Sweet 16 Preview

The Sweet Sixteen is upon us, and there are a number of intriguing matchups.  While the first weekend was filled with upsets, the major contenders are all still playing.  I mean, lets face it, did you really think Gonzaga or Georgetown were going to win a national title?  The opening Thursday and Friday should be national holidays, and are two of the best days in sports for the year, but I really enjoy the round of 16 because usually it is the first time that the number 1 seeds are truly tested, and the tournament heavyweights present themselves.

East

Marquette vs Miami

Both teams struggled in the opening weekend, and probably should have lost already (Marquette to Davidson and Miami to Illinois).  The Golden Eagles benefitted from Michigan slumping down the stretch, because they probably should have been a 4 seed instead of the maize and blue.  The Hurricanes received some bad news this week as solid center Reggie Johnson needed knee surgery and is likely out until the Final Four.  Without him, I doubt Miami makes it that far. Marquette will want to play this game in the 60’s, but Miami will want to exploit the Golden Eagles’ lack of athleticism and increase the tempo.  Vander Blue has been huge for Marquette in the tournament, while Shane Larkin is showing why he is the best guard in the ACC.  I definitely think losing Johnson will hurt Miami, but I don’t think Marquette has enough weapons to pull the upset.

Indiana vs Syracuse

At first thought this seems like a heavyweight matchup.  Both teams have the name recognition, and both were in the top 5 at some point this season. But when you dig into the stats it seems like Indiana has a decided advantage. The Orange rank as one of the best defensive teams in the country; using their excessive length to play their signature 2-3 matchup zone. But Indiana has the best zone offense in the B1G, and the most efficient offense overall.  While the Hoosiers lack the front court depth and size that Syracuse plays, they do have one of the best stretch 4’s in the game.  Christian Watford will be the key to this game, as I would imagine him to be the man to flash to the free throw line to attack the zone.  He can score from anywhere on the floor, and if he is aggressive on the offensive end then Indiana will conduct a 40 minute clinic on how to break the 2-3 zone. If the Orange can keep Watford in check, then Syracuse can control the pace of play and keep the Hoosiers under 70.  This will be needed because Cuse really struggles on the offensive end of the floor.  At the end of the day I think Indiana eventually pulls away in the 2^nd half.

West

Arizona vs Ohio State

On paper this will be the Buckeye’s toughest game until the Final Four.  Yes, a 6 seed will be the Buckeye’s toughest game on paper.  In reality, Iowa State might be the only team to stay within 10 until Atlanta. Arizona is coached by a former Thad Matta assistant, Sean Miller.  You might remember him from Xavier when they should have pulled the upset over Greg Oden led Ohio State a few years ago.  The Wildcats are loaded with young talent and an experienced point guard transfer.  The problem with Arizona, like any young team, is inconsistency.  If they can play a focused 40 minutes of basketball, Arizona can play with anyone, but I am not sure they have done that at any point this season.  One thing is for sure; Ohio State is playing its best basketball of the season, and the Wildcats have not seen physical, lock-down, defense like they will tonight.  If the seconday scoring option (Craft, Smith, Ross, Thompson) for the Buckeyes can continue, they will be advancing to another Elite 8. 

Wichita State vs La Salle

The Shockers pulled off the almost expected upset of Gonzaga last week, and are playing some of the best basketball in the tournament.  Head coach Greg Marshall is pushing to be on the same level as Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up in Minnesota next season, and UCLA should also make a run at him.  Wichita State plays a B1G style of play where they defend for 35 seconds, and rebound the heck out of the basketball.  La Salle has been the beneficiary of playing one of the biggest tournament under-achievers, Bruce Weber, and then a terrible Ole Miss team.  They are the last A-10 team left.  They have used a similar style to make the sweet 16.  It is hard to see this game making it into the 60’s.  La Salle is led by Ramon Galloway who will be the best athlete in this game, and will push to score 20.  I personally think Wichita State is just a little better than La Salle at the same game and will move another step closer to the Final Four.

Midwest

Louisville vs Oregon

The Cardinals are showing why they were chosen as the number 1 overall seed in the tournament.  The Pitino-led club is playing on a mission to win a championship.  Russ Smith has been actually helping Louisville instead of playing for the opponent.  On the other side, Oregon was definitely under-seeded as a 12 and came out on a mission to prove that.  Singler and Dotson lead the way for the Ducks.  This might have been a fun game in the BCS, but this one seems a little lopsided.  Louisville’s pressure trapping defense will force too many turnovers, which will lead to numerous easy opportunities for the Cardinals.  Also, Oregon hasn’t seen this much athleticism before.  I think Louisville’s mission continues.

Michigan State vs Duke

This is definitely one of the most anticipated games in the round of 16.  Just think of the matchups: Nix vs Plumlee, Payne vs Kelly, Harris vs Curry.  As a basketball fan, this game gets me hyped, even though it is a matchup of two of my least favorite teams. Even with these high level matchups, the key will come down to how Keith Appling performs.  If he can limit his turnovers, I think Michigan State will be able to stretch the Blue Devils’ defense. It will also be interesting to see how the Spartans defend Duke.  Michigan State usually benefits from the officials letting them play physical, but Duke usually benefits from the officials calling wrong looks on opponents.  Which coach will get the refs in their pocket?  Even though Coach K has been doing this longer, I think the Michigan State style of play will force the refs to lean more towards the Spartans.  Michigan State is one of the only teams that matches up well against Duke.  Personally, I think Payne will frustrate Kelly enough to let the Spartans have a chance at the end, but this game is just too close for me to call right now. As a Michigan fan, you might just be rooting for a power outage or the proverbial meteor.

South

Michigan vs Kansas

The Wolverines went from the easy upset pick in their first two games to the South regional favorite.  Man, I love how quickly the media can change their opinion.  Even if the season ends tomorrow night, just enjoy that Beilein has lead the program to being on the same athletic level as Kansas.  The Wolverines probably have even more athletes and future NBA players.  Kansas plays the exact opposite style of play as VCU, and I would imagine that they are getting sick of hearing how great Michigan is.  They lead the nation in 2 point defense, mostly because they have the best shot blocker left in the tournament (Jeff Withey).  The Jayhawks don’t force a lot of turnovers, but mostly just funnel ball handlers into the paint towards the abominable blockman.  On offense they like to get out in transition when possible, and in the half-court they use off ball screens and slashing to get to the hoop.  They also crash the offensive glass extremely well, which is where Withey is most effective in the offense.  Michigan will look to push the tempo because Mitch McGary is a much better athlete than Withey, which could tire him out or get him in foul trouble.  In the halfcourt, the Wolverines will stick with their ball screen offense to draw the mountain of a man away from the hoop. It will be very interesting to see how Kansas defends the screens because Withey is not the quickest player, so Burke should be able to get around him during a hedge. If the Jayhawks pack the middle, then Burke will have to knock down some jump shots.  Ideally, it would be nice to see Kansas hedge on the screen, because Burke should be able to get by Withey, which will open up the shooters.  The Wolverines will definitely have to shoot from long range better than they did in the first weekend, because offensive put backs, back cuts, and mid-range jump shots will be tough to come by.  If Michigan can continue to rebound the ball well and limit Withey’s presence on the defensive end, they will have a great chance at advancing, but those are two very big ifs.

Florida vs Florida Gulf Coast

FGCU was a great story last weekend.  Their style of play is really fun to watch, and I would imagine they will have a majority of the crowd in their corner tomorrow night.  The problem is that Florida is really good at playing a similar style.  The Gators won’t might scoring 80+ points.  As much as I would like to see the Gulf Coast Cinderella run continue, I think they hit a buzz-saw and will be on the wrong side of a lopsided score.

