Yeesh. I guess getting boat raced from the beginning made it easier to deal with. I had already made my peace with the loss long before you thought that Loveland fumble was a difference maker. Woodshedded by the SEC is something that happens. Expectations are something that can be adjusted. Move on. Beat Michigan State. Drink beer.
As a Michigan fan, I'm coded to find flaws. I am supposed to hail all losses as the end of the world, and find faults in nearly every victory. When the Longhorns cut the lead to six, I was certain this team was not good enough...for anything. When them game ended, I saw that we hit 14 three-pointers and thought we should have probably only really hit nine or ten of those, that those four or five extra constitute luck, and would have effectively removed the amount of points we won by.
Then I saw Syracuse and Villanova lose.
It reminded me to heed a recent UMTailgate.com study that concluded that single elimination tournaments are determined by about 30% pure basketball, 30% matchup draw, and 40% how good your team responds to tournaments. Of course at Sparty it's 80% injuries and 20% referees, but that's a unique case.
Michigan has won it's two tournament games by solid margins, and they've done it with a not-as-porous-as-advertised defense that held Wofford to it's lowest point total of the season, and Texas to it's 4th lowest point total this season.
Jordan Morgan proved more than serviceable against the giants down low despite the bevy of Texas-sized offensive rebounds, and notched yet another double-double...as I reaffirm my apologies to him and his family for the horrible angry thoughts I've had throughout the season :) I mean, honestly, aside from Mitch McGary's breakout games against VCU and Kansas last year (21 point, 14 rebounds and 24 points, 14 rebounds) Jordan Morgan's 10/10 and 15/10 the last two games stand up to anything Mitch has done in his career.
Seriously, this guy's name is Jake Ryan. Coincidence? I think not.
Michigan makes the sweet sixteen and marches on to Indianapolis for the regional finals, where they will have the advantage of Duke being back in Durham, and me and The Cakemaker in attendance. The latter will certainly inspire the team on to their second consecutive Final Four, though whether they will be able to hear me from my football seats at a basketball game remains to be seen. The former is nice, but allow me to refer you to the 30/30/40 rule outlined above. While Tennessee and Mercer are not our Blue Devil nemesis, there can be no complacency in the NCAA tournament. The chalk lines point to Wichita State matchup on Sunday, but I'm inclined to think we are going to be seeing a 2013 Championship rematch with the Cardinals instead. And with that I broke my old friend Norman Dale's rule: Don't talk about the next step until you've climbed the one in front of you.
Tournament Challenge Update:
Digger's Maize Highlighter maintained it's dominance, and stands at 35 picks correct out of the 40 games played. However, at this point it might be advantageous to look at who has the most possible points remaining. A shout out to Robby Araujo, who has a completely clean bracket moving forward as of noon on Sunday. Pretty impressive.
And finally, our "Thanks for your $20" bracket of the day goes to our boy Vik Bhatia, who has the elusive Syracuse - St. Louis championship game:
Relax and enjoy some basketball on this beautiful Sunday. Really take it all in...ya know, like Aaron Craft is.
GO BLUE!
That was uninspired, or at least uninspiring. The WOLVERINES, and due to the new Adidas alternates there's no doubt that's who we are, mailed in a 17-point victory against Wofford, playing much of the second half just a small Terrier run from having an "upset alert" broadcast from the NCAA tournament app. It's tough to pretend it doesn't matter, but it doesn't. There are no style points here. Tournament play, especially the one game elimination variety, does not require you to be good...or motivated. It only requires you to win. We just have to have our shit together enough to make it to the next round. No doubt a time will come in the next week (or two) where we will need to be good AND motivated, hell that time might be tomorrow at 5:15pm, but fortunately that time was not last night.
