and we didnt recognize it or make adjustments. The other linebackers were invisible most of the game, didnt "feel" any of them.
The defensive line made some big plays throughout the game, but overall they were not as productive as I was expecting. Mike Martin was able to get off of some double teams to make some big stops in the first half, but Ohio seemed to make some changes to control him in the second. RVB looked great at times as well. Craig Roh looked average, but got burned on some edge contain throughout the game and allowed Miller to have some big gains. He did draw the holding in the end zone, but that was the extent of his success today.
The secondary.... where do I even start? They looked like we traded our coverage with last year's. Countess looked like a freshman and got burned over and over on the double move routes. Woolfolk looked so bad that he got benched at halftime on senior day. His replacement, Gordon, picked up where Troy left off. And JT Floyd looked like same old cornerback from last year. How does a receiver get 5 yards open down the sideline on a hail mary play when we are up by 6 with 1 minute left? Why do you bite on the out route? How do you let someone behind you? Where was the safety coverage? Ohio had 2 of their biggest plays of the season in the first half, and it was set up by terrible coverage. Ugh, so painful to watch.
Ohio had been averaging less than 23 points a game, and they had 24 at the half. Our defense looked so bad for most of the game. I thought the game was over once got the 10 point lead 37-27, but our defense had other plans... lets give up a touchdown in about a minute of real time.
Ugh, I need to talk about something positive... Denard might have had his best game of is career today, definitely best B1G game. He played at near perfection for most of the game. He ran hard and made decisive cuts, threw some great passes and were helped out by some good catches and coverage. Minus the one standard turnover, he looked incredible. Fitz also looked great running the ball. He ran hard and fell forward almost every carry. Our ability to run the ball was what won the game for us. The offensive line also played very well. Omameh had some great guard pulls to spring Denard for some first down runs. Lewan pancaked his guy quite often, and Molk just destroyed some fools. The receivers also looked good too, Odoms and Hemingway had great final games in the Big House. It might have been one of our best offensive performances of the year, and if we didnt have it we wouldnt have beat the lowly stinky nuts.
Michigan just couldnt pull away at any point of the game to seal the victory and run away with the game... up 16-7 coming off of the safety we let Ohio back into the game with some terrible defense. Up 30-24 we cant get a first down on 3rd and 3 (after a terrible play call to throw a 20 yard down and out pass, when we needed 3), Hagerup didnt want to win by too much, so he decided to drop the snap. Then up by 10 again, 37-27 we couldnt even start thinking about stopping any sort of offense.
And the lame duck coach must have had some sort of deal worked out with the refs, since I have no idea how you can overturn Fitz's lone td run at the end of the game. One camera showed him over the line, and the other view showed him short. Both cameras were looking at the goaline on an angle, so how do you over turn that call? No idea. Then the next play, since when is it ok that there is 2 penalties applied on one play. A hold will negate anything that happens after the penalty. A late hit in the end zone after a touchdown, results in 15 yards applied on the kick off not another 15 yards added to the hold. I am still confused about the call, because I have never seen that happen before. I want to hear the reasoning for it, but it almost moved us from inches away to out of field goal position to let Ohio tie with a field goal. Also, on the play that Hoke challenged on the 3rd down, Posey pushed him out of bounds a clear yard before the marker yet the play was not overturned because of not enough video evidence. So I am glad that the refs werent a reason to use for a loss today like they were against Iowa.
But we won, Ding Dong the streak is dead, and so is Fickell, and we are going BCS-bowling!
Go Blue!!!!
Now, I need to be a little critical here. How the eff do we let an inept offense score 34 against us? They only scored more than that in 1 game this season (against Akron, who Western beat 68-19 yesterday). Our defense looked terrible today, in almost all phases. The DLine was not as productive as I thought they would be against a lesser offensive line, the linebackers looked non-existent for most of the day, and the secondary... umm... what happened since the last two weeks?
I figured we would use Desmond Morgan as QB spy for most of the game, and I thought he would struggle. I was not expecting as much difficulty. Morgan consistently found someone to be blocked by, and to let Miller past him to the first down marker. Ohio ran the ball on most 3rd and mediums (4-7 yards) with QB draws and we didnt recognize it or make adjustments. The other linebackers were invisible most of the game, didnt "feel" any of them.