High School Finals Recap

The 2013 High School basketball state finals were unique in that each class had at least one division 1 player to watch.  Even though most of the games seemed like mismatches on paper, 3 were very competitive and the other one was still entertaining.  Overall, it was another successful state final weekend, and more importantly, it continued my streak.

Class D

On paper the Southfield Christian vs Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian matchup was pegged to be the best of the day.  It was clear from the beginning that these two teams weren’t on the same level.  Usually Tri-Unity features some Class D giants and play at a slow, physical pace.  This was not the case this year, as Southfield Christian had the advantage in size, athleticism, and depth.  Sophomore Evelyn looked like the best player on the floor for most of the game.  While he only took the game over for a 3 minute stretch in the 2^nd quarter, it was clear there were no Defenders that could stay in front of him.  He makes the game of basketball look extremely easy, and puts his teammates in situations to be successful.  I think Evelyn’s stock will continue to rise this summer as he works on attaching and finishing at the rim. While watching this game, the question quickly turned to which team will be able to compete with SC for the 2014 state title (or even 2015)? The Eagles did not have a senior contributor on this year’s team.

Class A

After watching Romulus score 93 points, and win a nail-biter against Pershing last Tuesday, then Southeastern follow up that game with an unimpressive win keyed by an intense trapping defense, it seemed that the Class A title was all but decided.  However, the Jungleers forced Romulus to play at their slow tempo, and they did a good job at keeping the Eagles out of the transition game.  EC Matthews again led the way, and showed why he is one of the most under-rated recruits in the entire state.  Rhode Island is getting an excellent basketball player.  Romulus eventually pulled away for a hard fought win.  It was a fun game because each division one player (Matthews, Clark, Edwards, and Plummer) all had their showcase moments. With the Eagles having one of the most talented senior classes to come out of Michigan in recent memory, Class A is now up for grabs next year.  Look for U of D Jesuit, Ypsilanti, Saginaw Arthur Hill, and Muskegon to be in the running.

Class C

It was Monte Morris’ final high school game, and it seemed fitting that it concluded where he made a name for himself as a freshman.  The only problem with this picture-perfect story was that Mr. Basketball was sick and barely could play in the second half.  Beecher was matched up against first-timer Laingsburg.  I have to admit, I was extremely impressed with Laingsburg’s game.  They were senior laden, didn’t have a super-star, but were completely bought into the system.  They were fundamentally sound and played great team basketball.  It looks like Beecher was a little stunned that they actually had a struggle on their hands, and Morris not being close to 100% didn’t help either.  There were moments that Morris couldn’t be slowed down, but for most of the game he was winded and sluggish.  At the end Laingsburg had a few great chances to pull off the great upset, but couldn’t convert.  Even though Morris didn’t have his best game in the finals, he leaves as one of the greatest high schoolers to come out of Flint.  2014 will again be controlled by Detroit Consortium, but will they figure out a way to finally get to the Breslin?  Josh Jackson will be the best player in the entire state, and he will only be a freshman. 

Class B

In the day’s final game, Detroit Country Day was going for their 8^th state championship against Cinderella Detroit Community.  The Hurricanes had 9 losses on the season, but hadn’t lost to a class B team yet.  Country Day on the other hand had completely outclassed all of their postseason opponents and looked to run away with the final game.  The Yellowjackets lack of height finally got exposed, and Community was able to hang with DCD for most of the game.  The Hurricanes packed the paint area and urged DCD to shoot threes, but the shots weren’t falling.  Edmond Sumner had a rough shooting night, but I still think he is the leading candidate for Mr. Basketball in 2014.  During a 2 minute stretch to end the first half Sumner got aggressive and attacked the Community zone.  He scored 9 points in that stretch, but then fell back into being complacent and taking long jump shots for the rest of the game.  On the other side, Byron Zeigler had an opportunity to show his potential. A 6’7” wing going against a team whose tallest starter was 6’4”, but he did little to impress.  He also settled for too many jump shots when he should have been able to dominate the paint.  Country Day is returning a lot of talent to next year’s team, and they will likely be the favorites again, but a team with a strong post player (Sexton or Lansing Catholic Central) could push them.

Class A Semifinal & Final Preview

I was lucky enough to see the Romulus vs Pershing quarterfinal game, so most of this post will be raving about the Eagles' victory.  Elsewhere around the state in Class A the better team advanced setting up an interesting weekend for Michigan's biggest division.

1. Romulus (25-1) Ranked AP #2
The Eagles defeated Pershing to get revenge from their lone loss in the regular season.  Last night's game was the best high school basketball game I have ever witnessed.  Both teams scored 20+ points in each quarter, and it was close throughout the game with Romulus coming away with a 93-91 win.  The game featured 7 division 1 players.  7 legitimate division 1 players. And each of them lived up to the hype.  The Eagles have 4 players in their starting lineup that will be receiving their college for free, and a 5 that is a lights out sharp shooter.  EC Matthews, Rhode Island, led the way with 29 points, but he was supported by Wes Clark, Missouri, Leo Edwards, Louisiana Tech, and 6'4" undecided Junior Jalon Plummer.  This team played an incredible game last night, and it will be interesting to see how they respond on Friday.  Last year after an emotional win over Pershing in the quarterfinals the Eagles laid an egg against Rockford.

2. Saginaw (24-3) Ranked AP #6
The Trojans are the defending champions and are hungry for a repeat.  High has advanced through one of the toughest roads with wins over arch-rival Arthur Hill, Midland, and Ypsilanti.  Saginaw's stars change, but their style of play does not.  The Trojans play some of the best defense in the entire state, and their team is loaded with gritty basketball players.  Saginaw jumped out to a 17 point lead againist Ypsilanti last night, but then had to hang on for a 4 point win, 58-54. The Trojans are led by a balanced offensive attack, and has seen 4 different top scorers in 7 postseason games.  6'2" Senior Julian Henderson is considered the best player, and he is averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds during this playoff run.  Saginaw also gets key contributions from Senior Markell Bradshaw and Freshman Algevon Eichelberger.

3. Grand Rapids Christian (20-6) Ranked AP Honorable Mention
The Eagles needed a valiant 4th quarter comeback to down Muskegon in the semifinals, 64-61.  Christian has actually needed multiple comebacks to beat East Kentwood in districts and Holt in regionals.  The Eagles are led by 6'4" Junior standout Drake Harris who is averaging close to 30 points during this playoff run, and 6'2" Sophomore Deleon Brown.  This is GRC's 2nd straight semifinal appearance, but last year they were in Class B and lost to Stevensville Lakeshore.

4. Detroit Southeastern (20-5) Ranked AP Honorable Mention
The Jungleers played against Rochester in the 2nd quarterfinal at U-D last night.  Since they followed the best high school game I have ever seen, this matchup was less than entertaining.  Southeastern put the clamps on Kentucky-bound James Young, and held him to 16 points and probably 20+ shots. Southeastern used a 1-3-1 zone to confuse the Rochester ball handlers, force turnovers, and keep Young out of the lane. The Jungaleers do not have the division 1 talent they did 2 years ago when they made a Breslin run, but they still value playing a high pressure, trapping defense. Southeastern is led by Senior Jovone Haynes, Kenyatta Singleton, Kwesi Williams, and Korel Clark. 

Romulus vs Grand Rapids Christian 1:00pm Friday
The Eagles are the best team in the state, and they proved it with last night's win.  The problem is that they have been the most talented team in the state for the past 3 seasons and have nothing to show for it.  If the same Romulus team shows up on Friday that I saw last night, Romulus will roll to a lopsided win.  Grand Rapids Christian does have 2014 Mr. Basketball candidate Drake Harris, but Romulus has 4 division 1 players.  The EC Matthews matchup against Drake Harris will be really intriguing. 

