*Official UM Hoops Thread*

[hungry]

Renovations look pretty sharp. Still having a little bit of trouble with the speakers at times, but the inside of the arena definitely has a feeling of legitimacy. It sure makes how terrible the concourses are stand out though.

Yep, obviously I'm excited for this season, but I'm really excited for 2012, for a number of reasons.

Things are coming together.

 

[deathroh]

I was wonder why in the hell Burke wasn't starting, and figured something fishy must be going on when he wasn't the first off the bench and didn't get in until about 10 minutes into the game, well he was being punished for missing (or being late to, can't remember, read it over the weekend) a morning shoot around. Not the best way to start your career. Especially when you proceed to go 1-7 from the floor!

 

[silverbullet97]

You folks are not going to recognize Jared Sullinger this year.

 

[silverbullet97]

I have no doubts Burke will be good. I just don't know if he will be fully ready as a true freshman to run the team like a point guard should. Outside of point guard, this is a pretty solid Michigan squad (based on last years finish). With teams like Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan State scrambling to replace their losses from last year, Michigan is a team that could make some noise in the conference standings.

***Note, I am fully aware of the amount of talent on my Buckeyes but I don't see how you can replace the leadership of guys like Lighty, Lauderdale, and Diebler. Talent-wise, it looks like a great team but who knows what will happen to chemistry when guys start losing their minutes as the season wears on.

I'd be more inclined to agree with the assessment that OSU will be scrambling if they had lost either Buford or Fatass. But the former figuratively, and the latter literally, will be rocks that the team will be able to rely on all year. I'm with Beez in thinking Lighty was overrated and Lauderdale was a waste of space, but I do appreciate the loss of leadership. That could be something that's lacking with Buford being more of a quiet, lead by example type, but maybe Craft will step up in that regard.

I do think Buford is a hell of a player though. If he could just pretend he was playing Michigan each game he'd be a player of the year candidate.

Oh yeah, I do share your questions about Burke in his first year, and it is a shame Michigan won't be able to take full advantage of a slightly down league (compared to last year, but I still think it'll be pretty good) with Morris on the team. What really sucks from a Michigan perspective is that it's very possible that one of the main reasons Morris left was because so many other talented players, including the above mentioned duo, stayed.

Going to derail (sort of) a bit again. After a a scrimmage, exhibition, and a game I still think Ohio State is going to be a work in progress all year long (albeit a very talented one). Just to list out the negatives:

We have had the defensive lapses you would expect from such a young team (1 senior, 1 first year junior transfer, five sophomore, and four freshman with maybe one more coming on board depending on academics). Lenzelle Smith has been tabbed to replace Lighty in the starting lineup and he looks like a solid defender on the wing but will not be as versatile as Lighty who was regularly asked to guard everything from 1-4 over the course of a game. Plus Lighty did a good job on the court of keeping the other guys in the right place which is something Smith is not able to do just yet.

Amir Williams was supposed to replace Lauderdale as a shot blocker but he is simply not ready to contribute right now. It will take some time for him to adjust to the speed of the game at this level and to learn his role. Early in the season we are going to rely on Sully, Evan Ravanel, and Deshaun Thomas as our primary post players which is a good trio but none of them are ever going to be a consistent shot blocking threat.

Diebler's shoes may end up being the toughest to fill on two levels. First he was an exceptional shooter and an underrated passer. Second he was a guy that was terrible his first year yet ended up the all time leader in three point shooting. He was the perfect guy to help a younger teammate work through a slump. Not having Diebler this year will allow the opposition to help in the post a lot more this year which should make it easier to defend Sully/Thomas. Edit: I forgot to mention that no one has really stepped up to claim this role yet. Early indicators are that Jordan Sibert is the best bet but he has to prove that in games.

On the whole, we will be more athletic and should be much deeper but that will depend on how the young guys develop. On the other hand, we will not be as balanced. We have our first big test on Tuesday versus Florida which be a good indicator of where we really are. One positive this year is that we have some big OOC games this year (Florida and Duke at Home plus Kansas and South Carolina on the road) so we should be tested by the time Big Ten play starts.