The defensive line made some big plays throughout the game, but overall they were not as productive as I was expecting. Mike Martin was able to get off of some double teams to make some big stops in the first half, but Ohio seemed to make some changes to control him in the second. RVB looked great at times as well. Craig Roh looked average, but got burned on some edge contain throughout the game and allowed Miller to have some big gains. He did draw the holding in the end zone, but that was the extent of his success today.
The secondary.... where do I even start? They looked like we traded our coverage with last year's. Countess looked like a freshman and got burned over and over on the double move routes. Woolfolk looked so bad that he got benched at halftime on senior day. His replacement, Gordon, picked up where Troy left off. And JT Floyd looked like same old cornerback from last year. How does a receiver get 5 yards open down the sideline on a hail mary play when we are up by 6 with 1 minute left? Why do you bite on the out route? How do you let someone behind you? Where was the safety coverage? Ohio had 2 of their biggest plays of the season in the first half, and it was set up by terrible coverage. Ugh, so painful to watch.
Ohio had been averaging less than 23 points a game, and they had 24 at the half. Our defense looked so bad for most of the game. I thought the game was over once got the 10 point lead 37-27, but our defense had other plans... lets give up a touchdown in about a minute of real time.
Ugh, I need to talk about something positive... Denard might have had his best game of is career today, definitely best B1G game. He played at near perfection for most of the game. He ran hard and made decisive cuts, threw some great passes and were helped out by some good catches and coverage. Minus the one standard turnover, he looked incredible. Fitz also looked great running the ball. He ran hard and fell forward almost every carry. Our ability to run the ball was what won the game for us. The offensive line also played very well. Omameh had some great guard pulls to spring Denard for some first down runs. Lewan pancaked his guy quite often, and Molk just destroyed some fools. The receivers also looked good too, Odoms and Hemingway had great final games in the Big House. It might have been one of our best offensive performances of the year, and if we didnt have it we wouldnt have beat the lowly stinky nuts.
Michigan just couldnt pull away at any point of the game to seal the victory and run away with the game... up 16-7 coming off of the safety we let Ohio back into the game with some terrible defense. Up 30-24 we cant get a first down on 3rd and 3 (after a terrible play call to throw a 20 yard down and out pass, when we needed 3), Hagerup didnt want to win by too much, so he decided to drop the snap. Then up by 10 again, 37-27 we couldnt even start thinking about stopping any sort of offense.
And the lame duck coach must have had some sort of deal worked out with the refs, since I have no idea how you can overturn Fitz's lone td run at the end of the game. One camera showed him over the line, and the other view showed him short. Both cameras were looking at the goaline on an angle, so how do you over turn that call? No idea. Then the next play, since when is it ok that there is 2 penalties applied on one play. A hold will negate anything that happens after the penalty. A late hit in the end zone after a touchdown, results in 15 yards applied on the kick off not another 15 yards added to the hold. I am still confused about the call, because I have never seen that happen before. I want to hear the reasoning for it, but it almost moved us from inches away to out of field goal position to let Ohio tie with a field goal. Also, on the play that Hoke challenged on the 3rd down, Posey pushed him out of bounds a clear yard before the marker yet the play was not overturned because of not enough video evidence. So I am glad that the refs werent a reason to use for a loss today like they were against Iowa.
But we won, Ding Dong the streak is dead, and so is Fickell, and we are going BCS-bowling!
Go Blue!!!!
The Game: Preview
After my rant about how much the Lions upset me yesterday, I thought I would move on to something that has been making me excited since the minute the scoreboard read zeroes against the Corn people... The 2011 version of The Game!
Lets take a look at tomorrow's matchup. Ohio has actually been pretty bad at times this year (losing to Miami, Purdue, blowing a big lead at Nebraska), but have looked pretty good at times as well (beating Wisconsin, first half at Nebraska). One thing is known: Ohio wants to run the football. They will do whatever they can to keep Braxton Miller out of predictable throwing downs.
