JB has a reputation having his teams ready for March. This years first March game backs that up completely.
I agree on Beilein getting the young pups ready for March, look at Purdue for example they often win the Big10 only to have an early exit in the tourney
Michigan is a couple miracle shots from having that narrative completely flipped. I don’t think that’s fair to Purdue or Painter to assume they are not able to get up for NCAA games. They’ve only lost to 1, 2 or 3 seeds when they’ve been highly seeded.
Purdue has also had some awful injury luck in the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan is also two miracle shots away from possibly having 4 Final Fours in six years.
PU has had some really bad injury luck, and tournament settings are small sample sized events, but that doesn’t mean that all results are just luck based. I’d say UM has had more top-level teams than PU, and also that Beilein has proven to be one of the better NCAA tournament coaches.
Michigan has also had its share of injury and NBA-departure what-ifs.
Obviously I’m not discrediting Michigan! Burke and Poole’s shots are two memories I’ll never forget. Same with whatever Harrison twin it was that his that shot. Although I don’t know what miracle shot you’re talking about for 2017? We still would have had to beat KU.
My point is that single elimination tourney’s are high varience, and putting too much stock into them to determine what teams/coaches/players are good is not the best way.
Re 2017, yeah, I meant that if DWalt’s shot goes in, UM is in the E8 against a KU team that Oregon pummeled a couple days later. But yeah, just a possibility. Same with '14, as the game with KY was tied. Our miracle shots both came trailing.
But the point is, UM has had multiple teams good enough that if a coin flip here and a break there go its way, they make it to the last weekend. I’m not sure PU can say that. They’ve been mostly obliterated in the tourney.
Tournament runs are not guaranteed to any team. There are multiple examples every year. That is part of what makes March Madness so mad (and so exciting).