Wolverine Wednesday: Lost One

Recruiting used to be about, facilities, fit, family values, tradition, education, and top coaches that can develop you into an NFL Draft pick.  A few programs also offered secret bags of money to an Uncle, a job for mom, a new house for grandma, etc.  Now, it's all about the bag.  

4-star safety Darrell Mattison was Coach Whitt's first committed recruit at Michigan last month.  He visited Ole Miss this weekend and de-committed yesterday.  If I had to guess, Ole Miss made a better offer.  

Nothing to worry about here, the new Michigan staff is working hard on the trail and will get talented players. 

• Brandon McCoy Jr. and Lincoln Cosby are offically Wolverines now.  Lincoln is going to redshirt as he recovers from an ACL injury.  Dusty had a big recruiting class. 

• Dusty also signed Moustapha Thiam a center from UC out of the portal.  Did you know, Cincy beat Michigan in a exhibition last October and Thiam had 15 points on 6-9 shooting, since then Michigan won a Natty and Thiam is now a Wolverine.  

• Reports are Juke is down to Michigan, Tenn, and the NBA Draft. It seems the NBA Draft is the leader in the clubhouse. 

• Brendan Sorsby having a gambling problem puts the NCAA in a tough spot, there are reports he did place bets on IU to win when he was their QB. If those reports are accurate, your in Pete Rose territory here. College Football becoming professional football is going to have professional problems.

Michigan Tuesday: The War of Warde

You know how I feel about Warde as Michigan's leader of the athletics department.  He is way over his head and has overseen the most roller coaster time in the history of the program.  My opinion is, that Warde should not be leading this program any longer, his good things (hiring Dusty and Coach Whitt) does not over weigh his huge mistakes.  It's amazing to me how such a powerful University can't find a true leader to lead this athletics organization. 

Angel did an interview with Warde and his answer were very by the book.  My biggest takeaway is that he has no fear of losing his job.  

Q: So you don't have any concerns about your job security?

A: No.

Q: Why are you so confident?

A: I'm confident in what I've done and how I've done it, and what I've asked people to do. Again, I'm not perfect, and I don't know anybody who is, but I'm confident that I have done everything to make sure that we do things the right way within the department. The rest of it, I don't sit and worry. I worry about moving us forward and continuing the success that we've developed over the years since I've been here.”

Let me clear something up completely.  You don't pay a law firm millions of dollars to do an investigation on the Athletics department if your not expecting a change of leadership.  If the findings come out negative or troublesome, there is zero chance Warde retains his job.  Signs are pointing to a negative finding is that the expectation was this investigation was to be completed in January, it's April, and law firms get paid by the hour.  

Want more proof that Warde is poor leader and not getting his message received by the people he leads?  (bold is mine).  The question was did you or the regents ask for the investigation into the athletics department?

You’d have to ask the Regents their conversations about it. The next morning (Dec. 11, 2025 after Moore was fired), I talked to Domenico, and I said I would like the Office of Equity, Integrity and Compliance to work with me to find someone to come in and do a cultural assessment, because apparently my words are not getting through. So I’d like some help in what else can be done.

When you tune out your leader, you don't respect that leader.  There is an old saying in the business world, "employees don't leave companies, they leave leadership"

Michigan Thursday: News and Notes

• Yax was at Golden State @ Clippers last night.  We wish him good luck with the NBA Draft! 

• I trust Dusty, but the lack of transfer portal commits is making me a bit nervous 

• It seems the new Michigan Football staff is finding its footing for the 2027 class.  Always a slow start when you have a brand new staff. 

• Michigan and Marquette has signed a home and home.  First game is at Crisler next November.

• Mara seems to be leaning to the NBA Draft while keeping his college eligibility

• Not sure we are going to learn much from the Spring Game this weekend if its the 2's and 3's.  Which is fine with me.  Keep the real offense and defense under wraps.

• New Michigan President has brain cancer and will not take office, we wish him well and good health through this process.

• Oscar Goodman is back next year for Michigan Basketball.

Michigan Monday: Masters Thoughts and Scrimmage Thoughts

There is an old saying in professional tournament golf, "you can't win the tournament on Thursday but you sure can lose it."  I think Rory might have just been then exception to the rule.  Rory played great golf on Thursday and Friday in Augusta and then held on during Saturday and Sunday as his game went in the other direction.   Rory was -12 on Friday night and Scottie was even.  On Sunday night, Rory was -12 and Scottie was -11.   Rory left the door open for everyone in the field to come get him and many played really well, just none of them were close enough to the lead to over take him.   

