MUST WAIT on Michigan Hoops

It’s sort of refreshing to be a Michigan basketball fan right now. And no, there’s no subtle sarcasm or cynicism in that statement.

Let me explain.

No more MUST WIN games for Michigan any more.   You see, UConn (Jan.17) at home was a MUST WIN.   Test passed. Morale on the upswing again.

Wisconsin (Jan.20) on the road almost a must win just based on the fact Badgers didn’t have Jon Leuer and Michiga needed another quality win.  Test failed, miserably.

Manny Harris suspended prior to Purdue (Jan.23) game made it a lost cause even before tip off.  Sad fail.

Manny Harris reinstated prior to home game against MSU (Jan. 26), making the game a MUST WIN.   Test failed, though just barely.

Next on the slate was home against Iowa, and it may of well been against Novi High School because quite simply Iowa is no good. They basically hoist threes all game long, have very little size or athleticism, and the coaching is suspect.  Very similar traits to the Wolvies, only that Iowa doesn’t have a Manny Harris or DeShawn Sims type player to bail them out from time to time. So anywhoodles, Michigan did take care of business like they needed to against Iowa. The W put Michigan at 4-5 in the conference with an away game versus Northwestern (Feb.2) as a sort of last ditch effort at turning the season around and making a run to the NCAA tourney.

The game, and you guessed it, was a MUST WIN.

Michigan came up predictably short, thus ending any more talk about must wins for the rest of the regular season.

Very refreshing.

Sure the MUST WIN psycho drama will crawl back onto the stage once the Big Ten tourney begins in March, but till then the Wolvies have little pressure to do anything really. Sure the NIT is still up for grabs, but as I said a few weeks ago, “It’s so Tommy Amaker.”

Though on second thought, maybe a berth into the Not Invited Tournament wouldn’t be all bad since it might not be around too much longer considering the rumor going around that the NCAA could expand the NCAA tournament field to 96 God Blessed teams.

Well I got news for ya.

The way Michigan is going right now a NIT berth ain’t even looking too good. As of February 3rd Rush the Court did not have Michigan in its hypothetical 96 team field, basically meaning that Michigan isn’t even in line for a NIT spot right now (because essentially the NIT teams would be the next 31 into the NCAA field if it does indeed expand).

My point is, all of the NCAA tourney aspirations this team had can finally be put to rest for at least a month. Just go out there and play basketball to improve, not only as a team but as individuals. And have some fun too. Maybe that’s just what the Wolvies need–no expectations, no pressures.

Come Big Ten tourney time you can start to think about winning the tourney and punching your ticket into maybe what will be the last 65 team NCAA tournament ever. Heck, maybe by conference tournament time it won’t matter if the pressure is too intense or the expectations too high. Maybe the team will have grown and improved to the point where they are capable of finally breaking through and going on that impressive run all the fans have been waiting for. However, that’s only possible if the Michigan players and the coaches think it’s possible. I guarantee you that’s all that matters. Just ask the 2008 Georgia Bulldogs.

Not too many things more beautiful than the bracket

I’ll say one thing about the NCAA tournament that I really enjoy… how hard it is to make it in the NCAA tournament field. It’s a pretty stellar accomplishment and I compare it a little to making the MLB playoffs. You know you’re getting the best of the best to do battle with each other, and I think that’s neat. Sure there’s maybe a dozen teams or so from small conferences that don’t have a lick of a chance at winning even one game (or even coming within 30 points–I’m looking at you SWAC conference), but even they had to persevere and win three or four games straight in their conference tourneys just to make the field. They earned it just like big conference teams did by winning enough games throughout the season to impress the selection committee. Really, with the exception of maybe 15 to 20 in the nation the margin of error to make it to the Big Dance is very small. Just like the baseball playoffs, you really have to earn your spot in the field.