SB Nation - Zack Novak

Kansas Hosts Michigan Saturday in an Early Tip

Denverjhawk — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:00:20 -0000

Kansas v Michigan

No. 1 Kansas (9-0) took a week off for exams but heads back to the hardwood hosting Big Ten Conference foe Michigan (5-4) Saturday at 11 a.m. Michigan as a team looked to be a potentially strong test for the Jayhawks before the year began. However, after losing four of their last six, the youthful Michigan squad doesn't appear to have a single victory against a qualify opponent through 9 games of the season. Oh, where have the days of the fab five gone.

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
MICH	71.1	42.2	70.5	29.7	33.6	11.1	22.4	15.3	10.0	8.2	2.9	14.1
KU	90.3	51.2	67.1	44.2	43.7	14.6	29.1	19.7	11.9	9.6	7.4	18.1
MICH Opponents	63.9	44.0	65.1	30.3	37.1	12.0	25.1	14.3	15.6	5.2	3.3	18.1
KU Opponents	57.7	34.3	65.9	28.7	33.7	13.7	20.0	11.1	16.7	5.8	3.2	20.0

Rank and Records	MICH	KU
RPI	#243	#21
Strength of Schedule	#255	#181
Overall	5-4	9-0
Conference	0-0	0-0
Home	4-1	6-0
Away	0-1	1-0
Top 25	0-0	0-0
RPI Top 50	0-1	0-0

About Kansas

Kansas posted a 90-65 win against La Salle in the M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout on Dec. 12 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Freshman Xavier Henry had a career-high 31 points in the game and was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the second-straight week for his efforts.

Kansas averages 90.3 points per game, is giving up 57.7 points and ranks in the top five nationally with a +32.7 scoring margin. KU is shooting 51.2 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 34.3 percent. Only one KU opponent, Radford, has shot above 40 percent against the Jayhawks this season.

Xavier Henry leads the team with an 18 point scoring average. He is making 53.3 percent of his shots from three-point range and leads KU with 24 threes and 16 steals.

Senior guard Sherron Collins scores 13.3 points per game and he has made 19 three pointers. Collins leads the team with 40 assists, which are five ahead of sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor (7.3 ppg). Taylor has 14 steals, two ahead of Collins (12).

Junior center Cole Aldrich leads the team in rebounds with 9.6 per game. He also leads KU and the Big 12 in blocked shots with 3.6 per outing. Sophomore forward Marcus Morris is a starter who is scoring 9.8 points and pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game.

Sophomore forward Markieff Morris is coming off the bench to score 8.9 points per game. Markieff, who recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against La Salle on Dec. 12, is second on the team with his 6.2 rebound average and leads KU with a 69.8 percent field goal shooting.

Junior guard Tyrel Reed scores 4.8 points per outing and he has 10 three-pointers this season. Freshman guard Elijah Johnson (4.3 ppg) has started the last two games.

About Michigan

Located in Ann Arbor, Mich., and coached by John Beilein, Michigan has won two of its last three games and is 5-4 on the season following its 75-64 win against Detroit on Dec. 13 in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines average 71.1 points and give up 63.9 per game for a +7.2 scoring margin. U-M averages 8.2 steals per game and forces 15.6 turnovers per contest.

Michigan is one of the youngest teams in America with 12 players redshirt sophomores or younger. Junior guard Manny Harris leads the team with 22.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Harris also has a team-high 18 steals and 45 assists. He is tied for the team lead with 13 three pointers along with sophomore guard Laval Lucas-Perry, who is scoring 7.4 points per game.

Senior forward DeShawn Sims is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points per contest and he is just behind Harris in rebounds with a 7.4 average. Sophomore guard Zack Novak and freshman guard Darius Morris round out the starters. Novak scores 6.3 points per game, while Morris averages 4.8 ppg.

Senior forward Zack Gibson (6.0 ppg) and sophomore guard Stu Douglass (4.7 ppg) each average more than 24
minutes per game for the Wolverines.

Meet the Opposing Coach

Michigan coach Jim Beilein is 36-40 in his third season at Michigan and 587-358 in his 32nd season overall. Beilein's 587 career victories place him in the top 20 in victories among active Division I head coaches. He has compiled 27 winning seasons and put together 15 campaigns of 20-wins or more. Beilein is the only active coach in the collegiate ranks to record a 20-win season at four different levels -- junior college, NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I. During the 2008-09 season, Beilein's second in Ann Arbor, Michigan posted a 21-14 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 seasons, falling in the second round. Michigan's 21 victories during the 2008-09 campaign tied a school record for the largest single-season turnaround in program history.

John Beilein
Team	Years	Record
Michigan	2007-2010	36-39 (48.0%)
West Virginia	2002-2007	104-60 (63.4%)
Richmond	1997-2002	100-53 (65.4%)
Canisius	1992-1997	89-62 (58.9%)
Le Moyne	1983-1992	163-94 (63.4%)
Nazareth	1982-1983	20-6 (76.9%)

The Series

Michigan has won all five meetings with Kansas in men's basketball. This is a rarity for Kansas - the third winningest program in NCAA Division I. Of teams with multiple games played against Kansas, Bradley (2-0) and UTEP (3-0) are the only teams that have undefeated records versus KU, damn Bradley. The Kansas-Michigan series dates back to 1949 and runs through 1992. Two of the matchups have been on neutral floors with a 49-47 Michigan win in 1949 in Kansas City and the last meeting, an 86-74 Michigan victory on Dec. 30, 1992, at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. This will be the second meeting between the schools in Allen Fieldhouse as Michigan defeated Kansas 64-52 during the 1980-81 season.

KU-La Salle Leftovers

Kansas freshman guard Xavier Henry scored 31 points to set a career high. The last Jayhawk to score 30-plus points was Sherron Collins, who scored 32 against North Dakota State last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
X. Henry also set career highs in field goals (10), free throws made (seven) and free throws attempted (nine). His totals were also the most by a Jayhawk this season.
Markieff Morris recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Morris' 12 boards were his best output since his Jayhawk debut. Markieff Morris' four blocked shots were also a career high.
Junior center Cole Aldrich scored a season-high 19 points. He also set a season high in field goals (eight) and had five blocked shots to match a season high. Aldrich's five blocked shots gave him 160 for his career and moved him into sixth place all-time at KU, behind Danny Manning (200).
Kansas held La Salle to 36.1 percent shooting from the field, marking the 83rd-straight opponent the Jayhawks have held under 50 percent. KU has also held eight of its nine opponents this season under 40 percent.

