Dylan… we won there last year, although we probably should have lost.

Also, what I would give to see us shoot 37% from deep.

I think you meant to say that Michigan almost lost at Assembly Hall last year. Surely without that win we do not make the tournament.

Yeah…I think Dylan meant to say we “almost” lost there last year. It was an OT victory after being down by as many as 20 in the second half.

Yeah, it was a typo. Thanks guys.

If you take out Creek’s numbers they shoot 33% on threes, and 42% overall. They may be very inspired for this game, but they also haven’t had any time to adjust to the loss of Creek. I would expect to see a sloppy game from them, and we’ve had a lot of extra practice time the last couple of weeks. I really expect a good effort from us.

This is a game Michigan has to win period. I think we’ll play well.

Well, for the second consecutive year, I’ll be making the 2-hour trek north to watch the Wolverines in Bloomington.

Here’s hoping we get the same end result as last year (a win), but let’s also hope it comes a little easier than last year. Although, I must admit, I had some fun with the IU fans around me. They were real dicks during the first half, so I made sure to point out to them that there’s a whole half to play yet. Thankfully, we pulled out the victory.

Let’s hope the Big Ten season treats us well and we make our 2nd consecutive trip to the Big Dance. Go Blue!

Lets go!

“…length and athleticism at the four position should provide a challenge for Novak…”

No kidding. You can pad your previews and re-use this line for every game this year. No strike that. Novak will go balls out today and finally start hiting his stroke. (And for you pervs “balls” means basketballs, and “stroke” means shot.)

Well really i’m lulled into expecting a W, but am prepared for the inevitable choke that is coming our way sooner or later.

Its now or never Michigan…the desperation has to kick in today and end in the month of March…every game we need to win.

[...] Year’s Day. Anyway, the lead off game today is  one that’s always close to my heart: Indiana vs Miuchigan, naturally since I am an Indiana Alum and lifelong Michigan fan. So, with that game beginning a fun [...]

for those interested in following our live tempo-based stats for this game, here is the link:

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=5035

Michigan is a 4.5-5 point favorite today.

Actually, Chad, I hope Beilein is setting this up as anything but a desperation game for the team. This one needs to be seen as a matter of taking care of business, in a context where all or most of the odds are in Michigan’s favor. They need to go out and methodically take down Indiana. I think the hiatus and intervening practices should serve them here.

I now think LLP is the key to M’s season. He doesn’t need to save this team but they desperately need him to manage it. Wonder if anyone else is seeing it this way.

I just hope Michigan doesn’t hesitate and doesn’t play scared on the road. Get the ball into Manny and Peedi’s hands, let them do their thing and play solid defense. We have the better team. Go win the game.

I don’t buy us being favored. Verdell Jones, Devan Dumes, Christian Watford, and Jeremiah Rivers are still a formidable amount of talent, especially on the road, especially with the way this team has played defense and shot the ball.

Anyone got a justin.tv link or the like? Stuck at j-o-b….

look at them ups by Stu!! 2 handed dunk, with his 40 inch vertical

Nice to see Novak have one go thru

Sloppy start from both teams. Michigan looks very uncomfortable going against the press&zone.

NOVAK!

Great to see Novak find his shot early on…

OK Novak, shootin the ball with confidence..no hesitation when he got that look and knocking it down in front of family and friends

Michigan has to stop Watford… He’s really all that Indiana has.

Second foul on Manny Harris with 11 minutes to play… Scary.

That looked like a charge to me. They said that is Harris’s second foul.

Where the hell was Daniel Horton on that list?

Vogrich went to supercuts to the game, looking like a new man..lets see that jumper

@Jay: Vogrich went to Superzack (Novak) for that haircut :) It was on MGoBlue.com :)

Yeah I’m watching th game with my brother and during the commercial i said I would probably vote Hortan. It seems like the mixed up haris and hortan. Haris was good but should not be on that list.
Anyways, michigan is looking pretty good.

