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Quinn Hughes Looks Ahead to Summer 2018

4/28/2018

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By: Lucas Vargas
“If you can play, you can play.” After an electric freshman season on the ice for the Michigan Wolverines, this mentality will carry Quinn Hughes into hockey’s highest level of competition. Hughes’ road to the NHL will start with the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championships in Denmark, followed by the NHL combine in Buffalo, and the NHL Draft in Dallas. I had the chance to watch the NHL playoffs with the young Wolverine defenseman and breakdown his past, present, and future.

At just 17 years of age, Quinn Hughes came into his freshman season as the youngest player in college hockey. A consensus top 10 NHL prospect, Hughes has always played against older kids. “Age is just another number that doesn’t really matter,” according to Hughes, who embraced the opportunity to be surrounded by older teammates and see how they approached the game. Some of those players include Tony Calderone, who signed with the Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers-bound Cooper Marody. However, year one in Ann Arbor brought many new learning opportunities for the freshman defenseman off the ice, as Hughes had to manage his new role as a student-athlete.“At Michigan it’s just as competitive on the ice as it is in the classroom,”said Hughes. He not only received high level coaching, but also high level teaching, which kept him locked in both mentally and physically into all aspects of college life. It was that competition and focus which sparked a drive and determination that resulted in constant improvement and a key role in Michigan’s Frozen Four appearance.  

The Michigan Wolverines’ Hockey Team was picked to finish 6th out of 7 teams in the preseason Big Ten polls, something that was, "stressed in a locker room of guys that felt we weren’t receiving enough credit". While Quinn Hughes was representing the USA at the World Junior Championships in early January, Michigan was narrowly swept at Notre Dame, falling to a record of 8-10-2. The Wolverines appeared to be an average college hockey team. But lessons learned from early failures would be crucial to the development of a young team gearing up for a 2nd half push. Hughes returned to Ann Arbor with a bronze medal to show for his participation in the 2018 World Junior Championships and a unique hockey experience to lean on after being surrounded in a new environment and playing against top competition from around the world. The next weekend in Minnesota was arguably the turning point of the season. Michigan earned its first sweep of the Golden Gophers since 1977 and everyone on the team was fully bought into first-year coach Mel Pearson’s system. As Hughes said, “it was so much fun to go streaking with these boys”. The Wolverines streaked to a 14-5-1 finish that started in Minneapolis and would bring them back to the Twin Cities for the Frozen Four. The rematch against Notre Dame ended in heartbreaking fashion in a last second loss to end national championship hopes in 2018. However, with lots to be proud of and even more to look forward to, Quinn Hughes’ path to the NHL is laying in front of him.


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Quinn Hughes will next skate at the 2018 IIHF Men’s Hockey World Championship in Denmark from May 4-20. This will be the 2nd tournament that he represents the USA in this calendar year. Originally from Orlando, Hughes grew up in Ontario, Canada but always had dreams of skating for the stars and stripes. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of Team USA and described his feelings that, “putting on the jersey is special and you never get used to it”. He will be competing against the best in the world, playing against NHL talent unable to compete at the Olympics in Pyeongchang. Quinn will no doubt be among the youngest skaters in Denmark (and will be the only member of Team USA pulled directly from college), but believes that the US coached picked him for a reason. He will savor the opportunity to learn from professional players and coaches and focus on playing his game without doing too much or too little. Hughes stated that he is looking forward to sharing the ice the most with “one of the best American players ever”, Team USA Captain and Chicago Blackhawk right winger, Patrick Kane. Detroit Red Wings head coach, Jeff Blashill, will serve as the head coach of the 2018 American team. Current Red Wings forward and former Wolverine, Dylan Larkin, will also compete alongside Hughes. This immersion into high stakes competition will test the young defenseman’s mettle, but ultimately prepare him for his future at the NHL level of play he expects to compete at. After an exhibition against Denmark, Team USA will start competition against Connor McDavid and Team Canada on May 4th. 

Upon returning from Denmark, Hughes will showcase his skills at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, from May 27 to June 2 before attending the NHL Draft on June 22 in Dallas. For a player who grew up in a hockey family and, “didn’t think of a life not playing hockey”, this will be the stepping stone to eventually realizing his dream. The 18 year-old defenseman, viewed as a top 10 prospect by most pro scouts, can lean on a long list of outstanding accomplishments that include 5 goals and 24 assists as a freshman at Michigan, a spot on the All-CHN Rookie Team, honors as 2nd Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and two seasons of competition for the United States National Team Development Program. Hughes also hopes that his passion for the game and the care he possesses for his teammates stands out as well to NHL GMs. “I’m always gonna do my thing and I’m excited to see what team picks me.” 