Ohio rush offense vs Big Blue rush defense: Like I said earlier, Ohio wants to run the ball. If they are having success look for them to only throw a handful of times (In the win against the fighting Zookers they only threw 3 times). They will run the ball with Dan "Boom" Herron between the tackles, and use Jordan Hall as their homerun hitter to get to the outside or be their featured back to catch passes out of the backfield. But Braxton Miller is their leading rusher so far this year. He makes some good reads and runs the zone option pretty well for a true freshman. He has rushed for over 100 yards on multiple games this season. He has the ability to make many people miss in the backfield and make something out of nothing. He will be rushed most of the day by Mike Martin, RVB, and Jake Ryan. The way our defensive line has been playing lately, I will be surprised if the Bucknuts have much success running the ball against this scary DLine. If they do, look for the game to be closer and low scoring. The key here will be how much pressure our front 4 can get on Miller with out rushing a linebacker. Also, we need to keep a linebacker in there to spy on Miller. It will be a tough assignment for Desmond Morgan if he is the spy. Advantage: Push
Ohio pass offense vs the once swiss cheese secondary: Braxton Miller is not a high quality passer. He will be in time, but as a freshman he struggles. His arm strength is a little below average, and his accuracy needs improvement. One thing he does do very well though is scramble in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield on his receivers. Our cornerbacks will have to cover for a lot longer than they are used to. Miller might be able to find some open receivers if Martin and company cannot wrap up well tomorrow. Devier Posey is their only homerun threat, but he will be playing in only his second game. So the timing with Miller might be off still. If Braxton Miller is beating us with his arm tomorrow, our luck in The Game might not be changing this year. Advantage: Michigan. I am looking for the seniors on defense to have huge games, Martin and RVB have been unblockable lately. Look for Michigan to get 3-4 sacks, and 2-3 pass breakups.
Michigan rush offense vs Ohio's rush defense: Our offensive line continues to improve with the new system, this is a scary thing for Ohio's front 4. The Bucknut's defense is the strength of the team, it is basically first to 20 points (something went wrong if Ohio scores 30). Penn St rushed for 239 yards last week with a 6.1 average. Penn St cannot throw the ball, so Ohio loaded the box with 8 and still got smoked. Look for Big Blue to do the same thing tomorrow. Denard only needs 50+ yards to get to 1,000 for the season, and Fitz can get there with a big game as well. Look for Denard to have similar success as last week (80 yards and a few scores), and Fitz to continue to roll with another 100 yard game. Advantage: Michigan
Michigan pass offense vs Ohio's pass defense. The only thing that worries me about this matchup is Denard's knack for throwing at least one interception a game. If he is not looking good tomorrow, he could have another 3 INT game. I think our receivers can get some separation from the Ohio secondary, but Denard doesnt care when he throws picks, he will throw a receiver into coverage (instead of throw him open). It is hard for me to think that Denard will have a clean sheet gme, so watch for the one or two terrible throws. If Ohio can capitalize on these mistakes, then they can stay in the game. Advantage: Ohio because of Denard's accuracy issues. If Denard doesn't throw an interception, then look for Michigan to roll the Bucknuts.
Special Teams: Hah, please... what the heck are these? Hopefully the game does not come down to a field goal because they have a kicker and we have a guy that likes to think he is a kicker. He has been a lot better than last year, but he hasnt had to make a pressure kick this year. Hagerup has not been as good as he was last year, but has still been above average. Kick return game is a big advantage toward Ohio, so we will need to keep the returns within the 30 to keep the field position advantage. Advantge: Ohio (but look for us to score TD's, to not make this a factor)
Coaching: Just wanted to throw this in there to get a chuckle. Brady "Hope for the future" Hoke vs Lame Duck Fickell. Hoke will coach circles around this moron, so that will be enjoyable. Look for Ohio to parade Urban Whiner out there after the game. Maybe he will even be on the sidelines to try to even out the mismatch.
Prediction: I can't believe I am even doing this in Hoke's first year, but Big Blue sends the seniors out on a high note. Meeechigan 31 Ohio 10. Go Blue, beat the stinky nuts.
Lets take a look at tomorrow's matchup. Ohio has actually been pretty bad at times this year (losing to Miami, Purdue, blowing a big lead at Nebraska), but have looked pretty good at times as well (beating Wisconsin, first half at Nebraska). One thing is known: Ohio wants to run the football. They will do whatever they can to keep Braxton Miller out of predictable throwing downs.