Saginaw vs Detroit Southeastern 2:50 Friday
The Trojans already beat the Jungleers once this season.  The only problem is that they needed a furious fourth quarter comeback to win by 1.  This should be an exciting, low scoring game between to top notch defensive teams.  I think Saginaw has improved dramatically throughout the season, and can draw on their 2012 championship run or the motivation for a rematch from an earlier 30 point loss to Romulus. 

Class A Final 12:00 Saturday
Romulus should be advancing to the final for the last game of their talented senior class, but which team will join them is more of a toss up.  I think Saginaw has discovered enough offensive firepower to overtake Southeastern to set up a rematch with the Eagles.  Romulus is the state's best team, and I have to imagine the 3 top tier seniors will be motivated to go out on a winning note.  Will this be the game that Jalon Plummer makes a name for himself to possibly be included on the 2014 Mr. Basketball ballot?

Class B Semifinal & Final Preview

Class B had two top tier quarterfinal matchups that did not disappoint.  As we move onto the final four, though, it looks like this class will be a one-sided final for the 4th straight year.

1. Detroit Country Day (23-3) Ranked AP #1
The Yellowjackets are making their 4th straight trip to the semifinals, and are the clear favorites in 2013.  They are led by a trio of division 1 guards, Austin Price, Edmond Sumner, and Mory Diane.  I will be working on my scouting report of Sumner next week; as he is one of the quickest rising juniors.  DCD only lacks their normal stud center, or else they would be close to unbeatable.  I was able to watch the Yellowjackets take on Harper Woods Chandler Park last week, and I saw the trio explode out of halftime to put up 33 points in the 3rd quarter alone.  They use a high pressure man to man defense that switches any screens at the top of the key.  Any three of their guards might be the best players left in Class B.  With so many options to handle the ball, DCD is able to keep turnovers at a minimum.  And if they get into the open court, just enjoy the show. 

2. Wyoming Godwin Heights (23-2) Ranked AP #6
Godwin Heights has escaped the past two games to advance to the semifinals.  They pulled off the upset of 2012 runner-up Stevensville-Lakeshore last night.  The Wolverines are also led by depth on the perimeter, and their tallest front court player is 6'4".  Godwin Heights like to play an aggressive man to man defense to showcase their quickness.  Even though Lakeshore was much bigger than the Wolverines, the Lancers were held to only 3 scorers.  Their past 4 games have been decided by an average of 5 points, so the late game execution could be a major advantage for the Wolverines. Godwin Heights is led by 6'1" Senior Quantrell Hastings, 5'10" Sophomore Jamal Bland, 5'11" Senior Braima Hall, and 6'2" Sophomore Delaney Blaylock.

3. Detroit Community (17-9) Not Ranked AP
The Hurricanes have the ugliest record of any semifinalist, but to their benefit, they have not lost to a Class B team yet.  After Jackson Lumen-Chisti upset Lansing Sexton, I figured they would advance to the Breslin, but Detroit Community slowed down the tempo enough to come away with a 50-47 win. The Hurricanes used an aggressive 2-3 zone to stifle JLC, which could be pulled back out to offset the quickness of the Wolverines.  Community is led by 6'7" Senior Byron Zeigler, who is heading to South Florida and 6'6" Senior Jarrell Martin.

4. Cadillac (21-4) Not Ranked AP
The Vikings finally advanced past the dreaded quarterfinals where their season has ended the past two years. They knocked off a one loss Big Rapids team 41-29.  Cadillac plays a high pressure defense that forces almost 20 turnovers a game, but their offensive game leaves little to be desired. The Vikings are led by 6'4" Junior Jalen Brooks.

Detroit Country Day vs Cadillac 6:00 Friday
You just read me raving about the Yellowjackets.  I defnitely think DCD is the best team in Class B, and I also think if they were to lose against Cadillac it would be one of the biggest upsets in the entire tournament.  Some people might be rubbed the wrong way by head coach Kurt Keener, but he always has his team playing well in the Breslin.  I think the guard trio has a huge game and DCD rolls into the finals.

Detroit Community vs Wyoming Godwin Heights 7:50 Friday
This is an intriguing game because while Godwin Heights has the superior record, Community has been battle tested all season.  The Hurricanes will also have the best player on the floor, but they have been known to struggle with turning the ball over this season.  That can be a major problem when playing against the Wolverines.  I think this game will go down to the wire, and Godwin Heights recent late game experiences will be enough to propel them to a state title appearance.

Class B Final 6:30 Saturday
Detroit Country Day is one of the best teams in the entire state.  The Yellowjackets are loaded with athleticism and play with good fundamentals.  I think Edmond Sumner uses this weekend to propel him into a high major prospect in the 2014 class and stake claim to next year's Mr. Basketball.

Class C Semifinal & Final Preview

There were three evenly matched quarterfinals in Class C, and in two of them a minor upset occurred. The final four has 2 expected names and 2 surprises.

1. Flint Beecher (25-1) Ranked AP #1
I don't know why I doubt the Bucs anymore.  I really expected the more talented Detroit Consortium to finally beat them last night, but Mr. Basketball Monte Morris wouldn't allow it.  In another low scoring contest Beecher prevailed with a 46-44 win, and Man-Man scored 28 of those points. He even stole the ball with 3 seconds left to seal the victory.  Beecher has one loss in the past two seasons, and it came to Detroit Pershing after the Bucs blew an 18 point lead.  This is one of the best teams in the entire state, and they are led by the best high school player in the entire state. I am sorry for doubting.

2. Laingsburg (23-2) Ranked AP Honorable Mention
The Wolfpack have been Class C's hottest team.  They have played the toughest playoff schedule and just continue to win.  Laingsburg has defeated 4 teams ranked in the final AP poll, including a 42-32 win over Beaverton last night. The Wolfpack are now headed to their first semifinal appearance in school history. They are led by 6'2" Senior Jake Zielinski, 6'3" Senior Sean McKinney, and 5'10" Sophomore Ryan Wade.  Laingsburg plays at an extremely slow tempo, and they expend a lot of energy playing defense. 

3. Negaunee (24-1) Ranked AP #3
If you are familiar with high school basketball, you probably have heard of the Negaunee Miners.  They are returning to the Breslin after losing back to back quartefinals.  I could copy and paste the style of play from Powers North Central in Class D, the Miners like to press and shoot the three.  Negaunee is led by 6'3" Senior Tanner Uren.

4. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (23-2) Ranked AP Honorable Mention
The Falcons are coming off of a minor upset of Schoolcraft in the quarterfinals, but Monroe SMCC has had the easiest path to the final four in Class C.  The Falcons are led by 6'2" sharp-shooting senior Kevin Woodson's 33 points. Monroe will need to find a secondary scoring option to pull off the major upset in the semifinals.

Flint Beecher vs Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 1:00 Thursday
The Bucs proved again why they are one of the best teams in the entire state.  They seem to be focused and on a mission of defending their state championship.  Monte Morris is one of the most talented high school players coming out of Michigan in the past 10 years, and I just love his game.  Woodson will have to have another career day to keep the Falcons in this game.  I think Beecher is just too much and will advance to another final.

Laingsburg vs Negaunee 2:50 Thursday
This game is very interesting to me.  Lainsgburg wants to play at a crawl-like pace, but Negaunee will look to push the tempo a little bit with the full court press and quick triggered shots.  I doubt the Miners have seen a team with the defensive prowess of the Wolfpack, or one as confident.  It is hard to imagine Laingsburg faltering on the door step of making their first state championship after defeating so many quality opponents. 