What to Look For Against Michigan

Sherron Collins is 27 points from cracking the KU Top 20 career scoring list. Collins is 21st with 1,450 career points. Collins' former teammate Brandon Rush (2006-08) is at No. 20 with 1,477 points.
Collins is six assists from cracking the KU Top 10 all-time list. Collins is No. 11 with 431 career assists, while former KU great and current Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon is No. 10 with 437 assists from 1984-87.
Cole Aldrich is four rebounds from moving into 25th on the Kansas career rebound list. Aldrich has 592 all-time boards. David Magley (1979-82) is 25th at 596 and Kelly Knight (1980-84) is 24th at 601.
Through only nine games, Xavier Henry already ranks tied for 11th on the KU freshman list for three point field goals made with 24. Kirk Hinrich (2000) is 10th with 25, while Jacque Vaughn (1994) is ninth with 28.
Redshirt junior guard Brady Morningstar and redshirt freshman center Jeff Withey are both eligible to play against Michigan. Morningstar was suspended for the first semester for breaking team rules. He started 34 of 35 games last season and averaged 30.3 minutes per game with a 6.5 scoring average. Withey, who returned to practice full-time Dec. 7 from a knee injury, transferred to Kansas from Arizona in December 2008 and becomes academically eligible.

Team Notables

Kansas remains one of 11 undefeated teams in NCAA Division I (Dec. 13). Others include Georgetown, Kentucky, Missouri State, New Mexico, Purdue, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
Seven of Kansas' nine victories this season have been by 25 or more points with six of those by 30 points or more.
Entering the week, Kansas led the nation in scoring margin at +32.7. The Jayhawks also ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (third at 90.3), field goal percentage (seventh at 51.2), field goal percentage defense (second at 34.3), three-point field goal percentage (fifth at 44.2), assists (fourth at 19.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (fourth at 1.65) and blocked shots (seventh at 7.4).
Kansas forces 16.7 turnovers per game and averages 21.3 points off turnovers per game.

		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#3	M. Harris	9	9	35.778	22.222	46.8	76.0	28.9	8.444	3.222	5.222	5.0	2.333	2.0	0.111	1.111
#34	D. Sims	9	9	30.667	15.556	47.0	75.0	37.5	7.444	3.0	4.444	1.0	1.0	1.222	0.889	1.889
#0	Z. Novak	8	8	31.0	6.25	40.0	55.6	28.1	4.375	0.875	3.5	1.5	0.5	1.5	0.5	2.25
#31	L. Lucas-Perry	9	9	24.667	7.444	38.9	57.1	36.1	2.111	0.667	1.444	1.667	1.556	0.889	0.111	2.444
#4	D. Morris	9	9	24.222	4.778	42.1	75.0	20.0	1.889	0.222	1.667	2.222	2.222	0.444	0.111	1.778
#1	S. Douglass	9	0	24.0	4.667	26.4	71.4	23.1	1.444	0.222	1.222	2.556	0.778	1.0	0.0	0.889
#32	Z. Gibson	9	1	12.333	6.0	56.8	62.5	22.2	2.667	1.444	1.222	0.222	0.444	0.444	0.889	1.667
#12	A. Wright	9	0	9.111	1.889	26.1	75.0	16.7	1.444	0.667	0.778	0.889	0.333	0.222	0.111	0.889
		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#4	S. Collins	9	9	29.667	13.333	43.8	77.3	43.2	2.0	0.222	1.778	4.444	1.556	1.333	0.0	1.333
#1	X. Henry	9	9	27.0	18.0	55.6	82.4	53.3	4.111	0.889	3.222	1.778	2.0	1.778	0.778	2.0
#45	C. Aldrich	9	9	25.889	12.0	56.3	70.0	0.0	9.556	3.333	6.222	1.222	1.444	0.667	3.556	2.111
	T. Taylor	9	7	23.556	7.333	40.0	68.4	31.2	2.778	0.667	2.111	3.889	2.0	1.556	0.222	1.778
#22	M. Morris	9	7	22.444	9.778	55.4	67.6	33.3	5.333	2.444	2.889	1.444	1.333	1.111	0.444	2.556
#21	M. Morris	9	2	16.778	8.889	69.8	66.7	66.7	6.222	2.111	4.111	1.222	0.889	0.778	1.0	1.889
#14	T. Reed	9	0	16.111	4.778	41.7	75.0	35.7	1.444	0.111	1.333	1.556	0.333	0.889	0.111	1.0
#15	E. Johnson	9	2	12.222	4.333	51.7	55.6	36.4	2.111	0.889	1.222	2.667	1.111	0.667	0.0	1.889

The TDG Big Ten Basketball Preview

GopherNation — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:45:15 -0000

I have intentionally held off with a Big Ten basketball preview, waiting until we could see a few games and get a feeling for how teams are adjusting to the key gains and losses from a year ago. Gopher Nation has plenty to look forward to this season. As we all know everything is returning with some key additions added. An NCAA tournament bid and likely a win or two is expected. But what about the road before the NCAA Tournament. The long and difficult Big Ten season comes first and this team has a chance to really be a factor in the B10 title race. Let's take a brief look at each team in my expected order of finish.

