Michigan 99 Texas A&M 72

Twenty points in 3 minutes?  It is not going to happen.

Michigan returned to their game in the Big Ten tournament--steal it on one end and hit a three or easy shot on the other end.  They not only win games, they turn them around.  Against lesser teams or not in the NCAA tournament opponents tend to give up.  It is demoralizing and deflating.

Texas A&M simply could not react defensively.  Sometimes shooters were wide open.  Time and time again Michigan created and made shots.

John Beilein has stolen Harbaugh's playbook and thunder.  It is a killer instinct and concept all in one.  Get out to a lead and just keep outscoring them.  Whatever their tactic we will hit back harder.

In this game a variety of scoring methods and players--Simpson, Matthews, Wagner, MAAR, Robinson, et. al.  (Ibi Watson and Austin Davis?)--none of them really checked, was too much.

Did TJ ("TO machine") Starks even play in the second half?  He is TAMU's biggest 3-point threat.  He definitely did not score in the second half.  Williams and Davis, as impressive as they are, there is no way they can score that many points even though they were efficient shooting (17/25).  DJ Hogg looked slow and Michigan players ran right around him.  Gilder, Chandler and the rest, still never heard of them.

The Aggies are an interesting basketball program.  Mark Turgeon had a lot of wins there--boy was he booed this year in Maryland--but very little on a national level.  Billy Kennedy (hadn't heard of him either) has been successful too.  This team was lower-half SEC.  Against Michigan they tried a lot of things but none of them were championship good.

Were they Michigan team close?  Minutes after the game Williams sure was in a hurry to "definitely" leave for the NBA.

You aren't going to catch up by going into the post against Michigan.

The announcers used the word "wing" at one point to describe Michigan players.  There was a time when Michigan fans used to hang on the word wing when it came to recruiting.  Charles Matthews and Isaiah Livers can rebound with 6' 10" players--Michigan may not win the stats--and other like MAAR, Simpson and Simmons picked-up a few by sheer hustle too.  These players have been doing it against anyone they were guarding all their lives.  Quickness helps too.

Overall, it was brilliant coaching by Beilein in the way he prepared the team and how he used the bench.  Thankfully, Michigan was semi-prepared for the press...

On to the Elite 8!



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OMG Can I be totally honest here???

This season was a roller coaster and the cart finally flew off the track last night into the great abyss. Were ranked #4 in the nation at one point then it went south with injured players, players suspended players for breaking "Team Rules", players kicked off the team for getting busted by the cops, getting out coached and out played. Did I miss anything?

Am I a bit upset? No I am more like fuming pissed off. A 27pt blow out on national TV?!?!?!? I would not be upset if we lost by less than 10 pts but 27 pts?!?!?!? That was just a straight up ass kicking on national TV. Mr. "Unguardable" Starks if you are going to talk shit before the game please play like your "unguardable" and make more than 5 points. I hope Michigan was kind enough to give you back your "unguardable" testicles after the game. I should have known better to get my hopes up. OH WELL… there is always next year right???