Michigan vs. Indiana

[sec1]

yes good point because i find myself dissecting our team a lot and i know we are really good ...

[GatorAvatar]

UM looked bad out there. Maybe it was because they were playing in front of a psycho Assembly Hall crowd.

[madgator]

Originally Posted by rserina

Indiana went cold plenty of times. They had a 15-point lead midway through the half and only scored eight more points, and that was against a Michigan team that has very little size or defensive presence in the paint. McGary gave them fits defensively and, while he is a talented kid, I would take our bigs any day over him at this stage. Indiana also was forced into 16 turnovers against 13 assists. And talk about a FT disparity: 25-7 in favor of Indiana. Even if you take away the late fouls, they still had a putative advantage in that category.

I like Indiana because they are a pretty balanced team with an outstanding coach in Crean. But nothing in that game made me think they were the best team in the nation or that they were a better team than us. They beat a very good, but very green Michigan team on their home floor and they let them back in the game after building a nice lead.

I think sometimes we watch our games so closely and dissect them with such scrutiny that we end up atomizing the weaknesses or mistakes in our team that we overlook in others. This Florida team is really, really good. They are as good defensively as anyone in the nation, they share the ball tremendously well on offense, they are deep and balanced and experienced and athletic, and they have one of the top five coaches in the game right now. The very fact that some of the threads express disappointment with a 14-point win against a ranked opponent that we dominated from the under-16 timeout forward should tell you something.

Funny, I was thinking something along the exact same lines earlier today. That typically I am so hyper sensitive in the analysis of my team that it often is difficult for me to judge them against other teams out there.

too often, I think everyone can beat us.

but as you pointed out, this florida team is really really good.

SW is quickly becoming one of the best perimeter defenders I have ever seen in college hoops. His effort not only on the ball but more importantly off of it. Is just extraordinary.

he plays so extremely smart.

[phatGator]

I think Gators could beat either U of M or IU, but wouldn't be guaranteed.

[swampgas44]

Originally Posted by GunGator

Real "classy" move by that Indiana player to slam home a dunk as time expired and Michigan had clearly conceded. I never seen that happen, every other time the player with the ball just dribbles out the rest of the clock.

Not surprised by that. Have you ever checked out Tom Crean's fly by handshakes with the opposing coach after a game. That's why I have always respected Billy Donovan's behavior after a game, win or loss.

[NoahBeanBizzel]

Originally Posted by xenythx

I think both these teams have better athletes than us, but we have the best team defense and chemistry.

This.

[NoahBeanBizzel]

Originally Posted by sec1

yes good point because i find myself dissecting our team a lot and i know we are really good ...

As a fan, it's natural to ask yourself what your team can do better to reach the ultimate goal. I was impressed by the athletes I saw on the floor in the Mich-IU game, and there's nothing wrong with conceding to the fact that they may be just a bit more athletic than we are.

However, we do hound teams defensively. We play so well together, and there's a new hero every night. As players like Wilbekin, Roario and Young continue to evolve, I'm confident that our boys can beat anybody in March. Heck, we've had teams not as good as this one over the last two years, who blew double-digit leads in back-to-back elite 8 appearances. This team can win it all.

[fox]

Looked like a final four game. UF and Butler in the other one.