Class C Final 4:30 Saturday
Even though Laingsburg finished just outside of the AP top 10 and Negaunee was at number 3, I think the Wolfpack are the team to beat in the second semifinal.  I expect the winner to take on Beecher to try to slow down the high powered Bucs.  Laingsburg's slow-it-down, grind it out style, could keep them competitive against the more talented Beecher, but I doubt for very long.  Monte Morris is a clear division 1 player that has already played 4 games (not including Thursday's semifinal game) on the Breslin floor.  It is very hard for any Class C team to contain that kind of talent, and I don't think Laingsburg can do it for 32 minutes.  I like Man-Man's chances to bring home another state title and secure his legacy as one of the all-time greats to come out of Flint.

Class D Semifinal & Final Preview

The top teams mostly held serve last night around the state in Class D, and it has been whittled down to the final four.  Let's take a look at the quarterfinal outcomes and preview tomorrow's semifinals.

1. Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian (24-2) Ranked AP #1
The Defenders are led by Class D player of the year Joey Blauwkamp.  He contributes to every aspect of the basketball game, and is really tough to guard on the Class D level because of his strength and basketball IQ.  Tri-Unity will be making their 9th trip to the semifinals, and will be looking for their 5th state title.  The Defenders dispatched of Frankfort last night 57-33 in a game they never trailed.  This is one of the best high school programs in the state, and they play a slower tempo but extremely physical style of ball. 

2. Southfield Christian (21-4) Ranked AP #3
The defending champions have had a drastically different run to the Breslin in 2013.  Last year the Eagles suffocated opponents with their 3 senior all-state guards and freshman division 1 prospect.  This year SC has had to scrape out 2 come-from-behind wins in a row against rival Allen Park Inter-City Baptist and 2012 runner-up Climax Scotts.  I expected the Panther size to really affect Southfield last night, and it did, but the Eagle bench along with Bakari Evelyn were too much and SC was able to escape with a 51-49 victory.  The Eagles have played the toughest schedule of any Class D team this season, and they are using those experiences to advance to the semifinals.  If the Eagles can frustrate their opponent with the high pressure full court defense, SC will be tough to beat.

3. Lansing Christian (21-4) Ranked AP #11
The Pilgrims are the hottest team in Class D right now.  They have rolled over all of their competition in the postseason, and are currently riding a 17 game winning streak.  Lansing Christian jumped out to a 24-2 lead last night against a tough Beal City team that couldn't handle the trapping press.  Skylar Ross, a 6'3" guard, led the way with 25 points.  He is the team's leading scorer on the season.

4. Powers North Central (23-3) Ranked AP #10
The Jets can claim the biggest upset in Class D quarterfinals when they pounced on Cedarville early and cruised to a 71-57 victory. Powers is a standard UP team in that they like to press and shoot a lot of threes.  When the deep ball is falling the Jets will be very tough to beat.  They are led by 6'2" Junior Trevor Vincent, 6'1" Sophomore Rob Granquist, and 6'3" Freshman Caleb Martin.  In other words, get used to hearing about this school.

Wyoming Tri-Unity vs Powers North Central 6:00pm Thursday
Powers has been a great story coming from the UP, but they haven't seen a team like Tri-Unity yet.  While the Defenders are lacking their usual tall front court depth, they make up for it in experienced guard play.  The Jets will look to press, but I think Blauwkamp is good enough to limit the turnovers which will lead to easy buckets for Tri-Unity.  If the three point shot is falling for Powers they can hang around, but I like the team with the experience and the best player on the floor.  Be prepared for Powers to be back here next year though.

Southfield Christian vs Lansing Christian 7:50 Thursday
This should be a very high tempo, exciting, game between the Eagles and Pilgrims.  SC will have the best player, Bakari Evelyn, but if LC can force the ball out of his hands Southfield becomes very beatable. I think 6'5" freshman stud Marlo Brown will have a breakout game agaisnt the smaller Lansing team.  If Southfield can protect the ball, which I still have my questions after seeing them struggle with turnovers against Allen Park, the Eagles are the more athletic team and should pull away for the win.  But there is a reason that the Pilgrims have won 17 games in a row, and haven't had a close one in the playoffs yet.  If Skylar Ross can continue to knock down shots LC will have a very good chance in this one, playing in front of their home fans. In the end I will go with the team that has been here before and has the luxury of the best player on the floor.

Class D Final 10:00AM Saturday
I expect Wyoming Tri-Unity and Southfield to advance in a battle of the previous two state champions.  Of course the three point line is the great equalizer, and Powers and Lansing Christian can knock them down in bunches.  A Defender-Eagle final matchup is the most expected.  I would be very excited to see the matchup between all-staters Evelyn and Baluwkamp (probably the 2013 and 2014 Class D POY).  Last year the focus was mainly on the star senior guards for Southfield Christian, and Saturday could be Evelyn's coming out party.  It will be the classic disciplined style against free-flowing athletic basketball.  Maybe I am putting too much hype on Evelyn, but I do think he is a legitimate division 1 point guard and has the ability to take this game over to give SC the repeat.

Class D Quarterfinal Preview

First off, this is my 300th post so thank you for sticking with me for this long.  All of the favorites in Class D survived the regional week, but there were a couple of very close, surprising calls.  The heavy favorite, Wyoming Tri-Unity, needed a near miraculous comeback against 12 loss Muskegon Catholic Central, and Beal City was able to advance from a cold shooting night from Saginaw Buena Vista. 

Cedarville vs Powers North Central 7:00pm @ Marquette
Cedarville is at it again and has cruised to another quarterfinal appearance.  Powers has had a few close games so far.  It will be a good matchup between 6'2" guards: Trevor Vincent and Josh Hester.  I think the Trojans have been here enough to know what is needed to win, and that experience should be enough of an edge to book another trip to the Breslin.

Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian vs Frankfort 7:00pm @ Comstock Park
The Defenders have been on this stage numerous times, and at this point anything less than a state championship is considered a failure for Tri-Unity.  Frankfort is a surprising quarterfinalist, and have knocked off a number of better teams just to make it to the final 8.  Tri-Unity is led by all-everything senior guard, Joey Blaukamp, which should be enough to get the Class D power back to the big stage.

Climax-Scotts vs Southfield Christian 7:00pm @ Battle Creek Central
This is my pick for the best quarterfinal matchup in the state's smallest class because it is a rematch of last year's state final game and Climax should be looking for revenge.  Christian lost a trio of all-state guards from last year's team, but have been led by Division 1 talent Bakari Evelyn and intriguing freshman Marlo Brown.  Climax meanwhiles returns its two 6'7" senior forwards, Aaron Cook and Malachi Satterlee.  After seeing Southfield Christian struggle with Inter-City in the regional final, I think the height from Climax will really bother the smaller Eagles.  The question will be whether Evelyn can convert enough drives in the lane because he will be the best player on the floor, even though he is only a sophomore.  I definitely don't think Southfield will run away with another 30 point win, like last year.  I am going to pick the upset in this game, and go with Climax advancing to the Breslin for the 2nd year in a row, even though I would rather watch Evelyn play again.

Lansing Christian vs Beal City 7:00pm @ Waterford Kettering
This is a very close 2nd must-see game in Class D.  Lansing Christian has just cruised to its quarterfinal berth, but Beal City has played the toughest schedule to get to this point.  I think Christian is the better team, but Beal City is by far more battle tested.  In the end, I think Lansing Christian will win a close game.

Class C Quarterfinal Preview

It was not a good week to be a heavyweight in Class C with 4 potential contenders falling.  Laingsburg has become the hottest team in any class by winning one of the toughest districts and then taking down 2 favorites in the regionals, Grandville Calvin Christian and Muskegon Heights.  They now become favored to make it to the Breslin next weekend. 

