Previewing: Kansas State

In Michigan's last game, they had all they could handle against Pitt.  Michigan was able to pull away in the later segments of the game to secure a win, but the Wolverines will definitely be looking to avoid such a close finish in their NIT Championship game against Kansas State.  This game has a few interesting story lines  but perhaps the most intriguing is the return of Bruce Weber.  Weber coached Illinois for the last 9 seasons, winning the Big Ten Championship twice, making the NCAA Tournament 6 times, the Sweet Sixteen twice, the national championship game in 2005, and holding a record of 5-5 against Beilein during that his tenure in Champaign.

Of course, Weber is now at Kansas State and his time at Illinois is in the past.  The Wildcats have actually been pretty consistent over the last few years.  Former coach Frank Martin decided to leave for South Carolina during the offseason, but he had secured 5 straight NCAA Tournament berths, a few solid tourney runs, and brought back a talented lineup for this season.  Personally, I'm not completely sure why he left, but the bottomline is that it leaves Weber in a pretty good place for his first season.

Pittsburgh Postgame & Thoughts

ESPN

Wow, what a game.  Even though there were a few point swings during the game, it was pretty close throughout and was a physical battle for both teams.  This was truly Michigan's first test of the season and as evidenced by the halftime score (Pitt 33-29), it was Michigan's first real challenge of the season as well.  During my preview earlier tonight, I had a few things correctly predicted, but there were definitely some unexpected aspects about the game and Michigan that should carry over into Friday's game and beyond.

First and foremost, it's pretty obvious that Pitt is not going to be a pushover this season.  I know this is just one game and it's going to take a lot more than just this game for Pitt to be a serious contender, but they easily passed the eye test.  They played quality defense, used their bench effectively, and did not give up until the clock hit zero, all aspects of a quality team.  Michigan wasn't getting many open looks tonight.  There were several times I wanted to criticize Michigan or Burke, but Pitt's defense was having a significant effect on Michigan's offense.  Along with this, you have to commend a team that has 9 players with points during a game (Michigan had 6).  That shows a deep team that isn't carried by one player.

Previewing Non-Conference: Preseason NIT

There are many early season opportunities for teams to get on the map, legitimize themselves, and help their seeding for the NCAA Tournament.  One of the most exciting opportunities is the Preseason NIT, which is an early season tournament involving 16 teams.  Not all of these 16 teams are legitimate opponents, but the top 4 seeds should be solid teams that should be able to do some big things this year.  These include Michigan, Virginia, Kansas State, and Pittsburgh.  All of these teams except Pitt made it to the NCAA Tournament last year and are in position for another solid year.

Michigan is undoubtedly the favorite for this tournament, but actually winning the tournament could be more challenging than many assume.  The Wolverines only have to win 4 games to get the championship and will be heavily favored through the first two rounds, but every game has the potential to be a trap.  Michigan's first opponent, IUPUI, will probably be blown off the map, but the next round matchup with Cleveland State should be a little more challenging.