2013-14 ohio state #2

Thank you, Dustin Johnston, for lobbing this softball over the heart of the plate. It's remarkable, not to mention hilarious and captivating, that Jon Horford coexists peacefully on a team with these two hooligans:

Note John Beilein's futile effort to wave Andrew Dakich and Mitch McGary back to the bench. You cannot stop their enthusiasm. You can only hope to contain-- no, that seems impossible, too.

[Hit THE JUMP for Aaron Craft's greatest contribution to the Aaron Craft debate, Nik Stauskas making absurd layups, various moments of Illinois failure, the bench mob takeover, and more.]

3/15/2014 – Michigan 72, Ohio State 69 – 25-7, 15-3 Big Ten, BTT Finalists

IN YOUR FACE CHARLIE MURPHY [Dustin Johnston/UMHoops]

Sometimes when you're on. Good lord man. This team is capable of sending anyone watching into a fit of giggles as shot after shot splashes down. The general process:

• All right, here we go.
• YES!
• ON FIAH!
• Wow.
• WOW.
• /giggling fit

As Michigan extended to a 16-point lead early despite Ohio State doing offensive things that are well out of character (IE: making shots), it was giggle fit time. Michigan has previously done this to Nebraska and Illinois in the process of running them out of the building. If they're fortunate enough to make a tourney run at least one win will be reminiscent of the Florida game last year, wherein there is a period of death from above that leaves the other team looking like Dresden.

Welp. I don't know, man. Michigan's defense looked pretty good to me in the mirror universe where Shannon Scott remains Shannon Scott. Scott entered the game a 28% three point shooter and a 38% shooter on two point jumpers. He got zero looks at the rim and yet exited with 18 points on ten shots. Yeah, most of his jumpers were not particularly contested, but there's a reason for that. When Scott elevates for a jumper you have just done a good job as a defense.

The other problem with the defense was a problem with the offense. Steve Kerr mentioned that all of Michigan's seven first half turnovers were live-ball situations. Live-ball turnovers lead to transition, and transition leads to sadness. Michigan failed to push the margin out to crippling levels because of uncharacteristic sloppiness when Ohio State turned up the pressure.

Other than that, the defense did what it wanted to do: protect the rim and live with whatever else happens. OSU just hit shots they usually don't.

Hidden in the terror is a comfortable-ish win. Michigan was 10/19 from the line, well below their season average. Jordan Morgan was the biggest part of that, as he went 2/7. That dropped his season total from 62% to 57%.

Craft. When Craft does something Crafty and wins, there is a collective old white sportswriter dude explosion, and when he does something Crafty and loses, the OWSD collective sighs and shakes their head at a world full of haters. Forde is on it:

For all the many people who hate Aaron Craft, here’s your chance to pile on.

You’re a strange, sad lot. You’ve got issues. Ripping a guy with a 3.9 grade-point average who plays his guts out is a weirdly trendy thing to do for college basketball fans.

But for those disposed to do so, congrats. Today is Bash Aaron Craft Day.

I'm not here to bash Aaron Craft, but let's be clear: he is a role player. He is the apotheosis of the role player, sure, but the reason people get cranky about Aaron Craft is the never-ending hagiography for a guy who is merely a pretty good player.

There is frankly a racial component to this. You don't see people falling all over themselves to hype up Briante Weber, whose VCU team is ranked and headed for about the same seed as OSU thanks in large part to Weber's third consecutive year at the top of the Kenpom steals leaderboard. Or his teammate Shannon Scott, who is also top ten in steals. It's Craft that gets glorified as the underrated gutty gritty leader in a way that is out of proportion to his talent.

That's unfair to the his teammates and Craft himself. I've long defended the guy whenever people try to trash his game (no offense to Derrick Walton, but put Craft on this Michigan team and oh my gawd), but that's because I love guys who can make an impact without using possessions. They need to be put with high-usage guys, though—you know, stars. Craft is not that. But he comes with an avalanche of hype enough to get him on the midseason Wooden list as he leads his team to a 10-8 Big Ten record while taking 15% of OSU's shots. 

At its heart, Craft backlash is Forde-and-company backlash. Some of it's misdirected; a lot of it is from 14 year olds; everyone would be much better off if people in the media would just acknowledge that Craft is who he is. GIFs of aairballs are prominent because the media is insistent on pretending Aaron Craft is something other than what he is.

Please be a new meme, please be a new meme, please be a new meme. We've had planking and Bradying and all sorts of ing ings, and now there needs to be an internet full of pictures of clothed people sitting in bathtubs looking hard.

YOU DON'T WANT THIS

Is Glenn On Fire Watch. Another efficient game with 11 points on 9 shot equivalents, and he brought defensive impact with a couple of blocks and three steals. He's still alarmingly light on rebounds.

There is the hint of a recovery in his three point shooting, as well. Over the last four games he's 5/13. Not much to go on for a guy who was at 32% last year and is at 28% this year, sure. Still another data point for those hoping Glenn is this year's tourney Mitch.

Is Stauskas Human Watch. NOPE.

I mean, he does that crossover to three pointer thing.

Death from above watch. Michigan's quest to end the season with five guys shooting 40% from three is very, very close. Walton is at .398, Spike at .390. LeVert has pulled himself a couple points above the line, sitting next to Irvin. Stauskas can't even see 40% unless he's got binoculars.

Seeding business. Most observers from Lunardi to the Bracket Matrix have moved Michigan to the one line after Wisconsin's Big Ten Tourney exit, and a lot of folks are speculating that Michigan may be locked in to that spot no matter what happens today.

Here’s my prediction: Michigan gets the fourth No. 1 seed today regardless of whether it wins or loses the Big Ten title game.

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) March 16, 2014

Seems pretty easy for the committee to have a contingency plan based on the result of the championship game, but in past years it has seemed like they ignore or at least downplay Sunday results.

If Michigan does get that one seed they'll be in the East and acquire a Michigan-friendly Madison Square Garden. In that event I withdraw my Syracuse request, as they're one of the few schools that could overwhelm Michigan's NYC fanbase.

It's pointless to mention this when they're just going to unveil the brackets in a few hours but I started this sentence anyway so I will proceed by mentioning that I am not a huge fan of Lunardi's bracket, which features Oklahoma State as the eight seed, and greatly prefer the GW/Stanford setup presented by Palm.

Another motivation to get that one: Louisville has moved up to the three line on just about everyone's bracket, so a one can't draw the red hot 'Cards until a regional final.

via bubbaprog

It was hilarious. Then it was gut-wrenching. Then it was hilarious again.

Michigan came out swinging against Ohio State, jumping out to a 32-16 lead with a shooting display reminiscent of the game at Illinois—the Wolverines shot 8-for-13 from beyond the arc in the first half. Where the Illini folded, however, the Buckeyes fought back, cutting the 16-point Michigan lead down to four by halftime.

Once again, the Wolverines landed early blows, hitting their first three attempts from downtown in the second half to extend the margin to 12. Once again, Ohio State recovered, this time clawing their way to the lead on an alley-oop slam by Sam Thompson with eight minutes to play.

Background image via Dustin Johnston/UMHoops

From there, the teams traded blows. Jordan Morgan tied the game by splitting a pair of free throws, then Caris LeVert hit a triple that Shannon Scott immediately answered. LeVert split free throws, LaQuinton Ross came back with a layup. A Nik Stauskas pullup jumper followed a Sam Thompson putback. With 2:55 left, two Glenn Robinson III free throws gave Michigan a one-point lead.

Until this point, Aaron Craft, saddled with four fouls, had spent much of the second half on the Ohio State bench. He re-entered the game and immediately picked up a questionable call on Jordan Morgan, the fourth on the Wolverines center. Craft missed both ensuing free throws, however, and Stauskas gave Michigan a three-point lead with a gorgeous up-and-under layup after Craft gambled for a steal.

After the bitter rivals traded misses, Ross brought the margin down to two with a free throw with 44 seconds left after Morgan fouled out. Thad Matta decided to have his team play defense instead of give a foul. That backfired when LeVert flew in from the corner to rebound a missed three from Stauskas as the shot clock expired, forcing OSU to foul Spike Albrecht with six seconds remaining.

Albrecht hit the first and missed the second. Despite having a foul to give, Michigan didn't stop Craft as he charged up the court. Craft rose for the potential tying triple, only to have the ball slip out of his hands. Angels sang, the internet let out a collective belly laugh, and somewhere a single tear fell from the eye of Dan Dakich.

Michigan, winners of their last three matchups with Ohio State, advances to tomorrow's Big Ten Tournament title game. The winner of Wisconsin/MSU awaits.