Paying College Athletes: Fantasy And Reality

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

In recent weeks, the biggest story on the college landscape has been the issue of student athlete compensation.  Whether it's through scholarships, sponsorships, autographs, or just gifts, everything has been on the table.  The NCAA has held firm with the concept that student athletes should be considered "amateurs" and receive nothing more than academic scholarships and expense benefits such as housing, and equipment.  The media has argued that players deserve at least a share of what has become a multi-billion dollar industry (Yes, that's billion with a b as Heisenberg himself would say).  The debate has raged back and forth and nobody seems to be able to reach an agreement.

The biggest part of this failure has been the fundamental problems with the system, the culture clash, and the general ignorance towards the topic.  Many claim to have a deep understanding of the issue that they are discussing, but college athletics and the NCAA rulebook are incredibly complicated and to be honest, I don't even think I understand everything fully.  Regardless, there are still some glaring flaws in many of the mainstream arguments that have been pushed around in recent weeks and I want to take a brief look at some of them.  

The first thing I want to address is the basic concept of the NCAA model.  The college athletic system has fundamental flaws.  There's simply no denying this and I'm not even talking about the concept of paying players yet.  The NCAA system is designed to live under the concepts of "amateurism" and that all sports are created equal.  Some college sports may still have a good degree of amateurism, but it's hard to argue that players like Trey Burke resemble anything of an amateur.  His name would trend worldwide during games, he has made the University of Michigan millions of dollars, and he was consistently featured throughout the media.  The only reason he was considered an "amateur" was because he didn't actually receive a salary.  We don't need to discuss that he's probably a more well known basketball player than half the NBA, but according to the NCAA, he's an "amateur".

The second argument is even more absurd.  At some point, college athletics will have to recognize that the sports are not equal.  I understand there are many issues in saying some sports are more important than others, but this leads into an important discussion that I'll touch on later.  Aside from a few select sports, there are really only four sports that make athletic departments money (football, basketball, ice hockey, baseball).  Every college sport requires an investment from the athletic department in the form of scholarships, equipment, coaching salaries, facilities, and other costs.  The fact is that outside of these few select sports, the remaining sports lose money with few exceptions.  In the grand scheme of things, it means that the "major" sports fund the other sports.  This will be important for later.

Which Team Will Draft Trey Burke On Thursday?

Photo Credit: ESPN

With the NCAA and NBA seasons now wrapped up, the basketball focus on the nation is now fully turned to the NBA Draft this Thursday.  This is a day that is both adored and hated by fans across the nation.  Some of the most exciting moments in the NBA have started here, but some of the worst blunders have started here as well.  Just take a look at the 2007 and 2008 drafts.  Greg Oden (now considered a colossal flop) was taken #1 in 2007, but Derrick Rose (2011 NBA MVP) was taken #1 in the next season.  It's become almost unpredictable, which makes the night incredibly exciting.

For Michigan, there are two prospects that have the focus of the fans.  First and foremost is point guard Trey Burke who won the National Player of the Year last season at the college level (the other is Tim Hardaway, Jr).  Many Wolverine fans are looking for a big night from Burke, but what will ultimately happen?  Will the NBA teams respond to the hype and select Burke in the first few picks or will they agree with the criticisms and drop him lower in the selections?  Let's take a look at what the experts are predicting:

• Chad Ford (ESPN) - #8 on Big Board
• Matt Moore (CBS) - #6 by New Orleans
• Gary Parrish (CBS) - #2 by Orlando
• NBADraft.net - #6 by New Orleans
• Draft Express (DE) - #6 by New Orleans

I'm not going to go through every prediction, but the popular logic is that Trey Burke will be going one of three places: Orlando, New Orleans, or Detroit.  If he goes anywhere beyond the Pistons it will certainly be one of the biggest draft night falls in recent memory.  All three of these teams would make for interesting landing spots for Burke.  First, Orlando could use a point guard and being drafted #2 would say a lot about their confidence in Burke for the future.  New Orleans does have Austin Rivers on the roster, but having Burke and Rivers in the backcourt could give them a dynamic lineup similar to the one seen from the Golden State Warriors in recent years and one that could lead the Pelicans (yes, they are now the Pelicans) to a bright future.  Finally, the Pistons would be an exciting drafting spot for most Michigan fans as it would allow Burke to remain in the state of Michigan and also give the team a talented prospect.