1 - Purdue (NCAA) - Were it not for Purdue having injury issues a year ago they could very likely be defending a Big Ten title this year. Robbie Hummel was last year's preseason B10 POY and he should not be fully healthy to lead the rest of a very talented roster. The bulk of the talent lies in the junior class for the Boilermakers and this team is athletic and deep. Injuries and other uncontrollables aside, what may be the difference between a Big Ten title and a top 2 finish could come down to coaching. Matt Painter is an excellent coach but who knows if he'll be capable of steering his team accurately to win a Big Ten regular season title. Guys like Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Bruce Weber and Tubby Smith have the resume of winning multiple titles. I think after this year Matt Painter adds a Big Ten regular season title to his resume.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - E'Twaun Moore
SG - Chris Kramer
SF - Keaton Grant
PF - Robbie Hummel
C - JJ Dawson

2 - Michigan State (NCAA) - I know that Michigan State is the consensus title team and for very good reason. Tom Izzo is a great coach, his team is coming off a national runner-up season and he returns the vast majority of his roster. But my gut tells me they have a great season but one that ends the regular season looking up one spot in the B10 standings. It is really hard not to like Michigan State. They too are deep, very athletic, play great defense and as I mentioned they are very well coached. But I think the one key loss will be the loss that makes the difference. Goran Suton meant a lot to the Spartans a year ago and while this team still has very talented players like Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen and Durrell Summers (with guys like Raymar Morgan and Delvin Roe off the bench); Suton will be missed. Freshman Garrick Sherman may be very good but he's not the same thing. From year to year team's take on different personalities and even the loss of just one player can change the dynamic of a team. Michigan State will be great, they'll be extremely dangerous in the NCAA Tournament but I think they fall a game or two short of Purdue this year.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Kalin Lucas
G - Chris Allen
G - Durrel Summers
PF - Draymond Green
C - Garrick Sherman

3 - Ohio State (NCAA) - In this early season the Buckeyes have looked fairly strong. And leading their early season charge is the outstanding play of Evan Turner, who looks like the early favorite for Big Ten POY (very early, I know). Turner has notched a double-double in all four games averaging 21.7 ppg and 14.7 rpg. OSU has a lot of very nice pieces outside of Turner, which isn't surprising considering the recent string of very highly ranked recruiting classes in the Thad Matta era. OSU has some offensive weapons but they are lacking in a couple key areas. First of all they are not an overly deep team. Jon Diebler is a lights out shooter and Turner might be the best player in the conference but they can only carry them so far. Matta has been going with an eight man rotation so far this year with heavy minutes for the starting five. Secondly this team is not overly strong in the paint. Their perimeter is as good as anybody's in the conference but Kyle Madsen and Dallas Lauderdale will not strike fear into the hearts of the conference's coaches.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - William Buford
SG - Jon Diebler
SF - Evan Turner
PF - David Lighty
C - Kyle Madsen

4 - Minnesota (NCAA) - There was a time when my maroon goggles would have had me rank the Gophers one spot higher. The potential (probable?) losses of Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe greatly lessened my optimism. But then the impressive play of Rodney Williams to start the year has me thinking big things again, just not as grand as before. As we all know the Gophers are deep and defend very well. I think the improvement of the sophomores and the athleticism that Williams brings to the table makes this team dangerous. Over the course of a long season I don't think we have what it takes to finish in the top 2 but this team is good enough to beat anybody on their schedule.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Al Nolen
SG - Lawrence Westbrook
SF - Rodney Williams
PF - Damian Johnson
C - Ralph Sampson III

5 - Illinois (NCAA) - this might be the team I know the least about but I do know enough to know that this team is well balanced and has the roster make-up that is well suited for Bruce Weber. Demitri McCarney, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale are known quantities around the Big Ten. These guys averaged a combined 33 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game last year. They compliment each other well and this year they add a couple dynamic freshmen to the backcourt in DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul. In the early goings these kids have 11.3 and 16.7 respectively, although they have yet to play any team of substance. Overall this will be a very good team that will only get better as the season goes along.

Likely Starting lineup
G - Brandon Paul
G - DJ Richardson
G - Demitri McCamey
PF - Mike Davis
C - Mike Tisdale

6 - Michigan (NCAA) - Manny Harris is such a great player who can win a game on his own and probably has the best pro potential in the conference. A lot of people would put the Wolverines as high as third on their prediction list based mostly on the talent of Harris and DeShawn Sims. But I'm not 100% sold on the rest of the team. John Beilein is a great coach and in year three he should really have his guys and his system working well. But once again I'm not sold on the rest of the roster and in this year's Big Ten a guy like Manny Harris will win you a few but on the nights when teams slow him down Michigan will be rather vulnerable. Decent depth, great scoring and not great interior size. A sixth place finish may seem very low but the difference between the 4th through 7th place teams could really only be a couple games.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Darius Morris
G - Manny Harris
G - Laval Lucas-Perry
F - Zack Novak
F - DeShawn Sims

7 - Wisconsin (NCAA) - Rule #1 in Big Ten basketball, never underestimate Bo Ryan and the Badgers. This isn't a great Badger team but there is some talent here with Trevon Hughes, Jason Bohannon and even Jon Leuer is having a pretty good season thus far. It may be easy for Gopher fans to overlook Wisconsin since we did sweep them last year (that was fun to write), but this team is capable of not only beating the Gophers but finishing at least a few spots higher than this. Maybe this is wishful thinking or maybe I'm not sold that the talent is there, not even for Bo Ryan.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Trevon Hughes
SG - Jason Bohannon
SF - Tim Jarmusz
PF - Jon Leuer
C - Keaton Nankivil

8 - Penn State (NIT) - The Talor Battle show will be a lot of fun to watch in Happy Valley. Penn State is perfectly demonstrates why I wanted to wait a couple weeks before I started my B10 preview. I once would have put PSU a spot or two higher, but after losses to UNC-Wilmington, Tulane and a 2-pnt win over Davidson (Steph Curry is no longer there folks) I am thinking that 7th might be too high. This team will go as far as Taylor Battle will lead them but the development of freshman Tim Frazier at PG and how well their interior rebounds is what could be the difference between another NIT run and the NCAA Tournament. Their Big Dance resume is already in bad shape, they'll will have to finish a lot higher in the conference standings to avoid the NIT again.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Tim Frazier
SG - Talor Battle
SF - David Jackson
PF - Jeff Brooks
C - Andrew Jones