Now this is a Novak I can get use to. Dylan if this is the guy you were calling the second coming of Dan Marleje I would be happy too. But he is playing aggressive, and with confidence..

Darn, there goes the lead.

Well as much as we’re finally hitting shots, so are they. Great

It’s frustrating to watch Michigan never adjust to an opponent having a hot shooter.

Harris as in DION not MANNY

That second foul on Manny was a killer. But we can’t have stupid fouls like that one on the three pointer.

C’mon Wright, DUNK THAT!

Sims disappearing again is not what this team needs.

I think this game could appropriately be described as a clusterf***.

15-0 run. One team plays defense, the other doesn’t.

Take your finger off the panic button..basketball is a game of up and downs, lets see how they respond. You have to give Indiana some credit, they are making shots they need to make

OK someone tell Novak the green light has been turned off please! We do not need him to shoot 15 3′s this game just cause he made his first 2. He’s out here shooting like he has to heat check…wth is wrong with these shot selections, we settle for any shot the D gives us

That was a scoring drought to rival a Tommy Amaker team on the road…

I have to say, the drop off between the starters and the bench is even bigger than last year.

Wow, Rivers just took six steps on that drive, and it wasn’t called.

lol@ Bilas saying “Wright needs to pass the ball”

Ant Wright should NEVER see the floor. He takes terrible shots and can’t make anything.

Did they REALLY just run a set play on the inbound for ANTHONY WRIGHT!?

That’s the key to Michigan’s entire team: get Harris in foul trouble and you get to tee off against Wright.

How is Daniel Horton not on the list? Ridiculous.

Why not just play Eso, there’s no way he can be worse

The biggest untold difference between this year’s team and last year’s team is that last year’s seniors were well grounded Merritt and Lee and this year’s senior leadership is Ant “always heat checking never hot” Wright

What can Anthony Wright do? ball-handling, defensive, rebounding, 3-point shooting, passing,, he is not a good player

Because The World Wide Leader is a pathetic excuse for an in-depth sports enterprise

Eso is three inches shorter though…

but i agree, eso is a better choice

The Anthony Wright experiment needs to end. He is the basketball equivalent of David Cone. He had no business ever being offered a scholarship in the first place. I’m sure he a great teammate (like David Cone) but keep the only place he belongs on our team is between Corey Person and Jordan Morgan on the bench.

Trying not to get too discouraged, but it seems like we only have five players who contribute anything at all(Morris contributes something about one out of every four games), and of those five, there are usually two who are having horribly off games. Please prove me wrong this half.

I’m on the live blog at ITH, and they said Harris’ legs are getting worked on by a trainer… FWIW

Ugh… Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy game. Too much fouling jump shooters and Manny’s third foul was a killer.

Hey, at least we’re not down 20 like last year!

THAT’S FOUR FOULS ON ONE POSSESSION!!!!

Wow, just wow. What a time for home cooking to strike. This officiating is criminal!

I think all of those fouls were legit. This is our team. We are not what we thought we were.

Tough to blame the officiating… A lot of these fouls are just stupid. Fouling jump shooters. Taking out peoples legs. Tackling people. Just stupid.

Does anyone think this looks like a team that can go 11-7? 12-6? I don’t really see it at this point…

We can’t go 11-7 playing like this.

Everyone keeps waiting for us to play the way we expected them to but I don’t think that is going to happen.

And why can we never get loose balls. Ever. How many balls have gone through our hands. Those extra possessions are the difference right now.

It’s like this team is content with just being close.

Crean looks like he had about 5 Red Bull before the game….

Crean is just obnoxious. Can’t stand his act.

Stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Somehow Michigan is only down 2 points after that huge shot from Douglass. Need to prevent an IU run now, they seem to have the answer every time.

Need to sustain a run here

I was just thinking the same thing Dylan…….For as bad as they’ve played, they are still right in it

And that’s the third foul of a jumpshooter.

Sad to say, but Michigan just can’t get a stop when they need it the most. They always cut the lead to 1 or 2 and then collapse defensively.

