It's Like Dogs and Cats Living Together

First off, a belated Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year to you and yours.  I hope you got everything you were hoping for from Santa Claus, and that you've got your New Year's resolutions all written down and ready to implement for a great 2009.  Moving on...

Down is up.  Up is down.  Michigan Basketball, who has rarely sniffed the ass-end of the polls over the past 10 years finds itself ranked #23/#24 in the AP/USAToday respectively.  Going into Big Ten play, which commences Wednesday at Crisler against Wisconsin, the Wolverines have already notched their 10th victory, matching their total from last year.  Fast and vast has been the improvement from last year.  More important than their record, or their victories over Duke and UCLA, has been their watchability.  They nail threes from every position.  They play defense.  They run plays.  Then they shoot more threes.  They dive for balls.  They press.  They push it up court.  Then they shoot more threes.

Are they moving in the right direction?  Jerod Ward thinks so, so you should too.

Harris and Sims fill the superstar quotient, and could lead the team on their own but don't have to.  Lovable characters are donning the white jersey, like the man with a dagger cloaked in a babyface in Zack Novak, a massively improved Jevohn Shepherd, and the recent addition...perimeter defender specialist and gunslinger LLP.  The supporting cast and the bench are making things look so different than what we are used to, that you'd swear that none of these faces ever graced the freshly lit court at Crisler Arena.  Absolutely, positively, FUN TO WATCH.

Basically the polar opposite of what you experienced from August 30th to November 22nd.

So if you are a fresh-faced youth with no knowledge of Michigan Basketball history, hop on this bandwagon, revel in your ignorance, and rush the court.  If you are an old timer and remember that the teams of the 70's, 80's, and early 90's left a mark in college basketball that far outweighs the crap that Little Brother has been slingin' your way....then welcome.  Welcome to the "Road to Detroit."

Ho Ho Ho

Michigan Defensive Coordinator Scott Schafer officially stepped down today, confirming the swirling rumors caused by his conspicuous absence at some meetings and recruitment trips.  The defense gave up 40+ points 4 times this season, equal to the number of times we've had 40 points put up on us since 1969...so that's probably good enough of a reason.  Despite my personal kool-aid filled contention that we had so many points put up on us because at no time in history have we given the other team so many possessions so quickly, it doesn't quite cover the reasoning behind the shit-storm 3rd quarters we endured.  Schafer's ability to adjust from game to game and within the game typically had the opposite effect that you look for:  "We adjust....they score more" is not a solid gameplan.  This is certainly the right decision for a team that needed a scapegoat move.

Schafer and Fred Jackson were the only non-Rod coaches on the team this year, and with Schafer's exit coupled with Fred Jackson having no responsibilities whatsoever now that McG has exited, the team is now resting squarely on Rich's shoulders.  I think Rich always wanted it that way, and I am envisioning a "from within the current staff" choice on our horizon at DC.

Simple math would be:  MICHIGAN minus SCHAFER minus CRAPPY QUARTERBACKS plus (TOUTED QB RECRUITS times 2) = MOVE VICTORIES.

In the words of Bubba... "Merry Christmas, Schafer is gone."

Just A Little Taste

It's been a long autumn.  If you missed the trip to Minnesota (which based on the crowd there, you did) then your last viewed sliver of positivity as a Michigan fan came on September 27th.  That's a long time ago.  And this just in...you've got the longest wait EVER for a chance to peek at victory again.

This fanbase is starving.

This night for me, for the better part of a decade, has meant airplane reservations, hotel reservations, and citysearching for the best steakhouse.  The BCS selection show has come and gone, and Michigan was unmentioned.  The other bowl selections have come and gone, and Michigan has gone unmentioned.  The reality should have sunk in weeks, even months ago.  But for me, it didn't.  It took a full fledged pasting at the hands of the Buckeyes to show just how far away we are, and effectively shut down this blog for the better part of two weeks.

Enter the smelling salts....

Far be it from me to attempt to find solace in one sport through another, but it's important to recognize that while every Michigan Football fan is not necessarily a Michigan Basketball fan, every Michigan Basketball fan IS a Michigan Football fan.  That's why on Saturday, the Maize Rage gave Yankee bleacher style recognition to Rich and Rita.  That's why the arena cam found its way to Lloyd and Laurie, resulting in a raucous standing ovation.  That's why, as a group of athletes wearing maize and blue did the unthinkable, and the court was smothered in joyous celebration, it was impossible to make the comparisons/assumptions between our two West Virginia bred coaches.

But we shouldn't make this about football today.  Michigan knocked off Duke on Saturday for the first time since 1997.  On that day 11 years ago, we were just two weeks removed from rushing the field after beating the Buckeyes and completing an undefeated regular season.  We knew exactly what to do when we knocked off #1 Duke...we rushed the court.  That night, Charles Woodson won the Heisman trophy. It was a great weekend.  This, my friends, was also a great weekend.  What it means with regards to the remainder of the season and hopes of a tournament birth remains to be seen, but what it means right now is not in question.  National recognition...recruits in attendance...a sold-out Crisler arena...two victories over top-5 opponenets...Michigan Basketball is back on the map.

Helllllllloooooo Basketball

Michigan Basketball upset #4 UCLA tonight, 55-52, getting their 3rd win of the season, matching the number of wins from the entire football season (so far), and inspiring just a bit of hope in the world of Michigan sports.

The reward for this David over Goliath effort?  Play Duke twice in 15 days.  Ahhh yes, tomorrow in the Garden, 7pm, Saturday in the Horseshoe, high noon.  One down, two to go.

Remember, Remember, the 22nd of November.

"Yes, sir, it's finally here: Meeee-chigan versus Ohio State in football. Twenty minutes until blast off, as two of the oldest rivals in the Big Ten square off in The Game of the Day, The Game of the Year, The Game of the Decade. ... Call it what you will, it promises to be 2½ hours of some of the most exciting football in the 104-year history of man's inhumanity to man.'' - Bob Ufer

The day they came to bury Michigan,
All wrapped in Maize and Blue.
The words were said, 
The prayers were read, 
And everybody cried.
But when they closed the coffin, 
There was someone else inside! 
Oh, the Buckeyes came to bury the Wolverines, 
But Michigan wasn't dead! 
And when the game was over, 
It was someone else instead! 
Twenty-two Michigan Wolverines
Put on the gloves of grey,
And as Revelli played 'The Victors',
They laid Woody Hayes away!