You know that feeling you get when you see a beautiful girl for the first time (or guy if you're a girl reading this... I can't imagine that many females read this blog, but keep substituting in the male sex for the rest of the paragraph if you have two X chromosomes)? You become obsessed with her. She captivates you and you think she's going to become your perfect girlfriend. However, as you get to know her, you realize she's not as great as she first seemed. Maybe she's slightly psychotic. Maybe she stalks her ex-boyfriend and is constantly flirting with 50 other guys. Maybe she just smells bad. Whatever the reason is, you come to the realization that your first impression was completely off the mark. This is how I feel about the University of Michigan basketball team.
Normally I don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan, but I was really excited to watch this Michigan team during the early part of the season, and as an Ohio State fan, I was terrified the Wolverines and Hoosiers would run away from everybody else in the Big Ten. Trey Burke decided to come back to school after skipping the NBA Draft, and he proved early that he would become a top candidate for the Wooden Award this season. Two players, Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway Jr., have basketball encoded into their DNA thanks to their NBA fathers, and looked like they would develop into superstars. Jordan Morgan and top recruit Mitch McGary looked like they would form a decent frontcourt. Other freshman, Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert in particular, looked poised to play huge roles for this team. Basically, team this looked like the Fab Five 2.0.
However, the month of February soon rolled around for the Wolverines, and the Michigan basketball team proceeded to go out of style in less time than the Harlem Shake. Michigan went to Bloomington and played in the most talked about basketball game of the season against number one Indiana, and lost. Michigan barely beat Ohio State in overtime thanks to the worst no call in basketball history that ever was and ever will be (OK, maybe I'm still a little bitter). Then, the Wolverines went to Madison and Ben Brust happened, meaning another Michigan lost. Next, they went to Michigan State and got embarrassed by their arch-rival, meaning another Michigan lost. Finally, they went to University Park and lost to a team that was formerly 0-14 in Big Ten play. The first three losses are justifiable because winning in those buildings is nearly impossible. Losing to Penn State, however, is not. I cannot name a single player on the Nittany Lions. I had to look up their coach's name- which is Pat Chambers- for those couple of readers who care. I could come off the bench for Penn State (That's right. I'm saying a 5'7" white kid who hasn't played basketball in six years could play for this team... OK maybe walk-on... OK, never mind, I'd just make a helluva team manager). Anyways, thanks to more inconsistency than something very inconsistent, the Wolverines ended February 3-4 and have suddenly become one of the most confusing teams in the country. The question is can they figure out before the tournament. Last year, Michigan lost to the Ohio Bobcats (and somewhere Brady Hoke is trying to figure out whether Ohio State has a different mascot for basketball or if this is some crazy conspiracy theory and there are actually two Ohio Universities) in the First Round. They could be on a similar path if they don't get it together soon.
My prediction for the Wolverines? They make the Sweet Sixteen. I hate making predictions before an actual bracket comes out because -as I channel my inner Jerry Maguire- "Show Me the Match-Ups!" This team has too much talent to get upset in the first weekend. Trey Burke can single-handedly will a team to at least a couple of victories against inferior tournaments. A Final Four is still even possible if this team gets it together over the next couple of weeks (They have plenty of opportunities with games vs. Michigan State and the Big Ten Tournament). If they don't though, that State Up North's flagship university could be in for some more heartbreak. And as a Buckeye fan there's nothing else I'd love to see more.
J. Nave
A Few Quick Notes
1) You may notice I use a lot of parentheses These are to function as footnotes because my honor roll brain can't figure out how to incorporate them on this program. Sorry!
2) If you're a Michigan fan, you may feel I show some bias in this article. If you've got a problem, deal with it. My blog, my rules. Start your own blog if you're bothered by my Buckeye bias. But admit it... You realize I'm telling the truth most of the time.
Fun Fact of the Week: A man survived 18 days with no food or water just by licking his prison walls... Courtesy of Emily Rodriguez
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