9 - Indiana (NIT) - Great recruiting class and I am a huge Tom Crean fan, but this year will be tough for a young Hoosier squad to make much noise in the Big Ten. The conference is the deepest and most talented that it has been in a very long time. Other years a hot, young team like Indiana could make a run into the top 5, but not this year. This will be the sheik team next year and this year you'll likely seen them stun a few top 4 teams along the way. But learning to play at the Big Ten level is not an easy adjustment no matter how talented you are. I wouldn't be completely shocked to see them finish higher, but not likely this year.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Verdell Jones III
G - Jeremiah Rivers
G - Maurice Creek
PF - Tom Pritchard
C - Christian Watford

10 - Northwestern - This may have been the year for the Wildcats to make the tournament, but the loss of Kevin Coble effectively ended that dream. This is a surprisingly talented NU roster and with the way they defend and execute their precision offense they should never be taken lightly. But with Coble out for the season they'll rely on Michael Thompson and John Shurna. There are a couple intriguing freshmen to go along with Thompson and Shurna

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Michael Thompson
SG - Jeremy Nash
SF - Drew Crawford
PF - John Shurna
C - Luka Mirkovic

11 - Iowa - The outlook for the Hawkeye season is so bleak that they cannot help but surpass expectations this year. Scoring has been the problem this year for Iowa. There will be games when they are hot from behind the arc and maybe they'll get a few conference wins. But for the most part you can expect a lot of losses for Iowa (that too was fun to type).

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Cully Payne
SG - Anthony Tucker
SF - Matt Gatens
PF - Jarryd Cole
C - Brennan Cougill

I know that people hate preseason polls and predictions but at the conference level this is a lot of fun. Everyone has much hope and optimism for the season, except Iowa fans. There are eight teams capable of making a run to the NCAA Tournament (although Penn State is already on life support). The Big Ten should be a blast to watch this year.

Since I'm taking a wild stab at the standings here is my best guess at some post season individual awards.

All Big Ten First Team

PG - Kalin Lucas
SG - Manny Harris
SF - Evan Turner
PF - Robbie Hummel
F - DeShawn Sims

All Big Ten Second Team

G - Taylor Battle
G - Demetri McCamey
F - Jon Diebler
F - Damian johnson
C - JJ Dawson

Big Ten All Freshman Team

G - Brandon Paul - Ill
G - D.J. Richardson - Ill
F - Rodney Williams - Minn
F - Christian Watford - Ind
F - Garrick Sherman - MSU

Looking Back at Clemson

Beauford — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:27:38 -0000

We're gonna win this thing. Not just Oklahoma, we're gonna win the whole...damn...thing.

Well, probably not, but that's kind of how I feel after last night gave us a little taste of a fall Saturday in the middle of March, complete with a vintage Lloyd Carr "I can't believe we're letting them come back" moment. Of course, it also came complete with me sitting in my living room with my arms above my head yelling "yes! yes!" after the victory was complete I was angry, defiant, and joyful all in one little 2 hour span, which normally doesn't happen until football season but wait this is March, and that ball is suspiciously round, and holy-crap I care about Basketball again. Sweet.

I didn't write it, and I didn't say it, but one of my primary concerns about last night's game was the potential for the team to say "we've accomplished our goal; we're here; now we're done." I trusted Beilein enough to not let that happen, so I didn't mention it and quietly let it fester. Then Michigan came out and floated two airballs in a row and took exactly 9.67 seconds to cross that 10 second line against the press. I immediately went into the exact shell that I had trusted Beilein to break. I was just happy to be there, and content to watch Clemson run us over. Michigan, on the other hand, decided that they'd better start playing basketball.

And play it they did. Something I did write (in so many words) was that the key to the game would be which team handled the unique defense they faced better. Quite simply, Michigan broke the press early and often, while Clemson had a tough time figuring out that 1-3-1. Booker got his, scoring 18, but we defended the perimeter very well: Clemson was 5-22 from long range. It became very apparent in the early going that Michigan was dictating tempo, forcing outside shots, and breaking the press.

It also became clear that Manny was here to play.

He was, without a doubt, the best player on the court last night and consistently made plays when it mattered. His dribble drive 3 point play with 37 seconds remaining sealed the deal (despite Novak giving everyone a heart-attack), but really his whole game was pretty awesome. He scored when it was available, he dished when they doubled him, he rebounded, he dunked, he drove, he shot three's, he was unstoppable. In a game that Sims was frustrated and pressing, Manny looked smooth and confident. So often, we look for story lines that don't involve the star of the show, but in this case, the star was the show. The Wolverine Liberation Army's giant cock* proves it. Also: Zack Gibson, I take back everything negative I've said about you. Great minutes last night. Also also: Stu, next time maybe just a white-point guard layup. You frightened me.

The immediate reaction was kind of expected from the Clemsonite's of the internets. The OP called it "...one of the worst officiated games I have ever seen" which is normally the mantra of the vanquished, but in this case deserves some attention. Oglesby threw an elbow, that much is for sure, but did he really need to be ejected? As a team that was on the other end of an "elbow ejection" earlier this year, I can sympathize with that. I, as well as anybody else in the liveblog (all 4 of us!), didn't think he should have been ejected. Call it an intentional, and move on. I get that part of the OP's ref-rage. But other than that, I thought the game was pretty evenly officiated. It was a little loose, but still tighter than an average Big Ten game, IMO. Michigan attempted 15 free throws to Clemson's 14. All in all; pretty even. I don't think the ejection is what caused Clemson the game, as Oglesby was having a largely forgettable night. I dunno - you be the judge. Is this ejectable? It's at the 49 second mark:

So now we get to play Oklahoma at around 5PM on Saturday. The Griffin Bros. were in full on destruction mode against Morgan State, and it will be interesting to see how Beilein goes about defending them. Preview up shortly, but until then, bask in the victory. It wasn't enough for Michigan just to be here. It's time to win the weekend.

* of victory

How It's Going to Go Down

Beauford — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:47:08 -0000

You'll be walking down the street in an nondescript part of town. Kansas City. No man's land. The sun isn't shining, but it ain't rainin' - at least - not yet. Water, or some unidentifiable liquid, drips from the fire escapes above your head and splash onto the pavement that hasn't dried but still isn't wet. Your hand will go to your pocket, to the mysterious piece of paper, an invitation. You'll read it again blindly; by now you've got it memorized.

