Post-MSU Snowflake Thread
Get well soon Eli. This team has no depth without you.
Seems like teams have figured out the offense a bit especially since Illinois. Need some more creativity. Livers is MIA. Franz has been sloppy as of late.
Figure M has to be the 4th #1 at this point unless it gets farther in the BIG Tourney than Illinois.
The loss isn't a big deal - in the overall picture. It hurts but there are much bigger games ahead. Sparty had much more on the line and played like it. For Michigan, it can be a positive if it motivates them to get better.
Michigan's achilles heel may be its lack of depth. So the Eli injury is more important. With his experience, Eli's the glue that holds this team together. We really need Eli back for the NCAA tourney. In the meantime, we need a couple others to step up in the rotation and gain valuable experience.
"The loss isn't a big deal."
F every single fan that ever believes this about a rivalry game.
Winning is contagious. So is losing. Just ask Michigan Football w/r/t Ohio State.
And we just won the rivalry game by 19 three days ago to clinch the Big Ten title. Basketball =/= football.
What an obnoxious whiny bitch sore loser reply.
Of course, every game is important, especially rivalry games, and losing to Sparty hurts. BUT you can't be a whiny bitch about it. You have to put it in perspective and realize THERE ARE MUCH BIGGER GAMES AHEAD.
Clown response.
There was nothing obnoxious, whiny, or bitchy about me pointing out that losing a rivalry game is ALWAYS big deal especially when the opponent is mediocre. (Let's not kid ourselves. This is easily Izzo's worst team in 20 years.)
I don't know anyone who has played sports - and played well - who shares your opinion.
Furthermore, lol at using a false dichotomy. Losing a rivalry game against a shit team can be BAD *while* conceding that there are bigger games to play for. It's not an either/or.
I would think saying fuck every fan who doesn’t think like you isn’t just “pointing out” that losing a rivalry game is a big deal. I would say it is definitely whiny and obnoxious
Then, in my opinion, you're thin-skinned.
<shrug>
You do realize that last year was probably Izzo’s best team in the last 20 Years and Michigan beat them?
Guess what? They were still the favorite to win the tournament.
Uh, wut?
MSU was 22-9 last season.
Izzo has had better teams.
And no, MSU was not the frontunner to win the 2020 NCAAT. That would be KU which went 28-3, was #1 in the AP/Coaches Poll, and #1 on KenPom/BartTorvik.
Go back and look, most people were picking them to win the tournament last year had it been held.
Or, keep screaming and yelling how this was the worst loss ever for Michigan basketball and they will never recover.
Most people?
Show me proof.
As far as I recall, KU was the odds on favorite because it was the best combination of talent, experience, and quality resume.
Also, I highly recommend you not use straw man arguments. They are very easy to destroy like so: show me where I said " this was the worst loss ever for Michigan basketball and they will never recover."
You won't be able to and you'll have to backpedal like a bitch.
So I repeat my unsolicited advice: don't use straw man bullshit. It's easy to tear apart.
Everybody needs to calm down.
We won the B1G championship and have a #1 seed in the tourney. I had no expectation that we were going to win today.
It's really regrettable about Brooks, but he was able to put weight on his foot on the sideline. I think he will be fine when we need him.
It is concerning though that there isn't much cohesion when he goes out. Wasn't he out for Minnesota?
You had no expectation that a two-loss 1 seed was going to beat a 0.500 in conference team?
lol, yep
Really gives you an insight into how some of our fans are, huh?
Im lmao at your posts. Easiest bet of the weekend was MSU. I personally said for last two weeks they would split because Michigan would of sowed up B1G.
Are there concerns absolutely but this isn’t Harbaugh and the crap staff he has churned out in his tenure. This staff has gotten things done and adjusted. It will happen again.
And as you talk about killer instinct from guys like Burke Stauskus etc you seem to forget that final 4 team stumbled at the end of the B1G season all the way to a 3 seed.
This team doesn't have a Burke so the comparison doesn't hold.
NCAAT play is largely dependent on elite guard play. We don't have anyone on the level of a NPotY Burke.
Franz looks like a top 10 pick one game and a fringe 2nd rounder the next.
We have some of the most balanced scoring in the entire nation. On any given night someone can go off. The B1G is a grind and it will be nice to play teams not familiar with our style.