Congrats to Rory for going back to back, it was just unfortunate for us fans who wanted some Sunday drama. 

Todd Blackledge is not someone I would consider a college football insider.  He is just a solid color commentator on NBC. Though working for NBC gives him some access to Michigan Football.  Here is a tweet from the weekend:

Felt like a crisp fall morning watching @UMichFootball

scrimmage. Takeaways: *Expect Underwood to make a jump in development under OC Jason Beck & watchful eye of QB coach Koy Detmer. *OL has talent, but must improve as pass protectors. *RB,DL,DB all can be strong groups.

The offensive line Pass Pro is obviously an issue but I'm also wondering who was playing and who wasn't.  This might be the best representation of what we might see next season as the Spring Game is expected to be just a back-up bowl.   It's encouraging to hear Bryce is making progress under the new staff. 

• Michigan Basketball had a great weekend with a Championship Parade!  Though their portal recruitment is off to a bit of shaky start.  Michigan had Juke Harris on campus Saturday for the parade but now reports are that UNC is offering him $5.5M to play for them next season.  Kansas big man Flory Bidunga decided to take the bag from Louisville over Michigan and others.  

• Congrats to JJ and his wife who got married last weekend. 

Michigan Friday: Good News - Bad News Friday

It's always easier to start with the bad news and then you can end with the good.  Michigan Hockey lost in double OT to Denver last night.  Which is such a brutal result for length of game and getting so close to Michigan's second Natty for the week. 

Also big 7'2 German Center Malick Kordel is jumping into the portal.  I thought we were pretty close to seeing Malick get some real time this past season when both Mara and Rez were in foul trouble but we only saw the big man in garbage time.  Good luck to him at his next stop.  

Now to the good news portion of the program:

Elliott Cadeau is back for Michigan.  This wasn't a real mystery as it expected that both Cadeau and McKinney are both back, but its always nice to have an official announcement. 

Also Tennessee 6'11 Forward JP Estrella has committed to Michigan from the portal.  He averaged 10 points and 5 boards per game for the Volunteers.   Welcome JP! 

A number of other transfer portal prospects are expected to be on campus this weekend to witness the Parade and what's it like to be a Michigan Wolverine! 

Have a good weekend and Enjoy the Masters and the National Championship Parade on Saturday! 

Wolverine Wednesday: A Day To Reflect

It's been a day and I'm still happy but not grasping the impact of this team.   The Fab 5 changed the game but after back to back National Championship games, they left without the trophy.  Coach B had some great teams and that block was clean!   Even though Louisville got that Natty taken away, Michigan again did not leave with the trophy. 

Dusty inherited a program on fire and went into the portal and convinced a couple of bigs to join the team.  That laid the groundwork for this years portal recruitment and he grabbed the top player and 3 under the radar players.  He recruited skill but he also recruited personality, both were great fit for Ann Arbor and what Dusty wanted to do.  Getting a handful of players to stay and mix in talented portal players, this team became the best basketball team in the history of the program.

I'm incredibly happy but I'm already missing this team with the anticipation of the next game. 

Quick question to the BHB inmates:  What are your thoughts on the National Championship gear?  I felt a little burned after the Football NC.  I bought a ton of stuff, it was expensive and also very low quality.  I'm concerned the basketball national championship gear is similar and I'm being very careful on my selections. 

• It's ridiculous that Dusty was on Zoom meetings with potential portal prospects on Tuesday morning. 

• Michigan with new 5-star commit McCoy has the #2 ranked high school recruiting class for 2026.  With LJ taking a redshirt, there is going to be a lot of time for young players depending on who jumps in and out to the portal. 

• Early names in the portal Dusty maybe looking at include: Wisconsin's John Blackwell, Kansas Flory Bidunga, and SDSU Miles Byrd. 

National Champions Tuesday: Those That Stay

Jacob Hamilton | jhamilt3/mlive.com/TNS

When we saw this team for the first time, we thought they could bring a National Championship to Ann Arbor.  When we saw the team play in Vegas, we thought they might go undefeated.  The team Dusty put on the floor this year was special and last night they proved it again, in a much different way. 

Dan Hurley might be a crazy man but he can coach basketball and he did all he could to derail the Wolverines last night.  As expected,  they slowed down the pace and tried to shoot the Wolverines out of the gym.  Whether it was Michigan's solid defense or the Husky shooters were just off, that plan failed.  Michigan was too big and too talented to lose on Monday night.  

