Razor's edge

[tower912]

If Sam's shot had gone and MU had held on, what would your opinion be of this team?  (Shamelessly stolen from Silver Warrior on the scout board)

Amazing the fine line between success and failure.   Going into the last few weeks of the buzz era, that team was, like so many of its predecessors, team bubble watch.  All of the close games down the stretch went against MU, whereas in prior seasons they went in our favor. 

So, Sam makes the shot and MU is 3-1.   Is there the vitriol and angst?

[fjm]

If Sam's shot had gone and MU had held on, what would your opinion be of this team?  (Shamelessly stolen from Silver Warrior on the scout board)

Amazing the fine line between success and failure.   Going into the last few weeks of the buzz era, that team was, like so many of its predecessors, team bubble watch.  All of the close games down the stretch went against MU, whereas in prior seasons they went in our favor. 

So, Sam makes the shot and MU is 3-1.   Is there the vitriol and angst?

As I have mentioned many times, everyone would be singing praises. People would be upset because we blew a bit of a lead. But everyone would be saying "we are 3-1! This is a good team that lost to a real good Michigan team".
But because your shooters had an off night, many posters feel this team is now an 8-21 team.

Season over pack the bags up. Everyone should transfer, Wojo should be fired. MU should shut down its university operations. 

Yes winning makes us feel better and puts us in the tourney. But losing by 3 to a solid Pitt team (a game I will admit, we should have won.) doesn't mean we are dead in the water.

[MU82]

I wish we would have won. But I am not one of those filled with vitriol and I still think this team can have a good season.

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

It's always worth remembering that even the best teams have a fart or two along the way.

2013: Lost to UW-Green Bay on 12/19. Won the Big East and went to the Elite 8.

2003: Lost first conference game to East Carolina. Lost in nonconference to Dayton.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Above-average album.  I was in 7th grade in 1990 and saw AC/DC when they came to the Rosemont Horizon.  Opening up with "Thunderstruck," and dropping dollar bills with Angus' face on them during "Money Talks," was cool, but the highlight of the show was the "For Those About to Rock..." encore, complete with firing cannons.

[MU82]

It's always worth remembering that even the best teams have a fart or two along the way.

2013: Lost to UW-Green Bay on 12/19. Won the Big East and went to the Elite 8.

2003: Lost first conference game to East Carolina. Lost in nonconference to Dayton.

Stop being so reasoned and rational. Bad losses early in a season always mean disaster! ALWAYS!

Fire everybody!!!!!

[Eldon]

2nd greatest finisher in wrestling history



(Do I really need to name what's 1st?)

Seriously though, if I'm being honest with myself, if MU had beaten Pitt, I'd probably ease up on the Wojo-seat-heat rhetoric and I'd still be slightly apprehensive about the team. 

[MerrittsMustache]

It's always worth remembering that even the best teams have a fart or two along the way.

2013: Lost to UW-Green Bay on 12/19. Won the Big East and went to the Elite 8.

2003: Lost first conference game to East Carolina. Lost in nonconference to Dayton.

Dwyane Wade isn't walking through that door...Steve Novak isn't walking through that door...Vander Blue isn't walking through that door...

Yes, good teams lose to below average teams...but when a team loses a game it should have won, that doesn't necessarily mean that it was a "fart along the way." It could also means that "good team" isn't really all that good.

If Hauser's shot falls and MU win, 3-1 looks and feels a lot better than 2-2 but that wouldn't change the fact that over the last 2+ seasons Wojo has often been outcoached and looked overmatched. Personally, I don't think Wojo has done a bad job and calling for his job at this point is ridiculous. However, he has a lot of growing and improving to do. The losses to the Belmonts and DePauls of the CBB world can't happen. The defensive meltdowns need to be corrected. The chaotic stretches of bad basketball need to stop. There's a lot of work to do and I've gone from "confident" to "hopeful" that Wojo can do it.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Above-average album.  I was in 7th grade in 1990 and saw AC/DC when they came to the Rosemont Horizon.  Opening up with "Thunderstruck," and dropping dollar bills with Angus' face on them during "Money Talks," was cool, but the highlight of the show was the "For Those About to Rock..." encore, complete with firing cannons.

+1

[TallTitan34]

2nd greatest finisher in wrestling history



(Do I really need to name what's 1st?)

Solid move, however, the problem with the Razor's Edge is you can't hit that on your opponent if he's huge.  Trying doing that to Yokozuna or Braun Stroman.  Not gonna happen.

What is your number one?

[tower912]

Figure 4 leg lock?    (whoo!)

[Dr. Blackheart]

The Michigan game was far more upsetting as the team was totally unprepared, although Michigan was the better team.  MU came in believing they can do Vandy to everyone.  Wrong.  It isn't all a guard's game, fellers, and Michigan adapted to their current roster make up which is very different from past JB teams.  Which JB team did MU prep for?

