Video: Michigan Pre-NCAA Press Conference

Tags: NCAA Tournament 2011

AG2

Is MSU for real here!? They were down 23 points with 8 mins left!

Tweeter

great comeback, helps a lot when UCLA couldn’t make a free throw to save their life, but Appling made a number of clutch shots. If they can find a point guard next season and let Appling just be a scorer, they could alright.

Tweeter

Boo unavailable video

MaizeNBlueJ

It’ll be up in just a minute. Processing took forever for some reason. Plus, Dylan is posting this from his phone.

jmblue

Any reason why Morgan rarely does these?

Mattski

He’s been out there a little.

mgocanada

Neither MSU nor PSU should have made this tournament, even with the weak bubble. We should have faced a team like UCLA in the 10-7 game and be staring down a surprisingly winnable string of matchups against Florida and BYU/Zaga rather than an Irving-led Duke, which is pure sadism on the part of the committee. They heard about what Jalen said and OSU’s AD thought, “anybody want to see a 20 year re-match?,” with Steve Fisher on the opposite side of the region. Coincidence? Seeding out of spite and/or storylines — no wonder Lunardi can’t predict anything.

That said, first we got Tennessee. I trust JB’s got them prepared and ready to hang with UT, and not fall into the trap of imitating Tennessee’s sloppiness. I hope Beilein doesn’t make Morris or THJ sit if they happen to pick up a silly early foul — the one guy we seriously need to protect from actual foul trouble is Jordan Morgan (and if he goes, bye bye big dance), but this is not the time for life-lesson-type benching. That killed our momentum a few times this season. My second hope would be that Blake McLimans not be allowed near the court, even if Morgan and Smotrycz foul out. If Horford’s out of commission (haven’t seen him lately), Novak can play the five in a pinch. Third, I hope we bust out some serious zone — anything to get Tenn to try some threes is good for us. And if Stu Douglass would just dunk the ball, that would be the cherry on top.

And then the flambee on top of the cherry would be Morris dominating Kyrie Irving and stealing his No. 1 draft spot.

Go Blue, beat Appalachian State!

Carcajous

So your hopes are that (1) we don’t sit guys who get in early foul trouble, (2) that we play Novak at the five instead of, say, Smotrycz if Morgan is in early foul trouble, (3) we play lots of zone, (4) Douglass dunks the ball (!), (5) Morris plays so well he ends up and the #1 pick in the NBA draft, and, (6) that we beat Appalachian State.

I think you are setting yourself up for some serious disappointment!

mgocanada

To clarify the 6 points you bring up:
1. I think we should sit Morgan if he gets in foul trouble but not use early benching correctively on guys like Morris and THJ.
2. I was only saying Novak would be preferable to an inept McLimans, not to Smotrycz, Horford or the ghost of Ben Cronin.
3. Yeah, Zone. I don’t care if it’s 2-3, 1-3-1, 2-1-2, 1-4, 0-5-0 or anything. Just lots of zone.
4. Douglass can dunk it. It’s time. Preferably a 360 reverse.
5. Yes, it would be sad to lose Darius, but if he went #1 overall it would be great for recruiting.
6. Tennessee is located in the Appalachian mountain chain and is a public school.
7. Go Blue.