It's not hard to see the Pistons as the best landing spot for Burke with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe already on the roster, but any of these places would be alright.  New Orleans could turn into something special with Rivers and Anthony Davis to potentially play alongside Burke.  Can you imagine Burke feeding Davis down-low or running offensive players into Davis' waiting hands on defense?  It's a fun thing to imagine.  My suspicion is that Burke will end up in New Orleans.  The NBA Draft can be nearly impossible to predict, but it seems like the agents and "experts" are talking Burke down to replace him with guys like Alex Len (Maryland) and Anthony Bennett (UNLV) because of their "potential" (that wasn't all that visible in their college days).  Either way, look for Burke to wind up in one of these three places to begin what should likely be a successful NBA career.

Making The Case: A New NBA Draft

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

With the NBA Draft right around the corner, it seems like a good time to talk about the current format of the NBA Draft and its impact on the league, the college game, and the players.  Michigan has a special relationship to the NBA Draft this year with two of its players (Trey Burke & Tim Hardaway, Jr.) leaving college early for the NBA.  This post isn't necessarily about dissecting whether these or other players made the best decision for themselves, but more about whether the NBA has set up the right framework for its draft process on all three levels.

First thing first, let's go through what the current NBA Draft process looks like.  For a player to declare for the NBA Draft, they must be at least 19 during the calendar year of the draft.  Essentially, a player must be removed from high school for at least one season.  The NBA doesn't clarify what players should do during the 1 year break, but the vast majority go to college to attempt to improve their game and earn a draft spot in the NBA.  Once the year has passed, players can enter the NBA Draft.  Basically, under this system, a player could potentially go through 3 NBA decisions following their freshman, sophomore, and junior years.

This is actually a relatively new system.  Before the introduction of the 19 year old rule, players only had to be 18 years old to qualify for the NBA Draft.  This is the system that players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James used to enter the NBA.  They opted to forego college careers and enter the NBA immediately upon high school graduation.  For the most part, the two systems were largely the same.  It was a rare development for players to head to the NBA immediately following high school simply for the fact that it there were only a few players truly good enough to be drafted, but it still did allow players like LeBron and Kobe to jump a year earlier.

For me, both of these systems have some major flaws.  First, the current 19+ system forces athletes like LeBron and Kobe to enter college for at least one season.  There's no reason that players of this caliber need to play at the college level.  They're clearly NBA talents and the odds that they would stay beyond 1 or 2 seasons and get a college degree is probably pretty low.  So essentially, they're wasting a year of their NBA career in a league that is below their talent level.  The original system (18+) allows these guys to go pro, but still has it's downside.  It could theoretically add another year to their "decision" as they have to make a decision coming out of high school as well.

Given these problems, I'm going to make a case for the system used by the MLB and proposed by the Big Ten Network's Tom Dienhart.  The great thing about this system is that it works out well for each of the three categories (NBA, college, players) that make up the NBA Draft process.  Essentially, this is how the MLB system works.  Players have the option to go pro or go to college directly out of high school.  If they decide to go pro, they can go pro, but if they decide to go to college, they must sign for three seasons.  In my opinion, this would be much better than the current system.

First, it helps the NBA.  Not only does it give them immediate access to the talents like LeBron and Kobe (which they don't have currently), but it will also lead to better draft pools down the road.  There are going to be some high school jumpers, but if players enter college, they are going to be proven by time they can go to the pro level.  If a player is in college for 3+ seasons, it's hard to believe they will still have major question marks.  Take a look at Tim Hardaway, Jr.  He has some question marks, but nothing even close to players like Steven Adams (Pitt) and Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse) who both jumped pro after one season and are rated higher than Hardaway by many scouts.  Overall, it gives access to the best talent and solidifies the rest of the talent field.