Of course the game Stu breaks out Manny and Sims play below average

Why is Morris getting so much time this half instead of LLP? That that he’s done poorly…..but think LLP is a better shooter at this point.

WHat sucks about this is that we are in the double bonus and we just can’t stop fouling. It is always going to stay just out of reach IMO

YES! Wow, Novak…….what a game he’s having! WHo would have thought…..

super nova

Wow. Play some f’n defense. Giving up the middle so easily.

What a dumb pass Douglass.

Terrible pass form Stu… It just wasn’t there.

Could not get over the hump in this game….. tie it up then give the lead back and then some every time. Peedi and Manny today just didn’t show up. If either one of them had showed up this would have been an easy Michigan win

Time to start thinking about winning the Big Ten Tournament

Where is that ledge when we need it?

Belein needs to go, no question about it. He has lost to a horrible IU team and is 31-38 as a coach. Good riddance, genius! Shooting 3′s with no big men equals LOSSESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe we’ll get hot for the Big Ten Tourney.

Time to start thinking about next season. What a poorly coached team. They don’t know who to foul, they commit stupid fouls 30 feet from the basket. Enough with the positivity. This team is a total disappointment and a bust. There’s no getting around it.

Am I the only one that drank the preseason kool-aid hard?

Peedi the king of fadeaways..can we bring him off the bench please? Lets start Gibson since hes hit or miss anyways, shake up the lineup or something asap

Michigan basketball remains absolutely, horribly mediocre! I thought 15th in the country was a jump, but they’re not even an NIT team. They are absolutely done. They’re not mentally tough enough, coached well enough or talented enough to do much of anything. DeShawn Sims is NOT a lottery pick, and this team is a long way from winning anything. Beilien’s system won’t work here, because he doesn’t recruit guys that are simply talented enough to get it done. I’m predicting 18-20 losses. What the heck happened to our sports program? We used to BE something.

Sadly I agree with LJ. Of course Beilein deserves more time, but maybe his system just isn’t going to work here.

Beilein bought some good will with me last season, but it’s starting to look like he’s going to use it all up with this season. By far the most alarming thing to me, is that this year’s freshman class, which was his first full class, looks like an unmitigated disaster. Morris is disappointing, Vogrich looks like he belongs nowhere near a college court and McLimans must not be close to being ready. Can’t fault him for Morgan’s injury. Serious question, if you’re Trey Zeigler, why would you consider coming here?

Jeff–you wouldn’t. This team still looks like a five year rebuild. Not going to be better next year either. Bye bye deshawn softie sims and manny stupid 3 harris.

As tough, well-coached, and fun to watch as last years team was…this year is just the opposite. I completely disagree that Beilein has to go. Making the tournament last year was a complete coaching miracle with a roster that included 2 players that belong on a Big Ten roster.

It’s not Beilein’s fault that we have no size right now. It’s not his fault that we are (still) incredibly young. And it’s not his fault that shots haven’t been falling. He is a very good coach that will have us in the tournament nearly every year once we get a little bit older and bigger through recruiting.

But it is his fault that we have awful decision making, shot selection, toughness, and execution. These four variables are the reason we overachieved last year and are the reason we are underachieving this year.

Forget the tournament for a little bit. Lets just back to playing tough, inspired basketball and try and win a few games. Then maybe, just maybe, we can get hot against the right teams. It’s not about a “tournament resume” anymore. We need to win each and every game as badly as the next, starting with OSU.

@patrick, i don’t know about you, but this game/season has effectively caused me to drink the mid-season whiskey.

This team just can’t play consistent basketball throughout a whole game. We play 4 minutes solidly, 4 minutes terribly, repeat 5 times. And anyone calling for Beilein’s head is being unnecessarily reactionary and short-sighted, but I’ll admit we didn’t look well coached today.

At this point, this team is no different than a (relatively) talented mid major: Entirely dependent on 3 point shooting. If they can hit 3s they can beat anyone. If not they’ll lose to bad teams. I’m not sure what that says about Belein…

It appears the only hope for an NCAA birth is going on a red hot streak during the B10 tourney.