Schoolcraft vs Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 7:00pm @ Bangor
The Eagles have made a living in the Breslin Center the past few years because of Luke Ryskamp, but this might be Randy Small's least talented team.  Luckily the brackets have shaped up nicely for Schoolcraft, and they will be favored to make another semifinal trip.  I don't think Monroe has anybody that can slow down Ryskamp, and playing in Bangor should favor Schoolcraft.

Detroit Consortium vs Flint Beecher 7:00pm @ West Bloomfield
This is the easy choice for the must-see matchup.  Beecher is the defending champ, and have made it to the final weekend the past 3 seasons.  However, Consortium might be the most talented team in the class for the second straight season.  2 of the state's top seniors will be going against each other, Vincent Hunter and Monte Morris, but a freshman might be the most talented on the floor.  Josh Jackson has the makings of being the highest regarded prospect from Michigan in 20 years, and will be looking to jump start his coming out party with a trip to the state's biggest scene. I am really excited to take in this contest, and I have a feeling Consortium will be able to end the Buc's semifinal run.

Laingsburg vs Beaverton 7:00pm @ Delta College
Like mentioned above, Laingsburg has become the hottest team in the entire state with their unlikely quarterfinal run.  This Tuesday matchup could be their easiest since the playoffs have begun.  I will take Laingsburg to extend their hot streak into a semifinal berth.

Maple City Glen Lake vs Negaunee 7:00pm @ Gaylord
The Miners are looking for another Breslin trip, and Glen Lake will be happy just make the quartefinals.  I think Negaunee's experience will lead them to another semifinal appearance.

Class B Quartefinal Preview

The Class B favorite is still alive even though Spring Lake, Harper Woods Chandler Park, and River Rouge all fell last week.  Country Day is still on track to take home another state championship.

Big Rapids vs Cadillac 7:00pm @ Houghton Lake
These are two of the weakest teams left in the Class B bracket.  Big Rapids took down Sparta in the regional final, and Cadillac continues to roll over their competition.  I think Big Rapids has been tested more and will advance to the semifinals.

Detroit Country Day vs Flint Powers Catholic 7:00pm @ Imlay City
Powers is the worst team left in Class B, and possibly in the the playoffs regardless of class.  On the other hand, Country Day is one of the best teams left in any class.  They are led by 3 Division 1 caliber guards, the headliner of which is Edmond Sumner.  I will have my in depth scouting report of Sumner coming soon, but he is a very smooth point guard type player at 6'4" that puts his teammates into great positions for success.  Country Day will force the tempo and the pressure and will likely run away with this game early.

Jackson Lumen-Christi vs Detroit Community 6:30pm @ Chelsea
Community is led by South Florida bound Bo Zeigler, and Lumen-Christi has become the dark horse in Class B.  They just dispatched of two time defending champion Lansing Sexton, and are riding a lot momentum into the quarterfinal.  Community escaped River Rouge and Trenton in the regionals and are also playing their best basketball of the season. I think Lumen-Christi's depth, momentum, and fan base will lead them into the semifinals for the first time in recent memory.

Stevensville-Lakeshore vs Wyoming Godwin Heights 7:00pm @ Middleville
This game brings together two of the top 5 teams in the class.  The winner should be the favorite to advance to the final game.  Lakeshore has needed the final possession in two games so far in the playoffs to advance to the quarters.  Godwin Heights survived a scare against Unity Christian in the regional finals.  It will be another match up for Lakeshore involving contrasting styles.  Godwin Heights is a small, but lighning quick team while Lakeshore is a bigger, stronger, and more deliberate team.  I question the difficulty of Godwin Heights schedule, and since Lakeshore is looking for a return trip to the state finals, I will give them the edge in a low scoring, close game.

Class A Quarterfinal Preview

The regionals were full of extremely close games, and the state's biggest class was not immune.  It has set up this year's quarterfinals to be full of must-see match ups. There was only one significant upset in the regionals.  The under-rated Detroit Southeastern upset L'Anse Creuse North.  They were a favorite to make the semi-finals. 

Let's take a look at all four quarterfinal match ups, and I will do my best to predict the winner. My choice for best match up will be in bold.

Detroit Pershing vs Romulus 5:00pm @ University of Detroit
Of course this is the best game in Class A because it puts together the two best teams in the entire state.  Romulus' only loss this season came against the Doughboys, but the Eagles have responded with blow out after blow out.  These two teams will spotlight at least 7 Division 1 players between them.  Pershing has had one of the toughest roads to the quarterfinals with last second wins against Cass Tech and U-D Jesuit.  Romulus got a scare in the regional final when Missouri bound Wes Clark went down with a knee injury.  It is unknown if he will play on Tuesday, but I have to imagine if he is even 60% the senior will be on the floor.  The Doughboys have gotten big postseasons from Khalil Felder, Justin Tillman and Martez Walker. I am excited to see the match up between Louisiana Tech bound Edwards and Tillman, and of course the extraordinary guard play. If Wes Clark plays, I have to think the momemtum Romulus has had will carry over and take them to the Breslin Center for the 2nd straight year.  If Clark cannot go, or is not nearly himself, look for Felder to have a big game and lead Pershing to the semi-finals.

Grand Rapids Christian vs Muskegon 7:00pm @ Lansing Eastern
Christian is led by Drake Harris who is having an amazing post season so far, including going off for 37 in the regional final against Holt.  Even though he is rated as the best football prospect from Michigan in the 2014 class, he is making a case for Mr. Basketball as well.  The Big Reds have been the benefactor from Muskegon Height's financial problems as many players and head coach transferred over to Muskegon.  They are led by star quarterback Deshaun Thrower and super-sophomore Deyonta Davis.  It will be interesting to see how Christian can defend the size from Davis, but I think Harris will just be too much for Muskegon in this one.

Detroit Southeastern vs Rochester 7:00pm @ University of Detroit
Both teams are surprise quarterfinal contestants.  Southeastern pulled off the biggest upset in the regional finals, and continue to be an underrated PSL team.  While Southeastern is lacking the Division 1 talent that they had a few years ago when they made the state finals, they have a very balanced attack,.  Rochester is led by McDonald's All-American James Young.  Personally, I am hoping Rochester can keep their cinderella run going just so the Breslin can see Young in the finals.  I don't think Rochester is on the same level as Romulus and Pershing, but James Young is playing some of the best basketball in the entire state.  He is averaging 27 points and 14 rebounds and is still nursing a sore calf.  I think Young is just too much for Southeastern and will lead Rochester into the semifinals.

Saginaw vs Ypsilanti 7:00pm @ Grand Blanc
Ypsilanti is playing their best basketball right now as they are finally buying into their coaches system.  They are led by rising prospect Jaylen Johnson and star freshman Corey Allen, the problem is Saginaw has been here before and I think Ypsilanti is a year away from making a deep run in the tournament.  The Trojans are the defending champions, and again are led by a balanced scoring attack and not a dominant player like Draymond Green.  I think Saginaw will find a way to advance to the Breslin Center, yet again.

Wisconsin Recap

Just like the MGoBlog recap, this is not going to be full of warm and fuzzy feelings with me trying to find the lessons this Michigan team can learn.  Any lessons should have been learned by now, and I think it is safe to say that what we are seeing on the floor is actually what this team is.  Forget the 30 point drubbings to open up the B1G season against Northwestern and Iowa, that team is not coming back.  Forget the team that made winning the Preseason NIT look easy, those superb rebounding efforts aren't coming back.  What we have seen the past 6 weeks is what this Wolverine team is. They have too many glaring holes to fix before the tournament to be a realistic Final Four team.  I know the Michigan program is on the up and up, and hopefully the days of waiting nervously for Selection Sunday are in our rear-view mirror, but it is frustrating to have seen this team's potential as a clear top 3 team to what is now being put on the floor. 