As Quinn Hughes prepares for his bright future, he will carry his thankfulness and pride in the people he represents, as well as the lessons his family first taught him about hockey, whether that is skating for the USA, an NHL team, or Michigan. After just one season in Ann Arbor, Hughes already sees Michigan as a special place. “There are so many good and smart people that you can learn so much from. Coaches, teammates, and classmates make this place so special.” Everyone in Michigan has had the chance to see Hughes compete. Now, the rest of the world will now get to see him play the game he loves, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. 
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Pistons Week in Review

4/11/2018

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By: Bogart Lipe

Andre Drummond, who is playing like if a lovechild between Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Nash existed, can shoot free throws now. To celebrate, we’ll have an article every week whose length is based on Andre’s free throw percentage. For example, 0.500 from the line calls for a 500 word article, 0.700 is a 700 word article, and so on. So here we go. Andre Drummond is shooting 0.605 from the free throw line, so here are 605 words on the Pistons’ week.
            
It’s finally over.

Well not officially over. But close enough.

This is officially the last weekly piece for the season.

(And we might as well now commend Andre Drummond’s ridiculously impressive turnaround at the free throw line, consistently having me write 600 words a week. Genuinely an outstanding season for him.)

Anyway, the Pistons (finally) play their last game of the season tonight against the Bulls. Last Wednesday they lost to the Sixers by, and I’m not completely sure about this, something around 74 points. This officially ended their season. I can stop walking around, ashamed, knowing that I am an avid Pistons fan. An avid Pistons fan that went on record multiple times preseason that the team would be a top Eastern Conference team and win 50 games. I doubled down early in the season when the Pistons started 14-6.

A rough stretch followed. The team ended up 19-15, when Reggie Jackson went down with a severely sprained ankle. Then: losing, more losing, the Blake Griffin trade, some winning (!!!), then more and more losing, and (finally) being eliminated from postseason contention.

This has been difficult. It’s not easy doing this every year. Reggie Jackson hasn’t been able to stay healthy, playing 44 games so far this season and missing 30 games last year. And it doesn’t help that the team quietly revolves around his presence on the floor. He is not as talented as Blake Griffin. He is not the athletic monster of a man that Andre Drummond is. However, he is the engine that makes this team go. He’s one of Andre’s best friends, and it shows with the difference in Andre’s overall energy and play when Reggie plays and when he does not. Pistons fans weren’t lucky enough to watch the trio of Blake, Dre, and Reggie play meaningful games together. And yet again, the Pistons will likely “run it back” with the same roster next year. Of course, this team is nowhere near the same team as the one in October, and the team has increased its star power tenfold with the addition of Griffin. However, Pistons fans have been led on long enough without any change where, it’s now become apparent, it needs to take place.

It remains yet to be seen whether tonight’s game against the Bulls will be Stan Van Gundy’s last as coach and/or President of Basketball Operations. At this point in time, it would make very little sense for him to retain both positions. Many will argue that it would make very little sense for him to retain any semblance of a position with the Pistons, and this point of view is understandable. For some fans like yours truly, it doesn’t matter what happens with Stan Van, as long as something changes. Fire him from coaching, but keep him as president? Fine. Fire him from both positions? Fine. Admittedly, keeping SVG as coach and firing him as president would be the least sensible option of all the possibilities, but at this point as long as something changes I’ll be slightly encouraged. There are many good coaches available (hello David Fizdale) as well as good president or general manager candidates (I miss you Chauncey Billups).

It’s been consecutive brutal seasons for the Pistons and fans. And just like this year, come fall, there will be some blinded fans who still think that this team when healthy can be a top team in the East and even win 50 games next year.

Well…

This team when healthy can be a top team in the East and even win 50 games next year.


It’s been fun. Go Pistons.

Image credit: 
https://www.si.com/nba/2016/04/21/stan-van-gundy-stanley-johnson-lebron-james-comments​
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Pistons Week in Review

4/4/2018

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By: Bogart Lipe

Andre Drummond, who is playing like if a lovechild between Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Nash existed, can shoot free throws now. To celebrate, we’ll have an article every week whose length is based on Andre’s free throw percentage. For example, 0.500 from the line calls for a 500 word article, 0.700 is a 700 word article, and so on. So here we go. Andre Drummond is shooting 0.618 from the free throw line, so here are 618 words on the Pistons’ week.
         
