What's Up This Weekend? Relaxing St. Patrick's Selection Sunday Edition

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​Selection Sunday is upon us.  And OF COURSE there will be a 13th (!?!?) annual UMTailgate.com Tournament Challenge.  

There will be no nail-biting anticipation.  There's no question, we're in.  But we need to get this whole Big Ten Tournament thing out of the way first, right?  I was inclined to vote for tanking it and having the boys enjoy a full week off, but yesterday's second half against The Fighting Sanduskys (classless? yup) made me feel better about the tank-job on Sunday (which I paid about $100 to watch over 3G in Columbia).  Maybe the BTT can be used to wipe the poor taste from our mouths left from Sunday, or that other PSU game, or the definitively poor last quarter of the season.

A'ight? A'ight.​

Today (3/15/13):​

  • ​Basketball (26-6, 12-6) vs. Wisconsin (21-10, 12-6):  And you thought we wouldn't get to avenge that half-court shot that sent the game to that shitty overtime at the Kohl center.  Big Ten Tournament Round Two Action tips off at the United Center at 2:30PM -ESPN.
  • Baseball (8-7) at Coastal Carolina (7-10): We're heading to the home of the Chanticleers!  First pitch in Myrtle Beach at 4pm.  Live audio lives here.
  • Hockey (15-18-3, 9-15-3) at Western Michigan (19-9-8, 15-7-6)​:  CCHA quarterfinals action in Kalamazoo.  I wonder if the Godfather is going?  I wonder who he will be cheering for?  6:35pm on FSD.
  • Big Ten Tournament Other Games:  Game 5: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Illinois, 11 a.m., ESPN  ||  Game 7: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Nebraska, 5:30 p.m., BTN  ||  Game 8: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Iowa, 8 p.m.*, BTN

Tomorrow (3/16/13):

  • Basketball vs. Indiana or Illinois:  The Big Ten Tournament continues?  ​12:40PM CBS
  • Other BTT Semi-Final: Ohio State or Nebraska vs. Iowa (see what I did there?)​ 3:00PM CBS
  • Baseball at Coastal Carolina: 3pm Live Audio​
  • Hockey at Western Michigan: Game 2 of the CCHA quarterfinals 7pm...no coverage?

St. Patrick's Day:

  • Drinking and Breakfast at Conor Oneill'​s with your's truly.  7AM
  • Basketball vs. Ohio State, Nebraska or Iowa:  The BTT finals...2:30PM CBS
  • Baseball vs. Akron (in Myrtle Beach)​ 11:00AM
  • NCAA Tournament Selection Announcement 6PM CBS.​
  • Hockey at Western Michigan (if necessary) 7pm

​

What's Up This Weekend? "Blade Runner is Loose!" Edition: February 22-24, 2013

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I neglected to reference the fact that women's hoops beat Sparty on Sunday...my apologies to the title nine set.  And beating Sparty is beating Sparty, I don't care if it's a football game, a canned-goods collecting event, or a three-legged race.​

Today (2/22):​

  • Baseball (0-3) vs. Fordham (0-0) in Port St. Lucie, FL:  Heartbreakers abound for baseball last weekend.  Michigan lost all three games by one run...the first two were extra innings walk-offs, and the third a walk-off in the 9th.  Wow.  Sucks.  They head to Florida to face Fordham for their  season opener.  2pm
  • ​Hockey (10-18-2 / 7-15-2) at Ohio (13-12-7 / 12-7-5):  Weekend off last week for Michigan, who is probably still reeling from the 13 goals they gave up in two games to Manti T'eo's boys.  Puck drops at 6:35pm on BTN.

Tomorrow (2/23):​

    • Baseball vs. Fordham in Port St. Lucie, FL:  See above.  Old-fashioned double-header starts at 11am.
    • ​Hockey at Ohio: See above.  Puck drops at 7pm on Comcast Sports.

    Sunday (2/24):​

    • ​Basketball (22-4 / 9-4) at Illinois (20-8 / 7-7):  Michigan returns to action after a full week off, so I think it's finally time to put that Sparty game from the week before behind us.  And I think we're going to need all that we've got to get past the Illini in Champaign.  Tipoff is 1pm on ESPN.
    • Women's Basketball (19-7 / 8-5) at #7 Penn State ​(22-3 / 12-1):  SIMULTANEOUS TIPOFF ALERT!!!  What will you do?  1pm on BTN.

    ​

    Have You Seen Ohio's Schedule?

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    Is this for real?  Found this in my twitter archives from earlier this month:

    ohio schedule 2013.jpg

    Cute TTUN reference aside, coming off a sanction stained season of perfection that will no doubt be a motivational factor, this slate is a recipe for repeat perfection.  Ugh.  I guess it's relative.  Is the Big Ten going to start making a comeback nationally?  Who are the powers of the Big Ten for '13?  Does Penn State have a year left in them before the penalties start to really take their toll?  Will Ferentz make Iowa competitive and save his high paying job?  Is Northwestern planning to turn the corner?  

    Anyway, Urban, unless you have another nervous breakdown like you had at Florida, we'll see you at our house on the 30th.  I'm looking for that season ruining '95, '96, '97 magic.​  Also, I can hear the echoes of Coach Hoke's cracking voice telling me we only worry about Michigan at Michigan...or perhaps that was RichRod.  No matter, here's our schedule for posterity:

    2013 Schedule.png

    Not exactly a host of world beaters...though BCS Championship Game runner-up Notre Dame does come to Ann Arbor for Under the Lights part deux.  Also, at Sparty, at NW, at PSU all reserve the right to be challenges.

    It's fun to look at football in February.​  51 days until the Spring Game.  You got a hotel for UCONN yet?

    Keep calm and GO BLUE!​

    ​

    OSU: An Uneducated Couch Potato Bullet Point Recap

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    We Beat Ohio.  76-74 in OT.

    The Good:

    • Huge win.  Nearly a must win for staying in the conversation for the Big Ten regular season championship, at least as must win as must win can be on February 5th.
    • Amazing that games like this are happening in Ann Arbor.  This conference is the shit.  This team is the shit.  Where we've been to where we are....just wow.
    • Good birthday present for the 60 year old fearless leader of the Wolverines.
    • It's weird the way we typically go the way Hardaway goes.  Tonight, Hardaway was scorching hot.  He single handedly kept us in this game.
    • McGary.  He's probably the third best player on this team.  He's getting better every game.  It goes beyond just basketball...his youth and exuberance are always a spark.
    • Stauskas and G-Rob both made valiant comebacks after poor showings in the IU game.  Stauskas made two more 3's on the same amount of attempts, and Little Dog hit double figures after Saturday's 40-minute, 2 point performance.

    The Bad:

    • Our uniforms. That's not maize, that's highlighter.  The inability to see names and numbers brought me back to the Outback Bowl.
    • While it was great to have Timmy nail 5 straight 3's, the fact that we may have very well been run out of the gym (our own gym) without them is a bit concerning.
    • The play to end regulation, or lack thereof, was frustrating.  Yes, Trey Burke is a spectacular talent, but the Buckeyes kept him somewhat in check (at least by the eye test).  We didn't need a fade-away three.  We needed an offensive play.  We needed something more than Louis Bullock tapping his head as the clock ran down. 
    • McGary:  Should be starting.  If someone could explain to me why he does not, that'd be great.
    • The officiating:  They missed offensive goaltending in the first half by the Buckeyes.  Also, that was a flagrant foul by Craft.  And Craft was fouled on the  final shot.  The last two cancel each other out I guess, but that doesn't make it any less craptastic.
    • The next two are on the road.....at the Badgers....at Sparty.  
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