Yesterday's game was just a perfect showing of most of Michigan's problems.  When Wisconsin showed their amazing offensive prowess in the first half by shooting 17% from the field, making 5 field goals, and scoring 17 points, Michigan managed to have just a 3 point lead.  The killer instinct still has not grown from the beginning of the year when they let Pittsburgh have a chance at tying the game in the Preseason NIT semifinals. The Wolverines failed to convert any of their 4 FREE throw attempts, and missed all 5 3 pointers.  If Michigan had just played an average first half, the game might have been out of reach by halftime.  Instead, Wisconsin went on to score 51 second half points.  Let me say that again, the Badgers who don't even average 65 points per game scored 51 in one half.  If Michigan is making their jump shots, they can, and will, beat any single team in the entire country, but when there is a lid on the hoop and the team needs some post presence they can lose to anyone. 

I continue to harp on how brutally bad the defense can be.  Don't be fooled, Wisconsin's first half struggles had little to do with Michigan's porous defense. The Badgers went 2-13 in the first half, and then came out and hit 6 of 9 chances in the second.  The most unexplainable part is that Michigan couldn't even get a hand up in the face of most of those 9 shots.  In addition to terrible perimeter defense, Wisconsin continually whittled down the shot clock and converted with layups inside of 5 seconds.  Since Jordan Morgan came back from injury, I think the majority of the defensive problems have been on the perimeter, but yesterday Michigan couldn't guard the ball handler, the weak-side shooters, or the post.  This resulted in a terrible offensive team putting on a clinic in the second half.  Wisconsin was scoring at a .51ppp at halftime, but because of their number of easy looks in the second that number grew to 1.00ppp. 

Offensively Michigan becomes too predictable for long stretches.  I understand that Wisconsin is the best defensive team in the conference, but Michigan has some of the most athletic scorers.  Yet, for most of the 2nd half, the Wolverines looked to Trey Burke to facilitate and score.  Nik Stauskas stopped attacking the rim, Glenn Robinson worked on his disappearing act, and Tim Hardaway was limited to an ankle injury.  On top of that, the Michigan bigs responded to one of their best games against Penn State to being completely useless in the second half.  Jordan Morgan couldn't catch the ball, and when he did it was taken from him.  McGary couldn't bring the same spark as the day before, and Horford went back to looking average at best. 

Looking ahead, maybe Michigan has just been a victim of bad match ups in the nation's top conference.  I think the B1G season has just exposed the Wolverine's weaknesses.  They are a soft team that settles for jump shots too often because the post lacks offensive ability.  They still do have one of the best back courts in the country, and the National Player of the Year in my mind, so depending on how the brackets play out, the Wolverines can make a decent run in the tournament.  The problem is we have seen what this team can be when clicking, and anything less than a National Championship Game appearance might be a disappointment.  At this point I will pleasantly surprised with a Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Penn State Recap

Michigan opened their revenge tour in the Big Ten Tournament with last place Penn State.  While the game started all too familiarly with a 14-3 run for the Nittany Lions, and the Wolverines being outrebounded 11-2.  The final 36 minutes saw Michigan outscore their opponent by 28 points and had a 13 rebound advantage.  It wasn’t the best performance that the Wolverines have played, but it was the first double digit win since February 24^th.

The defense still struggled, especially in the first half, with stopping dribble penetration which resulted in numerous layups.  Penn State followed their path to success from the first two meetings with DJ Newbill getting into the lane and making plays.  The Nittany Lions scored more than 1 point per possession for the 3^rd time against Michigan this season, and all 3 of their offensive outbursts ranked in their top 4 for the entire season.  It seems pretty clear that we have seen what this Wolverine squad is defensively, and it is a definite weakness.  However, I am still optimistic that this team can regain some of their defensive rebounding prowess from the non-conference season.  If the Wolverines can clean up their glass at least 70% of the time, Michigan will be heading to Atlanta this season.  It was impressive to see the switch be flipped yesterday after Mitch McGary was inserted into the lineup.  Jordan Morgan seems to be lacking confidence on both ends of the floor, which has really affected his defensive rebounding.  But the mountain of a freshman, Vanilla Thunder, sparked the Michigan comeback with a double-double in the first half alone.  It will be interesting to see how much intensity the Wolverines play with today against Wisconsin.  The Badgers are a very physical challenge that rebounds the ball extremely well, but if Michigan can control the defensive glass they should be able to pull away in the end.

There is little to complain about when an offense scores 83 points in just 62 possessions.  There is a direct correlation to big man contributions to offensive efficiency.  When the Michigan center rotation scores more than 20 points with 13 rebounds combined, the offense has scored more than 1.13 points per possession.  It is pretty difficult to lose when scoring that many points.  Yesterday, McGary, Horford, and Morgan combined for 25 points and 18 rebounds.  Burke was back to his usual antics by scoring 21 points.  He only finished with 3 assists, but had many missed opportunities with Morgan missing 4 layups off of Burke passes.  Stauskas continued his impressive 3 game stretch by scoring 15 points on just 7 shots, he attacked the rim extremely well again and drew 3 fouls for 5 free throws.  Hardaway continued his cold shooting from behind the arc (1-7), but he did find success when creating his shot going to the hoop.  Wisconsin has a tendency to lull teams into taking contested jump shots, so it will be important for the Wolverines to continue to be aggressive on offense and getting the ball into the paint as much as possible. 

Wisconsin is next up on the payback weekend of 2013.  If Michigan can survive and advance today they most likely have secured an opening weekend trip to the Palace of Auburn Hills as a 2 or high 3 seed.  But also almost as importantly, will get another chance to take down Indiana tomorrow.  I know getting rest is a higher priority for some teams during the conference tournament weekend, but I think for this young Wolverine team picking up as many wins against top B1G teams will be invaluable for the NCAA tournament.  This squad needs to realize it can beat the best and not just be left with the what-ifs from last weekend.

Big Ten Tournament Preview

The Big Ten tournament kicks off today in Chicago, and if the regular season has taught us anything this tournament could be the best one ever.  The conference is not only loaded with top end talent (4 teams in the top 10), but depth (8 and 9 seeds have spent time in the top 10).  The next 4 days could, potentially, have a major impact on NCAA tournament seeding and opening round location. 

Michigan will have a very difficult road just to play on Saturday.  The Wolverines open with an improving Penn State team that has already played the maize and blue extremely tough in two earlier meetings.  If Michigan can exact a little revenge today, they will then get to square off against the pesky Badgers.  The Wolverines are clearly more talented than both of these squads, but it will be interesting to see how this young team can respond in playing a game each day, especially against two teams with different styles.  Michigan should be able to all but guarantee a 2 seed if they can just make it to the weekend.  I am very interested to see how the Wolverines come out of the gate in the opening game against Penn State.  The last time they had a truly heartbreaking loss, the next game they were laughed off the court in East Lansing.  Maybe I am too optimistic, but I expect the team to play with a lot of passion and focus and advance to play another day in the tournament. 

The hottest team right now is Ohio State, and with a strong showing this weekend the Buckeyes could play themselves into a 2 seed.  The scarlet and gray await the winner of the Purdue vs Nebraska game tomorrow.  Even though the Boilermakers are playing some inspired basketball right now, their best game is no match to Ohio State’s current level of play. If Aaron Craft can continue to be a dangerous second scoring option, the Buckeyes might be the favorites to win this tournament right now. 

The obvious favorite is the regular season champs, Indiana.  The Hoosiers are expected to grab the number 1 seed in the Midwest region regardless of the tournament outcome.  It will be interesting to see how the team responds to the high praise.  After they clinched at least a share of the regular season title they lost on their home floor and managed to steal a game in Ann Arbor.  I have a hard time seeing Indiana playing with the focus needed to win 3 games in 3 days, especially when they could be playing 3 teams that have already beat them once this season.  I think Tom Crean will look to rest some of his players in preparation for the tournament in March that really matters.

