Posts Tagged ‘michigan’
A rock and a hard place
Scott Rich of the Duke Chronicle grew up a Michigan fan, which leaves him unsure which team he should hate more in tonight’s championship game:
Since I received my acceptance letter from this university a year ago, I have bled Duke Blue.
But for the 18 years prior to that day, I bled maize and blue.
So you can probably see that tonight’s National Championship game between North Carolina and Michigan State is the ultimate lose-lose situation for a fan like me (save possibly a North Carolina-Ohio State matchup). Hatred for one of these teams has consumed my life for the past year, while the other was my inner-state rival during my entire childhood.
From the Wire: Sunday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
Jonny Flynn and James Hardin are good friends who’ll be foes when Syracuse and Arizona State meet — Michael Bonner, The Daily Orange
Jon Brockman’s last game is the end of an era for Washington — Allen Wagner, The Daily
ALSO: Huskies fall achingly short
Michigan State will have its hands full with the talented Trojans
– Alex Altman, The State News
Marcus Morris and Kansas will try to keep Dayton‘s high-flying Chris Wright from taking off — Case Keefer, The University Daily Kansan
UCLA didn’t have nearly enough to keep up with Villanova — The Daily Bruin
ALSO: Villanova rolls into Sweet Sixteen; Bruins say goodbye to Collison, Shipp and Aboya
Wrap: Saturday’s second round
One-stop shopping for all the action as 32 became 24 with Saturday’s second-round action. Or look back on the first round from Thursday and Friday.
West Region
1 UConn def. 9 Texas A&M
South Region
1 North Carolina def. 8 LSU
Analysis: 2 Oklahoma def. 10 Michigan
2 Oklahoma 73
10 Michigan 63
South Region second round • Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.
By Zachary Osterman
– I’ll admit that I held this opinion of Michigan before this game: While I think the Wolverines advanced much more quickly than expected in John Beilein’s thinking-man offense and 1-3-1 defense, they aren’t there yet. Oklahoma did well against that zone defense, but I still think Michigan just hasn’t fully grasped the ins and outs, if you will.
From the Wire: Saturday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
The challenge of containing Oklahoma‘s Blake Griffin has Michigan coach John Beilein remembering Carmelo Anthony’s days at Syracuse
– Ruth Lincoln, Jason Kohler and Alex Prosperi, The Michigan Daily
Sophomore Chris Allen needs to stay aggressive for Michigan State — Alex Altman, The State News
ALSO: Raymar Morgan & Co. had the foot on the gas against Robert Morris; Depth was important for the Spartans; Senior captain Travis Walton knows the importance of seizing an NCAA moment.
Arizona State survived despite getting very little from Pac-1o player of the year James Harden
– Alex Espinoza, The State Press
ALSO: Jeff Pendergraph and Derek Glasser led the way; Temple could never quite break through.
Sherron Collins and Kansas won a shootout with Ben Woodside and North Dakota State — Case Keefer, The University Daily Kansan
Chase Budinger rose to the occasion when Arizona needed him most
– Bryan Roy, The Arizona Daily Wildcat
ALSO: Arizona’s season of rebirth continues; Aggressive defense carried the Cats.
From the Wire: Friday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
Mike Anderson and Missouri have been through a lot to get here
– William Powell, The Columbia Missourian
Ty Lawson was left watching as North Carolina dismantled Radford — David Ely, The Daily Tar Heel
ALSO: Tyler Hansbrough is now the ACC’s all-time leading scorer; LSU will be a second-round test.
Washington and Jon Brockman won the battle with Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State‘s superb shot blocker — Allen Wagner, The Daily
ALSO: Quincy Pondexter led the way for UW in the first round.
Cole Aldrich and Kansas are well aware how dangerous North Dakota State could be
– Case Keefer, The University Daily Kansan
When the going got tough, Cal gave in — Jack Ross, The Daily Californian
ALSO: Lackluster Bears fall to Maryland
Not afraid to say it: I miss Billy Packer — Sam Davis, The Daily Gamecock
Wrap: Thursday’s first round
We ginned up analysis and commentary for 16 basketball games Thursday. The least you can do is read a few of them:
West Region
1 UConn def. 16 Chattanooga
5 Purdue def. 12 Northern Iowa
Analysis: 2 Oklahoma def. 15 Morgan State
2 Oklahoma 82
15 Morgan State 54
South Region first round Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.
By Jeff Greer
– Oklahoma’s chances to make the Final Four — or even the Sweet Sixteen — hinge on its ability to limit turnovers and play solid defense. I don’t know if you can judge the Sooners based on their performance against 15th-seeded Morgan State, but they at least ratcheted up the D for one game. Oklahoma forced Morgan State into too many 3-point attempts and really looked strong on the glass. The Sooners still didn’t do enough work to eliminate some of the stupid turnovers that plagued them late in the season – remember, Oklahoma lost four of six prior to the NCAA tournament. They committed 15 turnovers against an inferior opponent. Imagine what Michigan’s 1-3-1 zone will do.
Analysis: 10 Michigan def. 7 Clemson
10 Michigan 62
7 Clemson 59
South Region first round • Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.
By Zachary Osterman
– Clemson’s frontcourt kept them in the game, scoring 39 points and getting layups and dunks on backdoor cuts and offensive rebounds. The Tigers’ advantage on the glass was also glaring, as they pulled down 21 offensive boards and 44 overall.
At the Arena: Tough, love
Alex Prosperi of the Michigan Daily reports from Kansas City on the Michigan-Clemson game:
– Michigan coach John Beilein is a master of words. After sophomore guard Kelvin Gray airballed a jump shot with the shot clock winding down in the first half, Beilein ripped into him about his shot selection. But then he complemented the point guard on his ability to break Clemson’s quick full-court press.
– The NCAA must regulate the number of personnel allowed on the bench. Michigan redshirt freshmen Ben Cronin and Corey Person as well as a team manager are both sitting first row in the section across from the Wolverines’ bench. Director of basketball operations Brian Townsend is sitting a few rows up behind the Michigan bench.
– Down three at halftime, Clemson shooting guard Terrence Oglesby walked off the court looking like he had just seen a ghost. The sophomore, who shoots nearly 40 percent from 3-point range, was a mere 1-for-6 from behind the arc in the first half.