You are right Michigan doesn’t have a Burke but they have very capable scoring guards.
Michigan has played a ton of games in a short amount of time with very little rest in between because of the pause. Lets see what they look like after some rest
One last thing the NCAA tourney is all about match ups more so than seeding. On the Burke F4 team Michigan got an absolute gift to play VCU in game two. That press never stood a chance.
If this was the NFL and playoff position was locked up you'd shut it down and rest people and not bat an eye at losing a game like this. Sucks to lose but what would suck even more is to roll into the tourneys due for a crap game or 2...maybe we got those out of the way, maybe this is indicative of structural weaknesses in the team. B1G Champs and a #1 seed. Go Blue.
And if we don't win it all can we not lose in the NCAA final this year? I'm good on that feeling for a couple more seasons thanks.
Played terrible well over half the game. Annoying but theoretically no damage done as long as they shake that off and Eli is ok
Good god get a grip. Everyone tripping out because Brooks got carried off. He walked to the locker room after being on the bench. He got put in a boot like any other person would who turned their ankle. For crying out loud there are football guys who play the entire game who leave after the game in a boot. Lets wait and see what is said in a couple days.
Michigan looked hungover today and still had a chance to tie the game.
Two hangovers in three games. Uh oh.
Michigan didn't seem to have much interest in this game. Watts hit some tough shots we want to give up, Franz was on autopilot until the last 5 minutes.
One recent thing that does need to be fixed is Hunter taking extra dribbles/gather after he already has position. Just shoot the ball if you're in layup range. Maybe he wants to load for more power but it's not worth it. Could be feeling the effects of Kofi/Garza. I'm confident Juwan can fix this though.
Wow you actually put that thought together after one of our best seniors gets injured by the team that accidentally always injures other teams players? Go Blue! Thank you outright Champions of the BIG10, we appreciate everything that you’ve done for us and the sacrifices that you’ve made. Just to entertain us, when you could’ve just folded.
Brooks landed on someone's foot, maybe a teammate's. I don't recall offhand.
Think it was Binghams foot that he landed on. 0% chance it was intentional, just bad luck.
That was an utterly garbage level of effort, and if they were just going to phone it in like that, they would have been better off just forfeiting and avoiding the injury to Brooks. Very disappointing.
We seem to start every game committed to finding Dickinson, who immediately puts up careless bricks. Seriously, this is like 3-4-5 games in a row. I'd rather let him get into the flow of the game, get down low, and wait for things to come to him. Feeding him 10 feet from the basket and standing back while he tries to make something happen is a terrible way to start the game.
Dickinson has decided to break the record for the most shots to hit off of the side of the backboard.
The idea is fine, but I don’t know what’s up with Hunter lately. He has some good moments but overall his post work has left something to be desired for awhile now.
Livers was the only reason this game wasn't a full on blowout early in the second half. No one other than maybe Smith could make a shot. Franz and Dickinson didn't show up until the last 5 minutes. And Brown was broke for most of the game too.
Beyond the shooting though, just poor energy and sloppy offense for 35 minutes.
Glad I missed this one. On the upside, I was able to start and finish raptor lining my fenders and rocker panels on my truck today. Whatever happened to Eli, I hope he gets well soon. He was obviously missed.
Go Blue!
Tourney time and we will face some teams with superior guard combos. That will be the test for this team.
Illinois has a better backcourt, Watts played up to his recruiting today.
We are going to face 3-4 games where our guards are outmatched. If you've watched the top ten teams play you know this.
Brooks must return for the NCAA tournament. Without him this team doesn't work.
Coach is not going like this film session.
What Have You Done Lately? (NCAA Tournament One-Seeds Edition)
Lazy, disorganized and disinterested performance against a hungrier Michigan State team, but only lost by six on the road while playing without injured Eli Brooks for most of the game. Barring any unforeseen injuries or illnesses, Michigan should be safe as a one seed, even after coming off its worst six-day stretch of the season.
Other than Gonzaga, Baylor and Illinois, there don’t seem to be any other teams besides Michigan that could be considered a one seed as of now.
Illinois has lost once since losing to Ohio State 87-81 on January 16 (81-72 at Michigan State on February 23). They crushed Michigan 76-53 at Crisler on March 2 and they’re about to get back one of their two best players.
