Michigan 72, Indiana 66 (OT).

Here's the box score. I really don't know what to do with it. The game was such a tale of two halves that a full-game box score doesn't tell much of a story. I'm embarrassed to say how into that game I was and how much I wanted IU to win it. It may as well have been the Elite Eight given the way I handled it. Of course, the missed free throws in OT were tough, but the game was over by then. IU had a six point lead with a minute to go but couldn't hang on. Devan Dumes is taking quite a bit of grief in certain quarters (most conspicuously from a certain 4'10" sports columnist with bad facial hair whom I will not dignify with a link) for his decision, with about 40 seconds remaining and a three point lead, to drive to the basket to take advantage of a 2 on 1. Obviously, in retrospect I wish he had tried to dribble the clock out, but I think it was as much an execution problem as a judgment problem. If it had been a 3 on 1, or a 2 on 1 with a defender in a worse position, it would have been worthwhile. As well as Michigan shoots the ball, I would rather have a 5 point lead with 30 seconds left than a 3 point game with 10 seconds left. Ultimately, he made the wrong decision and a bad play, but I disagree that he violated some cardinal rule of basketball. If that had been a bit better opportunity, going for the quick basket would have been the right decision.

As for the rest of the game, I don't have a whole lot to say. While IU's defense was good, Michigan missed plenty of makeable three pointers in the first half, and everyone knew that neither that trend nor IU's 50 percent shooting would hold up. I thought Matt Roth showed why he is going to be a weapon for years to come. Nothing in the tempo-free gameplan from Pomeroy is overwhelmingly good or bad. We took moderately good care of the ball by this team's standards, rebounded pretty well at both ends of the court, and so on. This was a missed opportunity against a pretty good team.

IU now travels to Illinois on Saturday, and we can expect Bruce Weber to show no mercy. Next Tuesday, IU goes to Ohio State. After that, IU enters a three game stretch that presents a bit of hope: Penn State and Minnesota at home, Northwestern on the road. IU will be a prohibitive underdog, but if the effort remains, I do agree with the emerging consensus that this team will find a way to win a few conference games.

Reaction from the Michigan blogosphere:

• mgoblog
• Michigan Sports Center
• UMHoops

Ugh.

I would have rather lost by 20. As I was going to say in my gracious post-game victory post, it's an odd sensation to have a 17 point home lead and yet fear that Michigan's coach might engineer a comeback. I didn't feel that way when Michigan was good, let alone the last 10 years. The Big Ten is on its way back. We aren't quite yet. More tomorrow.

Pregame notes.

Just a brief tour of the Internet before tonight's game:

• Dylan at UMHoops runs one of the best basketball-focused Big Ten blogs. His preview of tonight's game is here.
• Leading Michigan blog mgoblog is covering basketball a bit more than usual this season, although nothing about this game so far.
• Inside the Hall talks tempo-free, has also noticed IU's good defensive turnover numbers; Michigan preview here.
• Maize-n-Brew's preview.
• Maize-Blue Nation here.
  

The Michigan game.

Michigan Wolverines
Current record: 11-3 (1-1)
Current RPI: 40
Current Sagarin: 37
Current Pomeroy: 56
2007-08 record: 10-22 (5-13)
2007-08 RPI: 167
2007-08 Sagarin:
2007-08 Pomeroy: 112
Series: IU leads 97-51
Last IU win: 1/8/2008 (78-64 in Ann Arbor)
Last Michigan win: 2/17/2007 (58-55 in Ann Arbor)
Last Michigan win in Bloomington: 1/24/1995 (65-52)
Pomeroy scouting report
TV:6:30 pm Wednesday, BTN

Michigan, like several other Big Ten programs, is dramatically better this season than last. I had forgotten just how bad the Wolverines were in John Beilein's first season, but with non-conference wins over Duke and UCLA, Michigan is showing signs of progress. Michigan lost its Big Ten opener to Wisconsin at home, but beat Illinois, also at home, on Sunday. I doubt Michigan fans will feel much sympathy for IU's plight, given the long ramifications for the (much more serious) violations associated with the Fab Five/Fisher era improprieties. It seemed that Michigan was in limbo for a decade after that story broke. IU is 15-3 against Michigan since the Wolverines' last NCAA bid in 1998, and won 11 in a row to begin the Amaker era. Also, Michigan's Assembly Hall record of 4-30 is the worst of any Big Ten team other than Penn State and Northwestern (neither school has won in Assembly Hall). Michigan could exercise some demons with a win tomorrow night.