The team with the most to prove is Minnesota.  The Golden Gophers seemed to clinch an NCAA tournament bid with a win over Indiana just a few short weeks ago, but then they responded with one of their most discouraging weeks of the season.  Minnesota has been able to play up to top competition, and if they can focus this weekend I wouldn’t be surprised to see them playing on Sunday afternoon.  However, if this mentally weak team has already checked out, I think Illinois will dominate them in the tournament opener. Then the question will be, has Minnesota done enough early in the season to stumble into the tournament?

All-B1G Awards

The All-B1G teams were announced earlier this week by the coaches and media, which means, it is time to release my awards for the nation’s best conference. 

Player of the Year

Trey Burke

This is one of the easier awards to give out because I personally think Burke should run away with the national player of the year this year.  I know people want to throw Oladipo, Thomas, or even Zeller in the same breath as Michigan’s star, but one deciding factor for me is: where would Michigan be right now without Burke?  They are a talented team, but us fans might be back on bubble watch again.  Burke averaged over 20 points in conference play, never scored less than 15, leads the conference in assists and assist to turnover ratio.  He is easily the best point guard in the country, and one of Michigan’s all-time greats.  Now just imagine if he stayed for 4 years.

Defensive Player of the Year

Victor Oladipo

While Aaron Craft is the best on ball defender in the country, Oladipo is not far behind.  But where I think he excels is in team defense.  His help-side defense is near perfect, and his rotations are quick and in the correct spot all the time.  Even if Oladipo’s offense was lacking, it is clearly not, his defense would propel Michigan to the clear-cut best team in the country.  Craft is a very close second for this award.  He will likely win it again next season as Oladipo is likely to leave for the NBA.

All-B1G Team

1.       Trey Burke

2.       DeShaun Thomas

3.       Victor Oladipo

4.       Cody Zeller

5.       Aaron Craft

Coach of the Year

Matt Painter

I know most people chose Bo Ryan for this award, but I just don’t want to give Wisconsin any credit.  I don’t like the way they play basketball, and I definitely don’t like Ryan’s antics on the sideline.  Yes, the Badgers overcame the loss of their point guard to finish in the top 4 of the conference for another season, but they might have played the conference’s easiest schedule to do so and needed 2 near half-court buzzer beaters for those wins.  The breaks fell Wisconsin’s way after the non-conference.  I will choose Matt Painter from Purdue just based on where the Boilermakers were heading into the conference (coming off a loss to Eastern Michigan where they couldn’t score 45 points), and where they finished (dominating Minnesota on their home floor by scoring 89 points).  Purdue might be one of the most improved teams in the country, and Painter should be recognized for his best coaching job in his career.

B1G Update

The Hoosiers continued to struggle on weeknights (4 of 5 losses have happened through the week), but Michigan could not finish the deal on Sunday to remove Indiana from the top spot. The Spartans dominated the Badgers and cruised through Northwestern.  Ohio State had the most impressive week with wins over Indiana and Illinois.   It is pretty impressive that the final polls have 4 B1G teams in the top 10.

1.       Indiana (no change)

The Hoosiers were a missed layup from going 0-2 in the final week of the regular season, which would drop them from the top of the power rankings.  Instead, Indiana found a way to steal the game in Ann Arbor, win the conference outright, and hold onto their number one ranking.   

2.       Michigan State (no change)

The Spartans absolutely dismantled Wisconsin and then bounced back on senior night with a lackluster win over the conference’s worst team. Michigan State heads into the conference tournament as the 3 seed, but will avoid Indiana’s half of the bracket which includes Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. The Spartans look primed for a 2 seed in the big dance.

3.       Ohio State (up 1)

The Buckeyes continue to play their best basketball of the season, and lucky for them it is at the perfect time.  Ohio State had a great outing in Bloomington and then returned home to throttle Illinois.  It seems crazy, but Thad Matta’s crew could play themselves into a 2 seed with a strong BTT showing. 

4.       Michigan (down 1)

This has more to do with the success of Ohio State, and less with the fault of the Wolverines.  Michigan gutted out a win against Purdue and then lost in heartbreaking fashion to Indiana.  The Wolverines have slid all the way down to the 5 seed, which means they do not get the opening day bye.  It will be difficult for this young team to conserve enough energy to compete in 4 games in 4 days. 

5.       Wisconsin (no change)

The Badgers showed some of their true colors this week with two terrible road performances against Michigan State and Penn State.  Wisconsin should be nursing a 0-2 record, but another near half court buzzer beater saved them.  The Badgers will likely face Michigan in the 2^nd round of the conference tournament. 

6.       Iowa (up 3)

Iowa won both games last week to jump up the power rankings.  Thanks to Illinois and Minnesota losing twice, the Hawkeyes grabbed the 6 seed for the conference tournament.  Iowa is a confusing team; they could blow out Northwestern on Thursday but then turn around and lose by 20+ to Michigan State on Friday.

7.       Purdue (up 1)

Purdue had another confidence building week with pushing Michigan to the brink on Wednesday and then dominating Minnesota on the road.  The Boilermakers are playing their best basketball right now and could be a tough out for Ohio State, especially if Terone Johnson goes for 32.

8.       Illinois (down 1)

The Illini are no longer trending upwards.  Groce’s squad limped to the finish line with losses to Iowa and Ohio State. Neither is a bad loss, but Illinois would have preferred to grab at least one game heading into the conference tournament.  The game against Minnesota to open the BTT could go a long ways for the selection committee.

9.       Minnesota (down 3)

The Gophers might be the most frustrating team in the entire nation. Just a week after having their best 2 game stretch since December, they respond with losses against Nebraska and Purdue.  Minnesota might actually need to win at least one conference game to make the NCAA tournament.   

10.   Nebraska (no change)

Nebraska picked up another conference win, but it’s not enough to vault them into the single digits.

11.   Penn State (up 1)

Yes, the Nittany Lions only have 2 conference wins, but they are clearly better than Northwestern at this point in the season.  Penn State should have won both games this week.  They will get to face Michigan for the rubber match in the conference tournament opener.

12.   Northwestern (down 1)

Bill Carmody is glad the season is almost over.  

Indiana Recap

According to many, Crisler had never been louder than it was on Sunday afternoon as the Wolverines prepared to take on Indiana with a share of the Big Ten title on the line.  Michigan again looked like a different team in front of the home crowd.  They managed to absorb every punch the Hoosiers threw, and responded with devastating blows of their own.  But, in the end the Wolverines delivered the knock out to themselves, and were not able to close the game and hang another banner. 

Michigan played extremely well on the offensive end of the floor; despite struggling to finish around the hoop.  In the first half the Wolverines used good ball movement to attack the hoop with Burke, Hardaway, Stauskas, and even Robinson.  The second half mostly involved Burke breaking down the on ball defense to find open teammates for jump shots.  The Wolverines used the three point line to attack Indiana.  Tom Crean switched Oladipo onto Burke for a large portion of the game, and it seemed that Trey struggled to get his usual space at times. However, the Big Ten player of the year still managed to hit enough tough shots to score 20 points. It was really encouraging to see Stauskas and Robinson take some confident shots against a top tier opponent.  Michigan felt their presence, which is a major improvement from the first meeting. 

