The Big Dance

So I don't usually like to rag on other media outlets, but I am pretty upset about a recent article in the popular Michigan Daily. They had a headline that read "Start Dancing." That really really makes me angry. Any Michigan sports fan is well aware that Michigan is a high contender to make the tournament for the first time since 1998, however one must remember that there is still work to be done this weekend. Yes it is true that Michigan has played themselves worthy enough to make the tournament if Selection Sunday came before the Big Ten Tourny; but this is not the case. Michigan needs to make sure that they do not play themselves out of their spot, which simply put, they need to beat Iowa on Thursday. If they beat Iowa, and as long as no other team wins the Big Ten Tourny outside of the four top teams, then yes send and RSVP to the big dance. But until they beat Iowa, no-one should be clouding their head with ideas that they are already in. If they lose on Thursday I say the team goes from a 90% chance of getting a bid down to a 50% chance of getting a bid. And I dont like those odds. Iowa is a good team who has beaten Michigan once, but as long as Michigan steps up and plays lock down defense on their 1 scoring option, Kelley a 6'6'' small forward/shooting guard. They should get the win.

After Thursday...who knows what could happen. They will play Illinois next and probably Purdue after that. Two teams they have beaten at 1 point this year. Am I saying they will be playing on Sunday, no, but is it a crazy idea? Maybe, but so is the idea that Michigan beat Duke and UCLA this year. I hope to see them do well, but the most important day is on Thursday, after Thursday everything else that happens will be the difference between probably an 11 seed and a 9 seed. As soon as Michigan is out of the tournament every Wolverine fan needs to be rooting for one of the top 3 seeds to win in order to ensure that other bubble teams like Minnesota or Northwestern dont make a late push and find a way into the tournament. Either way, it is still very exciting the idea that Michigan is truly one win away from ensuring their spot in the tourny.

Go Blue,
Sean

Season Re-Cap

So the last time I posted on this blog was roughly in November, right after Michigan had beat UCLA to move to a record of 3-1. Well lets recap what has occurred since then. Michigan jumped back into the National Scene by beating Duke 81-73. It was an amazing win, really gave a glimmer of hope to Ann Arbor after such depressing times. Michigan would go into Big Ten League play with an impressive record of 10-2, their second loss coming to the Maryland Terapins 70-75. Tough loss, but it would be a series of terrible road losses that Michigan would suffer throughout the season. After a very roller-coaster esque big ten league play, in which Michigan would lose 7-9 games, Michigan finished the season with a salvageable record of 9-9. This puts them at a record of 19-12, the other loss coming in Conneticut, which probably was the best loss of the season, they showed a lot of poise against some monster inside presence, Thabeet made them all look like little boys.
Throughout the year we have seen some great growth from each individual. For starters, Beilein is a great recruiter, Novak and Douglass have each shown signs of being serious contributors over the next 4 years, and who knows what Novak is capable of when he is not having to play power forward. Beilein got some great recruits for next year as well, as he has looked to get two very impressive 3 star big men, one 3 star shooting guard, and a 4 star point guard. I am sorry to be leaving the University of Michigan in May, but I will look forward to see all of these players develop and continue their success at Michigan.
So now it is Monday March 9, and Michigan just came off a huge win against Tubby Smith and the Minnesota Gophers. Does this put them in the Tournament, everyone seems to Think so, but I will save my opinion for another post.

