Reading some of the comments on mgoblog you'd think this team was Rutgers. No it wasn't a great year but jeez. People saying fire Beilien need their head examined.

This. Like we need to accept that we're not Kentucky or Kansas or Michigan State. We will struggle to get top level talent and the 2013 team was probably an insane outlier in terms of how much talent we accrued at Michigan that year.

The only thing that worries me going forward is that 3 highly promising guys just haven't gotten better in Year 2. Impossible to know how much is coaching and how much is on the kids, but one of the three of Chatman, Wilson, or Doyle needed to make the leap to being a functional player and they just haven't. Chatman and Wilson are the biggest because we really need the stretch 4 in there mostly for defense. Irvin guarding guys like Swanigan and Layman just crushes us in those matchups.

We lost a lottery pick for all of conference play and still had a respectable season. If we can somehow win 2 BTT games we've got a shot at a tourney bid because the mid major class is so weak that bid stealing is unlikely to occur this year. We need some guys to develop going forward but there is still talent on this team. Walton is a special college player and I expect big things out of him. Guy just seems like he knows the game better than everyone else out there and I hope he can bulk up a bit in the offseason and add the ability to drive to the hoop to his game. I think he's capable, and if he does that then it really opens up our offense.

Don't follow basketball like I do football but I think we all need to remember that cbb recruiting is basically a monopoly.

Correct me if I am wrong, Coach B went nuts trying to get devin booker here, who would have been perfect here. But he ended up choosing UK.

Kids in cbb think of one thing, the pros, moreso than cfb imo. And I do think Beilein probably got a tad too much hype due to the football program being in such disarray. I will admit that I don't follow cbb like I do cfb, so I could be off base and you all probably have more experience/history with michigan basketball than I.

Beilein is still a great coach and don't think we could really get a better one. If anyone has a scenario where we would get a better one id love to hear.

I mean part of my brain wants Beilein fired, but it's that irrational, instant gratification, sadomasochistic part, that I don't take seriously. You know, that same part of the brain that daydreams about your gf or wife getting hit by a bus just so you can start over anew even tho you truly love her. Yeah, that part.

I agree that we are not Kentucky or Kansas, but I don't see why Michigan State has gotta be a perpetually better program. In fact, I don't really see how any Big Ten team has a monopoly over us in that regard. We just need Izzo to retire or die.

Because you are a football program - MSU can focus at basketball and just be mediocre at football....

The way I see it is there are four untouchable programs out there: Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and UNC. We can never be those guys. After that we have the resources to be as good as anyone. Michigan State is still a place location-wise that no sane person should want to go to. I went to a Michigan State basketball game once (Back when Mateen Cleaves was playing). Talk about a depressing, eerie, middle of nowhere, children of the corn atmosphere. As soon as Izzo is gone, they will come back to earth.

BTW, MICHIGAN IS BACK!!!

I'll allow it. lol

Thinking about Beilein's regime, it really is amazing how bad he's run since he's been at Michigan. Not only have we lost a HUGE game changing piece to injury for three straight years, but even going further back, Beilein lost three more big time college players to the draft in Harris, Morris and Robinson (ok not so further back). Now most people will say, hey coaches lose players to the draft all the time. Yeah, but the players I'm talking about had no business entering the draft, and this was obvious at the time and yet they did anyways. That's running bad, really bad. If Beilein just ran neutral, how many more wins would he have? How much more consistent and good would this program be perceived to be. For one thing, with McGary in the lineup we may have beaten Kentucky, and then who knows after that, maybe even a national championship under the belt.

I mean are there legit complaints for Beilein? Sure maybe. The defensive numbers do appear to be really horrid. And it currently looks like we're not doing too well at recruiting talent. Ok, but this could just be a bump in the road. No time to panic and abort just yet.

Well, we're 7.5 point dogs, but we've got one game to win and we're in the tournament. Let's do this.

Got a lead at the under 12. Wagner playing really well today. We got a shot at this.

this officiating is a huge joke

That was a horrible block call on Donnal. Standing a foot out of the circle with his feet set and Williams lowers the shoulder into him

BOOM

CHATMAN SO SICK

THIS IS MICHIGAN!!!!!!!

For as fun as that shot was, it def shows the hole in Walton's game. In a spot like that when the guy who's hedging the screen slips, you've gotta turn the corner and get to the rim. I know the help came but Walton should be able to split the defense and get in the lane there rather than dishing it early. Guys like Yogi and Burke can force the defense into a much tougher spot rather than instantly fishing to a mediocre 3pt shooter.

Well I guess there's only one thing left to do.

What's that?

Win the whole ****ing thing.

Definitely disagree. He passed it with a little over 3 seconds left. Help defense came into the paint already and Chatman's defender had taken a step and a half towards Walton and was flat footed. He's not finishing in the paint and his only other option would have been to drive and make a crosscourt pass to Duncan in the corner, which could have easily taken too much time. Passing to Chatman was the safe, but correct decision. If he hadn't pump faked, it would have looked a lot smoother.

Bottom line. If Bernie can't do it I'm voting for Beilein.

Told my girlfriend that I have a major grandpa-crush on Beilein. She was as confused as you might expect.

Helluva win today. Let's go out and get two more.

Big win, beating Purdue would be even bigger. Gotta get that bid on LOCK.

Only real gripe is the lack of focus on recruiting bigs, I get from what I watch that michigan plays a bit higher variance with such reliance on threes, just painful to see all the blowouts, Caris would have been helpful can't forget that.

Wut, MSU's campus isn't bad at all.