Weekend Roundup, Nobody's Perfect Edition 2/27/2012

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Not What We Expected: Purdue 75, Michigan 61

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Not planning on dwelling on this, and I hope the fellas don't either.  

With the student body out of town, and likely knee deep in tequilla, the crowd was dull and lifeless.  Michigan's start, which had Purdue leading 12-2 before Godfather even got his popcorn, didn't help things much.  Michigan didn't have it Saturday night, Purdue did.  My un-basketball-educated perspective?  In Michigan's delicate balancing act of choosing between trying to establish position through screen and rolls to the inside, and chucking it from three, they seemed to make the wrong move each time down court.  When we went to the inside, three Purdue players were waiting to converge on the ball.  When we rotated around the perimeter, there seemed to be a double team at every stop.  Trey Burke had a lot of difficulty penetrating, to a level I haven't seen since the game at Ohio State.  It felt like they shut him down, but that just goes to show you the expectations we have for our fab freshman...he still had 12 points and 4 assists.  Tim Hardaway was 5-7 from the floor when inside the arc, but 0-6 from three.  He and Trey both had 4 turnovers, but a couple of Tim's stood out to me as particularly frustrating during that dreadfully paced first half.

But it wasn't Michigan's offense that lost the game on Saturday night, it was the defense.  Purdue scored 43 points in the second half, which I believe is above the Big Ten average for most full games.  Purdue consistently beat Michigan's defenders to the hoop.  Everything looked like a mismatch.  Too many mistakes, too many open 3's, and the pair of late game daggers from Hummel...game over.

Michigan ends the home slate at 15-1.  Not perfect, but still impressive.  Unfortunately, this not-so-great-on-the-road Michigan team will be playing out the season and post-season in arenas not named Crisler.  Michigan needs to concentrate on finishing off these remaining two road games in a proper fashion, grabbing some momentum heading into the Big Ten tournament.  They've got a couple of extra days of rest this week before heading to Champaign on Thursday, where they will face a wounded Illini team...heavily wounded.  Going into tonight's game against Iowa, Illinois has lost 9 of their last 10, including a 23 point loss to Nebraska.  Then it's just two-days off before heading to Sandusky-ville for the regular season finale.

Michigan needs significant help to grab a share of the regular season Big Ten title.  Ohio State needs to lose either vs. Wisconsin tonight, or at Northwestern on the 29th.  They then need to beat Michigan Agricultural College in the season finale.  MAC needs to lose at Indiana on the 28th, then obviously lose to OSU on March 4th.  Longshot?  Yep.  Impossible?  Nope.

Other Purdue reactions across the internets:  Indianapolis Star gloats, USA Today has pretty colors, UMHoops breaks it down proper-like.

Go Blue!

Purdue Quick Hits

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Jersey neck hole too big, or head too small?  ​

Jersey neck hole too big, or head too small?  

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My first Michigan basketball game was Michigan vs. Purdue...but it was Chris Webber vs. Glen Robinson.  I remember that it was like an NBA game, and I remember that Johnny Cleveland was there, eating Zingerman's (and a sauerkraut and corned beef reuben) for the first time.  I think this story makes me old, but I've got that little kid feeling today as a couple of would-be role players turned heroes will be taking the court at the "house they rebuilt" for the last time.  Maybe ten years from now I will remember that today featured Trey Burke and Robbie Hummel...Michigan's amazing freshman...and a guy that was a freshman back when Gene Keady had a full head of hair.  

Things to know before you go....

  • Michigan beat Purdue by 2 in West Lafayette.
  • Partying to hard?  Purdue is short a guy, as Kelsey Barlow was removed from the program. Good bench scorer.  You never can tell what kind of effect this will have....rallying cry for a desperate team, or another nail in the coffin in one of Purdue's less than remarkable seasons?
  • DJ Byrd is back from his suspension, and is one of those guys that comes off of the bench and rains threes....which is something that we always seem to be susceptible to.
  • Hummel has been hot in his last 4 games.
  • Purdue needs this win for NCAA tourney posterity.
  • Michigan needs this win to go undefeated at home for the first time in 35 years, and to stay within a win of the Big Ten championship.