Recaps: Maize and Go Blue | UMHoops | Maize and Brew
Michigan moves on to play Texas, and I won't pretend I've seen them play at all this year. But Johnny Cleveland and I did see the TJ Ford led Longhorns fall to Carmello Anthony in New Orleans in 2003, and they have the same coach as they did then (Rick Barnes), so there's that. I also remember with great clarity falling to Texas in the first round of the 1996 tournament. So let me give you my expert opinion: Worry about rebounding and what we might do if our shooting goes cold. And you may feel free to copy-paste that into all future 2014 NCAA tournament games.
Previews: SI.com | Rant Sports | MLive | Bleacher Report
I am also a expert in classic porn. Texas has a player named Jon Holmes. This could be a problem.
Go Blue!
UMTailgate Tournament Challenge
One man stands alone at the top of the list after day one...Digger's Maize Highlighter got 15 of the 16 day one games correct. Eight participants behind him are tied for second with 14 of 16. Three participants bursting with Big 12 love lost a Final Four team (Oklahoma), one of which became the "Thanks for your $20" Bracket of the Day:
Ahhh, yes, taste the tears. Gotta say though, I've seen MUCH worse after previous year's day ones. We're all still in it, and that's saying something.
Enjoy the games!
This entire Bowl Season has sucked. Why? Because we were not in it. I've watched, perhaps this year more than any other due to the lack of a bowl trip to manage. No sightseeing Orlando, Pasedena, or the Riverwalk over the holidays, only the quiet comfort of riveting contests like the Poinsettia Bowl to calm my nerves as we wait for recruits to commit and decommit...and the arrival of a new defensive coordinator. I think I would have had a better time attending the world championships of beer pong. I can't figure out how it isn't televised on ESPNU. Anyway, the season, while over for us on November 22nd, and over for most by Jan 1, ended for everybody tonight. Florida won the BCS championship game on Thursday 24-14, but in this era of hope and change, some other one-loss schools (USC/Utah/Texas/Boise) have staked a claim. Here's why no one but Florida has a leg to stand on.
USC: Lost a game at home to Oregon State. Oregon State lost to Penn State 45-14. Lose to a team that lost to a Big Ten team...outta here. Slight conundrum that USC dismantled Penn State in the Rose Bowl...but then again, they are automatically disqualified from NC contention for playing their bowl game against a team from the Big Ten and not winning by 35. Sucks to be in the PAC-10 with that forced Big Ten matchup.
Utah: Plays in Mountain West Conference. That should be enough. But, they also only beat Michigan by 2 points....Toledo beat Michigan by 3 points. Outta here.
Boise State: Play most games on Thursday nights. Have a blue field. Outta here.
Texas: Did not make their conference championship game. Played a Big Ten team in their bowl game, and won by less than 35. Outta here.
So, congrats to Florida and to Tim Tebow, who will likely end his career with only one bowl loss...
The most all-time victories, the highest winning percentage in the history of college football, the richest tradition, and the most conference titles...for any team in any conference. But 18-17 in bowl games, and 8-10 in the Rose Bowl. It's our kryptonite, our proverbial achilles heal. Great season after great season, and just short of half of them ending in a loss. Unacceptable.
And now we are headed for what many see as certain doom. Michigan is said to be outmanned, and enter their 9th consecutive New Year's Day bowl as 6-point underdogs.
The worst part about it? From Thanksgiving to Christmas, you haven't really cared. Shame on you. The pundits claim that the 2nd best team in the Big 12 is nearly a touchdown better than the best team in the Big Ten, and you seem to just be waiting around for Vince Young and Cedric Benson to run all over us.
It's time to wake up. The importance of this contest has ramifications that will stick with Michigan for years to come. This is the Rose Bowl, and everybody will be watching. If the Wolverines are tamed and fold up shop, the message will reverberate yet again that Michigan is always good but never great.
We cannot afford to let this happen again.
So when the Wolverines take the field on January 1st, they're going to need everything they have, including you, to pull off the upset. Put on some yellow socks, don a jersey, and cheer Michigan on to a monumental victory.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Go Blue!
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