Michigan Basketball Absent In NBA Draft, But Still Aims For Pros

There were four Big Ten players selected in the 2012 NBA Draft; Meyers Leonard from Illinois (1st Round 11th Pick), Jared Sullinger from Ohio State (1st Round 21st Pick), Draymond Green from Michigan State (2nd Round 5th Pick), and Robbie Hummel from Purdue (2nd Round 28th Pick).  Some of these players may have been selected too high in my opinion and others too low, but all of these guys certainly seemed draft worthy.  The Big Ten did also have one player, John Shurna from Northwestern, that surprised some people by going undrafted.

Michigan basketball was absent from the NBA Draft this year.  This has been an unsettling trend for Michigan fans and the program in general.  Although the NBA Draft isn't necessarily a symbol of a program's strength, direction, and talent, it still has some positive attributes.  Being involved in the NBA Draft gets a lot of attention from recruits, the media, and fans, strongly increases the long-term legacy of the players and the program, and also is just a good sign of players meeting their long-term life goals.

Michigan 2011-2012 Big Ten Basketball Champions

Michigan has finally done it!  They've won their first Big Ten title since 1986.  This is an outstanding achievement considering they weren't even considered that big of a threat for the title in the pre-season.  Not only is this a great achievement for the team, but it is a substantial one for the program and coaching staff as well.  This will be John Beilein's first major college conference championship and cement the fact that Michigan basketball is finally back.

Jordan Morgan tweeted this just a few minutes ago:


"all I can really say is #BANNER...thanking God for so many blessings"


I think that's a great instant analysis of what has happened over the last few days and tonight.  How long has it been since Michigan fans got to see a banner raised in Crisler Arena?  A pretty long time, I'll just say that.  However, that time's passed now.  Right now, it's time to look at this team and be excited for the future.  Winning a Big Ten Championship is great, but that's not the limit of this team.  They can do a lot more, not just in the future, but this year.

If Michigan can win at least a game or two in the Big Ten Tourney, they could easily be a 3 seed or higher in the tournament.  Given that, it's not that unlikely to see them get a deep run.  I mean with the shooting droughts appearing to end, there might not be a limit for where this team can go.  Michigan has competed and beaten top teams this season and I don't see the Big Ten or NCAA Tournament being any different.

Along with this, Michigan didn't "back" into this championship.  They earned it.  Not only did Michigan record wins over the other top two Big Ten teams (Michigan State and Ohio State), but they also played well against non-conference competition like Memphis.  Saying Michigan didn't deserve this title is simply ignorant.  It's the same with arguing the other two teams didn't deserve a share of the championship.  They were all tied for head-to-head match-ups and had a relatively even share of good wins and bad losses.  

The important thing to note is that Michigan earned it's Big Ten title this year.  Nothing gave them the title and as much as Spartan or Buckeye fans would like to think that the Buckeyes "handed" the Wolverines their title, Michigan didn't need any help.  They recorded victories over every Big Ten team except one (Iowa).  That's pretty impressive for a team that "backed" their way into a championship.  

Regardless, now's the time to celebrate and personally I can't wait to be there when they raise the new banner in Crisler Arena.  It's been a long time and I'm proud this title can be given to Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, some of the best seniors Michigan may ever have in their basketball program.


Photo Credit: Melanie Maxwell

Finishing At Home: Michigan vs. Purdue Preview

Fans have one last opportunity to see this year's basketball team in action at home this season in a match-up against Purdue.  With Michigan's current four game winning streak, a victory over Ohio State for the first time in seven tries, and an undefeated home record, this is sure to be an exciting game for Michigan fans.  It's certainly not the biggest or toughest game in Michigan's remaining three regular season games, but a win is crucial if Michigan wants to walk away as the Big Ten regular season champion.  As I posted earlier this week, Michigan's in great position for at least a 2nd place finish, so every game left on the schedule is "must win".

Now, Purdue is not exactly the scariest team in the Big Ten.  They are 18-10 overall and 8-7 in conference play, but they are 0-6 when they have faced teams with winning Big Ten records.  They are essentially the best of "the rest" in the Big Ten.  They can certainly beat many teams and have a solid record, but they certainly aren't in the top-tier of the Big Ten.  However, Hummel is a great player who can create a lot of opportunities for his team and when he's playing well you can't count Purdue out.

Hummel's play, along with Purdue's current tournament situation is why I think this game will be a lot closer than many anticipate.  Even though Michigan has won its last four games and has been playing pretty well, it's crunch time for Purdue.  They will probably make the NCAA Tournament even if they don't beat Michigan, but a win over the Wolverines would go a long way towards securing a spot for them in the tourney.