Observations:

Morris is a truly gifted player running in the open floor and fast breaking. Hopefully Belein can find a way to take advantage of this more often.

Manny and DeShawn made some terrible decisions on both ends.

Good to see both Novak and Douglass get their shots back in the same game. Its a shame it was offset by terrible performances from the rest of the shooters (1-13 from 3).

If Morris is a disappointment your expectations were unrealistic.

Can somebody find me I forgot it in Ann Arbor

Where have all the forwards gone?

It’s a game like this that i actually look forward to Sims leaving. He is a good talent, but he just plays so passively, and you know he is not a leader on the court–something you want in a senior.

Having JoMo & Evan S, I can’t see our frontcourt being worse next year.

But wow i miss having a forward like Loy Vaught. The dude shot like, 60% from the field.

While I gave up any hope of a post season for this team long ago, I think Beilein’s system can still work here. This is still an incredibly young team.

Sims and Harris just played AWFUL today and when they play awful, the team won’t win. Douglass and Novak stepped up and if Harris or Sims had played up to their level then it would have been a win.

I think last year was a bit of a fluke and just raised our expectations too much. The truth is, Sims has worlds of potential but he usually plays soft and he’s always inconsistent. You NEVER know what you’ll get from Sims. Manny is amazing, but who knows how much those hamstrings are hurting him. He was in so much foul trouble today, that he didn’t really have a prayer of being involved.

I wouldn’t call DMo a disappointment. I think he’s about where we should expect him to be. I see TONS of potential in him, he just needs more time in the system.

I’ve never liked Ant Wright’s skills and I think that his scholarship combined with Ben Cronin’s have really hurt this team (through no fault of Bens). Who knows what Morgan or McLimans will bring next year, but I’m hoping that they pan out and are not “wastes” like Cronin and Wright were. It would be nice to have a full set of scholarships of talented players (even if they are 3 star players).

Utterly depressing end to a decade. Where did they find these players?Enough with the nice, polite kids and the academic all-americans. I want chris webber back. remember that swagger, that pride?

All good points, but I think the game plan would be to recruit guys who BELONG on a Big Ten roster! Beilein did wonders at West Virginia by bringing in guys with moderate talent, then coaching them up into a ‘machine’ that ran his system well. It won’t work in the Big Ten! You have to have talent, or you’re just another Northwestern- 14, 15 wins a year, maybe an NIT appearance or two. Beilein’s been at Michigan long enough, even at a few years, to get some real solid pieces in place. He has not done this, and his youngsters look confused and overmatched.

Such a disappointing loss. It’s clear that we do not have a deep team AT ALL. Starters, Morris, and Gibson (barely) are the only players that can be trusted. So confused by Vogrich. Wasn’t he supposed to be Schyer-esque? Wright is a disaster. Was happy to see Stu and Zack put it together finally.

LJ – You’re suggested you need talent to win the in the B10 but not the Big East? I think a Big East fan would have a hard time buying that.

p.s. do me a favor and don’t even bring up the tournament any more in here. It should painfully obvious by now, we are NOT going to the tournament.

I sorta bought into the “first 5 B10 games are winnable” thing.
Now predicting we just started an 8 losses in 9 games run.

Have to think of something positive…any suggestions?

Did my last post? I’m not sure… Anyhoo, I think it comes down to having the talen to compete on a major level, and Michigan is the type of school that should be able to attract major recruits (yes, even ones of high moral caliber and with good heads on their shoulders) immediately. It’s three years into the Beilein era, and if you look at most major recruiting services around, the country’s top talent (or even the area’s top talent) is NOT considering Michigan. It worked at WVU because he brought in guys with moderate skills and he coached them up and worked them into his system. In the Big Ten, you need a certain level of talent to match up consistently. If not, you’re another Northwestern: 11-15 wins a year, maybe an NIT appearance or two, and every now and then a big upset. We want MORE than that, don’t we?

do all those who apologize for beilein and his “incredibly young team” understand or accept that harris and sims are gone after this year? do they really expect morris and vogrich and the recruits in the pipeline to fill those big (if streaky) shoes? seniority is overrated in a post-fab five world of John Walls and one-and-donners. we need better recruits and better coaching, period. unfortunately, the UM brass seems to have some kind of residual guilt complex hanging over it from the 1990s and only wants to be respected for intangible virtues rather than wins.

