Win the NIT!!!!!!!!!!!
can't wait to see this team next year.
Hopefully MAKE the NIT
Wisky was just more talented. The fact that this team finished .500 is nothing short of amazing.
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oops, hoops poops.
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Team looks very strong for next season, and who knows what happens if they make the NIT. But this year has about as bad a set of breaks as you will see in Michigan basketball and they still played reasonably well and really developed some young guys. Obviously pending recruiting season, this team looks to be one of the top 2-3 programs next year.
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I meant in the conference. Obviously not nationally.
Only profession where you can be wrong more than a weatherman and get away with it.
The NIT should take Michigan. Period.
You're the fucking NIT. A Michigan team fresh off of an Elite Eight and an NC game is good for the NIT.
Michigan has done enough for the NIT to be able to take them with a straight face. Do it.
You may never have another chance at Beilein again.
not playing the IF's game but... I still wonder where UM would have been if no one had left early for the Pro's the past few years... Hard to imagine UM not winning at least once or getting to the Championship game again (should have won the one vs L'ville but I digress)
Where would we they be? Well the starting five would look like this:
1 - Burke
2 - LeVert
3 - Stauskas
4 - GRIII
5 - McGary
So yeah, they would pretty much be an NBA team in the NCAA.
That's enough to make anyone cringe... everywhere. I understand Burke leaving after winning pretty much every award except for the Championship. It still would have been nice to have these guys finish their 4 at UM, Hardaway would have been there for last years run as well.
SIgh... Next year should be pretty good barring any big injuries. And Doyle getting much better. lol
And... That team would still have a tough time making a Final 4
we win the nat'l title last year with a healthy mcgary and would be in contention for another one this year if he could have played.
For how we're actually playing right now, I think we're better than most NIT teams and several at-large NCAA teams. But the overall resume doesn't quite stack up.
- This season shows what an incredible coach John Beilein is.
- I wouldn't be surprised if LeVert returned in 2015-16.
- This team was Caris and/or Derrick away from making a good run. Losing both of those guys left Michigan just good enough to barely lose to good teams, and just not good enough to win those kinds of games.
- The highlight of the season, and the game of the season...was Illinois at home, mainly due to Harbaugh.
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Not that this needed to be solidified, but John Beilein is a great, great coach. I wouldn't trade him for anyone.
Had fun watching, even though they lost a lot of games they should have won, but that is part of learning. They will be a great team next season, especially if LeVert finishes his career in Ann Arbor. At least we beat OSU once. Sucks losing to Sparty both times, but we have finally made the rivalry with them competitive and we are no longer their bitch in basketball.
I don't know when the team started practicing for the Europe trip, but this team has been playing basketball games since August. I hope they make the NIT because they are so much fun to watch, but if they don't, they deserve some time off.
Nobody has been able to answer my NIT question. Do they count our win vs D2 Hillsdale? The NCAA Committee wouldn't have so we're 15-16 in their eyes.
I'm pretty sure you get one D2 win that counts towards your record. RPI does not count it, I know that, but in terms of overall record I think you count that win.
It'll be an interesting question for the NIT selectors.
Of these players for never giving up. They were in over their heads most of the season.
They gave up some leads they gritted their way to having. They learned. They fought.
They made us proud that they are OURS.
And yet we expected more...some of us at least. And that's the sign of a program that is back.
This team+ Walton+Robinson+ Wilson= Very Good
We may also have LeVert and exchange Beilfeldt for another player, like Wagner. There's a lot to be optimistic about.
They have played really hard this entire season despite the bad breaks. I'm proud of them and hope they remember this year next year. I have complete confidence that they will work hard to improve.
It'll be like the Last Samurai
4 team fouls? i mean, i know that the conference needs wisco to get a one seed in the dance so a loss to michigan today would have been a disaster but be a little less obvious about it. and the lack of respect for Beilein is starting to really piss me off. I'm not saying that Bo, Tom, and Thad don't deserve respect from the refs, because they do, but so does our fearless leader.
4 fouls. SMH.
This season is not over. NIT very possible.
Don't technically need to be .500 anymore. But if a mid major wins their conference regular season championship but loses their tournament, they are guaranteed a spot in the NIT. Will be close.