Next, it will also help the college game.  Nothing is worse for college basketball fans than the yearly hoopla surrounding some of their favorite players and their NBA decisions.  Well, nothing is different for the coaches's mindsets (excluding guys like Calipari) who recruit players with the intent to watch them grow as players and men.  This system would be a huge improvement in removing that pressure for fans, coaches, and programs.  The current NBA timeline leaves 3 years of decision-making on the schedule.  This system would have just 2 and one of those would occur before the player even got to college, which is certainly less significant than a post-freshman or sophomore decision.  It's hard to believe this wouldn't also improve the game as the average age and experience of players and teams would improve, plus it would make one year sensation teams like 2011-2012 Kentucky extinct.  I really do believe the college game would become much more competitive and consistent.

Finally, I really do believe it would help players in the long run.  Maybe not in every single case, but it would keep players like Nerlens Noel from suffering ACL injuries for no reason and ensure that players are developed enough to compete at the NBA level by keeping them from jumping as freshman or sophomores.  Undeniably, in some cases, players could have probably made more money if they jumped a year or two earlier, but how many players go to the NBA as freshmen or sophomores and crash out after a year or two?  This system wouldn't be guaranteed to help every player stay in the NBA
longer, but they certainly should have an improved game, plus they'll be a lot closer to a college degree than if they stayed for just one year, which would be a major advantage for a player that is finished playing in the NBA.

Overall, the debate will continue and the NBA seems no closer to changing this rule than they were a few years ago, but there are some strong arguments to adapting the current system to look closer to the model used by the MLB.  This system is not perfect either, but the positives for the NBA, the colleges, and the players seem to imply that this would be a major improvement.

What If Darius Morris Had Stayed?

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Over the last week, there has been a lot of coverage regarding the Los Angeles Lakers, their rise to the NBA playoffs, then their subsequent collapse.  One of the key factors in this collapse was the massive amount of injuries the team suffered.  However, these developments were particularly interesting for Michigan fans because they were able to witness Darius Morris (former Michigan point guard) get the starting nod in the playoffs, which was not something many predicted to see this quickly.

Whether Morris did a good job in this position is up for debate (the Lakers got swept in 4 games), but it did get me thinking about the way Morris impacted Michigan.  Many have forgotten about Morris and the earlier Beilein teams due to the massive success in the last two years for Michigan and Trey Burke.  An NCAA title game appearance and a Big Ten Championship are pretty noteworthy and will make a lot of people forget about the past, but Morris was a pretty good player in Ann Arbor.

Morris was instrumental in not only getting Michigan back to the NCAA Tournament after missing it in the previous year, but also in a sweep of in-state rival MSU and a huge 1st round win against Tennessee in the tourney.  This may not sound that significant, but a sweep of MSU was actually pretty significant.  Not only had Michigan lost 4 straight games to the Spartans, but they had also lost 6 of the last 7 games against MSU and 10 out of the last 12 games.  Their last victory over MSU came in February of 2007 andthe 2002-2003 season was the last one that Michigan had a winning record against the Spartans and that was only a one game series, not a two game series.  The last season sweep for Michigan over MSU was in 1997.  Needless to say, these were two big wins.

However, after having an exciting year for Michigan with some big wins, Morris opted to jump to the NBA and was drafted by the Lakers.  Whether this was the right decision can be debated, but what could things have looked like if he had decided to remain in Ann Arbor.  Of course, his NBA draft pedigree would have likely changed, but what would have changed for Michigan?  Trey Burke came on campus the year after Morris left, won himself Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and then followed it with National Player of the Year.  This leads to some major lineup questions if Morris and Burke both would have been on one roster.

The 2011-2012 Season
This would probably have been the most interesting year if Morris would have stayed in Ann Arbor.  Trey Burke is a fantastic player.  You can make a strong argument that he was the best point guard in Michigan basketball history.  This is going to sway a lot of people into believing he would have won the starting role here.  However, this is a revisionist thought and represents something that wasn't know before or during the 2011-2012 season.  Why?  Because he was not the best player in the nation during his freshman campaign.