Mat, the expectations for Morris were somewhat set by the performance of Douglass and Novak last year, two start recruits. He hasn’t come anywhere near contributing what they did last year. I haven’t given up him yet, but I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t be disappointed that our best recruit hasn’t even been a good bench player.

My individual assessments:
Novak is a fighter. He can play for me any day.
Douglass is a good ballplayer. Even when he isn’t shooting well, he brings value.
We all love Manny Harris. Yes, he was off today but we all know he merits all the attention he gets.

Those 3 are the only consistent players on our team and the only three capable of stepping up to a challenge.

Deshawn Sims is a head case. I love Sims. He is a great ballplayer and a good kid but when things don’t go his way you can see his decision making disappear. He needs teammates who will settle him down, and put him in good positions to succeed (Merritt and C.J Lee).
Darius Morris is a freshman. Remember this. I am seeing flashes of great potential. He’s a willing defender, and a good athlete who can push the ball and make plays. Yeah, he needs to be able to shoot the ball better and definitely makes plenty of freshman mistakes but he will be a great player hopefully sooner rather than later.

These are 2 good basketball players with great potential if they could slow the game down in the head and make some good decision. These 5 are are 5 GOOD players.

Zack Gibson. We’ve had this discussion before. Hit or miss. Good for a few minutes off the bench. Sometimes more if he’s in his zone.
LLP. The most perplexing player on our team. Even when he’s shooting well he seems to always turn the ball over and display poor shot selection. When he is ice cold he brings no value. I was hoping for a lot more out of him and I will single him out as the one player who needs to step his game up the most.

These are two players I can justify playing, although they come with serious flaws.

Vogrich. Maybe a good player one day but too young and inexperienced to play major minutes right now.
Wright. Does not belong on a Big Ten basketball court. Period.
After this point, our roster gets very shaky.
Eso? I liked what I’ve seen so far but really what can we expect from a freshman walk-on?
Morgan? Freshman big man coming off injury.
McLimans? I actually really like his potential at 6″10 from what I’ve seen (open practices/scrimmages), but he needs the redshirt.

There you have it. My analysis of the roster shows 3 good players, 2 good players with issues, and 2 average players with issues. 7 serviceable players with lots of issues and no size does not give Beilein much to work with.

Michigan has the talent and system. These kids were shooters in high school. They are in a system that is giving them open looks. For whatever reason, they are not making their shots. I don’t think you can pin that on Beilein or the recruit’s “talent”…it’s just that something is “off”.

Each game 2-3 guys come to play and the rest slack off. Today Douglass and Novak brought it, but Sims and Harris played like crap.

This team will not even make the NIT, but the problem is not the coach or talent…it’s consistency, youth, and shooting.

On the bright side, I was expecting a huge drop off next year with Harris and Sims gone…now it looks like we might actually see an improvement from this year to next. ;) I think in two years this team will be really good again and this year will just be an asterisk.

Kudos to Zack Novak, who continues to impress. Despite the criticisms of Manny here he played a gritty game down the stretch. Beyond those two, there is a real lack of confidence on the floor. As a proud Michigan fan it hurts to see that.

Beilein’s system is fascinating. But it was predicated on the limitations he faced as a coach at schools that couldn’t draw major talent. It’s not–for me–that he can’t win with his philosophy in the Big 10, but I think he needs near Duke-level talent to do it–that is, to go so strongly against conference tendencies. Whereas a Crean or Izzo can, possibly, get more out of working class talent in a league where size and muscle and discipline (not to mention D) count for more than they may have in the Big East. Rather than a consistent winner, I think that we’re going to see a lot of mediocre years and the occasional dazzling (sharpshooting) team over the course of Beilein’s career here. Hope that I am wrong.

