The last legit poward forward or 4 we’ve had was DeShawn Sims. Who would be perfect for this team. Need another one.
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That was Beilein’s first year, when the roster was pretty much a dumpster fire. He barely had five guys who were even playable at a major college level, so his lineup choices were pretty limited.
No, Sims was actually around for three years and we made the tourney in year two (and he was very good his junior and senior years).
For the 100th time, your definition of a true PF (Charles Oakley) hasn’t been a thing since 1995. The game has evolved.
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Baloney. Look at Kentucky. Or a dozen other teams I could name. But stop insulting my intelligence and embarrassing yourself.
I was actually talking about the season where Udoh and Sims played together. A few people here have been acting as if that season is relevant to what Beilein is doing now.
I think the question becomes what you think of the recruiting Beilein has done at the 4 position with Novak/Robinson/Irvin. I think the best motor belonged to Novak, most athleticism certainly to Robinson, the most highly touted was Irvin but he hasn’t delivered. I am not sure why people would be against recruiting a different 4, Beilein had awful defense the past few years so he brings in a new guy. Just like they haven’t been getting as much as they should out of the 4 they should be looking for a different type of player.
None of those guys were at all recruited to play the 4. Sims, Smotrycz, and Chatman were the ones who were expected to fill that role while the players you mentioned were here but We didn’t have a 5 with Sims so he had to move there which pushed Novak up too. Smotrycz left early forcing GR3 to take it which worked out well in the end. Obviously we know what happened with Chatman that forced Irvin to the 4. You can’t say “LOOK AT BEILEIN’S RECRUITING AT THE 4” and then point to 3 guys who were by no means expected to play there.
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So look at the whole class of guys that have been recruited with the intention of playing the 4 or 3 who ended up playing the 4. Is that recruiting good enough to hold up over his 9 years here and say they have gotten real good production out of the 4? If the answer is no then maybe you need to look at how you’re recruiting.
MVP: MAAR
Most improved: Wagner
Breakout: Simpson
Most dunks: Matthews (in practice)
Most dunks in game: Wagner
CONF: 8-10
Biggest win: UCLA
Postseason: NIT
Curious as to why you think we’ll go 2 games backwards while regaining the same core but adding a year of development plus some new recruits.
I don’t agree with this prediction but if MAAR is actually our best player then we’ll be NIT bound for sure.
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I honestly see MAAR as our third or fourth best player. Irvin, Walton are first and second, will Duncan having a great chance to be our third. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.
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I picked Irvin as team mvp, but honestly, I would not be shocked if anyone of Irvin, Walton, MAAR, Robinson, or Wagner were MVP. I actually find it very surprising that people believe there is a huge talent gap between Walton/ Irvin and everyone else. The huge gap simply is not there.
I’m with you. The lack of love for maar puzzles me as much as my love for puzzles them. It’s like we watched different games.
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You think we will be worse in conference play than last year? That’s a hot take.
My season prediction in conference fluctuates between 8-10 and 10-8. MSU, Indiana, Wisconsin each x2. I could see them going 2-4 maybe 1-5. A game on the road against Northwestern is probably a toss up, they could beat Purdue but Michigan doesn’t match up well against them. Ohio St is probably another toss up. The schedule doesn’t line up well for Michigan only playing Penn St/Rutgers/Minnesota a total of 3 times, you play them 5 or 6 times I would have no problem saying 11-12 conference wins.
I think we could be much improved. If we get some consistency out of Walton, Irvin, and Robinson I have a good feeling about our team.
8-10? So we might do worse than last year despite returning everyone? I mean, it’s possible, but strikes me as highly unlikely.
I don’t see it. Wagner will be much better. I expect maar and Robinson to be as well. Add in Irvin and Walton possibly putting it together and I can’t see a worse season.