Okay so stay with me here.

Yesterday was an absolutely miserable day. Hours after the University of Michigan men’s basketball team lost in the final (a loss that has, to put it lightly, Tombstone Piledriven me emotionally), I had to walk to classes in the pouring rain. And somehow, the powers at be decided to task Ann Arbor with a 35 degree day while also throwing a thunderstorm our way. So that was amusing. The weather was miserable. I was/am miserable. The campus in general was miserable. So I’m vulnerable right now.

Okay so stay with me here.

The Pistons currently sit 4.5 games out of the playoff picture in the East. There are 5 Pistons games left to play. The Pistons will need to win out, which would result in them ending the regular season on a 10 (!!!) game win streak. This is a highly unreasonable thing to believe in. Not that the schedule is increasingly difficult, because it is not. The remaining games are against the Sixers, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Raptors, and Bulls. It screams 2-3 or 3-2. I realize this. But I am vulnerable right now.

Okay so stay with me here.

The team that is the only mathematically viable option for the Pistons to overtake in the standings is the Bucks. They sit 4.5 games ahead of the Pistons with 4 to play. Coupled with the aforementioned Totally About to Happen 5 Game Pistons Win Streak to end the season, the Bucks would need to finish the season 0-4 against the Nets, Knicks, Magic, and Sixers. This is, you guessed it, another highly unreasonable thing to believe in. So we now have a couple highly unreasonable, if not completely irrational, things to believe in that could combine and allow the Pistons to somehow make the playoffs. But I am vulnerable right now.

Okay so stay with me here.

Fresh sports wounds are the absolute worst. There’s an emptiness. And there’s no way to really fill this emptiness. So you get desperate. I am now desperate in addition to the previously mentioned vulnerability. This is admittedly a toxic mix. Believe me, I know this. But here we go.

Okay so stay with me here.

I’m now all in on the Pistons making an out-of-this-world, impossible comeback to make the playoffs. I will now be reverting back to watching the Pistons play games in full, which I haven’t done in dozens of days. I will root hard for Reggie Jackson to continue his stellar play (stellar play as according to my Pistons notifications, as I haven’t watched and as such do not know for a fact that he has played stellar). I will follow the Bucks’ end to their regular season. And I know I will be disappointed. I understand this. I understand that by later this week the Pistons may absolutely be eliminated from playoff contention. But my basketball heart is desperate and I’ve been left no choice. I’m already heartbroken. At this point, any additional heartbreak wouldn’t register very much more than what I am already at. I’m playing with house money. If/when the Pistons get eliminated for good, I’ll be sad. But this is the expected result. But if they come back and make the playoffs? And if they draw the Raptors in the first round? And then beat the Raptors in the first round? Now that would be fun.

But later on tonight, when the Pistons are officially out of the postseason, I will go back to ultimate sulking. But at this very moment, I have the slightest of hopes that the Pistons will pull off the unimaginable.

And this is a ludicrous thing to believe in.

But again, I am vulnerable.

*Image credit: 
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2018/2/21/17038278/reggie-jackson-enters-next-phase-of-recovery-pistons-ankle-sprain-injury *
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2018 Frozen Four Preview

4/4/2018

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By: Alex Drain

Monday night may not have ended the way we all wanted it to, with Villanova cutting down the nets and claiming their place among college basketball’s greatest teams ever. But, don’t fall asleep, Wolverines fans, for there’s another Michigan team with a chance at a national title this weekend: Michigan hockey. Last week, I wrote about the Wolverines’ triumph in the Northeast Regional, punching themselves a ticket to St. Paul to play in this week’s Frozen Four against Notre Dame. The other matchup is Ohio State vs. Minnesota Duluth, and I’m here to preview them both:


(3) Minnesota Duluth vs. Ohio State (1): 7:00 PM EST
You may know this meme, of Spiderman pointing at the other Spiderman, denoting when two things are the same. This meme is the Duluth-OSU game, two very similar teams, across most metrics. Let’s take a look:

Goals Scored: Duluth 128, OSU 130

Goals Allowed: Duluth 90, OSU 83
Last 12 Games: Duluth 9-3, OSU 8-3-1
Shooting Percentage: Duluth 9.9%, OSU 9.9%
Power Play Percentage: Duluth 23.9%, OSU 23.9%

So yes, these two squads are eerily similar. Now the question becomes, where are the differences? For Ohio State, it’s the penalty kill, which ranks #1 in college hockey at 89.29%. It is what has elevated them to elite status, and the combo of a #6 PP and a #1 PK is their winning formula. Duluth’s PK is no slouch, at 82.58%, but it’s not the tremendous strength that it is for the Buckeyes. Where Duluth will have an advantage is in puck possession. While Ohio State is not a bad puck possession team, Duluth is one of the best, with a 54.1% CF (the percent of the game your team has the puck), good for #8 in college hockey. They’re even better at even strength, with a 55.6% CF, #5 in college hockey, while Ohio State is at #16. When the two teams are at even strength, Duluth will have the advantage, and so it is crucial for the Bulldogs to stay out of the box and maximize chances in 5 on 5 play.