Thursday, March 19th. Kansas City. Wear Orange.

- NCAA

You will immediately put the paper back in the pocket of your orange warmup, afraid that someone's spotted you. These four letter have haunted you since receiving the invite on Sunday. 7-seed facing a 10-seed. Shouldn't be a problem. You've trained for this. How tough could these "Wolverines" be anyways?

But doubt will start to creep into your head. You haven't had time to prepare, and these Wolverines fight in an unorthodox style, some sort of weird smothering zone you haven't seen. "No matter!" you'll say, as you continue to walk towards the meeting point, splashing through puddles that are starting to form as the rain picks up. You're Clemson. You won 16 straight. You're the higher seed. But that doubt doesn't go away. It just festers as you begin to argue with yourself. The streetlight glints off your shoulder holstered .45. If they want a fight, they'll get it.

You will arrive at the destination. 1100 Walnut Street. The rain has become a steady stream that sizzles the pavement around you. Each flash of lightening briefly illuminates the surroundings to daylight. "Daylight." During the day children play on these streets. At night, they belong to the madness. You will stand in the pale glow of the steaming street light and await your foe. Your hand drifts towards the .45.

A flash of lightening, and some movement. You'll reach for your piece, but it will be too late. You're smothered, baffled by this "1-3-1" attack. You'll fire some wild shots from long range, but come up mostly empty. There must be a way to loosen this defense, you'll think, and so you'll continue to fire wildly from distance, hoping to stretch them enough to get some penetration. It won't work. Eventually, you'll start to turn it over, frustrated by this mysterious zone.

That's when the Wolverines will go to work. They'll start by working the inside, freeing up Sims to land those hard body punches and back door cuts. You'll get tired and weak, and with each blow that's landed, the Wolverines will gain confidence. Then, as quickly as it started, it'll be over. You'll be left standing, clutching your battered side with your firearm out. You'll take a few more wild shots into the darkness before a flash of lightening illuminates a figure standing 20 feet, 9 inches from you. The assassin.

You'll hear the shots being fired from all around you. Sims, Novak, and Douglass. The snipers. There are just too many of them. Your mind will go blank, you'll drop to your knees. The one man, must be Harris, standing in front of you will raise his gun, his shadow cast upon the street around him and forming a permanent image behind your eyes. You'll see the flash, but you won't hear the shot that gets you. Ask UCLA. Ask Duke. Nobody ever does.

NCAA Basketball Tournament Roundtable - Big Ten Bloggers Style

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:02:25 -0000

Michigan is in the Tournament. And so is more than half the Big Ten. Michigan State, Minnesota, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio State are all dancing this year. What's even more impressive is that nine of eleven Big Ten schools are in post season play when you count in Penn State and Northwestern's NIT invites. That leaves two words to be said:

Damn, son.

To tip off Tournament Week the right way, our homies over at Hammer and Rails, SBN's outstanding and freshly minted Purdue blog, have posed a Tournament Blog Roundtable. My thanks and congrats to TMill for the Rountable and to his Boilermakers for raising another Big Ten Tournament Banner with a win over Ohio State. Here's hoping for a deep run for the Boilers and Wolverines over then next few weeks.

Now on to the Questions:

1. For those in the tournament, what was your signature win that made sure you were dancing? For those out, what was that one loss that prevented you from going?

One signature win? Michigan had a couple. But there were a trio of wins that put Michigan in the tournament. The first was the November 20, 2008 win over then No. 4 UCLA. That win gave Michigan hope. Hope that this team could do something special. The second was the December 6, 2008 win over then No. 4 Duke. That win gave Michigan credibility. Finally, after a mini-slump, Michigan's final win at Minnesota sealed the deal. That showed Michigan could win on the road. If there's one thing the selection committee made clear this year, your whole season determines your invite. So along those lines, I've gotta point to Three Key Wins that locked Michigan's first bid in more than a decade.

via photos.mlive.com

2. The conference jumped from four bids to seven this year, and it could have been nine with the right breaks. What is the biggest factor in this jump?

Coaching. People can babble on about the ACC or the Big East, but the best coaching in the country can be found in the Big Ten. How in God's name is Northwestern even in the conversation? Coaching. How is Penn State a breath away from an invite? Coaching. Go from the top of the standings down, you're going to find outstanding coaches at every rung on the ladder. Hell, I'm more afraid of the coaches at the bottom of the pile than I am of some of the coaches in the middle! Tom Crean is an amazing coach who, mark my words, will bring Indiana back to prominence. And at Iowa, I actively campaigned for Licklieter at Michigan. Izzo, Smith, Ryan, Webber, Beilein, Painter, etc... This conference got better because the coaching got better.

Anyone else have an explanation for Michigan's turn around?

3. Talk about your first round opponent for a moment. What advantages/disadvantages do you see in facing them (Penn State and Northwestern fans may talk NIT here).

At first glance, this looks like it's going to be one of the better first round matchups in the tournament. Clemson started hot going 16-0, before cooling off to a 7-8 finish (1-4 to close the season!). You wouldn't know that this team only lost 8 games this year if you read their sports blogs. But this is a talented team. three scorers in double figures, two really good guards, and Trevor Booker, a forward/center who is a DeShawn Sims clone and a monster on the boards. Clemson could be a good match up for Michigan because they don't have a traditional (big man) center. Michigan struggled against teams with 7 footers. Clemson doesn't have that luxury, at least not in their starting lineup. I need to do a little more research, but at first glance this is going to be a "cut and shoot" kind of game that's going to be very exciting to watch.

4. What are your realistic postseason expectations?

With Oklahoma waiting for them in the second round? Going 1-1 in the tournament is more than acceptable. Additionally, Michigan has really, really struggled in back to back games. This is a jump shooting team, and when the legs aren't there, they're chances of winning go down the toilet. I'll happily take a single win, and anything after that is gravy. And frankly, after 11 years out of the tournamet, at this point anything is gravy.

5. How will your team get back to/make the step forward to the NCAA Tournament next year? this is officially known as the Iowa and Indiana question.