Before I get to the star of the game, a huge hat tip goes to Yax.  His performance last night in my mind goes right up there with Isiah Thomas playing on a severely sprained ankle against the Lakers in the NBA Finals.   He gutted out 13 points in 36 minutes and didn't even come off the floor in the first half.  Now to Elliott Cadeau, the star of the game.  Michigan had a limited Yax, zero 3 point shooting for most of the game, and early Mara was not scoring down low.  This was setting up to be a Hurley special and Cadeau said no, thank you, this is our year! He lead the Wolverines with 19 points and instead of assisting he stepped up and scored a ton of big baskets.  He had one of his best scoring games of the year during the biggest game.  

UConn hit nine 3 point shots during the game and the Wolverines only made 2.  The difference in the game was Michigan scoring 25 points from the free throw line and UConn clearly being in foul trouble all game.  UConn only had 12 points from the line.  

The game wasn't pretty, it was a tough defensive match-up as both teams struggled to shoot the ball.  Michigan who had scored 90 points in every tournament game only managed to put up 69 points.   Still that was enough to beat the Huskies. I would also be remiss if I didn't call out McKinney who hit a huge late 3 and made 2 important free throws after Gayle had missed two from the line.  Those points from McKinney made it very difficult for UConn to make a Duke game comeback.

Dusty has done a tremendous job turning this program around and last night netted him and Michigan a National Championship.  I still think I'm in shock, I 100% know I was when Gayle threw the ball down the court to close out the game. To quote Dusty, "it still feels like we have another game to prepare for" It's going to be a really long day at work as I'm 100% gassed.  

Congratulations to this team, the Michigan Program, and to us!  We deserve nights like last night and I hope we have many more to come! 

Go Blue to the National Champions! 

• A sign this process never sleeps:  The transfer portal opened at Midnight last night while the Wolverines were celebrating in the locker room.  The staff had it opened and scouting for next year. 

Michigan Monday: Continuation of the Good Building Vibes

The University of Michigan loves Lucas Oil Stadium, it has given them 3 Big Ten Championships in Football and now a dominating Final 4 win.  Lets hope that good building "feels" continues until Midnight tonight.  

I love nights like this one, it just feels good to be alive and care about something so deeply.  Yes, this is a kids game and yes, on Tuesday we need to go on with our regular lives, but for 2.5 hours tonight we get to live and have passion for something we have zero control over.  I'm going to miss this team, maybe not since the Fab 5 has a Michigan Basketball team been so appointment level viewing for me.  Yes, Coach B's teams were really good and a couple should've won the National Championship.  But for one reason or another, this team just stuck a cord with me and I didn't want to miss a game.  

As for tonight, I'm concerned about Yax and didn't like him limping around doing interviews, etc yesterday.  I was hoping for some sleep magic and he would feel better on Sunday, that didn't seem to happen.  His injury is not structural which is a bonus, but that doesn't help it feel any better.  Michigan needs Yax and I know he will give it a go tonight, I just don't now for how long or how effective he will be.  UConn has a similar issue with Solo Ball and a possible foot sprain.  I love Michigan's chances tonight, but I sure as hell would love it even more with a healthy Yax. 

UConn is not an easy match-up and Hurley can coach.  Tarris Reed a former Wolverine is a good player and Michigan's bigs will have their hands full. With that said, Michigan is just as hard to prepare for in one day and I'm sure Hurley has yet to go to sleep and is getting plenty advice from his brother and father.  UConn can shoot the 3 and Michigan will need to protect the 3 ball like they are playing Wisconsin.  

Michigan needs Yax to be Yax, a career night from Cadeau, we need him hitting his layups and 3's, distributing to his fellow Wolverines, and staying out of foul trouble.  We also need another group effort to win this game.  Mara has to continue to dominate down low, Rez seemed to get out of his slump in Indy and will need him to be the Reed stopper.   In nights like tonight, it usually comes from someone we don't expect.  April Roddy needs to be in the house, Burnett needs to continue his good Final 4 play, with hitting 3's and playing strong defense (also make those free throws), McKinney seems to be ready for these bright lights and we need another 16+ from him, and lets not sleep on Tschetter who has been waiting his entire 10 year 😀 Michigan Basketball career for this night.  His shot has been way off in the NCAA Tournament but tonight he might just have the magic touch! On defense, Michigan must stay with the 3 point shooters, we all watched the Duke game and saw the comeback.  Please do not collapse on the dribble drives and stay with the shooters.  Michigan can win this game on defense if they control the 3 point shot.