As for the netminders, both teams have excellent players between the pipes. For Ohio State, it’s Sean Romeo, who has come out of nowhere to be a stud, sporting a .927 save percentage and a 2.05 GAA. However, Hunter Shepard for Duluth, a first year starter, has been even better, with a .924 save percentage and a 1.95 GAA, without the benefit of an elite penalty kill alongside him. Goals figure to be hard to come by in this type of a matchup.

The intangibles seem to favor Minnesota-Duluth. First off, they will be the de facto home team in St. Paul. Only around a 2 hour drive from Duluth, the Bulldogs had tons of fans in the XCel Energy Center in 2011, when they bested Michigan for the National Championship and I expect them to have by far the biggest contingency on Thursday night. Oh, and with the rest of the building being packed with Irish and Wolverine fans, it should be a very hostile crowd to Ohio State. The other aspect that Duluth wields the upper hand in is experience. Sorta. This is their second consecutive Frozen Four, coming up one goal short in the finals a year ago. The Buckeyes meanwhile, hadn’t made the Frozen Four since 1998 prior to 2018. However, only about half the players on Duluth’s roster actually played in last year’s Frozen Four trip, since they lost 7 seniors to graduation, 3 underclassmen to the NHL, including their goalie and 6 of their 8 highest scoring players off last year’s team. Yet, despite rolling with a freshman-heavy roster, Duluth is right back in play for a title, a sign of how well they are coached. Another factor is NHL talent. Duluth has 6 NHL draft picks on their team, while OSU only has 3. Will it matter? Only time will tell.

Conclusion: The team that gets ahead early is going to win, I think. Both teams are strong enough defensively that if they get the early goal, they should lock it down. In fact, Duluth is 52-0-3 when leading after two periods since 2015 (!!!!). That’s an astonishing stat, but shows you that the Bulldogs know how to hold onto a lead. But it’s also Ohio State’s style of play, so that first goal will be immense. This should be a very close and very fun contest that I’m looking forward to watching. I’m not going to make a prediction because college hockey is such a random sport, though I’m leaning Duluth. But it should be a great and tight game.

(2) Michigan vs. (1) Notre Dame: 9:00 PM EST
The other semifinal is an old CCHA rivalry game, and in the current lingo, a Big Ten rivalry. Michigan and Notre Dame played each other 4 times this season, splitting the games 2-2, and they feature contrasting styles and also different season paths to this point. Notre Dame had a slowish start (3-3-1) before ripping off 16 (!) straight wins, including a clean sweep of the first matchup with every Big Ten foe. They essentially had the conference title in the bag in early January and then entered a 2+ month long slump. The Fighting Irish are only 8-6-1 over their last 15 games, which includes the current 4 game win streak to get themselves here.

So one argument could be that Notre Dame simply took their foot off the gas once they had things in the bag, but that argument doesn’t hold a lot of weight, since the dominant team of early in the season isn’t there. Even though they’ve won 4 straight games, 2 were in overtime and the other 2 had game winning goals with under 60 seconds left in regulation (so, basically overtime). But part of that is just Notre Dame’s style (we’ll get to that in a second).

On the flip side, Michigan is the most unlikely team in the Frozen Four. While the other three teams all made the tourney a year ago, and ND and Duluth were in last year’s Frozen Four, Michigan was 13-19-3, in the unfortunate final year of Red Berenson’s legendary tenure. Picked to finish second to last in the Big Ten in the preseason, new Head Coach Mel Pearson coaxed the potential out of this NHL talent-laden squad, but it took time. In early January, Michigan was 8-10-2, with a distant hope for an NCAA tournament appearance fading away. But since then, they’ve gone 14-4-1, becoming college hockey’s hottest team. The Wolverines haven’t lost in regulation since early February and are firing on all cylinders, and with 10+ NHL draft picks on the roster, that fact is scary.