Michigan's road back is going to be a little harder than people think. With Sims and Harris returning, Lucas-Perry having another year under his belt, and the hontastic trio of Novak-Douglass-Gibson all back, Michigan will be able to score and play a little defense. The glaring weakness is going to be one-on-one defense and crunch time ball handling. CJ Lee's graduation along with Merritt's, will hurt this team early in 2009-2010. They provided a steady leadership that hasn't quite been replaced by Harris or Sims. However, easing the loss, Michigan will have two new big men (Ben Cronin and Eric Puls [who hopefully will add a little weight to his 6'11 125 pound frame]) to ease some of the defensive burden on Sims. They'll also have a bona-fide sniper coming in Matt Vogrich. Michigan's season next year will come down to guard play. Will Kelvin Grady finally be ready to be the point man for this offense? If he can, Michigan could have a sweet 16 kind of team. If not, next year could be one-and-done (in the 2010 NCAAs - Ed.).

Unlikely Heroes

Beauford — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:33:29 -0000

About halfway through the liveblog during Michigan's victory against Minnesota this weekend, a Minnesota commenter asked "How happy have Michigan fans been with LLP?" Commenter Jeepnut replied "We're happy with his potential," which was really all that could be said of the Arizona transfer. The responses from the other fans mirrored the sentiment. LLP had been, to the casual observer, in a shooting slump that had him clanging 3's every time Michigan needed a big one.

Until last game.

Nobody thought Michigan had a prayer down 12 with 13 minutes to go. Minnesota's defense had frustrated the Wolverines all afternoon, and with shots clanging off the rim or, in one specific case missing everything completely, it didn't look good for a comeback. After an entire season of riding the bubble, countless fans, including myself, began plotting just how we were going to win the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan had come too far for a 1 seed in the NIT. We'd done too much, dissected stats too much, beat two and half giants, just TOO MUCH to not get into the NCAA's, and yes, I'm using "we" because dammit, I feel for this team just about as much as any team I've watched, so yes, it's a "we" effort now despite my lack of playing time.

In my preview of this game, I wrote:

...in some way, shape, or form, they [Michigan] are going to have to be a better team than what their statistics bear out in order to win on Saturday, which I suppose is the exact situation that any team as firmly "on the bubble" as Michigan is should find themselves in.

This did come to pass. Michigan shot 40.9% from behind the arc (8 points better than average), and Michigan forced 17 turnovers (3 more than average). Michigan, as a team, played better than their statistics said they would. But the source of inspiration wasn't Harris, Sims, Novak, or Douglass. The individual player responsible for the team playing statistically better basketball was Laval Lucas-Perry, who took the "Michigan is going to have to be a better team than they are" mantra to heart.

Player	FG %	3-PT %	PPG	REB PG	Minutes
Laval Lucas Perry	.348	.325	6.8	1.6	19.6

This is a snap-shot of LLP's season prior to the Minnesota game. Leading up to this game, Perry had averaged just under 7 points per game in 19 minutes. For a kid who was heralded as a complimentary scorer next to Manny, 7 points/game is underwhelming.

Player	FG %	3-PT %	Points	Rebounds	Minutes
Laval Lucas Perry	.857	.75	19	2	21

Above is LLP's line for Minnesota. On Saturday at a weird gym with a raised court and the ugliest band you can imagine, LLP decided it was time to start scoring again. Down 12 with 13 to play, LLP launched a 3 that went through the hoop with that noise that makes it sound like the net's about to catch fire, straight out of NBA Jam or something. The whole game, we had all been saying "uh-oh you don't want [Player-X] getting hot." With LLP though, everyone just kind of took it in stride. The kid hit a 3. I guess he was bound to eventually. Then he came down, caught a pass, and launched another that ripped the net. LLP was heating up. After a nifty defensive effort, LLP came down the court again, spotted up, and drained his 3rd three in a row. Michigan, all of the sudden, was down 2. He finished his night with a few neat drives, and was 4-4 from the line to round out the game you see above. In 21 Minutes, LLP had straight up willed the team to be better. A player seemingly destined to be a "we're excited about his potential" guy just went to "tournament savior."

Barring a Big Ten Tournament disaster combined with some truly freaky bubble-surprises, Michigan will be dancing for the first time in 10 years. The resurrection that began in Madison Square Garden in November is now complete. We may not win a tournament game, but we're there, and after a 10 year drought, and all the bullshit, well, I guess it's just nice to see.

MGo Style Bullets

LLP had a great game, but Sim's 24 sure did help.
The team was 14-15 from the charity stripe. That was huge.
Lawrence Westbrook is really, really good.
Merritt for team statistician?
This game would have been a lot less close if Michigan had capitalized on those early Minnesota turnovers
For those Minnesota fans complaining about the refs: Michigan shot 15 FT's to Minnesota's 19.
The White-kid from Indiana combo of Novak and Douglass was ineffective: 8 points combined. This was most assuredly a Harris/Sims/LLP production.
Why is Gibson handling the ball at the top of the key? For a brief period of time in the first half, Michigan was running without Sims or Harris on the floor. I can't find the exact lineup now, but it was odd, and Minnesota went on a run.
Was that Minnesota player laying with the ball with half his body out of bounds? How did the ref's miss that?
Did Manny really have possession on the ground when that TO was called? I didn't think so, so how did the ref's miss that?
When is the Big Ten officiating going to be overhauled? I know we're the "rough and tumble" physical league, but there were a few times on both sides where dudes were hacked mercilessly only to get a no-call. It's frustrating because the other conferences aren't calling games that way, so when you get a guy like Manny who wants to drive and draw contact, it renders him ineffective, whereas if he played in the ACC he'd be averaging 20 on Free Throws alone.

Michigan: Round Two

BoilerTMill — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:32:45 -0000

Both teams need tonight’s game for different reasons, but the underlying subtext will be Chris Kramer, Manny Harris, and elbowgate. Michigan fans arms till up in arms that Harris got ejected for what was an inadvertent elbow. Purdue fans are still up in arms that Kramer was knocked senseless and now has to play with a freaky mask. I would say at the moment that Michigan needs this game more because of its precarious NCAA position. Purdue is going to be dancing regardless of its finish now, so we’re playing for a Big Ten championship and a good seed. Michigan needs a win and a solid finish or it will be back to the NIT.