Fellow Michigan fans, my advice tonight is to savor this feeling as it doesn't come often.  Put your faith in Dusty, the Michigan staff, the Michigan trainers/Doctors, and most importantly the Wolverines on the floor.  I hope we fill up Lucas Oil and play UConn like their visiting Crisler.  I hope Mr. Miyagi visits the Michigan locker room and heals Yax and I hope we go to bed smiling because we got to witness this team play one last game. 

Wolverine Weekend Update: Didn't See That Coming

The Media is sort of a funny unique thing, there really isn't a ton of creativity outside of Charles Barkley.  The golf was in a rain delay and there really wasn't much sports on Saturday afternoon, so I had to listen to ESPN's College Gameday which does not do justice to the name of the show, when compared to its football coverage.  Each one of those fools picked Arizona to win the game.  I hate pre-game shows, its not getting the viewer prepared to watch the game, they have become a terrible version of Saturday Night Live.

Now, when I say "I didn't see that coming" what I meant was a Michigan domination.  I thought we were going to have a back and forth and maybe even overtime.  The one thing I thought about where Michigan might have an advantage is the 3 freshman starters on Arizona.  That is a ton of pressure to put on a young player to carry the water in a Final 4 game.   Michigan exploited that weaknees and got out early and never looked back.  It was so bad for Arizona, Cadeau was 2-14 shooting in the 1st half and was dominating the game.   Mara was the star of the night with a career game high of 26 points.  

So now the big question, is Yax close to healthy after going down with a ankle and a knee injury?  The Michigan Difference needs to step up today and get him round the clock treatment.  Every knee and ankle device known to man and maybe even a hyperbolic chamber in his hotel room.  His shot stayed clean but his defense was not even close to what it normally is.   With UConn's motion and confusing defense, we will need Yax as close to 100% as possible to win on Monday. 

If you have watched this team all year, this is the Vegas Wolverines we've all been hoping to see.  The issue is now, with Yax and LJ hurt, can the Wolverines continue to be that team?  Dusty has his hands full for the next 24+ hours. 

Another storyline for Monday night is the Tarris Reed revenge game.  Tarris played at Michigan for Juwan Howard and then transferred to UConn.  He has worked on his body and his game and is a lot better player then he was in Ann Arbor.  Will Tschetter is going to need to teach the staff, Mara, and Rez about his game. 

Michigan historically seems to always play well in the first game of the Final 4, its the 2nd game of the weekend the Wolverines have struggled.  Time to flip the script and prepare for Monday night! 

Happy Easter Everyone! 

Michigan Friday: Good Stadium Vibes

Michigan Football has played very well in Indy and won 2 Big Ten Titles there.  So it's safe to say Michigan has a good feeling about playing in Lucas Oil.  What doesn't feel great is watching tape on Arizona and Dusty and his staff have their hands full on Saturday night. 

The Wildcats might be the best team Michigan has faced all year.  Against Duke, Michigan felt what it was like to play a physical team with skill players.  Arizona is physical, big, and has skill players.  Duke's downfall was they were also very young and freshmen make mistakes.   In a similar fashion, Arizona starts 3 freshmen, a junior, and a senior.   Even Dusty said this week in Indy, "Watching Arizona was like watching us".

That is why the line is so close, even Vegas is having a hard time picking a winner in this one.   So what is the difference when two teams are so similar?  Defense and someone stepping up that the game plan didn't account for.  

Michigan on the defensive side must not collapse on the dribble drives and stay with the shooters.  Most programs score at the rim or at the 3 point line, the Wildcats have a good mid-range game as well.  This next part is going to be very difficult, but Michigan might consider not trying to block every shot and getting in better rebounding position.  If Michigan gets out rebounded its going to be a long night for the Wolverines. 

For Michigan to move on to Monday, they are going to need some key players to step up.  Yax has to be Yax, Morez needs to get out his funk and must defend, rebound, and score in the low post,  Mara needs to stay out of foul trouble, and we need April Roddy.  Michigan is going to need a big night from Gayle or McKenney or Burnett.  Like a 25 point night.  Arizona has had a week to scout the Wolverines, we need someone not in the scouting report to catch fire.   Michigan also must limit turnovers, as giving the Wildcats extra possessions is very troublesome.

If Michigan plays like they did in Vegas and Cadeau stays away from mix nuts, I think we will get to watch one more game on Monday night! 