So, when I say these two teams have contrasting styles, what I’m referring to is that Michigan will try and outscore you. Notre Dame by and large, doesn’t really play offense. While Michigan is a solid puck possession team at even strength, 51.1 CF%, Notre Dame is very bad at it, with a 46.9 CF%. In “close situations”, Michigan is at 53.0 CF%, while the Irish are at a measly 47.1%. But that’s just ND’s style. They have the #2 PK in the country, one of the top goalies in Cale Morris, and they play defense. They try and get an early lead and then grind out the victory. But that timid and defensive style has made for some decently one-sided games between the two at even strength. Indeed, in the four games the two teams played against each other this year, all 7 of Michigan’s goals were at even strength, while just one of Notre Dame’s goals were! The Irish converted 5 times on the power play, thanks to Michigan’s dreadful penalty kill, and that’s kind of the game plan for Michigan. If the Wolverines take only one or two penalties, they’ll win. But if they let Notre Dame get goals on multiple PP chances, it will be danger time.

Now the good news is that in the two games in Worcester, Michigan was far more disciplined than earlier in the season, taking just 2 penalties in each of the two games played. That clip should be enough to win, since Michigan hasn’t had a lot of issues getting chances at even strength against Notre Dame, and shouldn’t on Thursday. Since January 1st, Michigan has been the highest goal scoring team in college hockey, with 80 goals in 23 games (3.48 GPG), and even against a good defensive team like the Irish, Michigan should be able to score a few goals.

The other important thing to note is that one of the two losses Michigan had against Notre Dame came without star defenseman Quinn Hughes and 2nd line centerman Josh Norris, who were playing in the World Junior Championships. Since then, Hughes has elevated his game to become one of the best defensemen to ever play at Michigan. He was the best player on the ice in Worcester and he should be again in St. Paul. A top 10 pick in this June’s NHL Draft, Hughes is something Notre Dame doesn’t have and his growth even since the teams last played in February has been immense. And that fact is pretty indicative of this matchup overall. Despite playing very disciplined system hockey, Notre Dame doesn’t have a ton of NHL talent on the roster, while Michigan absolutely does. That talent gap could be a real issue for the Irish in this contest.

Conclusion: As I’ve made it abundantly clear, I really like this matchup for Michigan. Again, college hockey is college hockey, which means the craziest things will happen, but Notre Dame is the team I most wanted to see Michigan play out of the top seeds in the tourney. As for the game plan, besides not taking penalties, Michigan needs to start strong again. They scored the first goal in both games in the Northeast Regional in Worcester and also did so in the sweep of ND in February. In both games, Michigan busted out of the gate and dominated play until they got the lead. Then entering the 3rd period with the lead, the Wolverines basically turtled and tried to hang on. I want Michigan to stay aggressive the entire game and not get defensive, especially if they have a lead on a team like ND, which isn’t really comfortable playing from behind. Not making a prediction, but I like Michigan’s chances of playing in the title game on Saturday night.

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The Final Chapter

4/2/2018

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By: Alex Drain

And so we’ve arrived at the end. If this were a boxing match, we would be entering the 15th round. Win or lose, Michigan basketball’s season is coming to a close tonight. It’s been a lengthy journey, as the primary winter sports, hockey and basketball, are the NCAA’s longest and most grueling seasons, beginning when everyone cares about football and ending when college kids are ready for the summer. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, with ups and downs. For this Michigan team, that is truer than ever. There were moments in November, in Maui, December, in Columbus, January, in Lincoln, February, in Evanston, and March, in Wichita, that the pundits thought Michigan wasn’t up to snuff. But those were the moments that made these Wolverines as tough as nails. It hardened them and upped their mental toughness to a level unseen before.


Tonight they get a matchup with college basketball’s best: the Villanova Wildcats. At 35-4, Villanova has a chance to etch their name into the record books as one of the sport’s greatest teams, possessing unquestionably one of college basketball’s best offenses ever. They rain threes from all over and have an offensive wizard at point guard. It’s the largest spread (6.5) in any national title game since 2010. But ‘Nova will also be seeing the toughest defense they’ve faced all year in Michigan. It’s a clash of the titans and a chance for history.

A Contrast of Styles
If you watched the second Final Four game, you probably noticed Villanova assaulting Kansas early on with a barrage of three pointers. That’s the style for the Wildcats, a team with deadly three point shooters all around. They distribute the ball better than any other team in college basketball, always trying to find the open shot, and it’s created an offense that could be called a SuperNova. On the other side, Michigan does not allow many threes at all. Per umhoops.com and The Athletic’s Dylan Burkhardt, Michigan “has only allowed their opponents to attempt 29.8 percent of their shots from beyond the arc — the fifth-lowest rate in college basketball”. The Wolverines have been terrific at running teams off the arc and there’s no doubt that the game plan tonight will be to make Villanova beat Michigan inside. And there’s no question that that can happen. Villanova is that good.

