The Next 7 Games are CRUCIAL!!!

The Next 6 7 Games Are Crucial…UPDATE

If I had updated this post after each of the last 4 games, the Titles to those posts probably would have looked something like this:

MICHIGAN DESTROYS IU AND CANNOT BE STOPPED!

Michigan really sucks and Beilein needs to be fired.

Michigan REALLY, REALLY SUCKS and Beilein needs to be fired….

MICHIGAN DESTROYS AND HUMILIATES SPARTY AND CAN BEAT ANYONE IN THE COUNTRY!!!!

Opponent     Location       Date   Day and Time          Result

Indiana          Home             1-26    Thursday, 9:15        90-60 Blow-Out

Sparty             Away              1-29    Sunday, 1:00            70-62 Loss

Suckeyes     Home             2-4      Saturday, 6:00         70-66 Loss

Sparty            Home             2-7      Tuesday, 9:00         86-57 BLOW-OUT

Indiana          Away              2-12    Sunday, 1:00

Wiscy             Home             2-16    Thursday, 7:00

Minnesota     Away              2-19    Sunday, 7:00           

Rutgers          Away              2-22    Wednesday, 6:30    

Purdue          Home             2-25    Saturday, 4:00

Northwestern Away             3-1      Wednesday, 7:00

Nebraska       Away              3-5      Sunday, 8:00

Michigan dodged a HUGE bullet last night and humiliated the Spartans in the process.  While no pundits will come right out and state it, The MMPG will:  Sparty more than likely just lost any chance it had of getting into the NCAA field of 64.*  That takes a lot of guts to say with an Izzo coached team…But I’m saying it.  Only 7 (seven) teams have made the field with 14 losses as an at large in the last 24 years…and they had big wins on their resume.  That loss took Sparty to the dreaded double digit number (10) on the season (7 games before the season’s over) and that hurts your chances…a lot.  Not to mention that Michigan was out of the Kenpom 50 last night when they played.  The team that Sparty put on the floor last night can’t win out, which is exactly what they would need to do to make the field.  This Sparty team is, frankly, an abomination by Sparty standards when you look at the lack of fight, number of turnovers… the entire enchilada.  Sparty just doesn’t have the things you need to have to be successful at college hoops right now.  I could go into a long narrative about how bad sparty is this season, but I digress….Izzo has his hands full if he wants to preserve the NCAA streak…

*(short of winning the B1G Tourney…and this year, who knows?)

(Side note:  This “tripping” thing in the NCAA has to stop.  I don’t think a flagrant technical is enough.  Throw trippers out of the game!  It’s that simple.  That’s my one rant.  ICYMI:  In the first half, Wagner pissed off Ward and Ward tripped Wagner.  Officials reviewed and dished out the “T”.  There’s been a general media outrage with Duke’s Grayson Allen tripping…well…everybody and other players tripping players.)

On a great note:  I finally heard what sounds like a “leader” on this team say something leader-ish…

“As a leader, I think I need to push guys a lot more,” Walton said. “Because when you see stuff like this — I know as reporters, you’re like, where is this team consistently? It’s just as frustrating being within it, knowing we can still do something special. And we have nights where we just don’t bring it. It makes you scratch your head at times.”

So, um, yeah. 


Where in theeee HELL do you guys GO in some of these games? 

WE’d all like to know….

And, unfortunately, Michigan is in the boat right behind Sparty and needs to win at least 5 if not 6 of its last 7 to get to 21-22 wins on the season.  While it’s not impossible (especially if the team that played last night shows up), 5 of those games are on the road.  Yikes…

And Michigan is a Jekyll and Hyde team when they are playing in the safe confines of Crisler Arena vs. when they play on the road…With the exception of that sukeyes loss at home that I’m still trying to figure out.  Where did Irvin go in that game?

I’m cringing thinking about what Michigan did to Indiana and how that humiliation is plenty fresh in the mind of Coach Crean and his Hoosier players and how revenge is a dish that’s better served cold…Beilein reportedly texted a Doberman with it’s teeth bared on Sunday during the Superbowl saying they need to play like junkyard dogs. 

Advice to Beilein – Text that photo early and often.

So why can’t Michigan do on the road what they seem to do so well at home?  OR maybe the better question is:  What gets into these guys when they’re hitting on all cylinders vs. the games where they can’t seem to get their shoes on the right feet?

So what is it?

I don’t have any answers.  I’m sure Beilein would love to know as well as it has to drive him batty with this group….They need at least 5 wins.

And 5 games on the road….so they had better figure it out sooner rather than later.