• Michigan hosted 2027 4-star TE Jack McNamara recently and he is very high on the Wolverines. He looks like Cade but I don't believe they are related. 

• Memo to the Detroit Lions: You can't lose players, not add during Free Agency, and think your going to be better than last year.  That strategy did not work last year.  It won't work this year.

• SEC coaches are saying with the bigger CFP format now, there is no need to play the SEC Championship.  I agree with that stance for the Big 10 as well.   I always lean towards more football but start the playoffs earlier and get rid of the Conference Championship games.  The first conference who does it will have an advantage and the others will follow.

• The Fab 5 is back together doing an alternative broadcast on TruTV for the game.  

Have a Good Holiday Weekend Everyone! 

Michigan Thursday: An April Fools Joke?

We believe WJR spun an April Fools Joke with help from the Michigan Basketball program.  They said that Michigan's Point Guard Elliott Cadeau had an allergic reaction to something he ate and was taken to the hospital via ambulance.  Per the report, Elliott was treated, is ok, and would travel to Indy separately from the team.

ESPN even picked it up and made it breaking news.  Social media showed Elliott traveling with the team.  Do we know this was a joke offically? No, but I believe it was.

Update: Elliott confirmed he ate something (cashew nut) and did have an allergic reaction.  So no April Fools Joke. 

The team did travel to Final 4 and will prepare for Saturday's game in Indy. 

• UCLA Football put a video on X with Semaji Morgan in it.  

• Former MSU QB Kirk Cousins is now working for Tom Brady at the Raiders.  There are going to be a lot of Big 10 QB's walking around that training facility. 

• Michigan Football is hosting a top offensive target today in Top 100 WR Quentin Burrell.

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.

--------

• 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."

Wolverine Wednesday: New DB Commit

We know Coach Whitt can recruit.  He had to recruit his current roster to stay in Ann Arbor and he and the staff brought in a strong Portal class.  What we hadn't seen yet was a high school commit to the new Wolverines staff.   That is until Tuesday, when Darrell Mattision from Chicago announced his decision for the Wolverines.  Darrell is a 6'0 foot 160 pound 2027 4-star Safety who had offers from the likes of Illinois, Iowa, Mizzu, MSU, PSU, Stanford, Vandy, and Ole Miss.   If he has a Stanford offer, its clear he gets it done on the field and in the classroom.  

Welcome Darrell! 

Other breaking news is that North Carolina is moving on from Hubert Davis which means they will be targeting Michigan head coach Dusty May.  Hey Warde, wake up! 

Dusty was also on the LeBatard Show yesterday.  They of course had fun with Dusty who spent many years down in South Florida with FAU.  

Michigan Monday: That is the Team I Know

I personally haven't liked how the Wolverines have been playing since the start of the Big Ten Tournament.  To me they looked tired and not really interested in playing to their full capacity 3 games in a row.  That seemed to continue in the 1st half of game 1 in the NCAA Tournament.  

That wasn't the case against a very talented St. Louis team that runs the exact same action Michigan does.  Now, STL doesn't have the talent or size Michigan has and that was clearly the difference in the 2nd half.  The 1st half was again close but I thought Michigan was focused and was ready to step it up a notch after some halftime adjustments. 

Michigan now can find it legs with nearly a week off and get prepared to face a football rival in Alabama.  Chicago hasn't been very kind to the Wolverines in the last few weeks, so lets hope the Windy City is welcoming to the Wolverines next weekend.  Tip is 7:35 on Friday on Tru TV.

• In the back of my mind, I always wondered if the new staff would find a role for Ron Bellamy if he didn't find another job.  Coach Whitt and staff did just that and re-hired Ron to a recruiting role.  If your paying the guy anyway, might as well give him a job!  This will help in state recruiting and mostly in the Motor City! 

• Congrats to the Women Wolverines who also are heading to the Sweet 16 after going 2-0 at Crisler this weekend. 

• Congrats to the Michigan Hockey team after wining the Big10 Tournament and heading to the NCAA Tournament as the #1 seed. 

• RIP to former Bo assistant coach Jerry Hanlon.   Rest in Power coach and enjoy a cold one with Bo and Elvis today.

• Iowa impressively beats reigning National Champion and #1 seed Florida last night

• Nebraska vs. Vandy might have been one of the best college basketball games I've ever watched. 

