Michigan Basketball: Indiana at Michigan — Preview
Posted at 12:00pm — 3/8/2014
Michigan Basketball: Indiana at Michigan — Preview
This evening Michigan plays Indiana, a team that jumped on the plane with a close win at Crisler last year. The win sank Michigan’s battleship and provided Indiana with a championship. That Hoosier team was very talented, and deep; on that was expected to make a deep tournament run. This year’s Indiana team has struggled to replace two great athletes, namely Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller. Still, this is a team with well above average athletes. One of the best, Yogi Ferrell, resides in Bloomington.
Having watched Indiana several times recently, it is easy to conclude that the Hoosiers are a semi-enigma. The team needs a big run, or a familiar name to the committee, to make the tournament. It could happen, but the odds are in the southern hemisphere.
Michigan has turned the tables: the Wolverines are the league champions; there are no conditions, scenarios, or possibilities that apply. So, therefore the game might be an exercise in showing up and getting ready for the conference tournament, eh?
Well, take off, the view here is that Indiana will be playing for blood. Tom Crean has declared a now somewhat silent war against the evil brain trust of Michigan. Indiana always plays hard and aggressive; this year just has not yielded the success of last year.
Today, there should be an all out assault by Indiana. A win on the road would serve as nice candy for the SOS. Crean could count coup on Michigan’s scalp. Now what does Michigan bring to the tea party? Senior day should be an affirmation for Jordan Morgan and an invisible monument to persistence. His trials and tribulations are documented well enough and need not be explored this day. His contributions and highlights need to be recognized. Michigan’s sophomores, now under no real pressure in this game, should remember the sting of last year and simply let it fly without overthinking any game aspect.
Mar 4, 2014; Champaign, IL, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-USA TODAY SportsTeams that have given Indiana trouble have disrupted the offense by pushing out the perimeter, doubling Yogi Ferrell out high, and forcing tough shots from all the shooters. Can Michigan reverse the poor and weak defense exhibited at Assembly Hall earlier this season? Ferrell had his way, and looked like a varsity kid at the local Y on Saturday who dominates a game with semi-talented locals. Noah Vonleh is quite a talent. Indiana has not really got the ball to him enough. He could be scary good and is clearly NBA talent.
So, we will see how the opera plays out. Again, this game could be nasty, depending on how Indiana and the whistles set the tone. But at least this time, Siegfried lives and the followers thirst for the next act.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — Doc4Blu
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