On the other hand, like Iowa, Michigan is a perimeter-oriented, less-than-physically-overpowering team that probably presents one of IU's best chances for a Big Ten win. Right now, Pomeroy gives IU a 17 percent chance to win this one. IU's only better odds are for home games against Penn State (21%) and Minnesota (19%).

Not unlike Iowa, Michigan plays a slow-paced style (62 possessions per game, #262 of 344). The Wolverines take extremely good care of the ball, ranking #4 nationally with a 16.1 turnover percentage. The Wolverines' overall offensive efficiency ranks them in the top 30 nationally, and they are shooting very well from two point range (51.7%, #49) and from the line (77.8, #9). Michigan takes 45.1 percent (#13) of its shots from behind the arc, but hasn't been overwhelmingly good in that regard: the Wolverines are shooting 34.9 percent, good enough for #134 nationally.

On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan is fine but not overwhelming. They rank #135 in defensive efficiency, play excellent three point defense, and their opponents don't get to the line. As with the Iowa game, one glimmer of hope for the Hoosiers is that Michigan doesn't force many turnovers. IU has improved in that regard recently. The Wolverines also don't rebound all that well, particularly on the offensive end. That's by design, but does create some opportunities for IU. Thanks to better ball handling, IU's offensive production has been better in the last two games, but the defensive performance has slipped. If IU can continue to take care of the ball but can force Michigan to turn the ball over, the Hoosiers might have a chance.

Manny Harris, formerly an IU recruiting target, leads Michigan at 18.8 points per game, but is shooting only 44 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc. DeShawn Sims, a 6-8 junior with three point range, is averaging 16.6 points but is shooting 53 percent overall and 38 percent from behind the arc. If the performances of Iowa's Cyrus Tate and Lipscomb's Adnan Hodzic are any indication, Sims is going to be a problem. Also, Zach Novak, a 6-5 freshman from Chesterton, Indiana, is shooting 43 percent from three point range and is 8-12 in his first two Big Ten games. Also, Laval Lucas-Perry, a midterm transfer from Arizona, is averaging 11.6 per game in his first five games as a Wolverine and is shooting 50 percent from behind the arc.

Michigan is currently at the top of the "others receiving votes" category and the computer rankings show that Michigan is in NCAA Tournament contention. An IU win would be a significant upset, but because Michigan won't be able to push IU around physically in the manner of Gonzaga or Wake Forest, there is some hope. That's about the most we can ask this season.

Vintage video of IU-Michigan.

Not much time to post now or for the next few days, but to tide you over, here's some video that purports to be from an IU-Michigan game from 1957. For the record, IU lost 27-13, in the second to last game of a 1-8 season. IU beat Villanova, and sadly, the 14 point loss in Ann Arbor was IU's most competitive loss. Michigan was 5-3-1 and in the midst of a two decade slump (by Michigan standards) between the tenures of Fritz Crisler and Bo Schembechler. As the video shows, there were lots of empty seats in AA that day.

That loss did come in the midst of what has been the only competitive stretch in the IU-Michigan series. From 1954 through 1967, IU went 4-4 against Michigan even though only one of the eight games was in Bloomington. From 1968 to present, IU is 1-30 against U-M.

Progress on BTN-Comcast front?

Ah, for the halcyon days of summer, when no games were played and the then-unseen Big Ten Network was a daily obsession of this blog. Per this post from mgoblog, the Chicago Tribune reports optimism, progress, productive conversations, etc., between the BTN and Comcast, the midwest's largest cable provider. Ed Sherman of the Trib surmises that that the BTN must have come off of its $1.10 asking price. That goes in the "no shit, Sherlock" category. BTN officials have made clear, on numerous occasions, that the $1.10 figure is at most a "sticker price." And in the post linked above, Brian indicates that over the summer, a Comcast official acknowledged that the company might pay 25 cents a subscriber for BTN placement on expanded basic. So, the number resides somewhere in between $.25 and $1.10, and it's about damn time they find it. As Sherman's article notes, the BTN has 60 days remaining of basketball coverage, which is the BTN's main bargaining chip, and then nearly five months of Olympic sports before football starts. Comcast is big enough to tolerate some loss of subscribers, but my anecdotal contribution to this whole affair is that I have a fairly short commute, but see an AT&T Uverse truck nearly every day. They need each other.