I only note it because someone pointed it out to me recently that its not true. In 2006 they got away with that rule. Although I don't think a team sub .500 has ever been in.
My thoughts on the season:
PG: Walton was not 100% for pretty much the whole season, but I feel confident in his ability to come back and provide some explosiveness from the PG position next year. His rebouding ability for his size is incredible. Spike is who he is, and he is a damn good player. Our PG situation looks mighty good next year, and I expect to see a lot of sets with both of them on the floor. I don't expect to see lineups that involve Dakich and Lonergan much at all next year.
Guards: Irvin really turned it on as of late. He's shown he can rebound well and is not just a shooter. If Levert does not return, Zak will be the go to guy, and I think he has shown that he is capable. MAAR showed flashes of greatness this season, and I think a strong offseason will put him in position to have a Levert-esque sophomore year next season.
Forwards: Dawkins. How this guy was not recruited by a major team is beyond me. He's just a notch below GRIII athletically, but is already more polished offensively than Robinson was. He needs to improve on his defensive awareness, but that will come with time I believe. Chatman was not ready for a major role early in the season. As the season progressed and the game slowed down for him, we saw some of why he was a top 25 recruit. Staying in AA this offseason will do wonders for him, and I am excited to see a confident Kam step on the floor next season. Wilson redshirted this season, but I like the athleticisim he brings to the table at the 4/5 next season.
Bigs: Doyle looked great today. He needs to improve on his conditioning and defensive rebounding ability, but his offesnive game is better than I could have projected for a freshman. I fully expect him to start and have a big role next season at the 5. Donnal...man I just don't know what to say. He never seemed to have it click for him, and physically just seems so overmatched at the 5. I wouldn't mind seeing how he would look at the 4 next season, but as of right now I don't see him being much of an impact player. In saying that, I never saw Max being anything more than a reserve player when other bigs got into foul trouble. He provided some much needed support this season, and it was great to see that. I don't expect him to be back next season. Even if Levert leaves I think they go and get Miles and maybe another late signee (like MAAR and Dawkins were). I hope he lands somewhere where he can get some quality minutes, because he can be an asset off the bench for a lot of teams.
Coaching: I am just amazed by Beiein's ability to develop under ranked players. Before the season I don't think many of us expected Dawkins or MAAR to have much of an impact, but they showed they are going to be players to watch for the long haul. In game coaching wasn't as great as it has been this season, but that can partially be attributed to personnel.
Next Year: I think we have the potential to be great next season (with or without Levert). I expect Robinson to come in and provide some good offesne off the bench, and our depth as a whole looks to be incredible next season. The most important players that we need to see improvement from this offseason are Doyle, Chatman, and Wilson. The future is bright guys. This year was bound to happen when you put 5 players in the NBA in 2 years.
I just read an article about Wiltjer from Gonzaga. He scored 5 ppg his freshman year at Kentucky and 10 in his soph year. Then he transferred to Gonzaga. He's at 17 ppg and is an All-American candidate. Bigs take time. Don't give up on Donnal yet.
the level of compeition that he sees night in and night out in the WCC is not near the level that he'd be seeing in the SEC.
What an impressive run for both of them over the past 8 weeks
I think we started off the season trying to run our offense through Caris the way we ran it through Nik. Caris just isn't that type of player. Then we tried running it through Walton, and he was a mix of great and bad -- very inconsistent results. Finally, we found out the Spike is the facilitator. Unfortunately, we found that out after LeVert and Walton were out. I really think Spike should start at PG next year, and Walton should rotate between 2-guard and Spike's backup at point. A three-man rotation with Spike, Walton, and MAAR at the guard spots would be solid, while Levert (hopefully), Irvin, and Dawkins can rotate at the 3&4 spots.
when 100%, especially defensively where he is physical enough not to get constantly torched. And he does not need p&r action to drive-draw-dish.
Would rather Rawk come in from the bench. Think Spike's ability to curl and use screens + his quick release is underrated. Plus in JB's system one guy is not the exclusive ballhandler up the court, one guy does not trigger all the sets.
Healthy Walton is really, really good.