 

[silverbullet97]

/de-rail off

I have not seen Michigan play yet this year but I would not worry too much about Burke just yet. A true Freshman PG in his first game should struggle. I would be more concerned if he doesn't look better after the first month. The being late for an event thing is a problem if it keeps happening though.

 

[hungry]

You folks are not going to recognize Jared Sullinger this year.

Already saw him. He looks like he's toned up some. Of course, he was a fat ass slob last season, so that's not saying much.

We'll recognize him. He'll be the one standing under the basket getting all the calls again.

 

[beez]

He did look like he was in 100% better shape. Looks pretty athletic now.

 

[deathroh]

I can't watch them here at work, but here are highlights of McGary's first game this year...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f...p;v=aOa0SCQx

 

[Monster]

I can't watch them here at work, but here are highlights of McGary's first game this year...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f...p;v=aOa0SCQx

holy shit! That team is insane!

I think his name was Aaron Thomas...the second guy in the highlights. Looks like he's going to FSU, but wow, he's good.

Mcgary ended up with 16 pts and 17 rebounds.

 

[wolverine304]

Mitch is a lil wayne fan. What a shame.

 

[beez]

Mitch is a lil wayne fan. What a shame.

Suburban white kid's who like rap, love lil wayne. It's just a fact of life.

 

[deathroh]

Maui Bracket

 

[beez]

Good win for UM against #8 Memphis. Didn't get to watch it but followed it online and it seems as if UM didn't even play their best game. Impressive to keep and build on leads throught the game. They'll need their "A" game to beat Duke. Duke seems to be the most talented team in the nation with stars at all positions. Hope they can avenge last years tourney loss and gain the respect of the nation tonight.

Go Blue!!!!

 

[Monster]

AH yeah, sticky ickied.

 

[beez]

Monster [/color]]AH yeah, sticky ickied.

Preciate it.

 

[hungry]

so who is MIchigan playing tomorrow?

 

[Monster]

so who is MIchigan playing tomorrow?

UCLA

 

[hungry]

Monster [/color]]

so who is MIchigan playing tomorrow?

UCLA

Well, now its today...

Yeah, I kind of figured that out yesterday looking at the bracket. I don't know if this is a good thing or bad. The team looked pretty tired after the Duke loss and now they have to face a team fresh off a beatdown of Chaminade. Hopefully, they can get some energy.

 

[beez]

They'll be ok. It just the Maui, I think they can come away from this tournament in a positive light as long as they're competitive today. As I was telling Art, there are a TON of silver linings in yesterdays loss. Morgan playing with energy and showing improved athleticsim, Burke showing up against maybe the best team in the country on a big stage, the team not playing very well, Duke hitting over 50% from downtown and still keeping it close. They could have easily lost that game by 20 but they didn't.

They can learn a lot and feel confident knowing that if they play well, they can play with ANYONE. Lets be honest, no one is expecting this team to compete for a national title and would be excited to see them win a big 10 title with the likes of OSU and MSU around, along with your Purdues and Wisconsins of the world. So losing to top 5 teams in the country isn't a huge deal. As long as Michigan can win the obvious games, and win inside the conference while beating a Memphis along the way, it will be a great season. Hopefully they play well enough to get a 4-6 seed tourney time and can win 2 games. That would be a great achievement after killing Tennessee last year and losing to Duke in a heart breaker.

 

[Monster]

Monster [/color]]

UCLA

Well, now its today...

Yeah, I kind of figured that out yesterday looking at the bracket. I don't know if this is a good thing or bad. The team looked pretty tired after the Duke loss and now they have to face a team fresh off a beatdown of Chaminade. Hopefully, they can get some energy.

i think you're getting your teams mixed up. UCLA got beat by kansas last night. pretty much did the same thing as us. Down big early, came back but still lost.