On the flip side, Michigan has to have one of their best offensive outputs of the season. While their defense, which has only allowed an average of 61.8 points per game against over the last 17, gets all the attention, the offense will have to rise to the occasion too. Four of the five games that the Wolverines have won to get to Monday night have been atrocious shooting performances, especially from 3, where they’ve gone 24/111 in those four games. Their one other game, against Texas A&M, is what gives Michigan fans hope for Monday night. That type of bonkers offensive performance, 99 points on .619/.583/.875 shooting, is possible, for it happened against Maryland in February and Purdue in January. All Michigan needs is for it to happen one more time, and Villanova is certainly not known for their defense. But even so, Michigan doesn’t want to enter a shootout with the Wildcats.

A Team That Just Won’t Stay Down
In Michigan, Villanova is playing the most mentally tough team left in the field. A team that has taken punches to the mouth and just keep getting up. They’ve won games on answered Hail Mary prayers. They’ve won games with lights out shooting. They’ve won gritty and low scoring, grind it out games. For two months, Michigan has been unable to lose. The Wolverines have done it with a group of guys, rag tag and mostly unwanted, and that is what makes them so dangerous. A German unicorn that no other teams seriously scouted and no recruiting service had on their radar leads the way. A 2 star recruit that was only recruited by mid-tier programs (Delaware/VCU/Harvard) outside of Michigan is their senior leader. An athletic but unrefined wing who wasn’t good enough to get minutes on a “traditional blueblood” like Kentucky was their savior in the Elite 8. A barely 6 foot pitbull from blue collar America is their point guard. A DIII transfer from New England is their 6th man sharpshooter. And a kid with braces who knows no fear is their Mr. Big Shot.

Michigan is not a team with elite NBA-ready talent. But they play the right way. For a clean and respected coach who has another shot at the national title that would make him an immortal legend in the college coaching pantheon. John Beilein himself embodies this team. A guy who didn’t make it to Power 5 basketball until he was almost 50 and who coached obscure lower level colleges in Western New York for nearly two decades. Plain and traditional yet funny and lovable, Beilein is the coach that everyone wants to see get a national title before he retires. That day could come today.

Final Thoughts
I, as a fan, will mostly be at peace with the way tonight goes, however it may unfold. It will either be the most unlikely of champions or a team that simply grossly exceeded expectations and ran into an all-time great opponent. This is a game that the vast majority of talking heads don’t think Michigan has a shot to win. And that fact is what makes it a scenario I am fine with. Either way, I will be proud of this squad.

Throughout the year, we, as a fanbase, have moved the goalposts on this team frequently. After Maui in November, a successful season was making the NCAA tournament. A successful year at that point hinged more on the development of young players. Then success became winning a tourney game. Then it became making the sweet 16. And then after the wipeout of the first weekend, it became making the Final Four. Then after the wipeout of the sweet 16 in the South Region, it became making the National Championship Game. And here we are. The goalposts cannot be moved any farther, for Michigan is the heavy underdog. They have nothing to lose, a team that has so far surpassed anyone’s wildest dreams back in the fall. This has been John Beilein’s greatest coaching job, no question, and it sets Michigan up to be a behemoth for several years to come. Tonight would simply be the icing on the cake.

I’m so compelled to pick Villanova because I’ve felt they were the best team in this tournament for awhile and they were my championship pick before the tourney. And they probably are! But there’s just something about these Wolverines that makes it so I can’t make a prediction. They are just not the type of team you can pick against. Not after they went into Breslin Center in January and beat Michigan State by double digits. Not after they’ve won 14 straight games to reach this point. Not after they won 4 games in 4 days to win the Big Ten Tournament. Not after they accured a Team of Destiny feel following the Poole shot versus Houston. There is just something about this team. Maybe that luck will run out tonight, maybe it won’t, but making a prediction is foolish. We live in a world that is so often based around attempting to predict the future. How about, for once, we sit back and let it all happen? And hey, maybe in a tournament featuring so many upsets, another titanic one will hit, one last time.

Image Credit:
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/04/01/sports/NCAAFINAL-WEB/NCAAFINAL-WEB-master768.jpg

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