Also, mgoblog's post is worth a look for the discussion of Jay Bilas's unprofessional reaction to Michigan's highly justifiable firing of Bilas's old teammate Tommy Amaker. Most of the time, Bilas is one of the best college basketball analysts around and one of the few tolerable voices at ESPN, but Michigan fans are right to be pissed about this. Tommy Amaker's teams played like garbage and he's a few million richer for having failed at Michigan. He has a coaching job, he's young, and he has the Duke connections. If he's any good, he'll have the chance to prove it in the future, even without Jay Bilas sacrificing his integrity to rehabilitate his buddy's (deservedly) bad reputation.

Indiana 78, Michigan 64.

Like the win at Iowa, this one wasn't pretty, but IU managed to beat an undermanned opponent. The Hoosiers, now 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten, have matched their conference road win total from last year, when the Hoosiers managed to win only at Penn State and Northwestern. Here's the box score. My quick impressions:

• Pace: 73 possessions. Definitely more IU's game than Michigan's.
• Eric Gordon's most formidable opponent for Big Ten player of the year honors may be his own teammate. DJ White scored 21 points on 13 shots and grabbed 22 rebounds, the most by any Hoosier since Alan Henderson has 28 rebounds in 1992. Certainly, that number is skewed a bit by Michigan's terrible shooting, but White's total included 8 offensive rebounds. On his own, White rebounded 32 percent of Michigan's missed shots and 20 percent of IU's missed shots.
• Despite a very low number of free throw attempts (1-2), Eric Gordon managed 23 points on 16 shots, thanks to 4-7 from three point range. He turned the ball over 5 times, however, which will have to get better as the quality of IU's competition improves.
• Jamarcus Ellis scored 7 points on 5 shots and had 6 assists and one turnover.
• Jordan Crawford is taking a much deserved beating for his first half play, but he did seem to tone it down in the second half. Crawford was only 5-15 from the field and turned the ball over 7 times.
• My sense in watching the game was that IU was moving the ball pretty well and the box score supports that: 18 assists on 30 field goals. Playing against a zone will do that, I suppose. On the other side, Michigan had 17 assists on 19 field goals.
• While Crawford is taking much of the beating, AJ Ratliff still hasn't found his shot. Only three points on 6 shots. He did have six assists, however.
• Lance Stemler hit a contested three pointer.
• I was glad that Sampson chewed out Brandon McGee for his stupid (and poorly executed) dunk attempt, but Michigan, which was pressing while down 17 and with Adam Ahlfeld in the game for IU, has no standing to complain (and Beilein didn't seem all that upset about it).
• Michigan shot only 31 percent. IU's defense was okay, but the Wolverines missed loads of open shots. Not a single Wolverine shot 50 percent from the field. Of the eight Michigan players who took four or more shots, only four made more than one shot.
• Manny Harris was about to form. Just a hair over a point per shot, despite poor shooting from the field and because of free throws.
• Deshawn Sims made the most memorable shot of the night (the half-ending three pointer from beyond halfcourt) but produced five of Michigan's turnovers all by himself.
• Michigan's best shooter, Kelvin Grady, followed the team trend and wasn't very good: 3 points on 1-5 from the field.

Well? A win, and more comfortable than the last one. I don't know that we learned much about the Hoosiers last night. As noted above, we are off to a good start on the road in the Big Ten, but the atmospheres at Carver-Hawkeye and Crisler aren't what they used to be. The Barn next Thursday will be a different story. The Hoosiers play Illinois before that, however.

The Michigan game: the roster.

To the extent that anyone is saying anything nice about Michigan's basketball team, the praise tends to be centered on freshman Corperryale "Manny" Harris. Harris was an IU recruiting target, and my recollection is that his decision to spurn IU (I believe he made his decision before it was clear that Eric Gordon was going to come to IU) was met with much consternation. Certainly, Harris, a 6-5 guard, has quite a bit of potential, but Harris's production hasn't necessarily been good production. On the season, Harris is shooting 38 percent and 26 percent from three point range. When at his best, Harris has been able to get to the free throw line, and shoots 75 percent from the line. In two Big Ten games, Harris is 12/29 overall and 2/10 from three point range. Harris's best games, in terms of scoring output, have been against Oakland, Western Kentucky, and Purdue. He shot poorly from the field in all three games, but got to the line effectively in all three games. Harris is a talent, but even with his good free throw shooting, Harris's effective field goal percentage is only 41.3, compared to 59.2 for Gordon. So let's dial the comparisons back a notch. Harris's assist numbers are good, especially considering how many of Michigan's shots he takes, but he turns the ball over even more often. In short, Manny Harris is likely to be a very good player, but will be back at Michigan next year.