Did we just lose to the worst team in the Big Ten and oh yeah they were without their best player?…Yes, Yes we did

Jeff

Anecdotal evidence doesn’t prove your point. Novak and Douglass played on a team where there was almost no alternative. Its a team where walk-ons where getting major run. Morris has to beat out LLP, Gibson, Vogrich for playing time. Unless you’re an elite level (top 25) recruit, more often than not you won’t be a major contributor on a quality team. People who expect Morgan, Smotrycz (or Horford) or any other freshman to step in and top what Sims is doing, inconsistent as he is, are just asking to be disappointed.

I love to get more info about incoming recruits, but the hype and unrealistic expectations get out of hand with some people. Its natural to search for a reason to have hope, but when your HOPE becomes and EXPECTATION, you only have yourself to blame.

a minor correction, Matt:

we just lost to the second-worst team in the Big Ten.

Manny Harris has quite a dilemna. Right now, it is highly unlikely that he will be drafted in the first round and it’s generally considered a mistake to leave early if you’re not going in the first round. On the other hand, does he really want to return to this? I feel bad for him, outside of this game, he’s really brought his A game this year.

we’re going to be counting on LLP, Vogrich, Morris, Novak, Douglass, and our redshirt bigs to score for us next year. Scary.

I guess we have to hope Smote and Hardaway are instant impact guys that can carry a team.

WV is better without Beilein! He leaves and Huggins has them in the top 10. We need an AD to clean house, Football, Both Basketball Programs and Hockey are embarassing!

Well as everybody knows we have a poor team. They are soft (except Novak), inconsistent and not very athletic. I’m really disappointed in the play of Sims. I still think he is on something or all ready thinking about the summer.

I would recommend Beilein spend more time on recruiting. We need toughness both mentally and physically.

We just lost to the 2nd worst team in the B10… Aren’t “WE” the 2nd worst team now?

I think Michigan’s troubles can be attributed to these aspects:

1) Disappointing new players- Matt Vogrich was supposed to be one of the best shooters in the country. Darius Morris was supposed to be a premier point guard. Ben Cronin was supposed to provide size. None of these 3 have lived up to expectations; Cronin’s issue isn’t his fault, and I’m sorry that his career is likely over from that injury. Vogrich is infuriating on defense and when his 3-ball is off, he is essentially dead weight on the court. He has been the biggest disappointment in my eyes. Morris has flashed potential at times, but careless turnovers, missed layups, and poor decision making are glaring. Michigan has 8 freshmen on the roster, and none of them have really stepped up (Morgan and McLimans are apparently being redshirted).

2) Lack of leadership- Anyone else missing the hell out of David Merritt and CJ Lee? They were such a presence on and off the court (i.e. David Merritt’s pregame speeches and CJ Lee’s defense) and no one has stepped up to take their place. This lack of leadership really shows with all of the mental mistakes and lack of clutch play.

3) Identity- Just who is this Michigan team? The three pointers are simply not dropping, but even today, when Novak and Douglass finally find their way, Harris and Sims slump. Manny Harris has carried this team on his back; Deshawn Sims needs to become more consistent in order to get more high percentage shots and free up the wing players. This team just hasn’t found that winning approach. Same goes on defense.

4) Depth- Bench production has been weaksauce. Anthony Wright is absolutely horrible; he is slow on defense, and has a shoot-first mentality that has resulted in a .259 field goal percentage. I’ve already touched on Morris and Vogrich. And Gibson has struggled recently after a surprisingly efficient start. In short, none of Michigan’s struggling starters can leave the game because the bench players are struggling more.