Ohio rush offense vs Big Blue rush defense: Like I said earlier, Ohio wants to run the ball. If they are having success look for them to only throw a handful of times (In the win against the fighting Zookers they only threw 3 times). They will run the ball with Dan "Boom" Herron between the tackles, and use Jordan Hall as their homerun hitter to get to the outside or be their featured back to catch passes out of the backfield. But Braxton Miller is their leading rusher so far this year. He makes some good reads and runs the zone option pretty well for a true freshman. He has rushed for over 100 yards on multiple games this season. He has the ability to make many people miss in the backfield and make something out of nothing. He will be rushed most of the day by Mike Martin, RVB, and Jake Ryan. The way our defensive line has been playing lately, I will be surprised if the Bucknuts have much success running the ball against this scary DLine. If they do, look for the game to be closer and low scoring. The key here will be how much pressure our front 4 can get on Miller with out rushing a linebacker. Also, we need to keep a linebacker in there to spy on Miller. It will be a tough assignment for Desmond Morgan if he is the spy. Advantage: Push
Ohio pass offense vs the once swiss cheese secondary: Braxton Miller is not a high quality passer. He will be in time, but as a freshman he struggles. His arm strength is a little below average, and his accuracy needs improvement. One thing he does do very well though is scramble in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield on his receivers. Our cornerbacks will have to cover for a lot longer than they are used to. Miller might be able to find some open receivers if Martin and company cannot wrap up well tomorrow. Devier Posey is their only homerun threat, but he will be playing in only his second game. So the timing with Miller might be off still. If Braxton Miller is beating us with his arm tomorrow, our luck in The Game might not be changing this year. Advantage: Michigan. I am looking for the seniors on defense to have huge games, Martin and RVB have been unblockable lately. Look for Michigan to get 3-4 sacks, and 2-3 pass breakups.
Michigan rush offense vs Ohio's rush defense: Our offensive line continues to improve with the new system, this is a scary thing for Ohio's front 4. The Bucknut's defense is the strength of the team, it is basically first to 20 points (something went wrong if Ohio scores 30). Penn St rushed for 239 yards last week with a 6.1 average. Penn St cannot throw the ball, so Ohio loaded the box with 8 and still got smoked. Look for Big Blue to do the same thing tomorrow. Denard only needs 50+ yards to get to 1,000 for the season, and Fitz can get there with a big game as well. Look for Denard to have similar success as last week (80 yards and a few scores), and Fitz to continue to roll with another 100 yard game. Advantage: Michigan
Michigan pass offense vs Ohio's pass defense. The only thing that worries me about this matchup is Denard's knack for throwing at least one interception a game. If he is not looking good tomorrow, he could have another 3 INT game. I think our receivers can get some separation from the Ohio secondary, but Denard doesnt care when he throws picks, he will throw a receiver into coverage (instead of throw him open). It is hard for me to think that Denard will have a clean sheet gme, so watch for the one or two terrible throws. If Ohio can capitalize on these mistakes, then they can stay in the game. Advantage: Ohio because of Denard's accuracy issues. If Denard doesn't throw an interception, then look for Michigan to roll the Bucknuts.
Special Teams: Hah, please... what the heck are these? Hopefully the game does not come down to a field goal because they have a kicker and we have a guy that likes to think he is a kicker. He has been a lot better than last year, but he hasnt had to make a pressure kick this year. Hagerup has not been as good as he was last year, but has still been above average. Kick return game is a big advantage toward Ohio, so we will need to keep the returns within the 30 to keep the field position advantage. Advantge: Ohio (but look for us to score TD's, to not make this a factor)
Coaching: Just wanted to throw this in there to get a chuckle. Brady "Hope for the future" Hoke vs Lame Duck Fickell. Hoke will coach circles around this moron, so that will be enjoyable. Look for Ohio to parade Urban Whiner out there after the game. Maybe he will even be on the sidelines to try to even out the mismatch.
Prediction: I can't believe I am even doing this in Hoke's first year, but Big Blue sends the seniors out on a high note. Meeechigan 31 Ohio 10. Go Blue, beat the stinky nuts.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Green Bay game recap: WTF?!?
The final score was not reflective of how close the game really was yesterday. The Lions only ended up losing 27-15, but the last 7 came in garbage time.
The Lions held the Pack to 86 total yards in the first half (Rodgers only 65), and a bad turnover by Stafford and pass interference in th end zone set up the lone score. The Lions defense could not be playing better, only giving up 7 points to the best offense in the NFL. The offense had been letting them down. We were outgaining the cheeseheads 218 to 86, but had 77 yards of penalties (mostly on the offensive line). Stafford threw one bad interception, Hanson missed his second field goal, and one of our holding penalties took us out of field goal range on a separate drive.