The Wolverines' most efficient regular is Deshawn Sims, a 6-8 forward who shoots 38 percent from three point range. Sims has an EFG% of 54.2. Ekpe Udoh, a 6-10 sophomore, averages 3 blocks a game, and Pomeroy's per possession rankings have him #13 nationally in blocks. As an offensive player...well, did I mention the shot blocking? Statistically, the most intriguing Wolverine is 5-11 freshman guard Kelvin Grady. Grady averages only 6.2 points per game in 22 minutes per game, but is making the most of his time. He shoots 47 percent from the field, including 42 percent from three point range (where he takes the majority of his shots). Despite no significant presence at the free throw line (he's 9-9 on the season), Grady's EFG% is 62.5. Considering the way Beilein's teams at WVU shot three pointers, I would bet that in two years everyone in the Big Ten will hate Grady's guts.

As Maize-n-Brew notes, Michigan is down several scholarship players. Two guys who were on the team at the beginning of the season, Jerret Smith and K'Len Morris, have left. Two other players, Reed Baker and Kendric Price, left in the offseason. John Beilein doesn't have much to work with this year, but he has two freshmen who should make Michigan better soon. Hopefully not tonight.

Basketball odds and ends.

• John Gasaway at Basketball Prospectus takes a quick look at the Big Ten contenders, as well as the other conferences.
• This was written before Michigan's game at Purdue, but Maize-n-Brew takes a hard look at the statistical reality of the Wolverine program. He also discusses the serious attrition of the last few months, not unusual for a program with a new coach.
• Armon Bassett likely will not play against Michigan because of bone chips in his ankle. Obviously, this may be an issue for the rest of the season.

The Michigan game: tempo free, etc.

Michigan Wolverines

Current record: 4-10

Big Ten record: 0-2

Current RPI: 170

Current Sagarin: 173

2006-07 record: 21-12 (8-8); lost to Florida State in second round of NIT

2006-07 RPI: 54

2006-07 Sagarin: 56

Series: IU leads 97-52

Last IU win: 1/27/07 (76-61 in Bloomington)

Last Michigan win: 2/17/07 (58-55 in Ann Arbor)

Last IU win in Ann Arbor: 3/4/06 (69-67)

TV: 7 pm, ESPN

Pomeroy profile

Blogs: mgoblog, Maize n Brew, Michigan Sports Center

Last year's loss at Crisler Arena snapped an eleven game IU winning streak against Michigan and a four game winning streak for IU in Ann Arbor. Like most other Big Ten fans, I'll miss Tommy Amaker. His soft, underachieving teams were a thing of beauty to those of us who have never quite moved beyond our Michigan-hatred formed during the Fab Five era. I don't expect Michigan to be any such pushover as the Beilein era progresses, but this year's team might be the worst Michigan team in decades. In their defense, the Wolverines have played, by any measure, one of the nation's toughest schedules. Michigan has lost to Georgetown, Butler, Boston College, Duke, UCLA, and Wisconsin (all by at least 13). Any team could lose to those teams. Losses to Western Kentucky, Harvard (coached by Tommy Amaker!), and Central Michigan are tougher to justify.

I enrolled at IU in the fall of 1992, when both IU and Michigan were at the top of the college basketball world. Both teams were ranked in the preseason top five and both returned nearly every contributor from Final Four teams. Michigan, with all of the Fab Five returning as sophomores, was ranked #1 in the preseason AP poll and the Hoosiers were #4. Because of the high ticket demand that year, IU students received tickets to only four home games each. Tickets were allocated on a random basis, meaning the last person in line might get better tickets than the first person in line. I remember waiting in line for tickets and watching the reactions of the students in front of me. Each recipient reacted with a celebration or a profane outburst, depending entirely on whether a ticket to the Michigan game was in the allotment (yes, I got one, 35th row East Main). So, despite the demise of Michigan's program in the last decade, I am subconsciously programmed to think of IU-Michigan as a big game, and I still get butterflies when I see Michigan on the court with IU, at least when the Wolverines wear the maize jerseys. My personal favorite IU games at Crisler:

