Get aggressive out there. Ohio State, take it to Siena. Michigan State, gel now and roll over Robert Morris. Wisconsin, shock the pundits and give Florida State the hammer. Led by three coaches with fire in their bellies, we expect these teams to follow Michigan’s lead and play hard, smart, and tough and hopefully win.
The First of Manny
Highlight of Day One on the Big Ten set was Michigan’s win over a tough, athletic Clemson team. Our friends at UM Hoops break down the game here, one where the Wolverines cared for the ball like a newborn baby. While it’s a stretch to call one win a seismic event, for Michigan fans, getting this one after 11 years of futility and NIT wins is simply huge.
The win also emphasized the incalculable import of having a talented player with assertive confidence. A cursory glance at the numbers don’t evidence the single play that saved Michigan from a colossal collapse: Manny Harris aggressively taking the ball with 30 seconds left, driving into a traffic-filled lane and converting an old school three point play. A beautiful play. Up next is Oklahoma, a team ripe for a Michigan upset.
Gophers Still Seeking Their Stride
In a one and done loss to Texas, ably recounted by The Daily Gopher here, Gophers fans saw the subtext to the season: 10 players playing 10 or more minutes and failing to find their rhythm. From the start of the season, Tubby rotated players with abandon and in the end it seems as if his fluid rotations indicated a not so subtle discomfort with this players. As it did for much of the year, against Texas, the deep rotation was an endless search for a lineup that possessed chemistry.
Still, in the end, getting back to the NCAA Tournament in itself is a major accomplishment for Minnesota. Despite a blazing start to the season, the Gophers were at their essence an eighth place team searching for an identity and too often tripping over their collective feet down the stretch. Whether the Gophers can build upon this season’s relative success will depend on whether Tubby’ recruits and the returning roster can develop into a cohesive team with a consistent identity.
Five Minutes of Fighting
Illinois was unable to defend for 35 minutes Western Kentucky and now finds itself a team of players with questions. No doubt, not having Chester Frazier impacted the Illini’s ability to defend the perimeter but save a heroic final game from Trent Meacham, many questions abound for Illinois going forward.
Who is Demetri McCamey? Will Mike Tisdale have the metabolism to consistently produce in the post? With his smooth offensive skills, why can’t Mike Davis score 20 points a night? Where is Alex Legion’s head and does he ever make an impact in Champaign? And ultimately, how does the returning roster integrate with the impact freshman joining the team next season?
We consider McCamey to be the linchpin. If he commits to the next step in his development and becomes more consistent, next year’s version of the Illini has the potential to be very, very good.
Original Story:
http://hoopraker.com/2009/03/20/attit...