Burke was good as a freshman and maybe even great, but he certainly wasn't elite.  He should have been 1st team All-Big Ten as a freshman and he was the best player on the Michigan roster, but he still made mistakes and had some rough games down the stretch.  One of the biggest factors were his turnovers and risky outside shots.  He certainly had his moments and in some of the biggest games of the year, but he still had some major flaws in his game as a freshman.

Along with this, Morris had also entrenched himself as Michigan's starting point guard.  It's one thing to show up with little depth and take over the starting role, but another thing to come in and beat out the previous year's starter, especially when they're probably the best player on the team.  Morris was a good player the season before and there isn't much of a reason to believe he wouldn't have improved the next year, at least slightly.  I think Trey Burke is great and became better than Morris, but I'm not convinced that freshman Burke could have moved junior Morris from his starting spot.

However, this still would have given Michigan really good depth off the bench.  Burke would have certainly got some solid minutes and rightfully so.  I can even imagine Beilein bringing Burke off the bench to play alongside Morris at the 2 spot.  How cool would it have been to see a Morris backcourt pass to Burke for a 3 point shot?  Beilein has shown he's willing to think outside the box to utilize guys and this roster would have been a perfect example.

You also have to think that Michigan would have been right in the Big Ten title race, especially considering that Burke would have been the guy pulled off the bench to get the offense going again.  I certainly think the team would have done better near the end of the year as well with less wear and tear due to the massive playing times of guys like Burke and Hardaway.  Morris could have made all the difference and maybe we would have gotten a big tourney run a year earlier.

The 2012-2013 Season
Now, this is the area where it gets really speculative.  One would think that Morris would have jumped pro following the 2011-2012 season if he had not jumped originally after the 2010-2011 season.  This would have put sophomore Burke into the starting role and things would have probably been pretty similar to the roster makeup of the past season.  Maybe Spike is recruited, maybe not, but Beilein would have probably brought in a point guard regardless of Morris staying since many signs would have pointed to him leaving the next year.

If for some reason Morris would have opted to stay for his senior year all bets are off on what the lineup would have looked like for this season.  Morris would have gotten better certainly, but this would be the season where Burke was the national player of the year candidate.  We don't know if he would have still been at this level, but if he was this good, would Morris still be on the court more than Burke?  Sophomore Burke was better than Morris was at anytime during his Michigan career and even if Morris had 2 more seasons to improve, I'm not sure he could gotten to that level.  Burke was much better than he was as a freshman and I think you can
make an argument about freshman Burke against junior Morris, which implies how good of a player Burke was for Michigan.

Regardless, if Morris was on last year's roster, the team would have been insanely loaded and both guys would have got some solid minutes.  I can honestly imagine a Morris, Burke, Hardaway, GR3, and Morgan/McGary lineup for the last season.  Stauskas and LeVert would have come off the bench and Spike would have certainly been redshirted.  That is a really good lineup.  It's certainly not crazy to think Michigan could have beaten Louisville with Morris on the roster.

Overall
Morris obviously didn't stay, but it's still a fun topic to debate and breakdown.  How much of a difference would Morris have made by staying?  In my opinion, the main difference would have been during Burke's freshman year when he was still improving his game.  This would have allowed players to rest and probably would have made Michigan better at the end of the year when they had a discouraging collapse against Ohio State then Ohio in the NCAA Tournament.  Either way, both players should be in the NBA next year and maybe we'll get a chance to see them compete there.

Michigan Looks To "Size Up" In The NBA

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Michigan basketball hasn't been in good shape for a long time.  Entering the 2011-2012 season, the Wolverines hadn't won a Big Ten championship since the Reagan administration and hadn't made a Final Four appearance in nearly 20 years.  Over the last two seasons, Michigan has erased these deficits and truly returned the Wolverines to national relevance.
However, one of the gaps that still exists is in the NBA.  Michigan has produced a bunch of quality NBA talent during its history, but right now, that talent pool has largely dried up.  Though the NBA ranges somewhere between 360-450 players at a time (varies due to roster size), Michigan only has 3 players on NBA rosters.  Along with this, they only have 1 player who has been a major contributor; Jamal Crawford.