With this in mind, this should be a pretty competitive game.  Is Purdue a better team than Michigan?  Not really.  In fact, as I pointed out above, they have done little to nothing against the good Big Ten teams this season and I expect that to continue when they play Michigan on Saturday.  The big thing for Michigan is reducing the impact of Hummel and his ever shrinking supporting cast (Purdue kicked several players off its team for a recent bar fight).

If Michigan can minimize Hummel and Lewis Jackson, they will have a great chance at giving Stu Douglass and Zack Novak a great win for their Senior Day.  I would normally say this is a trap game, but I think the emotions tied to Senior Day will inspire the Wolverines to respond to any threat from Purdue.  Douglass and Novak have carried this team for almost four years and I really don't see that stopping for the last home game of their careers.

Plus, this game is the most blatant definition of "must win" that the Wolverines have faced this season.  Michigan is currently only 1 game behind Michigan State in the race for the Big Ten Championship and throwing away a home game against Purdue would remove almost any chance of walking away with the title.  Michigan desperately needs to win its remaining games not only to put pressure on Michigan State, but also to help secure better seeding for the NCAA Tournament.  Right now, there's a lot of speculation that Michigan will enter as either a 3 or a 4 seed come March, so any win is crucial to help Michigan in the seeding.

I really believe that Michigan will come out playing hot and take a size-able lead over the Boilermakers to start the game.  However, Purdue will start to gain focus and close the gap, but I think Trey Burke is going to be too much for Purdue to handle.  Purdue did a nice job of handling him last time, but I think he's going to shred their defense for much of the night to vault Michigan to an undefeated home season.

My Magic Pick Is...


Michigan 69-63


Photo Credit: AP

The Seniors That Built Michigan Basketball

What if I were to tell you that Michigan had just fired its head basketball coach?  That neither he nor Michigan had made the NCAA Tournament in over 9 years.  That the basketball program was still shadowed by a scandal that not only removed its most cherished history and success, but fired one of its most famous coaches and plagued the program with vicious scholarship reductions that made the team almost incapable of competing.

This actually happened to Michigan and the year was 2007.  Surprisingly, Stu Douglass was about to commit to Michigan to play for John Beilein.  Beilein had some success over his career, primarily at West Virginia, but had never made a Final Four, nor coached in the Big Ten.  Few, if any, truly believed this coach could change the culture shock Ann Arbor had received from the Fab 5 Scandal, but two little known recruits believed that Beilein could change what had recently been a disastrous run for Michigan.

The task Beilein, Douglass, and Zack Novak (who committed in the beginning of 2008) were undertaking would be pretty substantial.  Somehow, these three had to convince not only recruits, but the entire fanbase and country that Michigan was ready to play basketball again.  From 1998-2007, Michigan's basketball team was, frankly, horrendous.  Not only did they seem incapable of competing at a high level, but they also lost to bad basketball schools and teams on a routine basis.  A return to glory wasn't exactly going to be something easy.

However, Douglass and Novak bought into what Beilein was preaching.  They would not only be Beilein's biggest pickups in his 2008 recruiting class, but they would be the ones that finally restored Michigan to its winning ways.  To be honest, Douglass and Novak didn't exactly excite many in the public.  Few big time programs bought into these two recruits.  In fact, most of the schools that did heavy recruiting on Douglass and Novak were MAC schools.  Kinda surprising in hindsight, huh?

Regardless of their recruiting hype, Beilein bought into these two players.  He recruited and ultimately brought them to play in Ann Arbor  But Beilein had a season to play before Douglass and Novak would become Wolverines.  The season went pretty badly.  Michigan finished with 10-22 and only 5-13 in Big Ten play.  Not exactly a great start for Beilein at Michigan.  However, Douglass and Novak still planned on coming to Ann Arbor, despite this setback.

By the time Douglass and Novak were getting ready to play Big Ten basketball Beilein had been working hard to turn things around.  He had already secured commitments from several plays including a 4* player named Darius Morris and an in-state forward named Jordan Morgan.  Michigan still had a long way to go both on the court and the recruiting trail, but it was at least a start.

That season Michigan would finally turn the corner.  Not only did the team compete, but after eight games into the season, Michigan had already beaten UCLA and Duke who had both been ranked in the Top 5 at the time.  For a program who had not been to a tournament in over 10 seasons, beating two Top 5 teams in eight games was pretty substantial.  Eventually, that same team would finish 20-13 and lose in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.

In just one season Michigan had more than doubled its win total and snapped a 10 season tournament-less streak.  The culture had thoroughly been shocked.  However, Douglass, Novak, and Beilein didn't stop there.    In the 2010 season, the team would not only sweep in-state rival Michigan State, but make it to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament in a close battle with Duke.