Then the 2nd half started (The Lions are a 2nd half team right? Most people were hopeful). Green Bay started with the ball and marched down our throats, looking like the team that is poised for back to back Super Bowl trophies. But our redzone defense held them in check on 3rd and goal from the 3. It will only be 10-0, in a game that should be 10-6. Then, like you, I saw the little yellow block on the scoreboard indicating a penalty. I immediately thought it was on us, and probably a roughing the passer on Suh. But then I was OUTRAGED at what I saw on replay. Our very own Ndamukong Suh stuffing the center's head into the turf, then stomping on his bicep as he tried to get up. The ref immediately ejected Suh from the game, and the penalty gave the Pack a new set of downs inside the 2. The game was over then. Yes, Stafford looked terrible again with 2 more interceptions, yes our secondary looked like swiss cheese because of injuries, yes our 15th running back of the season was also injured... this ended any hopes of the Lions coming back. It broke any momentum we had from the 3rd down stop, and swung the game to Green Bay. I haven't been vulgar in my posts yet, but I am sorry... what the hell was Suh thinking at that moment? I mean come on, you can't stuff the dude's head into the ground then curb stomp his bicep and think I am just trying to get up. If you know me, you know that Suh might be my favorite Lion of all time... and he is in his second year. You know that I will live with his angry demeanor, his violent hits, a stupid penalty here and there, the fines, the view of dirtiest player in the game, because he is "changing the view of the Detroit Lions as a team you cannot take lightly" But I cannot excuse yesterday. It was a Sparty like infraction, one where I cannot overlook or reason why he did it. I have rarely seen a dumber play. How stupid can you be?!? We stopped them on 3rd and goal, we were going to hold the Pack to a field goal. We are still in the game. I will not make any excuses for this moronic move, and I now fully agree that Suh is indeed the dirtiest (and dumbest) player in the NFL. I cannot root for someone who does that crap. It is criminal. The other thing that is so frustrating, is even though he was ejected from yesterday and screwed us over yesterday on a national stage, there is NO WAY that he sees the field this next week against the Saints, also on national tv. The Monday night game was great for Detroit, and the Lion's image. Yesterday it took a huge step backwards. I usually don't care this much about an NFL game, but I am still pissed at what I saw yesterday. It was complete garbage, the same reason I was so pissed after watching Michigan fall victim to the felony acts of Sparty. Suh needs to sit in front of his teammates and apologize for his actions, and apologize for not being able to finish the game, and for not playing next week to help this team make the playoff push. I could go on and on about that crap, but I need to continue.
Outside of that monstrosity, the Lions might have had the worst luck possibly yesterday. Already playing their 6th safety of the year, Delmas gets injured in the first half. I have not heard any news on the severity of it. Also, our best corner back of the group of average defensive backs goes out with a knee injury. We had to settly with Rasheed Davis (a receiver) coming in to try to cover reg Jennings (only one of the best WR's in the league). Then the often injured Kevin Smith re-injures his knee early in the game when he was having a lot of success catching and running the ball out of the backfield. I think in the 2nd half some lucky fans even got to play defensive back for us. What a joke. On the long touchdown pass late in the game, our cornerback looked like JT Floyd of last year (not even in the same zip code on a standard 1 move route). If the Lions are going to have a chance to have a winning season they are going to need to get these guys back on the field quickly.
The Lion's offense looked great in the first half when Stafford was able to check down to Kevin Smith, but after the Packers made adjustments at half time, he looked rattled and tried forcing a lot of throws. We need Kevin Smith back asap!
Also, I know Clay Matthews is incredible. But he just overpowered anyone who tried to block him (except Morris the few times he actually picked up the blitz). He lined up opposite of Cherilus and just blew him up. Cherilus only outweighs him by 75 pounds. Useless. The Manimal just blew around Pettigrew when he tried his luck. Backus was called for a hold. It was the type of destruction you want to see from our defensive line.
All in all it was a terrible game to be a Lions fan, and I hope that The Game will be more enjoyable.
Only 20 hours! Go Blue!
