A Recap of Michigan Basketball Season Staff Predictions

Michigan beating the Buckeyes to split the season

Well, now that the season is over, we are entering the black void commonly referred to as the offseason.  Basically, we have 5-6 months to discuss what happened in the previous season, recruiting, and what is going to happen next season.  Today, we're going to take the first option and discuss some of the predictions our staff writers had for Michigan's season.  Of course, many of these predictions did not come true and several of these writers have now left Hoke's Mad Magicians (went on to do some exciting stuff), but it's still always fun to see how everyone did.  So let's take a look:

• Staff Predictions:
• Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit)
• 26-5 record
• Solid B1G tournament run
• Solid NCAA Tournament run
• Splits with Indiana, MSU, loss to Wisconsin, and 2 random losses
• Kyle Curtiss (@maizenblu)
• 27-4 record
• 1 non-conference loss
• Loss to Indiana, MSU, and a boneheaded loss
• Tyler Desy (@aka_TMD)
• 27-4 record
• Elite 8 run 
• Tyler Fenwick (@tFly_GetsBuckets)
• 26-5 record
• Final Four run
• Joel Wiscombe (@joelwGoBlue)
• 27-4 record
• Sweet Sixteen run
• Splits with Indiana, OSU, MSU

So the predictions were pretty similar across the board.  Michigan ended up finishing with a 25-6 regular season record with losses to Ohio State, Indiana (twice), Wisconsin, MSU, and Penn State.  They made it to the 2nd round of the Big Ten Tournament and went to the national championship game in the NCAA Tournament.  In terms of raw record, Tyler Fenwick and I tied for the closest prediction at 26-5.  The remaining guys were just a little too optimistic about our chances.

In terms of postseason predictions, Tyler Fenwick had the closest prediction as he called the Final Four run before the beginning of the year.  Tyler Desy predicted the Elite 8, but did say the team could go further.  Kyle didn't make a postseason prediction and Joel was a little less optimistic with a Sweet Sixteen prediction.  I predicted solid Big Ten and NCAA Tournament runs, but didn't specify on how far.  Honestly, I probably would have predicted us farther in the Big Ten Tournament, but probably not quite as far in the NCAA Tournament.  I had a ton of confidence before the season began, but Final Fours are difficult to make, especially with so little tourney experience on the roster.

So Tyler probably had the "best" overall predictions using these measures, although everybody was pretty close when you break things down.  I also made a TON of predictions regarding different things about the team and the schedule.  If you want to take a peak at them, just click here: predictions.

Welcome Tyler Desy To Hoke's Mad Magicians!

Hoke's Mad Magicians is thrilled to make an announcement today that we have officially added Tyler Desy to our staff.  He will be primarily be covering football, but may also cover a bit of recruiting for the blog.  Tyler is 25 years old and is from Jackson, MI.  He is married with a one year old son.  He has been going to football games since he was 9 years old and enjoys every minute.  He also enjoys anything that has to do with the outdoors and hanging out with friends and family.

Kyle brings a deep love for all Michigan sports, not just football and has said that "'hate' is a strong word, but I feel it's perfect for how I feel about Ohio, Notre Dame, and MSU".  He's going to be bringing some great coverage of the football team and I think it's safe to say that we'll all enjoy reading his articles.

You can read Tyler's first post on Hoke's Mad Magicians recaping the Spring Game here: Spring Game Recap.

If you'd like to follow Tyler on Twitter, you can follow him here: @aka_TMD.

Stay tuned for some great coverage in the future and Go Blue!