Michigan Tuesday: Spring Practice News and Notes

Michigan is in its 2nd week of Spring Practice and things are starting to sneak out and players are meeting with the media.  Here is what I've gathered from a number of sources:

• Bryce is struggling a bit but being coached the way he should've been as a Freshman.  No one is concerned as this is a new offense and its still very early.  He also is still a young QB that didn't have a QB coach last season.  Which was a huge mistake. 

• Michigan's Oline is still banged up but could be elite when healthy and under the coaching of Jim Harding. 

• Could Michigan have one of the best WR's rooms in the country?  Maybe! 

• Carr has looked good but BFN is not on campus yet and the LSU QB is expected to redshirt due to injury. 

• Defense is ahead of the offense, which is not uncommon at this point. 

• True Freshman WR Travis Johnson has impressed in camp. 

• The culture is more Harbaugh like vs. what the team has had the last 2 years. 

• The S&C program is completely different and good different. 

• Hiter of course looks good with a huge upside.

• John Henry Daley spoke to the media and is feeling good and is expected to be cleared for full football activity on 6/1!

• JJ Buchanan has impressed and spoke to the media, he expects this WR room to be elite. 

• Transfer CB Smith Snowden says the team has bought in to the new staff and new approach.

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• U of M Women's Basketball lost to Texas last night, still one of the best seasons in program history!

• There is some smoke around 5 star Brandon McCoy joining Dusty's program!

• That 7'9 guy on Florida's roster is entering the portal, if he fits. 

Michigan Monday: Is There an April Roddy?

On Friday in my post, I asked for a few things to go right for the Wolverines this weekend in Chicago.  Michigan needed to defend the 3, not be sleepy in the 1st half, have a senior step up, shoot the 3, and Yax needed to be Yax.  The Chicago Mission has been completed with a successful outcome.  Final 4 stage achieved! 

Michigan did all that and more.  Yax is a special player and we are blessed to have him for only a short time in Ann Arbor.  March Roddy is real and it can be spectacular, they really needed him in the 1st half of the Alabama game, when Bama had the Wolverines playing their style of basketball. 

On a side note, I thought it was interesting that AT&T kept showing that commercial on the Knicks hiking a mountain and the game they showed was Michigan playing Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.  That was some nice foreshadowing by the advertising agency.

There really isn't much to say about Sunday's game except it looked like the Wolverines were back playing in Vegas late last year. When Michigan defends and hits 3, the Wolverines are very hard to beat.  Best part of the game was when Charlie May hits the 3, the bench and the arena went nuts! 

Final 4 bound in a town and stadium that has been good to the Wolverines! 

I prefer not to think about Arizona right now and enjoy this win for a few more days.  On a side note, they really need to consider re-seeding the Final 4.  

• Congrats to the hockey team on making it to the Frozen 4! 

• Michigan Football also got a nice commit on Sunday from 4 star OT Sidney Rouleau who is originally from Quebec,Canada but now playing ball in Texas.  Sidney is 6'7 and 270 pounds and just completed a 3 day visit to Ann Arbor.  Sid has a long list of offers including Miami, Texas, Duke, Florida, Wisconsin, and many more! Bienvenue à Ann Arbor!

• Let's hope the Michigan's Women's Basketball team can make this a 3 Wolverine Teams in Final Four's today! 

• That Duke - UConn game was bonkers! Tarris Reed has turned himself into a really good player. 

• For those on the Blog that follow golf, Gary Woodland's win this weekend after coming back from a brain tumor is just plain out special.  

• Tiger Woods still continues to be the most special and the most disappointing athlete of my lifetime. 

Michigan Friday: Time To Play Better in The Windy City

Michigan has played a lot in Chicago in the last couple weeks.  If you count the Northwestern game, tonight is the 5th game for the Wolverines in Chicago since February 11th.

Michigan finally has had some time to rest as they have had almost a week off, with their last game early last Saturday.  Rest and Recovery is important and so is the extra time to prepare for an Alabama team that can score the basketball.   Michigan has struggled at bit on defense against teams that can shoot the 3 and strong on the offensive end.   Working for a week on covering the 3 point line, I hope was a focus for Dusty and his talented Wolverines.  I would love to see Michigan stay with the shooters and not collapse in the lane when a point guard drives.  I'm not a math guy, but I'm still pretty sure 3 is more then 2. 

Michigan will continue to need a great effort in the low post, while hitting a majority of their 3's.  I still tend to lean on the seniors and would love to see a smart effort from Gayle, Yax needs to be Yax, Burnett defending and hitting 3's, and Tschetter hitting 3's and getting boards. 

Lastly, from here on out, Michigan can not have a "sleepy" first half and needs to be locked in from the jump.   If Michigan can play their best basketball and focus in, I like our chances.  

• Someone woke up Warde and he says he wants Dusty to be Michigan's coach for a long time and will work with him on that goal.   A real leader would've understood that before premier jobs became available. 

• The Big Ten had a good night last night as Purdue beat Texas at the buzzer, Iowa beat Nebraska by 10, and Illinois beat Houston in Houston.  We hope those trends continue tonight with Michigan and MSU both hitting the floor. 

• From many of the players, it seems Coach Whitt is more like Harbaugh then the past two years have been.  That the weight room is much different in a positive way. 

Michigan Thursday: Safeties for Miles

On Tuesday Michigan picked up a 2027 Safety commit in Darrell Mattision (no relation to the former Michigan assistant coach).  On Wednesday Michigan did it again and got a commit from 2027 Safety Maxwell Miles (no relation to the former Michigan assistant coach).  Ok, that is weird coincidence. 

Max Miles is a 3-star S at 6'2 190 pounds from Vegas. Max had offers from Vandy, UNLV, Wake, Hawaii, Boise State, Wash State and others.  Welcome Max! 

• The Madness starts again tonight. 

• The Wolverines left for Chicago yesterday. 

• Rod Moore on his knee recovery: "So I think now, right now, I had a cleanup surgery right in, what was it? January. It was just cleaning up scar tissue. That's really what was kind of bothering my knee, all the clicking and stuff. And that's gone. And right now I'm just really back in and returning to play, about to be back in practice here soon. So I probably felt the best that I've felt ever since I tore my ACL. So, that's the trajectory here. Just building on what I'm at right now and then go out and play."