The Lions held the Pack to 86 total yards in the first half (Rodgers only 65), and a bad turnover by Stafford and pass interference in th end zone set up the lone score. The Lions defense could not be playing better, only giving up 7 points to the best offense in the NFL. The offense had been letting them down. We were outgaining the cheeseheads 218 to 86, but had 77 yards of penalties (mostly on the offensive line). Stafford threw one bad interception, Hanson missed his second field goal, and one of our holding penalties took us out of field goal range on a separate drive.
Then the 2nd half started (The Lions are a 2nd half team right? Most people were hopeful). Green Bay started with the ball and marched down our throats, looking like the team that is poised for back to back Super Bowl trophies. But our redzone defense held them in check on 3rd and goal from the 3. It will only be 10-0, in a game that should be 10-6. Then, like you, I saw the little yellow block on the scoreboard indicating a penalty. I immediately thought it was on us, and probably a roughing the passer on Suh. But then I was OUTRAGED at what I saw on replay. Our very own Ndamukong Suh stuffing the center's head into the turf, then stomping on his bicep as he tried to get up. The ref immediately ejected Suh from the game, and the penalty gave the Pack a new set of downs inside the 2. The game was over then. Yes, Stafford looked terrible again with 2 more interceptions, yes our secondary looked like swiss cheese because of injuries, yes our 15th running back of the season was also injured... this ended any hopes of the Lions coming back. It broke any momentum we had from the 3rd down stop, and swung the game to Green Bay. I haven't been vulgar in my posts yet, but I am sorry... what the hell was Suh thinking at that moment? I mean come on, you can't stuff the dude's head into the ground then curb stomp his bicep and think I am just trying to get up. If you know me, you know that Suh might be my favorite Lion of all time... and he is in his second year. You know that I will live with his angry demeanor, his violent hits, a stupid penalty here and there, the fines, the view of dirtiest player in the game, because he is "changing the view of the Detroit Lions as a team you cannot take lightly" But I cannot excuse yesterday. It was a Sparty like infraction, one where I cannot overlook or reason why he did it. I have rarely seen a dumber play. How stupid can you be?!? We stopped them on 3rd and goal, we were going to hold the Pack to a field goal. We are still in the game. I will not make any excuses for this moronic move, and I now fully agree that Suh is indeed the dirtiest (and dumbest) player in the NFL. I cannot root for someone who does that crap. It is criminal. The other thing that is so frustrating, is even though he was ejected from yesterday and screwed us over yesterday on a national stage, there is NO WAY that he sees the field this next week against the Saints, also on national tv. The Monday night game was great for Detroit, and the Lion's image. Yesterday it took a huge step backwards. I usually don't care this much about an NFL game, but I am still pissed at what I saw yesterday. It was complete garbage, the same reason I was so pissed after watching Michigan fall victim to the felony acts of Sparty. Suh needs to sit in front of his teammates and apologize for his actions, and apologize for not being able to finish the game, and for not playing next week to help this team make the playoff push. I could go on and on about that crap, but I need to continue.
Outside of that monstrosity, the Lions might have had the worst luck possibly yesterday. Already playing their 6th safety of the year, Delmas gets injured in the first half. I have not heard any news on the severity of it. Also, our best corner back of the group of average defensive backs goes out with a knee injury. We had to settly with Rasheed Davis (a receiver) coming in to try to cover reg Jennings (only one of the best WR's in the league). Then the often injured Kevin Smith re-injures his knee early in the game when he was having a lot of success catching and running the ball out of the backfield. I think in the 2nd half some lucky fans even got to play defensive back for us. What a joke. On the long touchdown pass late in the game, our cornerback looked like JT Floyd of last year (not even in the same zip code on a standard 1 move route). If the Lions are going to have a chance to have a winning season they are going to need to get these guys back on the field quickly.
The Lion's offense looked great in the first half when Stafford was able to check down to Kevin Smith, but after the Packers made adjustments at half time, he looked rattled and tried forcing a lot of throws. We need Kevin Smith back asap!
Also, I know Clay Matthews is incredible. But he just overpowered anyone who tried to block him (except Morris the few times he actually picked up the blitz). He lined up opposite of Cherilus and just blew him up. Cherilus only outweighs him by 75 pounds. Useless. The Manimal just blew around Pettigrew when he tried his luck. Backus was called for a hold. It was the type of destruction you want to see from our defensive line.
All in all it was a terrible game to be a Lions fan, and I hope that The Game will be more enjoyable.
Only 20 hours! Go Blue!
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