Sure, Darius Morris got the chance to start a few playoff games and Juwan Howard was on the Miami Heat when they won the NBA title last year, but neither of these guys are exactly all-star caliber right now.  I won't minimize the significance of making an NBA roster because it's extremely difficult, but in terms of evaluating Michigan's performance in the NBA, being a contributor or on the bench is a pretty big difference.  If the Wolverines really want to increase the strength of their program and its relevance at the national level, putting quality players in the NBA is one of the biggest steps.

The good news is that Michigan is set to take a big step this year in achieving this goal.  They only have two players in serious consideration for this year's draft (Trey Burke & Tim Hardaway, Jr.), but both of these guys are in good position to get drafted and make an NBA roster.  Burke has been projected as an NBA lottery pick and Hardaway appears aimed to go somewhere in the 2nd round.  That is not only a big jump for Michigan simply in the number of NBA players for the program, but also in the number of quality players.  Burke has a very high probability to start in his rookie season and although Hardaway will probably fall into more of a Morris role, depending on the team, he might be able to log some solid minutes.

What's also significant is that this year's draft should inject some youth into Michigan's NBA players.  Howard is certainly nearing the end of his NBA career and even Crawford was drafted in 2000.  That gives Michigan just one player on an NBA roster that has been drafted in over a decade.  This really doesn't matter that much year to year, but it definitely increases the odds of Michigan having solid players in the future considering the typical length of NBA careers.

Plus, to go along with what should be a great NBA Draft for the Michigan Wolverines this year, they have a bunch of solid NBA prospects on their roster next season.  Not only will Michigan have two players that would have easily been drafted this year (Mitch McGary & GR3), but they are adding Zak Irvin who has the potential to be a one and done type of player, adding Derrick Walton who could certainly be drafted in a few years, and have a few guys like Nik Stauskas who will probably get on an NBA roster at some point.  If things continue at this rate, Michigan is going to have a big presence in the NBA not just in the next year, but 5-10 years down the road.

Michigan has definitely been making positive steps in rebuilding its program.  They've been making the NCAA Tournament, winning conference titles, and winning tourney games.  Michigan has also drastically improved its recruiting and is now bringing in top talent.  The only thing left to take Michigan's program to the next level is increasing its role in the NBA.  The Wolverines are in a good position to start fixing that this summer.

2013 Michigan NBA Draft Hotboard

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Michigan's roster has been experiencing the full weight of the NBA and the NBA Draft since their National Championship game appearance against Louisville.  As of now, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, Jr. have declared for the NBA Draft.  Everyone else has either made no inclinations of their desire to go to the NBA this year or verbally announced (McGary & GR3) that they would be returning to Ann Arbor next season.  Until April 28th, players can still declare for the NBA Draft, so things are not 100% guaranteed until then.  There are still many interested in not only the impact of those who stayed, but also the impact of those who left on the team and their status in the draft.  In order to help, I've made a short post that should keep you updated on what is going on with the NBA Draft and its relation to Michigan.

HMM Coverage:

• Analysis: Which Team Will Draft Trey Burke?
• Analysis: Which Team Will Draft THJ?
• Making the Case: A New NBA Draft
• Quick Thoughts: Michigan In The NBA Draft
• Quick Thoughts: Burke To The NBA
• Quick Thoughts: Hardaway To The NBA
• Quick Thoughts: GR3 & McGary Returning

National Coverage:

• ESPN: Trey Burke's Profile
• ESPN: Tim Hardaway's Profile
• ESPN: Mitch McGary's Profile
• ESPN: GR3's Profile
• ESPN: Trey Burke Enters Draft
• ESPN: Hardaway To Enter Draft
• ESPN: Case For Burke As The #1 Pick
• CBS: Trey Burke To The NBA
• CBS: Hardaway To The NBA
• CBS: GR3 and McGary Return to Michigan
• UMHoops: Notes & Quotes From Trey Burke's NBA Announcement
• UMHoops: Notes & Quotes From THJ's NBA Announcement
• UMHoops: Notes & Quotes From Mitch McGary's NBA Announcement
• UMHoops: Notes & Quotes From GR3's NBA Announcement