"We don't retaliate. We just get W's."

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan Record: 17-11, 7-8 Big Ten
2007-08 postseason: Lost 51-34 to Wisconsin in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals
2007-08 final record: 10-22, 6-14 Big Ten
Blog Representation: MGoBlog, MVictors, Varsity Blue, Michigan Sports Center, iBlog for Cookies, Maize'n'Brew, Maize & Blue Nation, UM Hoops

Not a whole lot has changed for Michigan statistically since I did the original game preview for our matchup in West Lafayette. The Wolverines position of being a lock for the NCAA Tournament before conference play started has dropped significantly because of their struggles in Big Ten play. As UCLA continues to plummet that win loses some value as well. Michigan is not a good road team in Big Ten play, winning only at Northwestern and Indiana and needing overtime both times to grab the victory. With two road games remaining at Minnesota and Wisconsin the Wolverines absolutely have to defend their home court tonight.

They have been better at home, but they haven’t exactly made Crisler Arena a place where the Big Ten’s elite fear to tread. Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan State have all won with relative ease at Michigan this year. In an interesting twist tonight the student section won’t be as strong since the campus is already on spring break. On the other side, it is also Senior night for three Michigan seniors. They aren’t scoring machines as they average a combined 7 points per game, but C.J. Lee, David Merritt, and Jevohn Shepherd are solid role players that contribute each night. Shepherd had 10 points in our earlier game, so if he adds that contribution tonight with Harris and Sims doing their usual thing we could find ourselves in trouble.

I made the argument before that the Harris ejection really didn’t matter. Purdue has always done a good job against him and he was well below his averages at the point of conflict. Michigan was actually leading at the time as well, so they had proven they can do well without him. Instead of rallying against injustice they crumbled.

Still, the Wolverines are a much better team with him in there. After what happened in Iowa City on Sunday there is plenty of consternation in the Michigan locker room at the moment. Harris was suspended for the overtime period against Iowa in Sunday’s 10 point loss. Coach John Beilein refused to elaborate on the reason why as well.

Our win in game one came like many others have this season. We played a tight first half but blew things open in the second half thanks to suffocating defense that led to an offensive explosion in transition. Home wins over Iowa, Penn State, and Wisconsin happened in the exact same way. We have struggled in taking that same act on the road and I fear we will need to tonight in order to get a win we must have for the Big Ten title.

I think we should go with the same formula we have used in our last three victories over Michigan. We have to stifle Harris and force someone else to beat us. We will see Zack Novak tonight after he was suspended for the first Purdue game, but this feels like a team that is getting worse as the season goes along rather than better. On the other hand, this game reminds me a lot of our trip to Ohio State last season. In that game, we needed a win to stay in the hunt for the Big Ten title. Ohio State was a team reeling and desperate to get a big win for its NCAA hopes (which ultimately fell short). Doesn’t this sound familiar?

I am assuming Robbie Hummel is playing tonight. If he plays I think we have a win. Be sure to join me right here at 9pm for the open thread. I’ll be watching and posting live from Casa De T-Mill. Purdue 67, Michigan 62

Other notes:

· If you’re on campus and have nothing better to do, head on over to Mackey arena as the women’s team will have its own senior night against Michigan. It’s been a bit of a disappointing year for the ladies as some were predicting a Final Four appearance, but a win tonight would give them 20 wins and would most assuredly put them into the NCAA Tournament for a 15th straight season. Tipoff is at 7pm, so there is plenty of time to go and get back in time to watch the men at 9.

· Incoming recruit D.J. Byrd had minor knee surgery this morning for a torn meniscus, but he hopes to be back for next week’s sectional semifinal in a possible rematch with Danville and Travis Carroll. This is very good news, as his original injury sounded much worse and could have cost him his freshman season next year if it had been ligament damage.

· The baseball team travels to Southeast Missouri State tomorrow for a four game series. The Redhawks took two of three from #16 Alabama last week and won a midweek game against a non-Division 1 opponent to move to 3-1. It is the first meeting between the schools and Purdue probably needs at least a split. An 0-9 start to last season probably prevented an NCAA tournament berth even though Purdue did very well in Big Ten play. We’re already at 1-3 and on a three game losing streak. First pitch of the series is at 3pm Friday.

· If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Fan Post on the right, the Paint Crew is taking on the Izzone in a Coaches vs. Cancer Fundraising Challenge. I have joined the team and set a modest goal of raising $200 here through the site. This is something we can do guys, and it is for a great cause.

· Anyone still interested in joining me for the Big Ten Hoops Day 5k on March 15th in Indianapolis before the Big Ten Tournament championship should e-mail me at tamiller@excite.com. I plan on running in the event and hopefully hopping home for a quick shower before heading to see the Boilers win the title.

· Finally, I will likely not be able to make it to next Wednesday’s Northwestern game. l will probably be covering a high school sectional game that night, so I have posted my tickets on Ebay of anyone is interested.

The Kids are Alright

Beauford — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:55:12 -0000

Michigan didn't, couldn't, beat Uconn on Saturday night. This, from a team with a losing conference record and a likely berth in the NIT, is not surprising, nor is it disappointing. Wait. It's oddly a little disappointing, if for no other reason than they had a lead at halftime, and Stu Douglass just kept hitting three's. Of course I'm not mad that they lost - if I were truly mad that Michigan lost to Connecticut then I'd probably be eating Light Brite pegs with a kind orderly clapping in my face and yelling "no!"

But I am disappointed, and I just keep coming back to that because as of right now, there aren't any Light Brite pegs in front of me, and everyone at work is regarding me with the same level of "ignore" as usual. This is an ok feeling to have regarding Michigan basketball?

via espn.com

Deadspin has become nigh unreadable since Leich left, and was trending that way during the waning months of his tenure. I am reminded, however, of an oddly out of place heartfelt post he wrote after the Superbowl in which he said this of his beloved Arizona Cardinals, annoyingly referred to as "Buzzsaw":

See, in a way, losing this way — in the most soul-crushing, sweet-God-what-a-game-holy-frack-where's-something-tall-to-jump-off? fashion possible — justifies it all. The Buzzsaw were not going to lose a Super Bowl the way the Falcons did, or the Chargers. That would be pedestrian. That would be dumb. That would make the whole thing seem silly.