5) Morale- I think that frustration is mounting. Losing is tough, and a few tough blows have also occurred; assistant coach Jerry Dunn leaving, Ben Cronin’s career likely over, and Jordan Morgan’s nagging injury. I think Michigan’s mindset needs to be revamped.

Solution: Something needs to happen and I’m not sure what that is. Tom Izzo tried to jumpstart his team by benching Kalin Lucas; John Beilein needs to do something soon or this season is lost (i.e. bench Sims if he continues to be passive). Either Manny, Deshawn, or Zack Novak needs to be a leader and step to the plate. Deshawn Sims needs to find consistency and play harder. He is SO integral to this team; without him this team won’t make the tournament.

Long Term Solution: Drop Anthony Wright’s scholarship after this year. Snag Jordan Dumars as a walk on. Drop Eso Akunne’s scholarship. Recruit Trey Zeigler and Jon Horford HARD this year. For 2011, recruit Quincy Miller like none other, and if that doesn’t (likely) work, get Amir Williams and either Percy Gibson, Marshall Plumlee or Cody Zeller. I think this team will be better next year with Smotrycz, Morgan, and Hardaway Jr. (and hopefully Zeigler and Horford) and I believe Harris won’t enter the NBA draft this year.

Similar to defense on football, our talent will get worse from this year to next, but I can’t imagine that we can actually perform worse. If so, then should be another great year to be a michigan wolverine.

I know it doesn’t make much sense, since they averaged about six points a game combined, but we are seriously missing Lee and Merritt. If you look at today’s game, Rivers filled that role perfectly for IU, taking care of the ball, playing tough D, and getting teammates involved. Good point guard play is critical, and we don’t have a true point guard on the roster. Morris is the closest thing, and he is either too raw or just not good enough to deliver at this point.

I can understand people feeling down on this season, but on Beilein’s program? Do I have to remind you all what we had with Amaker? Beilein got this team to the tournament for the first time in over a decade. Cut the man some slack.

Its clear to me that Beilein can get this team to play smart, but they also are prone to mental lapses, especially the younger guys. Ask Da’Sean Butler if he thinks Beilein can recruit. He’ll be able to not just bring in players, but players who actually play the right position. Right now we have a 2-guard playing the wing and a wing playing center.

LJ, you’re absolutely insane if you think you need talent to win the Big Ten. Wisconsin doesn’t seem like the kind of program that screams talent. If you want to fawn over one-and-dones, than you should consider becoming a Kentucky fan, at least until Calipari leaves that program in ruins the same way Eddie Sutton did.

Mattski, What is the Big East’s record against the Big Ten in interleague play? I don’t have the numbers, but don’t recall the Big Ten dominating those games, though I know Indiana did beat Pitt. I really don’t believe that the Big Ten has a style of play that is inherently better than the style played in other conferences.

On Sims, I second everything else said. One additional point, has anyone noticed what a terrible job he does setting picks. He also looks slow to get to where he needs to be.

If Novak and Douglas keep shooting I think we have a chance to be okay. We need to play Gibson more, and force Sims to play with intensity to earn his minutes.

AG2- I’m insane because I think you need talent to win in the Big Ten? Did I read that right? And you point to the one school where the ‘system’ seems to work with a moderate degree of success? I do NOT want a Calipari or a Pitino, but I’d love a Crean or someone like that. I just looked at Rivals.com’s list of the top 150 high school seniors and we’re not listed as an option on ANY of those kids. And they’re not all one-and-done’s… Beilein may need time, and I’m willing to give it to him, but right now it doesn’t look good. This years team is NIT bound, IF they’re lucky, and next year doesn’t look promising, either. The question is – when will they become relevant again? The answer, at the moment, is not for awhile. They shouldn’t have taken such a step back this year.

I’m fearful that the Pit bull desires a particular type of proprietor…these dogs, no matter how ‘supportive’ nevertheless have teeth, are nevertheless animals with out moral ideas and once they DO bite, won’t let go. As in all creatures…some have a tendency to be far more suseptable to instinctual habits and time and time again, this breed tends to complete just that.