Comments on: Wednesday Links & Notes

By: KJay

KJay — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:59:14 +0000

#13 may sound high, but it’s not when you look at what other teams are bringing back. Going from a round of 32 to a sweet sixteen caliber team isn’t a huge jump given what we’re bringing back and what we’re bringing in. Also, this offense doesn’t require a pure point, so losing three guys who played the position doesn’t mean as much as it might otherwise, and the one we’re bringing in is more talented than the other three by far. Another big weakness, post presence, is also being addressed.

Also, it’s great for recruiting to be ranked so high.

By: Tweeter

Tweeter — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:22:54 +0000

I agree mostly Ken. But you have to wonder if Michigan stumbles early, especially against a mediocre team (which they are certainly capable of, see Sav St, Indiana last year), if the margin for error is that great. This program has been so bad for so long they might just fall right out of the national eye with a loss or two. Notre Dame had the advantage of a several solid years, plus they had a player of the year candidate on their team in Harangody. Not to mention they were in the Big East and they are Notre Dame. A lot of things were going for them and I believe that, more than just the preseason stuff, was why they continued to be discussed. Manny Harris probably should be getting more national attention, but he is not. Michigan needs to win to keep this thing going.

By: Mith

Mith — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:12:54 +0000

Yeah, good point Ken.

By: Tom Too

Tom Too — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:16:23 +0000

Absolutely…..great point.

By: Ken in Vegas

Ken in Vegas — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:05:44 +0000

The higher we are ranked the better. Sure it adds to expectations, but it also gives us more credit in the eyes of the committee all througout the year. Look at Notre Dame. Because they were so highly ranked at the beginning of the season, they had to lose half of their games before they were taken off the bubble. The ranking actually gives us more room for error based on what I’ve seen in the past few years.

By: bentley

bentley — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:24:56 +0000

I think the expectations are great. After 10 years of obscurity and unimportant games it will be great to be recognized on the national stage. I really do think that this team might not start off as fast as last season, but I fully expect them to be a 6 seed or higher in the tourney and make some noise. This team just needs one of the 3 freshman bigs to step up and give them 15 min per game. I haven’t been this excited about a season since the fab five. As far as barely making the tourney and being a top 15 team in the preseason, its all based on who returns, teams now days because of the one and done go from final four contender to nit lock. Lot easier to climb to the top quickly in college basketball than college football.

By: Mith

Mith — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:16:06 +0000

Jay, I think that’s the problem – “part of getting this program back is living up to expectations”. So, if the expectation is a top 15 team(and therefore a likely Sweet 16 appearance), it sets us up to NOT live up to the expectations. This team barely made the tourney last year. It seems quite a leap all the way to #13.

Certainly I hope the team is that good, but they seem more like a #20-25 team to me.

By: Kenny

Kenny — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:10:06 +0000

If Beilein is confident enough to add Kansas into our schedule, maybe we should not worry about being ranked too high.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:22:53 +0000

13 is not too high, come on people dont run from expectations! Like Dylan said we return two of the top players in the Big 10. YES we lost experience (not production) at the PG spot, but we also played three freshman who gained tons of experience and you would think will definitely embrace and step up to the challenge this year with more responsibility. Im excited that people actually think we will be good, rather then rank us 25 and we outperform..part of getting this program back is living up to expectations.

By: Dylan

Dylan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:40:38 +0000

I hadn’t seen it. Can’t say it surprises me…

Notre Dame was 2 – 13 against the RPI top 50 (they beat Texas in Hawaii and Louisville at home to end a 7 game losing streak). I don’t care how many good teams you play… you have to beat SOME of them.

Maybe he should start complaining about the lack of a balanced schedule in the Big East, maybe they shouldn’t have 18 schools.

People will continue to poke fun at the Big Ten but I think we proved ourselves pretty well last year.