After-Math

Well I hope everyone is enjoying this season as much as I have so far. The wolverines currently sit at a very promising record of 3-1, with their one loss coming from Duke, which is nothing to be upset about, Coach K doesn't lose before December. Its time to talk about that important game, that game that left us with a sense of pride for about 10 hours before we realized football season had not officially ended yet and Ohio State did another horrific job of reminding us, yes I am talking about the win over UCLA. Now I know it is very early in the season, and they were number 4 in the nation based on preseason rankings, but this is how I choose to look at the game. What fills me with hope for the future, is that in the last 2 minutes of the game, Michigan had every opportunity to to lose. They could have had the mentality of simply being satisfied for proving they could run 38 minutes with one of the better teams in the nation, and not be able to finish those last few, vitally important minutes. Teams of the past would have lost that game, but I have to hand it to Beilein, his players did everything right down the stretch. Although I may have thought some obscenities when I saw the ball leave Douglass's hands for that deep three ball, late late in the game, I have to hand it to that freshman and Beilein for that moment clearly explaining to me why he was in that late in the game. In a way it was a reminder of why Beilein is the coach, Douglass plays ball, and I am left to talk about it. It was a fun game to watch, but I hope it just was not a one time occurance, we need to send a message that this was not something that should not have happened, yes the Duke loss hurt us a bit, but I truely beleive these guys have the talent to win some big games when the Big Ten Season picks up. They have the shooting; three point, overall fg%, and free throw shooting are up from last year. But we need to rebound, both offensively and defensively. Its getting rough. Hopefully we can see some improvement against Norfolk State

GO BLUE
Sean

Pre-Game

Well Wolverine Basketball Fans, this is the night we have been waiting for. Tonight Michigan Men's basketball team takes on Michigan Tech. After a decisive victory in a preseason game against Saginaw Valley State, which was looking pretty rough until about the second half when the Beileins offense decided to get into full swing. The WOLV crew and I have been attending many practices and we have had time to talk to Beilein and it is evident from his enthusiasm and energy that this will be an exciting season. Lets see what everybody thinks of who will have the most impact on the team this year? My prediction is along with Manny Harris having a pivotal role in the offense and the pressure put on Deshawn Sims to be strong junior leader, I say if the Wolverines are going to have a breakout season, the pressure is on Junior center Zach Gibson. In practice it appears that he has a lot more confidence in his inside game and he is not afraid to take it hard to the rack. I look at him to have a big season and with the help of freshman center Ben Cronin on the defensive end, the wolverines could have great low post game. The team takes on Michigan Tech tonight, my prediction is that they get off to a quick start and go up big early. Michigan Tech may creep back in the game when Beilein decides to put in the second string, but I look forward to a dominating performance by Michigan,

Go Blue,
Sean

New Recruits

With the Wolverines first basketball game not too far around the corner. I have decided to look at what moves were made by Coach Beilein in the off season. According to scout.com it appears that Beilein picked up three new freshman, who may have an early impact on the team. The first newb is freshman Ben Cronin. He is a seven foot center from Syracuse, New York. He has three stars according to scout.com. I see Cronin having a direct impact on the team with the departure of former center Ekpeh Udoh. If Cronin can hit a set outiside shot, he could be a sleeper in a team that is still trying to find its identity. The second is Stuart Douglass, a 6-3 sharpshooter from Carmel Indiana. He is not that high rated of a player by scout.com, only receiving two stars, but it appears that Beilein is pretty excited about how he could fit into the system. Douglass could be valuable for an offense that will heavily depend on knock down shooters in order to be successful. The last is a one star recruit named Zach Novak from Chesterton, Indiana. He is listed as a shooting guard, but because of his size, 6-4, 215 pounds, if he gets any playing time it will probably be as a small forward. There is not a lot of information about these guys online, so if anyone knows anything more feel free to talk...it is going to be an interesting season to see how all of these players pan out.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the Wolverine Alley-Oop bog spot. Wolverine Alley-Oop is a student run television show broadcast by WOLV T.V. about the University of Michigan men's and women's basketball programs. Producers Sean Ratchford and Matthew Dubin look forward to another fun and exciting season of not only Michigan basketball, but college hoops across America and the NBA. Our show will not get going until November, but each week we will keep you updated about what is going on with the Michigan basketball program. Feel free to express any thoughts you have about the show or anything relating to college and NBA basketball. We look forward to a great season.