The Wolverines struggled on the defensive end of the floor, which was expected against the best offense in the conference.  I was actually impressed with the perimeter defense for most of the game.  Hulls was able to get free a few times, but other than that Indiana was mostly forced to take contested jump shots.  The most discouraging area was defensive rebounding.  The Hoosiers managed to rebound 57% of their own misses.  This was a season worst for Michigan.  Tim Hardaway Jr did an outstanding job staying in front of Victor Oladipo all game, but then forgot to box him out.  Oladipo collected 7 offensive rebounds by himself.  The Wolverines used 5 players at the center position, and they combined for 3 defensive rebounds.  Looking at these two stats, it is amazing Michigan was even in the game.  The maize and blue entered B1G play as the 2^nd best defensive rebounding team in the country, but over the last two months they have now fallen to 80^th (8^th in conference).  If the Wolverines can regain their success on the glass for the NCAA tournament, they will be primed to make a deep run. 

Of course, even with the terrible defensive rebounding, Michigan should have won the game.  As Glenn Robinson III escaped for a breakaway dunk from a sideline inbounds play the outcome seemed guaranteed.  Then Christian Watford somehow convinced the officials his push was an attempt at the ball, and a 2 shot foul was called instead of an intentional.  GRIII then went 1-2 from the line.  Indiana then rushed the ball up the court, and the Michigan defense offered as much resistance as wet toilet paper in the last minute.  After the first made basket, LeVert chose to inbound the ball to Tim Hardaway instead of Trey Burke.  Since the Hoosiers were in desperation mode, and just trying to extend the game, they fouled immediately.  The junior then stepped to the line to clang the front end of a one and one.  Indiana scored quickly again, and Michigan got the ball to their best player.  Burke then followed suit and missed his first attempt.  On the other end, Zeller had one of the easiest looks you can get from a half court set with time running down.  That’s all it took for Michigan to be behind.  The frustration continues to grow because Zeller scored with 13 seconds still left.  The ball was in Burke’s hand and the final play was executed perfectly.  Jordan Morgan screened Oladipo at the top of the key, and just like that Burke was in the lane against Zeller.  Indiana responded exactly the way you would expect on a final possession; all 5 guys sucked in to the middle towards the ball handler.  Burke went into the conference’s best center, and attempted a difficult layup.  Throughout this season I have seen number 3 make some incredible shots, so I wouldn’t have been surprised to see that one fall.  However, I thought the actual goal was to just get the ball on the rim.  It would have been a bonus if the layup fell.  Instead the ball screener, Jordan Morgan, rolled hard to the front of the rim.  As all 5 Hoosiers were focused on Burke, the Michigan center was in perfect position for an uncontested put back.  It was executed perfectly, until Morgan couldn’t complete the second chance opportunity. And just like that the number 7 team in the nation dropped to a 5 seed in their own conference tournament.   

Michigan High School Basketball Regional Preview

The districts are now over, and the high school tournament now moves on to its second week. The main contenders in each class are still alive, but the competition picks up even more in the regional week. 

Class A
Toughest Regional:
Detroit Pershing vs Redford Thurston & Birmingham Groves vs U of D Jesuit @ Southfield
The likely rematch of Pershing vs Jesuit in the regional finals will be the second top tier matchup for the Doughboys in the postseason. 

Top team most likely to lose:
I am going with Saginaw High because the regional semi-final matchup will be the third against Midland.  The Chemics have pushed Saginaw to the limit twice this season and could finally get over the hump in their third try. If the Trojans can advance to the final they would likely meet a ranked Grand Blanc team.  Even though they are without their best player, Grand Blanc could make Saginaw uncomfortable.

Class B
Toughest Regional:
Detroit Douglass vs Ferndale & Detroit Country Day vs Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy @ Country Day
While Country Day is the favorite to bring home another state championship, this regional might be the toughest two games the Yellow Jackets will play until the finals.  CPA is not nearly as talented as DCD, but they do have Derrick Walton who can single-handedly make up a lot of ground.  He is the only player in Class B that could even the talent gap between Country Day and the field. The Yellow Jackets will likely face Detroit Douglass in the finals where they are led by Junior standout Davis. 

Top team most likely to lose:
Stevensville-Lakeshore could be on upset alert with a semi-final matchup against Sturgis.  Chance Stewart could be a tough matchup for Bushwyler.  If the Lancers can advance to the final, they would likely meet South Haven who is playing their best basketball of the season. 

Class C
Toughest Regional:
Melvindale AB&T vs Detroit Consortium & Madison Heights Bishop Foley vs Detroit Loyola @ Bishop Foley
Consortium is the most talented team in Class C, but they have a very tough grouping in regionals.  Melvindale AB&T is one of the top 5 teams in the class and is one of the few teams with good enough talent to compete against the top team.  If Consortium finds a way to the finals they would likely face Detroit Loyola, which is another top ranked team.  I expect Vince Hunter to be on a mission after being left off the Mr. Basketball ballot, and Josh Jackson to use this postseason to spring board his hype train.

Top team most likely to lose:
Grandville Calvin Christian will be challenged in their regional.  The semi-final game will be against Laingsburg who advanced in one of the toughest districts, and the potential final matchup would be against Muskegon Heights.  The Tigers have been a main-stay in the Class B semi-finals the past few seasons, and are continuing their success in Class C.

Class D
Toughest Regional:
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist vs Pinckney Livingston & Bellevue vs Southfield Christian @ Novi
Southfield Christian's opening game against Bellevue could be a trap game if they are looking forward to the rubber match against Inter-City Baptist.  Bellevue is very capable to pull off the upset.  The regional final matchup could be a battle for one of the state final spots.

Top team most likely to lose:
Beal City should be able to beat Mio, but the potential final matchup against Saginaw Buena Vista could be the end of the road as Beal City has to make the trip to Saginaw.  Buena Vista looks like a dark horse in Class D.

Michigan High School Basketball Districts Update

The opening week of the high school boys’ basketball playoffs is almost completed and there have been some note-worthy games already.  All the district champions will be determined later today, and the regional previews will come out on Monday.

Class A

The major contenders for the Class A crown are still alive (Pershing, Romulus, Rochester Adams, Saginaw, and Arthur Hill).

District Final to watch:

Saginaw vs Saginaw Arthur Hill @ Owosso

The winner of this rubber match will likely be the favorites to make it all the way to the final game.

Upsets:

Clarkston and East Kentwood have already fallen. Both were expected to compete for, if not win, the district crown. 

Class B

One of the contenders, Dowagiac, fell in the opening game to Lakeshore, but the remaining favorites are still playing (Country Day, Lakeshore, Chandler Park, Sexton, and Wyoming Godwin Heights)

District Final to watch:

Lansing Sexton vs Lansing Catholic @ Williamston

The winner here will likely be able to make a run to the semi-finals.

Upsets:

Otsego and Dowagiac were the Wolverine Conference’s hope of making a Breslin Center run, but both lost in their opening game.  Dowagiac was beat by another contender, but their absence is big for fan interest since Mr. Basketball hopeful, Dontel Highsmith, will be at home.

Class C

The major contenders are still alive (Detroit Consortium, Flint Beecher, Melvindale AB&T, Muskegon Heights, Calvin Christian, Flint Beecher, and Traverse City St. Francis).

District Final to watch:

Flint Beecher vs Flint Hamady @ Flint Beecher

The winner here should be the lucky team to face Consortium in the quarterfinals.

Upsets:

Pewamo-Westphalia lost in the district semi-final to Laingsburg, and they were a contender to make the finals.

Class D

The major contenders are all still alive (Wyoming Tri-Unity, Southfield Christian, Climax-Scotts, Allen Park Inter-City Baptist, Lansing Christian, and Cedarville)

District Final to watch:

Kalamazoo Phoenix vs Battle Creek St. Philip @ BCSP

The winner could challenge Tri-Unity in the regionals.

Upsets:

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart lost to Beal City, who now is primed to make a deep run.