General NBA Draft Coverage:

• NBA.com
• ESPN
• CBS
• Jeff Goodman Mock Draft
• Chad Ford's Top 100
• Hoops Hype
• Draft Express
• NBADraft

What If Trey Burke Had Gone To Penn State

Trey Burke was committed to Penn State for almost a year.  Yes, Michigan's outstanding point guard, All-American, and Player of the Year at one time pledged to be a Nittany Lion.  Of course, he eventually switched to the Wolverines, but what would have happened if Burke had remained with Penn State?  Recruiting battles occur almost everyday and recruits change their minds constantly, but how would things look for both teams if Burke had not changed his mind.  This discussion of course changes nothing and Michigan fans are surely happy to have Burke, but it is an interesting concept.

Penn State
The Nittany Lions took two guards in the 2011 recruiting class, but have received mixed at best results from both.  These two guards were Matt Glover and Trey Lewis (Lewis has been described as the player recruited to replace Burke).  This is largely due to the timetable from when Burke decommitted and when Lewis committed.  Unfortunately for Penn State, both players ended up transferring from the program.  To say this is a downgrade is an understatement.  There is no proof that Burke would have worked out with Penn State, but going from Player of the Year to two transfers is a pretty big loss for any program.

So undoubtedly, the addition of Burke would have made an impact.  It would have been particularly interesting to see the impact last season, when Penn State had Tim Frazier.  Frazier was one of the top point guards in the conference and actually made 1st team All-Big Ten.  The instinctual decision would be to put both players on the floor at the same time, which would make things really interesting.  Who goes at the 1 and who goes at the 2?  As great as Burke has been this season, it seems likely that Burke would have been forced to slide over the 2 to get both players on the court.  They are both great scorers and passers, but Burke is probably a better 3 pt shooter than Frazier.  Penn State would not have been dominant in 2011-2012, but they certainly wouldn't have finished in last place in the Big Ten.  At least not with that backcourt.  It seems probable that they might have been able to sneak into the NIT Tournament, but going from last place in the Big Ten to a NCAA Tournament berth would still have probably been too much, especially with Burke as a freshman and not as a sophomore.

This year, Burke's services would have been much more valuable, considering that the Nittany Lions lost Tim Frazier at the beginning of the year.  Burke would have filled a much needed role and boosted a team struggling for leadership.  Penn State won 2 games in conference play.  Could Burke have changed that?  Almost certainly.  Now, it's not like he could have turned Penn State into a championship team, but they definitely would have been better.  NCAA Tournament bid?  Probably not without Frazier and Burke, but NIT bid?  That would have certainly been possible.

Michigan
This section can be a lot shorter.  Unless the Wolverines would have been able to land another point guard recruit in the 2011 recruiting class, they would have been in for a very rough season.  Darius Morris left for the NBA and the main players that could be used at that point were Eso Akunne and Stu Douglass.  Douglass would have been able to do alright, but he's much better suited to the 2 than he is to the point.  Along with this, Akunne is not a point guard that can take a team to that next level.  He's been a solid player for Michigan, but he's just limited in his abilities.  Instead of a Big Ten title, Michigan would have struggled just to make the NCAA Tournament without Burke.  This would have been a huge hit for the team and the program.

This season, the Wolverines would have definitely been able to find somebody to fill that point guard spot if they weren't able to grab Burke.  They had Spike in this recruiting class, but if there was a serious problem with the position in the season prior, they would have recruited it much harder and probably would have a bigger name recruit to show for it.  Spike has been a good surprise for Michigan fans this year, but a bigger name would have certainly been in the 2012 recruiting class if Burke never arrived in Ann Arbor.  However, this is still a true freshman or a true sophomore replacing a Player of the Year candidate.  No way Michigan enters the season so highly rated and makes it to the title game without Burke.  They probably could have made the NCAA Tournament, but the Wolverines would have looked a lot different in this scenario.

