The saddest thing about the game tonight was that it wasn’t even surprising. Even crappy teams look like world beaters against us. OSU played like they had nothing to lose. We played like the soft NIT team we have looked like most of the year.
That’s easy to answer. It came to this through the dozens of recruiting losses over the last four years. You are who you recruit.
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I just don’t get this. Not only is it a game against our rivals, our entire season’s success was on the line. I just don’t get how that situation doesn’t inspire them to play as hard as possible…
I still just cannot comprehend how this team went backwards from last year. Wagner and Wilson seemingly got tons better. Didn’t lose anyone else. How on earth do you get worse as a team. Makes no sense
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I mean this is obvious and I’ve been warning about recruiting for years…but still?
JB has to get the last 2017 slot right and obtain the best guard possible in 2018 or its lights out.
I don’t know if we’ve really gone backwards. Last season we just got lucky in close games, going 4-1 against kenpom top 50 teams in games decided by 5 or fewer points. It’s hard to sustain that.
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Maybe I’m being too results oriented but I don’t see how we make the tourney and we at least snuck in last year. If we lose to MSU our conference record could easily be 4-9 2 weeks from now. I just can’t believe that’s even a possibility with a JB team that returned its best 7 options
¯\(ツ)/¯
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Doesn’t help that the two guys that help bring energy were in foul trouble all game.
Not an excuse though.
Exactly. In fact, our Kenpom rating is better this season than last.
What’s misleading about last season is that we got labeled as a tournament team. That was an NIT team right up until Chatman hit that shot to beat IU. If you look at last season qualitatively, then this season isn’t surprising in the least.
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We finished 10-8 in a significantly stronger Big Ten conference though…absolutely no reason on paper this team should have taken any sort of step back record wise with how much talent was lost around the league.
Indiana- loses Yogi
Maryland- loses Stone, Layman, Suilamon,
Purdue- loses Hammons
MSU- loses Valentine, Forbes, Costello
Iowa- loses Uthoff, Woodbury, Gesell, Clemmons
Everyone except NW, Wisconsin, OSU and us took huge steps back in talent. I don’t think it was that illogical to expect at least a marginal improvement record wise in B1G
The lack of a bench really is a huge issue. When Wagner and Wilson get in foul trouble which is a lot or actually when Even one of them gets in foul trouble this team really struggles. Really hurts our roster and balance when their not both out there.
OSU shoots 20% from three and 40% for the game. And wins.
Apparently rebounding missed bricks and muscling them back in was the game plan. That and having the desire to compete all game. So very disappointing.
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For the first time in ten years I don’t even want to watch the next game. I’m tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. How is it even possible to be this bad at rebounding? It seems impossible. Why do we continue to put donnal in? He contributes nothing. Why do we have a four man freshman class and none of them can play? I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I’m ok with letting Beilein go and letting Donlon finish out the year and reviewing things at the end of the year. But to watch this type of basketball for another year should not even be in consideration by Manuel. I can’t blame fans for not going to the games or the ones that go and aren’t enthusiastic. It’s tough watching these guys loaf around on the court. These guys are not responding to what the coach is saying/how he’s saying it and something has got to change. Why not do it now? It’s getting embarrassing that other teams know they can cone to our home court and all they have to do is chuck the ball up, out physical us and destroy us on the boards. Tied at 60, there wasn’t a moment I thought we were going to win the game. I hoped we would obviously, but there’s only so much Walton can do. I’m so ready for Irvin and donnal to be gone. It’s sad watching them finish their careers so poorly. We do need to appreciate Walton for leaving his heart on the court to finish things out though. If I was Manuel, I’d get out ahead of this thing and say thank you and good luck to Beilein and let Donlon finish out the year as head coach.
No way you fire JB before the season is complete. He’s very respected amongst the coaching community and doing so would give Manuel a bad look. Plus, you run the risk of The team performing really well with an interim at the helm. But I don’t want either of our assistants as a HC. We can do a lot better.
Nothing is going to happen until after the season. Still a small chance we make the tournament. Gotta see where we go.
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Going to reiterate that it is essential for JB to NAIL the 2-3 scholarships he has between 2017-2018. Can’t afford to take guys who can’t create their own shot or have no motor.
I think this year has been by far the most disappointing relative to expectations of any year he’s had at UM, but I don’t think anything happens regarding his job until AT EARLIEST the end of next season, which out of loyalty to some extent I’m fine with. But a bubble finish next year won’t cut it, and injuries/youth/etc won’t be viable excuses.
I was at the UW/UCLA game last night with my wife, and mentioned to her we were in on TJ Leaf in the last class. She said he would have been amazing for us, and I said (probably for the first time), “i’m not sure he would look nearly this good playing for us as he does for UCLA.” That took a little while to process and rationalize, and I’m not sure I would have said it 2-3y ago, but I think it getting more true by the day.
regardless of what happens this year, JB will be the coach next year. He’s too well respected and overall has done too much to just be fired after a bad season. Now, if they struggle next year, he should and will definitely be gone.
I find it hard to blame the players for poor rebounding, especially on the offensive end. We shoot a lot of threes, and as soon as the shot goes up, our other four guys start running back down the court… They must be coached to do that because they all do it.
I don’t see how this team makes the tournament.
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