Versus Pitt, no one gave Wojo props for his last minute time out in the first half where MU got and converted a two for one to go up 11 at the break.  Two great plays set up out of that time out.

A negative was the 2nd half.  Pitt got Luke to foul sending him to the bench ten seconds into the half.  Right to the bench but Matt and the team on the floor played well.  For the five + minutes that Matt was out there until Wojo called a 30 second time out at 14:37, Young scored two points and MU led 54-47. 

At that time out, Wojo took out Rowsey, Haanif and Matt and inserted JjJ, Traci and Luke.  Young proceeded to score 12 straight points and MU relinquished the lead.  Why the time out?  Why those substitutions?  Fair questions.

The play at the end out of the time out can be debated but getting a guard on the drive to the hoop for a foul and "and one" is not a bad call.  Maybe better to Haanif take it with his size but if he had the ball, that would signal to Pitt that Cheats would be driving as that is what he primarily does.  With Rowsey, he can launch or drive.  With Sam, at that point, the three was the best look with timing run out for the win.  He was not squared up, but that was not a bad shot.

[MUCrew]

2nd greatest finisher in wrestling history



(Do I really need to name what's 1st?)

Seriously though, if I'm being honest with myself, if MU had beaten Pitt, I'd probably ease up on the Wojo-seat-heat rhetoric and I'd still be slightly apprehensive about the team.

This for me:

[Eldon]

This for me:

Bingo!

I mean it's all there.  It's flawless.  The middle finger (when he can squeeze it in), the kick, the actual stunner, etc.  It's original.  It elicits great body dynamics from the victim, etc.  It's a work of art to say the least.

[fjm]

The Michigan game was far more upsetting as the team was totally unprepared, although Michigan was the better team.  MU came in believing they can do Vandy to everyone.  Wrong.  It isn't all a guard's game, fellers, and Michigan adapted to their current roster make up which is very different from past JB teams.  Which JB team did MU prep for?

Versus Pitt, no one gave Wojo props for his last minute time out in the first half where MU got and converted a two for one to go up 11 at the break.  Two great plays set up out of that time out.

A negative was the 2nd half.  Pitt got Luke to foul sending him to the bench ten seconds into the half.  Right to the bench but Matt and the team on the floor played well.  For the five + minutes that Matt was out there until Wojo called a 30 second time out at 14:37, Young scored two points and MU led 54-47. 

At that time out, Wojo took out Rowsey, Haanif and Matt and inserted JjJ, Traci and Luke.  Young proceeded to score 12 straight points and MU relinquished the lead.  Why the time out?  Why those substitutions?  Fair questions.

The play at the end out of the time out can be debated but getting a guard on the drive to the hoop for a foul and "and one" is not a bad call.  Maybe better to Haanif take it with his size but if he had the ball, that would signal to Pitt that Cheats would be driving as that is what he primarily does.  With Rowsey, he can launch or drive.  With Sam, at that point, the three was the best look with timing run out for the win.  He was not squared up, but that was not a bad shot.

Well put. I didn't think of it this way at all.

[bilsu]

Before we lost to Pitt I had already concluded that the team has been coached into a one dimensional team. Before the season started most of us here were excited about a Buzz type team that moved the ball around to take advantage of our our outside shooting, which would open up driving lanes to take advantage of. What it has turned out to be is a drive first team. Put your head down and drive with no kicking the ball out for open shots. This style is very easy to defend, because the team knows you are going to drive. It also hurts the defense, because that is all they practice against on a day to day basis. Was it really a surprise that we could not defend against Michigan kicking the ball back out? Was it really a surprise that a team with size can defend against a team that looks to drive on every play? What confusses me is that I think Wojo can see how we should play in that we we should pass the ball for open shots, but somehow we seem to look only to drive the ball. There is no real effort to find open threes. In the first half against Vandy we did not look for three point shots and ended up in a one point game at halftime. In the second half we shot a lot of threes and blew them out. Before the season started I posted that this team could beat any team, if they were hot from three. However, if we continue with this emphasis of driving on every possession we will not even make the NIT.

[🏀]

Bingo!

I mean it's all there.  It's flawless.  The middle finger (when he can squeeze it in), the kick, the actual stunner, etc.  It's original.  It elicits great body dynamics from the victim, etc.  It's a work of art to say the least.

I never understood how the greatest wrestler of all-time got away with the worst finish ever.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Good stuff Dr. B. Fair assessment. No question that Beilein ate Wojo's lunch.

[GB Warrior]

I never understood how the greatest wrestler of all-time got away with the worst finish ever.

I dunno, his genitals single-handedly finished Gawker.

[Stronghold]

This for me:

AUSTIN 3:16!! AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE CUZ STONE COLD SAID SO!!!  TEXAS RATTLESNAKE!!!

There's also no better sound than the glass shattering and you see him running out to open a can of whoop ass.