Overall
Burke staying committed to Penn State wouldn't have changed the world, but it would have put a serious dent in Michigan's long-term success.  Along with this, it would have probably boosted Penn State up quite a bit.  Not to the point of domination for the Nittany Lions, but certainly better than last place in the Big Ten.  This discussion may not change the scenario for either team, but it is interesting to see the impact of a player like Trey Burke on an upward trending Michigan and a bottom program like Penn State.

Quick Thoughts: Burke To The NBA

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

A sad day, but something we all knew was coming:

Quick Thoughts: Burke To The NBA

Quick Thoughts: Michigan In The NBA Draft

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

It's an interesting draft year for Michigan.  Read about projections and predictions below:

Quick Thoughts: Michigan In The NBA Draft

Quick Thoughts: Trey Burke vs. Nate Wolters

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Thursday's game should be a thriller.  Here's a great matchup in the game:

QUICK THOUGHTS: TREY BURKE VS. NATE WOLTERS

Postgame Thoughts: Indiana at Michigan

yup.

Postgame Thoughts: Indiana at Michigan

Quick Thoughts: Burke's Legacy

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

One of the things that has recently come up is Burke's legacy now that the season is starting to come to a close:

Quick Thoughts: Burke's Legacy

Quick Thoughts: Burke And Appling

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

This is one of the biggest games of Michigan's season and one of the most interesting parts of the game will be the matchup between Trey Burke and Keith Appling:

Quick Thoughts: Burke And Appling

Previewing The Roster: Trey Burke

He's back.  Well sort of back.  Following last season, Trey Burke had a lengthy process about an NBA decision.  After eventually deciding to come back for his sophomore season, he appears ready for the 2012-2013 season.  However, we actually have yet to see him on the court.  He was suspended for Michigan's first exhibition game against Northern Michigan and his first game will be in the exhibition against Sagniaw Valley, at least if nothing changes.

There is no doubt that Burke was Michigan's most productive player last season.  Burke amassed 36.1 minutes, 14.8 points, 4.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game.  All of these were team leading stats.  Add in a few rebounds and it's pretty easy to see that he was a major contributor last season.  Not even Draymond Green from MSU led his team in as many major categories as Burke led Michigan in last season.  Green was the Big Ten's Player of the Year and an All-American.  That's a pretty big accomplishment considering that both Michigan and MSU had the same Big Ten record and shared the title.  I'm not making a case for who is better, but simply showing that Burke was in some elite company last season and with his Preseason All-American selection, he appears to be in elite company again.

Previewing The Roster: Guards

I'm reaching the end of basketball preview season and I've already went through Michigan's wings and bigs for this year. Last up are the guards.  Michigan's guards should be outstanding this year and have repeatedly received love from the basketball analysts and national media.  Michigan loses very little at the position and brings in a few players that have the chance to make a major impact both now and in the future.

Last season, Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway, and Stu Douglass dominated the position.  Once in awhile, Beilein would bring in Matt Vogrich or Eso Akunne, but this was a position primarily dominated by those three players.  Douglass will be gone, but all the other guys are back for the season.  This was Michigan's strongest positional group last season and the loss of Douglass shouldn't be too significant of an impact for the position and team, especially with the recruiting additions.

New recruits that could make an impact the position this year are Spike Albrecht, Nik Stauskas, and Caris LeVert.  Glenn Robinsion III could get a little time at the 2 spot, but I don't see him doing anything significant at the position.  I think he's a much better fit at the 3 and he does play the 4 in the smaller lineup for Michigan, so I don't see him being at the 2 for very long, if at all.  So after adding the new recruits, that gives us 7 players that will likely be making contributions in the backcourt for Michigan this season.

Michigan vs. Northern Michigan: Quick Reactions

So now that I've had a few hours to digest Michigan's first exhibition of the season, I think it's a good time to give some comments on what happened tonight, especially for those that weren't able to see the game.  There were a lot of expectations leading into the game and for the most part, I thought Michigan did a pretty good job living up to them.  Of course, nothing's going to be perfect during the first game of the season, but for a team losing two starters, two captains, and the team's best 6th man, they did pretty well.

