Opinion: Michigan MBB is >= Ohio State FB in the 2010s.
My case:
- Ohio State FB has 5 Big Ten Championships in the 2010s+, Michigan MBB has 3 with two addt'l BTT championships
- Ohio State FB has been to the national championship game twice, winning once, and three Semifinal appearances; Michigan MBB has been to the natty twice, with 3 Elite Eight appearances
- Michigan's ability to win the conference despite greater parity in MBB is on par, if not more exciting with Ohio State's consistency in FB
- Both programs have handled a coaching change exceptionally -- and I would argue Michigan has handled it even better
- Advantage to Michigan for, ahem, not ever being under sanctions in the 2010s despite this success, and by all accounts running a high integrity program
If we're going to make the case for Ohio State having a football dynasty over the past decade, we certainly should make the claim that Michigan basketball has the right to do that as well - and they've done it cleanly.
Discuss.
Dissent fuels me. More. MORE!
I like your post, but fruit comes to mind. Apples and oranges specifically.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:28 AM ^
Whoever first used the word "natty" should be punched in the throat. That is all.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:35 AM ^
You misspelled ‘dong’
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:36 AM ^
Natty Light has spots on my liver. Cheapest keg in town in the day. Who didn't have a Natty Light keg side table in their house at some point? Natty is not the issue.
What about Natty Dread?
I think we need to win at least one NC before we can make that claim
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
I agree. And this is that year.
One other thing: unlike the cooler fillers and their football team, our hoops team is clean
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:52 AM ^
Perhaps, but a football team needs to only win 2 postseason games for a championship. Just by making the playoffs, their odds are very high of winning it all. Even great teams often get tripped up navigating through a field of 64+ (look at this year). A larger field of participants for football playoffs would increase the uncertainty in the process.
In addition, the very narrow number of playoff teams has disproportionately impacted recruiting and become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
March 23rd, 2021 at 12:04 PM ^
Yes and no. The flip side is that football teams being so much larger than basketball (11 on the field vs. 5) reduces a lot of the variance. One dominant player can take over a basketball game, but with football I think back to what Brian has said about blocking/assignments, where you can win most of the matchups but one blown block or assignment can still submarine the play. That really reduces the margin for error for less talented teams, and while upsets still do happen in football, it's why I think they are much more prevalent in basketball.
I am going to go with yes with no logic to my choice whatsoever. Merely just to piss off any Buckeye fan who reads this blog. Also, Oral Roberts is > than 2020-2021 OSU basketball and Alabama just scored again in the championship game! Go Blue!
Do you think I posted this just for logic alone?
No way, dude. I want this to sit in between the teeth of an 11W stan for months.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:38 AM ^
Are you thinking between cheek and gum or as a placeholder for the former teeth that now are gaps?
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:45 AM ^
HS, you are on a roll this morning
(insert good clapping gif here)
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:24 AM ^
We are laughing
...but I don't feel pissed off...
You posted to my comment so that all that matters to me. Thank you!
and while we're comparing things that aren't related, my High School Football Team is the late 2000s > Michigan Basketball in the 2010s > Ohio State Football in the 2010s > Detroit Red Wings in the 2020s.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:46 AM ^
Roadkill>> red wings 2020’s and 2010’s.
March 23rd, 2021 at 12:20 PM ^
What? No way is Buffalo better than Detroit over the stretch.
Don’t try to make me think about football during basketball season.
OSU has completely dominated the Big Ten in football. It's a shock when they lose. They have, what, five conference losses since 2012?
Michigan basketball has been very good but not quite like that. We went seven years between conference titles.
Kansas basketball in the Big XII has been closer.
Christ, there's bad posts, and then there's this.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:18 AM ^
You're right.
He knows it
I fail to see how you can reach any equivalency without Michigan MBB winning a national championship.
That presumes there is an equivalent pathway to championships in both sports.
We could probably make the argument that it's tougher to win a NC in football because of each game's importance - compared to basketball, where a loss doesn't disqualify a team's ability to still win the NC.
On the other hand, there are 300+ D1 basketball programs with no clear, consistent, dominant team in the past decade (maybe Villanova?).
This is why the discussion is a fun one. :)
I agree with you in that respect. There are 130 FBS teams and 300+ Division I basketball teams. Being in the top 3% in football means you're one of the top 4 teams or so, whereas being in the top 3% in basketball means you're one of about the top 10.
That being said, I certainly wouldn't call a program a "dynasty" that has zero championships.
Fair. And thanks for entertaining the discussion.
I think you forgot to stop drinking and go to bed last night.
Nope, National Title is the trump card.
Biggest difference: Michigan MBB still has its soul
They have won it all. Basketball hasn’t. That’s really the end of the discussion right there.
Next.
Very little brother of you.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:07 AM ^
Discuss.
Nope.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:36 AM ^
Seriously, man.
March 23rd, 2021 at 10:46 AM ^
I do occasionally go over to 11W to read and comment. And, I always give posters shit for bringing up UM's football struggles on topics that have nothing to do with football. For example one poster made the comment along the lines that everyone left in March Madness was a shit football program. Obviously football has nothing to do with basketball and the only reason to bring it up is because he was frustrated that OSU got upset in the first round.
Opinion: Michigan MBB is >= Ohio State FB in the 2010s.
This sounds kinda of like that. It's just sour grapes to make yourself feel better about UM not being as good as OSU in football for the last 15-20 years. Yes, UM has been better than OSU at basketball for several years now. That does not take away nor deter from OSU's football success and it should not make you feel any better about UM's football struggles. These two are mutually exclusive and each deserve their own recognition and criticism separate from the other.
March 23rd, 2021 at 11:27 AM ^
Where did I diminish Ohio State football in my post?
Where did I diminish Ohio State football in my post?
By making a comparison to another sport. The only reason to do so is to make yourself feel better about their dominance over UM in football, which is more so than the other way around by the nature of the head-to-head victories. UM is 2-17 in the last 18 years in football, although I guess the NCAA took away OSU's 2010 win. I don't know the record in basketball, but I know it's not that bad.
March 23rd, 2021 at 12:12 PM ^
This smacks of desperation. And obsession.
This post is ridiculous.
Without a naty their run is still slightly better
I would say we have to dominate our primary rival...(is that Illinois now or still MSU?) for over a decade. In both recruiting and on the court...
This is an asinine comparison and also we haven't won a NC.