No, losing like this makes it all worthwhile. This was not a 27-7 shellacking, the Steelers simply piddling out the clock as everyone prepares for work tomorrow. Losing like this, after a shocking comeback, after a Yes This Team Is What We Had Hoped For And Dreamed About After All fourth quarter, lends gravitas to it. Now, the Buzzsaw is not the obvious doormat of the professional sports industrial complex. We now have some tragedy. We now have some pain. Real pain.

It feels all right. It feels raw, and throbbing, and palpable. It feels what it feels like to be a sports fan. It feels like I cheer for a team that matters. It feels like we've got some hair on our chest now. We couldn't really compare ourselves to the Bills before, or the Browns, those franchises who have come close enough to taste the nectar. Now we can. Now we've had some actual suffering. It's not just a dull slow ache. We've actually bled.

Now Michigan has never been the doormat of the sports world. Unlike a professional team, we've got ~~football~~ hockey, baseball, swimming, field hockey, softball, academics, and a myriad of other "successes" to which we can point and say "a-ha!" and stamp the word "relevent" in big red letters across our institution. But Michigan basketball? It's gone past irrelevent and into the ether of the non-existent. Brian wrote on Mgoblog in a post I can't find that Michigan basketball under Ellerbe and Amaker had been hard to root for, and not just for the actual basketball. The shadow cast by the Martin scandal was just too large; our best player of that era was Tractor Trayler. Enough said.

So disappointment in this particular basketball team isn't something that I've come to expect after a loss. I mean, the loss was expected, and I didn't really like those guys very much in the first place.

via cache.gettyimages.com

But now? Now it's different. Now I kinda like it when Manny Harris goes flying into the lane then looks inquizzled (made up word) when he picks himself up and watches the other team execute a fast break layup. What, no foul? I like it when Stu Douglass leans into an impossible three and buries it, only to miss the next 3 wide open chances. I like watching Zack Novak out hustle everyone on the court because it's the only way he's ever played, and the only way he's going to be successful at this level. I like seeing Michigan leading #1 Uconn at the half, if only because I know at least one player on that Huskies team thought to himself "Holy Shit, they're going to do it again if we let them."

Uconn, of course, didn't let us. They played flawlessly in the 2nd half, and exploited every exploitable that they could.

And I was dissapointed.

And it felt great.

Novak Suspended for One Game

Beauford — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:53:13 -0000

Via Umhoops and the BTN's website.

This is an acceptable punishment, IMO. Thoughts?

Regression Toward the Mean: Michigan Falls, and Falls Hard, at Ohio State

Maize n Brew Dave — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:38:17 -0000

As the season progresses it is becoming increasing apparent that Michigan's early season triumphs were the exception rather than the rule. Statistical outliers. Anomolies. What we've seen is Michigan slowly converge on the slope their performance last year set them upon. This isn't a bad thing. Going into this season Michigan was pegged as an NIT team. A vast improvement over the 20+ loss debacle of a year before.

But when hopes get high, and those statistical outliers come to early in what is truly a 30+ game experiment, we ignore or forget a statistical certainty:

Regression to the mean is a mathematical inevitability: any measurement of any variable that is affected by random variance must show regression to the mean.

And it has.

Michigan was outplayed, out hustled, out sized and basically out basketballed by a better team last night. The result was a 72-54 loss to Ohio State in Columbus. Over the last two weeks it's been comical to watch 6'4" Zack Novak try to guard a 7 foot center. Unfortunately, it's been just as comical to watch 6'10" Zack Gibson do the same.

But this shouldn't be a surprise. Michigan is a small, guard heavy team. Even our big men are perimeter players (with the exception of Sims). Michigan will live and die by their ability to shoot from the outside, and judging by their last six games funeral arrangements are being made.

What hurts the most is you can see Michigan collapsing under the weight of it's own expectations. They came out of nowhere to upset one good and one very good team early in the season. No one took them seriously early and they paid for it. Michigan won big games. Michigan wasn't a push over. Michigan was relevant again after a decade of irrelevance on the hardwood. Michigan was all of a sudden supposed to win.

There's a big difference between being expected to win and being expected to lose. the latter frees you to do whatever you can to win. The former can make you tight, scared, concerned that what you're doing will cost you a game you should win. And that is what is happening now.

Michigan is wound so tightly you could use its players as industrial strength coils to support a battleship during refurbishment. They can't play defense so the only way to compete is to score. But when they can't score, man, it's like they believe every contested three pointer will somehow tie the game. This is a team that doesn't know what happened to get them to a point where they were expected to win and now doesn't have a clue how to deal with being who they were supposed to be before the season started.

But these are things that happen when a good program has been down for a long time. This is a very young team. They're nervous. They're tentative. They're making decisions on the court that bely just how inexperienced they really are. Give them a few games. Give them a year. They'll be good. At the least, they'll be better.

But right now they are who we thought they'd be at the start of the season. They're just not who we hoped they'd be after beating Duke.

SCM on the Novak elbow. I whole heartedly agree:

The Novak thing was really pretty uncalled for, Novak says he was trying to aggressively box out... the camera unfortunately shows him pretty solidly lining up PJ Hill's face and then trying to cave it in with his elbow.

Novak should sit for two games. I've heard sit a game. But that was a total crap move on his part. Keep your cool, son. The only thing worse than being called an asshole is proving that person right on national TV. Beilein needs to come down hard on him, especially after what happened to Kampfer on the ice. Michigan can't talk out of both sides of it's mouth on cheap shots.

One more thing from SCM of note:

20 freakin percent shooting in the first half guys... that's ungodly bad.

Yeah. That's bad. What's worse is Michigan was 0-11 from three and 5-14 inside the arc in the first half. That's not going to cut it in any league. This team is waaaaaaaaay too content taking bad three pointers rather than executing the offense. The pick and roll we saw earlier in the year has completely disapeared. And sadly with the pressure D Ohio State was offering this was a perfect time to bring it back.