I'll start with the obvious.  The starting lineup for tonight was Spike Albrecht, Matt Vogrich, Tim Hardaway, Glenn Robinson III, and Jordan Morgan.  Obviously, Spike only got the nod because Trey Burke was suspended for the first game, but it's still pretty significant for a true freshman who didn't have a lot of recruiting hype to start the first game.  I didn't expect Vogrich to start, but given that Mitch McGary doesn't seem fully ready (I'll cover this below) and Jon Horford is out with injury, it's not that surprising.  Vogrich was the best option at the time and he did pretty well.  The last three starters seemed pretty obvious and I projected them to start earlier this year.

Trey Burke Preseason All-American

According to ESPN, the AP has released its preaseason All-American list and Trey Burke has made the cut.  The Big Ten landed three players on the list with Cody Zeller, Deshaun Thomas, and Burke.  It is obviously going to be a strong year for the Big Ten, but landing three players on the list is impressive.

This is also a major accomplishment for Michigan and its program .  Michigan's last All-American was Jalen Rose in 1994 during the end of the Fab Five era.  That means it has been nearly two decades since Michigan had a player with these types of rankings and hype.  Of course, Burke has not made the final cut by any means, but even being considered in this company is significant

Preseason All-Big Ten Teams and Predictions

Today, the Preseason All-Big Ten teams and preseason rankings for the Big Ten were released.  None of the selections were too surprising, but I wanted to take this chance to make my own selections and predictions.  Typically, the preseason polls are relatively accurate, but they often have major errors and for this reason, I want to create my own Preseason All-Big Ten teams.  Of course, mine may be just as inaccurate as the teams the media's came up with this year, but I still selected my own teams just in case.

Before I can create my own lists, we should probably take a look at the lists that were selected by the media.  Overall, I think fans will have to generally agree with their assumptions, but I think there are some major problems with their list.  For instance, I have predicted that Ohio State will have a significant dropoff this season, but the media decided to select two players from the Buckeyes, which seems absolutely insane to me.  They have some quality players, but I really think that's going out on a limb.  Regardless, let's take a look at their list and predictions:

Recapping 2012 Commit Spike Albrecht

The latest addition to Michigan's 2012 class and one of the more unexpected commitments in recent years was Spike Albrecht.  At the time of his commitment, Michigan was in the middle of Trey Burke's decision on whether or not to enter the NBA Draft.  Most speculate that the decision to offer and sign Albrecht to Michigan's 2012 recruiting class was primarily an insurance move in case Burke decided to take his talents to the NBA.  While this is true and Burke decided to return for his sophomore year, Albrecht has a lot to offer to both this and future Michigan teams.

Albrecht is a very different type of point guard than Burke.  They are both smart players that can get others involved, but Albrecht primarily uses his high basketball IQ to move the ball and get others involved.  Burke uses his knowledge of the game, but he also uses his exception handle and athleticism to pass the ball and attack the basket.  Burke can also be reckless at times with the basketball, which is the complete opposite of Albrecht.  He very rarely turns over the ball and makes sure to avoid wasteful turnovers.  He is nowhere near the athlete of Burke and can struggle a bit with his defense, but he easily has the ability to run an offense and has the potential to grow into a solid point guard.

CBSSports Preseason Rankings: Michigan And Big Ten Breakdown

Earlier this week, CBS Sports released several lists look at the upcoming college basketball season.  Not only did they break down some of the elite teams, but they took a look at the best players across the nation and named their preseason All-American picks and their Top 100 players in the country.  Now, I don't make it a habit of responding to every preseason hype list or ranking, but I thought the way CBS laid out the rankings was quite interesting and I wanted to respond.

Their preview post had three parts; Preseason All-Americans, Top 100 Players, and Final Four Predictions. I'm only going to respond to the first two because responding to every expert's Final Four picks is simply ludicrous   Most of them will be off and it would simply take too much time to analyze each pick.  However, I thought the selections in the All-American and Top 100 players lists were pretty interesting and something I wanted to analyze.  So here are where Michigan and the Big Ten teams stacked up on both lists: