The Uninvited

Yes it sucks. But it was expected. Another dreary finish to the season for the Wolverine cagers, who folded in seven of their last nine games. In a scene that has become all too familiar, the bracket announcement came and went without the inclusion of the Wolverines. A basketball team that not only did not belong there, but with their last two dismal performances, made it clear that they did not want to be there. And so another chapter of Wolverine basketball ends. No more sanctions, no more leftover players from a previous regime, still no meaningful postseason.

I was one of the unlucky people that was able to witness the late season collapse first hand, so I can tell you that the Michigan basketball team not only folded, but they did so in front of supportive fans, and an often full Crisler arena. An already skeptical fan base has now seen the Wolverines falter again when it counted most. Injury issues aside, there is no excuse for not being ready to play, and the onus lies in the hands of the coach. It will take a little more than DeShawn Sims to get me back into the darkest arena in the Big Ten.

Nothing we can do now but wait for the next season...football season that is. Meanwhile, we can test our college basketball knowledge against other supporters of the greatest Michigan Tailgate in the known world. So get in there and sign up. Follow the link (upper right) to enter the tournament challenge. If you haven't received a username/password, contact me at frank@umtailgate.com.

 

Wolverines Make the Frozen Four!

Wolverines Advance

You can take the 'M' off the ice, you can take away our home lockeroom, but you can't take away our fans. On Saturday night, in front of a raucous crowd at a neutral looking Yost Ice arena, the Wolverines showed everyone what they're made of. Jed Ortmeyer's goal with 1:21 left to play in the 3rd period iced it for the Wolverines, who advance to the Frozen Four yet again. They will meet Minnesota for the frozen version of the Little brown Jug on April 4th, with the championship game being played on April 6th. Games will be televised nationally on ESPN and ESPN2...so I see no reason why we shouldn't use this as an excuse to tailgate, drink, and/or take to South U in celebration.

Wasn't Sparty In Our Bracket? Where's Sparty?

Sparty? They're at home. They've been home since early Friday evening after they got blanked 2-0 in the afternoon game against Colorado College. Ron Mason has no cup, no Frozen Four, and can happily settle in to his job as the Michigan State Athletic director. His first order of business? Hire another coach that sucks.

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Searchable Tournament Pool Results Available

The results of the 2002 UMTailgate.com Tournament Challenge are now available. Please use the Tournament Scenarios menu to see the possible winners. There will be no update next weekend as a Fearsome Foursome including the Webmaster and JJ are heading to Atlanta to see the tourney play out first hand. There will be a full update from The Final Four upon our return. Wish us luck... we're gonna need it.

GO BLUE!!!

The Webmaster

Wolverines Make the Big Dance...On Ice

WE BEAT STATE!

Well, it's about damn time. The University of Michigan defeated the Michigan State Spartans Sunday 3-2 to capture the CCHA Tournament Championship. This Championship Trophy will sit next to the CCHA Regular Season Championship trophy, and earned Michigan an automatic bid to 2002 NCAA Tournament. As luck would have it, the NCAA Tournament West Regional is being held at Yost Ice Arena, and the Wolverines have earned a #4 seed in that region.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday, March 22

Game 1 -- #3 seed Michigan State vs. #6 seed Colorado College -- 4:30 p.m.

Game 2 -- #4 seed Michigan vs. #5 seed St. Cloud State -- 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 23

Game 3 -- #2 seed Minnesota vs. Game 1 winner -- 4 p.m.

Game 4 -- #1 seed Denver vs. Game 2 winner -- 7:30 p.m.

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Strokin' It

We've gone from 65 to 16 in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, and a bother-sister combo sit tied atop the UMTailgate.com Tournament Challenge picking 75% and 77% of the games respectively. Gar, Bubba, Tuba (entered 4 times), and Billdo (who has never seen a college basketball game) are among the other notables in the top ten. Stats and picks are available by following the menu on the left.

GO BLUE!!!

The Webmaster

Trombley Wins Challenge, P.E.T.A. Protests

The Duke Blue Devils, behind solid coaching ideals left behind by current Michigan basketball coach Tommy Amaker, defeated the Arizona Wildcats for the 2001 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship. The Wildcats were obviously unprepared, as their final four game was against a mediocre Spartan team that managed to only beat teams seeded 16, 9, 12, and 11 respectively. The Blue Devils victory vaulted Jason Christopher Trombley, Warren De La Salle and University of Michigan alumnus, into the winner's circle. Reached at his home in Chicago, Trombley (affectionately known as JT) said quote "When do I get my money? I got bills to pay." It wasn't all fun for the little lovable trouble maker, as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (P.E.T.A) protested the victory. Daris Dewberry, P.E.T.A. charter member, said "Anyone that swallows a large, live goldfish and then pukes up the scales with a smile should be locked up."

Joining JT in the winner's circle, coming in second place, was Andrew Van Tassell, Western Michigan student and two-time UMTailgater. Andrew played host (though we got him tickets:)) at Western for our hockey trip in January, and made the trip to Happy Valley in 1999 for the Penn State game, fighting off people with Bill and I in the student section. Andrew could not be reached for comment...he was drunk.

Coming in third was Brian Robillard, representing Riverview, and also a University of Michigan grad.

Congratulations to all of our winners for their great picks, to the Arizona Wildcats for eliminating the Spartans, and to Lloyd Carr, for coaching the 1997 National Champions. Special thanks go out to all that participated, and I hope we can do something like this again. I hope you all continue to visit UMTailgate.com to check out the activities of 'the greatest tailgate group ever assembled'.