Michigan Basketball: At Least John Beilein Acknowledges The Problem

A lot can be said about Michigan basketball coach John Beilein this season, but one thing you can’t say is that he’s ignoring the obvious issues.

With each poor performance from Michigan basketball this season, it seems a growing number of people are wanting to see the end of the John Beilein era sooner rather than later.

That’s a whole debate in itself—and one that I’m sure we’ll be having a least a couple more times throughout the remainder of the season—but you can’t say that Beilein has become a stubborn mule in these last few weeks when talking about his team.

He’s been brutally honest about his Wolverines, something that perhaps is still casting him in a positive light for those who are on the edge of calling for his head.

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Take a look at what he said before playing Maryland, a game which Michigan went on to lose by seven.

"The good news is, these are a bunch of good kids. The bad news is, the edge that a lot of great teams have has been lacking in some games.There’s no way we can win without that edge. There’s just no way. We have to have a mindset, a tough mindset about us that we can get through things. We haven’t proved we’re a tough team. We’ve proved we can be tough, at times. But you have to be tough every time."

A team that starts two seniors and a junior shouldn’t have a problem finding an “edge,” but Beilein doesn’t take issue with having to admit that his does in this case.

Then after the Wolverines’ awful performance on the road against Illinois, Beilein appeared to be just downright dumbfounded.

"There’s something missing. There’s just something missing. It’s on me to find it."

At 11-6 and on a two-game losing streak, the lights are slowly being turned off on this season. After playing Nebraska at home on Saturday, Michigan somehow has to find a way to go from Jan. 17 to Feb. 19 without crumbling.

That stretch includes two games against Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan State, and one each against Illinois, Ohio State and Minnesota.

If Michigan tries getting through that gauntlet without the “edge” that’s currently missing, or if Beilein can’t find whatever it is he’s supposed to, the Wolverines could be staring down a dark and winding road to the Big Ten tournament, where there would undoubtedly need to be some magic displayed for them to get into the NCAA tournament.

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But for as much as Michigan hasn’t done this season—especially since Big Ten play started—there’s at least the reasonable expectation that Beilein won’t be hiding behind anything if it all goes south.

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