This year the Wolverines have done even better.  Michigan has been ranked all season, recorded wins over Memphis, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan State, and Ohio State, and is poised for a great season and tournament finish.  So, what changed?  How did Michigan go from a train-wreck of a basketball program and team to one of the elite teams in the Big Ten competing for a conference title and high-seed in the NCAA Tournament?

Belief.  Stu Douglass and Zack Novak believed in John Beilein and Beilein believed in Douglass and Novak.  The coach and the players took a chance on each other and look how it turned out.  This Saturday will be Senior Day in Crisler Arena when the Wolverines face-off against Purdue.  Something special will be ending in Ann Arbor.  Douglass and Novak should be credited as the foundation of this new basketball program.  Cazzie Russell may have been the one who Crisler was built upon, but the Fab 5' scandal left that legacy in ruins.  Only with Douglass and Novak has that legacy been restored.

Stu and Zack are the ones who have resurrected Michigan basketball.  I'll miss seeing Stu's insane three attempt (that works once in a while haha) and Novak's endless fire and passion.  These guys built this program through dedication, hard work, and most importantly, belief.  Michigan may not win the Big Ten or NCAA Championship this year, but they're going to win a lot of games over the next few seasons and everyone will have Stu and Zack to thank.  We here at Hoke's Mad Magicians wish them the best of luck and thank them for their contributions to rebuilding what is and will continue to be a great basketball program.  It's been a great ride, now beat Purdue!


Photo Credit: ESPN

A Preview of Michigan v. Oakland (At The Palace)

If any fan 10 or 20 years ago was attempting to hype up a Michigan v. Oakland basketball game, they'd probably get some stares and jokes directed towards them. However, as of late, this has been a pretty intriguing match-up, specifically for those located in southeastern Michigan. Both teams are currently sitting at 6-2 and attempting to return to the NCAA basketball tournament.

Obviously the #19 Michigan Wolverines will be the favorites in this game, but Oakland is no slouch. Not only does Oakland have the same record as Michigan, but Oakland has also faced quality competition. Oakland opened their season with 4 road games including #15 Alabama and faced Tennessee at home. Though a few of these opponents weren't exactly "top" competition, Michigan fans certainly are aware of how difficult road games can be after the ACC Challenge. Michigan so far is 0-1 in true road games, so Oakland's 2-2 away record this season with some tough competition has to be respected.

Saturday's game will certainly be competitive, at least for most of the game, but Michigan is certainly the better team. Oakland has some great players such Reggie Hamilton and Corey Petros, but it's going to be tough for them to match-up with Michigan's significant talent and depth. If Michigan has success shutting down these players early, I'd find it hard to see Oakland taking away a win.

Along with this, this match-up is not a true road game for either team. The game will be held at the Palace of Auburn Hills (home of the Pistons) and will feature many of the maize and blue faithful in the stands. However, I think this will be a big turnaround for the Oakland fans. Facing an in-state ranked team like Michigan is sure to get Oakland fans and students excited. Plus, the Palace is within driving distance so there should be a fair amount there, even though Michigan fans travel well. There are still tickets left and you can get them here. If you're watching on TV, the game will be on FSN Detroit @ 4pm

Offense:

Oakland seems to have an offensive advantage, but how well they will score against a stingent Wolverines defense remains to be seen. Oakland is averaging 80.1 points per game and has 5 players averaging more than 10 points per game including Reggie Hamilton who averages 19.8 points per game.

I still think Hardaway is the best single offensive player on the court, but for Michigan to win, they are going to need to slow down this high-scoring team. Michigan averages 67.9 points per game and only has 2 players averaging more than 10 points per game including Hardaway at 15.9 points per game.

Advantage: Oakland

Defense:

Clearly, this is the area where Michigan has a major advantage. Oakland may be averaging 80.1 points in every game, but they are giving up 75.5 points per game. On the contrary, Michigan is averaging 67.9 ppg, but holds their opponents to 59.6 ppg. Obviously, Michigan's +8.28 is better than Oakland's +4.6 advantage.

This is the biggest spot for Michigan really to pull away in this game. If they can slow down Oakland and hold them well below their average points, I find it hard to see Michigan losing this one. Michigan needs to score to win the game, but if they can make this a defensive game, there's no reason to see a loss.

Advantage: Michigan

Predictions:

• Michigan is able to slow down the Oakland offense and Reggie Hamilton
• One surprise player for Michigan will have a big game, I'm predicting Stu Douglass
• Tim Hardaway, Jr. will come out hot and put up 20 points
• One of Oakland's starters will be in major foul trouble the entire game

Michigan 73-65

Photo Credit: Angela J. Cesere