January 3rd, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^
Illinois shot 11% from downtown. I'm sure Whizzo will be in rare form Sunday. Not expecting a win without Livers.
GO BLUE ??
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:50 PM ^
Illinois shot 9% from downtown when they beat us.
January 3rd, 2020 at 3:21 PM ^
true, but 3-28 is a helluva lot worse than 1-11.
January 3rd, 2020 at 11:41 AM ^
Not optomistic at all..we frequenty find a way to play poor there and on the road in general so no expectations this will be any different
January 3rd, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^
Michigan never seems to play well on the road in any sport. People wanted to shovel dirt on Staee too early, but they do this basically every season. Look downright awful for some early games and then start to figure it out. Staee wins easily by 20.
January 3rd, 2020 at 11:53 AM ^
The Spartans are playing their best BB of the season winning their last 3 games by an average of 35 points.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:04 PM ^
And two of those games were against Western and Eastern. Since getting dismantled by Duke at home, they have played Rutgers, Oakland, Western, Eastern and Illinois. Beating Illinois by 20 is the only one that moves the needle. Maybe they are getting it together, but I don't think they should be huge favorites against a higher ranked team when they have lost every game they have played this year against ranked teams. They are certainly not the team some people thought they were preseason regardless of what level of improvement they have had. Most likely outcome is a close MSU win though, just because of how hard it is to win on the road in conference.
January 3rd, 2020 at 2:30 PM ^
Yeah i don't care who they played they can't control that. I want how they played in relationship to who. I want the most recent information as that's the most valuable and the fact is that they blew out teams way more than they were supposed to means they're playing better right now. It's not nearly as relevant what happened 6 weeks ago.
January 3rd, 2020 at 1:01 PM ^
Every year
January 3rd, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
Fairly close game. MSU probably wins.
January 3rd, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
They are going pick Simpson to death just like last year. Winston will drop 25 and we will lose by 8 in the Breslin.
January 3rd, 2020 at 2:50 PM ^
I am confident we are going to beat MSU Sunday. I'm talking about the women's team, of course. Weren't you? Let's fill Crisler.
January 3rd, 2020 at 11:55 AM ^
I'm pumped! Go BLUE!
January 3rd, 2020 at 11:57 AM ^
MSU will likely win but it'll be reasonably close throughout. It's a road game and Michigan is coming off a couple of weeks of low-level competition. My guess is there will be some rust.
Still, if you told me a couple months ago that first-year Juwan Howard-led Michigan would likely be looking at a decent fight against the presumptive #1 team in the country on the road, I'd be happy.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:04 PM ^
I felt pretty good about it until Livers got injured. Gonna be tough.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:09 PM ^
You could apply this statement to the whole damn season now. I could really, really use a timeframe on Livers to properly calibrate my expectation/anticipation level right now.
January 3rd, 2020 at 2:54 PM ^
I can tell you from multiple experiences that pulled or torn groin muscles take forever to heal, and there is virtually no treatment to speed the process. And you really can't play anywhere near full speed until it fully heals. We could be looking at mid-February for Livers.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^
Homecourt advantage being what it is, I thought we'd be a bit of an underdog even healthy. Without Livers we definitely are. It's not unwinnable, but we'll probably need big games from Wagner and Brooks.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:13 PM ^
Honestly? Without Livers I'm hoping we keep it a game and I'll call that a win
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:14 PM ^
MSU still switching all 5 positions with Tillman in and Simpson didn’t do well last year against it . We need Wagner , brooks , ddj , and teske to be on from outside
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:30 PM ^
Michigan also refused to throw down to a big guy with the smaller switcher matched up on them last year though, not remotely the same as what they have shown so far this year under Howard.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:15 PM ^
Ehhh not so great. Losing Livers really hurts here, and given how Cassius has had Z's number the last three matchups, I don't see that all of a sudden changing.
That and being on the road, while this team is still figuring itself out without its best shooter, I can see Michigan being within 10 at the half, but MSU pulls away and wins by 15 or so. Would love to be wrong, though. Michigan has upset better MSU teams in Breslin. It certainly could happen on Sunday. I just don't have a good, creditable reason for why other than "hey man, its college basketball and shit happens."
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
They don't have neck beard this year. That'll help.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:43 PM ^
MSU is significantly more athletic than us. Johns in the starting lineup may help slow them down in the run a bit. Teske has got to stay out of foul trouble. We need to stay tight in Cassius, and live and die with guys like Brown, Bingham, Henry, and Watts shooting 3’s.
Brooks needs to be an x-factor and please for the love of God can Franz start hitting some open looks.
At this point I give Cassius/Tilman a 55-45 edge over Z/Teske. We need our other guys to outplay their other guys quite a bit to win this one
January 3rd, 2020 at 11:38 PM ^
Strange things happen in the course of a game but this is why MSU wins quite handily. Livers is the only player on Michigan's roster who can reasonably be expected to be a difference-maker in a game like this. I will be surprised if Michigan can keep this under a double digit loss.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:47 PM ^
Never easy playing at state. Not sure if a week off vs msu's thursday night game gives us an advantage. Sometimes that's too long of a break. Will need a shooter to step up for sure.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:50 PM ^
Not too optimistic. They are really going to miss Livers and the opposition is starting to play to their potential.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:50 PM ^
Not too optimistic. They are really going to miss Livers and the opposition is starting to play to their potential.
January 3rd, 2020 at 12:52 PM ^
I watched most of their game last night. If that team shows up Sunday they will beat us going away. I was impressed with their speed and energy. They got great looks on offense and their defense was stifling. We have to shoot well to have a chance.
January 3rd, 2020 at 2:09 PM ^
Think it will be very close, basket or two
Feed Teaske on the P&R everytime against the switching guard. Make Tillman drop off and foul. - Z got killed trying his cut the lane hook.
MSU is missing McQuaid & Goins.
If we can shoot 30% from distance with Wagner & DDJ hitting double figures -Johns holds Henry to a draw, we win.
Loyer is the great equalizer, and should be punished for impersonating a BIG PG every second Winston sits.
Howard takes it in Breslin by 4.
January 3rd, 2020 at 2:56 PM ^
Gabe Brown is a heck of an athlete, lots of potential. Pretty surprised he wasn't a more highly sought after recruit.
January 3rd, 2020 at 3:06 PM ^
Sparty was playing with a ton of confidence last night.
Hoping for the best but I doubt we leave Breslin with a W
January 3rd, 2020 at 3:18 PM ^
!!! ?
!!! !
January 3rd, 2020 at 3:48 PM ^
I'm feeling home court appears to be pretty significant and more than likely, Sparty takes this one. Michigan will win at home in February.
January 3rd, 2020 at 4:15 PM ^
I think it will be very difficult to win without Livers.