Be there...6pm...BTN.

Go Blue!

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What's Up This Weekend?

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2/24-2/26/12

Pretty quiet around here this weekend, as hoops is the only event on campus...

Friday:

  • Bowling Green is hosting Michigan Hockey this weekend, and YostBuilt has a preview.  Of note, BGSU has lost their last 4.
  • Men's and Women's track are at the Big Ten Championships....which are in Lincoln, Nebraska.  The Gopher's men's team is trying to make up for the MSU game by winning a 4th straight title.  Who knew people from Minny could run?

Saturday:

Sunday:

  • Recover from your hangover

(Possibly Fake) Mail Sack, 2/23/12

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You might not know this, but I'm kind of a big deal.  So people email me with questions, suggestions, comments.  I never answer them.  I also never answer your text messages, never attend birthday parties, never send you Christmas cards, or even generally acknowledge your existence.  But you love me anyway.  Why is that?  I think it's because I'm so jolly.  Like Santa.

Anyway, here's me answering some people that have no lives... 

Hey Frank, I'm coming to town for the Air Force game next season and it's my first trip to Ann Arbor.  I was wondering what your suggestions are for tailgating, what time to get to town, where to go, eat, etc.  Do you guys allow anyone to come to your tailgate?  If so, what can we bring?

Signed,

Tim (Last name redacted)

Hey Tim!  Thanks for visiting the site.  Want me to hold it for you while you pee too?  Sheesh.  Ever heard of Google?  I kid.  I kid.  You should probably tailgate at the golf course, any one of them will do.  Arrive around 7:45am (it opens at 8am), bring a portable grill, and do some dogs or burgers...or get fancy and pick up Zingermans the night before (not the sandwiches, just some bread and deli meats) and assemble them on site.  Drink beer.  Meet your neighbors.  Go to the game about 30 minutes early and see the band take the field.  If you are in town Friday night, you should eat at Frita Batidos or Blimpy Burger, drink at Conor Oneill's or Alley Bar, and/or cavort with coeds on South University.  As far as our tailgate goes, we're way too cool for you, and you haven't sent me any pictures of the girls you are bringing, so that's a no-go for now...but I've got this friend named Gar...

Hey man, you sure are posting a lot.  You went like a year without posting shit, and now it's like every day.  What's the motivation?  Is this just 40 days, 40 nights, 40 posts?  You don't need to do lent...we all know you're going to hell.  Miss you buddy.

Signed,

Full Name Redacted

Thanks so much for your continued support.  Miss you too.  No, this isn't for lent.  I'm trying to have some regular content (like this gem of a post).  I plan to do it until I get burned out again, which is probably going to be about 10 days.  My motivation comes from Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin, and I've been to hell many times...it's in Columbus.

Hey Frank, I get the feeling you don't like Denard, but you're accepting him because there aren't any other options.  Discuss.

Signed,

Rocket Ismail

First off, I love Denard...as a person and an ambassador of Michigan Football.  I'm accepting him because everybody thinks he's the greatest thing ever on this campus.  Maybe he is.  But did you see him throw on basketball gameday?  Why would he accept a throwing challenge?  He was trying to put it in the hoop from 3/4 court...and he couldn't even hit the backboard.  Rece Davis even took a shot at him saying Junior Hemmingway wasn't down there to catch it for him.  Then he missed that dunk.  Denard is exceptional at having people think he's exceptional and being humble about it...but the reality is, he's just fast.  He's still not a quarterback, not in this system, and not in the system we are moving towards, so closing your eyes and saying it's great that he's going to be the starter is saying you're fine with wasting a year of progress.  All of that being said....he could have a great spring.  He could improve.  He went backwards in the throwing department from '10 to '11 though, and that's why I'm pessimistic.  I'm also pessimistic because Bubba and Stephen make me that way...and then Godfather gets mad.  Also, yes, Devin doesn't seem to be forcing the issue as yet, so we go with what we've got, and what we've got can scramble like a double-jointed gazelle, so there's that.