Michigan has lost two out of three in the final week of the regular season after having lost only once all season. They’re 8-2 against likely tournament teams (assuming top-seeded Toledo wins the MAC tournament), but they’ve just lost one of their starters to an injured ankle.
If Illinois advances further than Michigan in the Big Ten tournament, then Illinois should be the third number one seed in the NCAA tournament.
If (a) Eli Brooks’s ankle injury is serious enough to keep him out of the NCAA Tournament, (b) Michigan were to lose its first game in the Big Ten Tournament, and (c) Iowa were to get Joe Wieskamp back from his ankle sprain and go on to win the Big Ten Tournament, then could Iowa possibly make a claim for the fourth number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, despite having lost 79-57 at Michigan? I don’t think so.
My initial take, as many have said is this is a meaningless loss. I woke up wondering if we even wanted to win vs resting our starters. Unfortunately we threaded the needle in the worst possible way, losing to a rival and losing a starter.
Regarding Eli, I think for the last 20 years the boot has been used in ankle sprains both mild and severe to protect and promote faster healing. In other words I don't think we can read anything into the boot, and hopefully Eli on the bench for the 2nd half vs at a hospital is a good sign. That being said, anyone who's ever had one knows there is virtually no such thing as a mild sprain. Hopefully we get the Friday/Sunday game in rounds 1/2 and easily beat a 16 seed so Eli has a full 2 weeks to recover.
I do notice some teams tend to "accidently" cause more ankle sprains than others. On Livers last 3 Malik Hall definitely looked like he stuck a foot out where he thought Livers would land, and for hot minute I thought Livers was going to come up lame too. I didn't watch the replay on Eli's sprain, hopefully it wasn't intentional.
Not intentional but also does not look good.
Wow, what a difference a week makes. People were on here talking like this was one of the greatest teams in the history of college basketball, let alone Michigan basketball.
Though they have really looked like a totally different team during those last last three games. I mean, even in the game they beat MSU, the offense was rather raggedy. It just wasn't discussed much since they still won and clinched the Big 10 Championship.
We can just hope that it was fatigue and they'll refresh themselves before the Big 10 tournament.
I for one am never of the thought process that it is OK to lose. Screw the "they already had the conference wrapped up", or "This game meant more to MSU". You've now lost 2 of your last three games.You had a chance to snuff out any chance of one of your biggest rivals making the tournament. Being ok with losing is for losers. Hate to say it but this is a true test for a coach to get his team up for a game that "really didn't matter". Much as I love the job Juwan has done this year, in this instance him and his staff failed. Have to believe that he will make it very clear to his team this type of effort during the tourney will result in a very early exit. And yes, if Eli is out for any length of time. this team is toast.
I agree with you re the coaching staff in this game.
I hate the take of lack of effort in most circumstances, but it is especially bad in today’s game.
I don’t remember one play of not getting back, not diving for a ball, or standing around not getting to a rebound.
People like to gloss over the fact that this was the 3rd game in 6 days. And the team had already achieved their regular season goal.
And, some people forget since Feb 11th, we have played 8 games. Since Feb 13, MSU has played 9 games. Michigan and MSU both have played 3 games in the last 6 days.
When "people" say things like it, what they're actually saying is MSU is better conditioned. If that's your point, Michigan has some work to do.
Worst case scenario today. They looked discombobulated or disinterested, couldn't tell. And they had a key guy go down to injury to boot. It would have been better if they showed up looking to leave spartan limbs on the floor, but they were passive and reactive.
So my expectations for the tournaments are lowered, but this was an incredible season and the team should be very proud
I hope Eli can make it back into play in three weeks at the latest.
If brooks and Wagner are out, Michigan should be the first number two seed.
Why would Wagner be out??
If this game was as important as some people think, then we wouldn’t have celebrated as hard as we did 2 nights ago.
Time to rest, get treatment and refocus for the NCAA tournament.
Looking more 2019 than 2018
Does anyone have any credible news about the status of Eli or Franz? Who cares about the BTT. Even if they lose their first game, they are either the 4th #1 seed or the first #2 seed in Bama’s bracket. Those are fine if they have both players back.
I think MSU scored on 14 possessions where they took at least 1 terrible shot.
So what is the excuse when Michigan loses to MSU on Friday? Is that game meaningless as well?
Only excuse will be Brooks absence. But they should beat MSU anyway.