Michigan Friday: A Bit of a Funk

101-81

When you look at the final score and winning by 21 or knowing Michigan was up 30 at one point.  You might think, "no problems here".   That really didn't tell the story of the game, did it?  Michigan wasn't focused or playing hard in the first half and found themselves up only 4 points at halftime.   Like the Wisconsin game in the the Big 10 tournament, Howard had to do 2 things to win this game, shoot the lights out from 3 and not turn the ball over.   In the first half, they did both and drained 10 three point shots.  

In the 2nd half, they couldn't do either very well and lost the game by a big margin.  Both Duke and Michigan came into Thursday thinking they were going to have a cake walk, instead they got a pie in the face.  

The box score was also interesting:  Rez Johnson led the team with 21 points and 10 boards (offically was 8-8 from the field), Mara had 19 in a dunk-a-thon, Burnett had 15, and Gayle added 14 in front of family and friends.  The names you don't see is Yax who had 9 and Cadeau who had 5.  

Happy for Rez who had a terrible trip to Chicago and Gayle who preformed well in front of his fans.  Tschetter did add 6 points but continues to struggle with defense and turnovers. 

Michigan has to play better defense for the entire 40 minutes of the game.  These teams can play and most of them have shooters.  Michigan does have an advantage in the low post but that doesn't mean they can let 3 point shooters take wide open 3's all day and just hope they miss. 

Michigan in Chicago and now in Buffalo looks like a tired team to me.  Working on rest & recovery and focusing on defense will do this team very well in the next 24 hours.   

You know what also doesn't hurt and is the perfect tonic for what ales the Wolverines?  this quote:

"I hope we smack the crap out of them (Michigan) worse than we did Georgia." East Lansing native Cam Hutson got to play in his first NCAA Tournament game for St. Louis tonight.

Michigan Thursday: UpState New York State of Mind

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind

Michigan has had a special basketball season where they won the regular season Big Ten Title and earned a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Today marks the day, the start of the final journey in Buffalo, NY around 7:10 PM against Howard.  

Michigan did not play well in Chicago and in fact looked like a tired team.  If I'm understanding this correctly, they got on a bus and drove 6 hours to Buffalo?  WTF? Was that due to weather or for team building? (Or were they just in a NY State of Mind?) Either way, they should be flying.   

Michigan Basketball needs to find that "fun" and play making abilities they had when they went to Vegas.  Guard play is really important in the NCAA Tournament and we need the Michigan's seniors to step up as this is their final ride.  Gayle, Burnett, Yax, and The Cheese Man all need to take it up a notch or two.  Yax has to dominate when the Wolverines get in a funk and Gayle/Burnett have to make better decisions with the ball.   Tschetter is an important player off the bench for defense, rebounding, and shooting 3's.  He has been struggling in all 3 areas lately.  

Cadeau is the engine that drives this sports car.  Keep making good decisions with the ball and score when you get your opportunities.  We also need Rez to get out of his funk and get back to being an elite defender and a finisher down low. 

Nobody saw Dusty's FAU squad coming, this team everyone knows is coming.   It will be Dusty's most difficult coaching situation of his career.  He has to be careful in his rotations and always make sure there is a scorer on the floor.  The time is now.  Let's Go! 

Michigan Tuesday: News and Notes

• Reports are that Yax turned down a $7-$9M offer from Kentucky and picked Michigan for $3M.  Smart kid. 

• 4 former Wolverines are in the UFL: Taco in Dallas, Chris Hinton Louisville, JBB in Columbus, and Michael Barrett in St. Louis. 

• Scout Michigan's Thursday opponent tonight! UMBC vs. Howard in Dayton.  6:40 on TruTV

• Coach Whitt's first Spring Practice starts today! 

• Coach Lou's son Louis who is a Michigan commit and a high rising recruit will be on campus today for the 1st practice! 

• You know what the NBA regular season needs? 2 more expansion teams.  Seattle and Vegas are in play.  Just like Baseball, the NBA needs to cut down their regular season by a month at least. 

• Michigan Basketball leaves for Buffalo today, seems a little early.  

• Sounds like teams are seeing if JJ is available after the Kyler Murray signing. 

• Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Update on Spring Practice from Coach Whitt:

• OL Andrew Babalola, DL John Henry Daley and DB Rod Moore will not be available for Spring Practice and want them ready for Game 1.

• Andrew Marsh, Jamie Ffrench, JJ Buchanan and Salesi Moa all have the chance to be great Big Ten receivers.

• Expectation is to contend for a Big Ten Championship every year.

• Hiter is going to be special and Carr is trending to be QB #2

• Already gains made with Winter Conditioning