• The 1993 game. During the aforementioned 1992-1993 season, IU won both of the matchups by one point. That doesn't really tell the story of the game in Bloomington. IU led that game by ten with about a minute remaining but Chris Webber made three 3-pointers in the last minute, including one as time expired, to tighten things up at the end, but IU was in no real danger of losing at the end. The game in Ann Arbor, on the other hand, was every bit as close as the score would indicate. As the linked article says, Alan Henderson blocked Chris Webber's attempted putback and IU escaped with a one point win and ultimately won the Big Ten with a 17-1 record.
• The 1997 game. This IU team ultimately disappointed, but not nearly as much as the Wolverines. This was Steve Fisher's last Michigan team, and despite a roster that included Robert Traylor and Maurice Taylor, the Wolverines somehow ended up in the NIT. The IU game certainly contributed to the Wolverines' demise. IU trailed by 20 early in the second half but worked back to within three points at the end of the second half. Freshman AJ Guyton, who scored 31 points in the game, buried a three pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. I have linked the Michigan Daily's coverage above. Bob Knight said that other than Keith Smart's shot in the 1987 NCAA title game, "[t]hat's as good a play as I've ever had a kid make under that kind of pressure."

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, Chris Webber isn't walking through that door. None of Michigan's tempo-free numbers look particularly good, although the tough schedule means that the adjusted numbers are prettier than the raw numbers. Michigan's raw offensive efficiency rank is #177, but adjusted it's a respectable #102. While the Wolverines don't shoot particularly well, they take care of the ball (19.9 turnover percentage, #69 nationally; 8.1 steal percentage, #45 nationally). Michigan capitalizes on 35.1 percent of offensive rebound opportunities, #116 nationally. Defensively, it's uglier. Michigan allows 1.08 points per possession (#302 nationally), and even the weighted defensive efficiency number ranks #183 nationally. The Wolverines block a lot of shots (#30 nationally per possession) and keep opponents from getting to the line (#17 nationally). The low number of freethrow attempts may be attributable to the Wolverines' part-time use of Beilein's famous 1-3-1 zone. On the flip side, Michigan's opponents shoot over 42 percent from behind the arc (that's #329, almost dead last nationally), so why take it to the hoop?

For an update on IU's tempo-free numbers, go here. Of course, IU's strength offensively has been getting to the free throw line (IU is #2 nationally in free throws made per possession), while Michigan opponents haven't been able to do so. Despite the excellence of Eric Gordon, IU has been a good but not overwhelming three point shooting team (37.4, #90 nationally) and only 30 percent of IU's attempts are three point shots (#255 nationally). IU ranks #20 in both 2-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. On the defensive side, IU again is above average nationally across the board, but the Hoosiers' weakest category defensively is turnover percentage. IU should win this game, but it seems that Michigan's strength (taking care of the ball) lines up against IU's defensive weakness. And while Michigan isn't a good defensive team, the Wolverines have lost because of opponents' three point shooting, which hasn't been the dominant focus of IU's offense. It will be interesting to see whose game these teams play.

I'll discuss Michigan's roster tomorrow.

Cam Cameron to Michigan? Please, God.

Via Michigan Sports Center, the "Rumor Mill" at Pro Football Talk is reporting that U-M AD Bill Martin wants to pursue Cam if the Dolphins fire him. I suppose I shouldn't wish an IU alum ill. Cam worked hard at IU and couldn't get the Hoosiers over the hump. I'm sure his failure at IU bothers him more than it bothers me. But I didn't like the spin from some in the Cameron camp. Here's an example, some comments by Cameron's stepfather, former Indiana State coach Tom Harp:

"I had some reservations," Harp said of his stepson taking the Indiana job. "But Cam is one of those guys, if he's going down the street and sees a pile of horse manure, he'll go digging in it because he thought there was a pony in there. He aggravates me sometimes, he's so positive. He won't let anybody get him down."

Nice. While this was the only quote I could find online, I do recall other comments by Cameron supporters after the firing about how IU is a no win situation. Certainly, I understand that objectively, IU is, at best, the tenth-best job in the Big Ten and probably is 11th, depending on whether one considers Northwestern's last 13 years a trend or an aberration. Still, no one was demanding that Cam go to the Rose Bowl in year one. Cameron had a full five years at IU, including the last four quarterbacked by one of the most productive players in the history of college football, and couldn't land so much as one Music City Bowl bid.

Cameron started at IU in 1997, the same year that three other Big Ten programs hired coaches: Ron Turner at Illinois, Glen Mason at Minnesota, and Joe Tiller at Purdue. While Illinois had been to a bowl game as recently as 1994, the other two programs that hired new coaches that year had been down for a while. Purdue had not had a bowl bid or a winning season since 1984. Minnesota had not had a winning season since 1990 or a bowl bid since 1986. IU? The Hoosiers had last had a winning season in 1994 and a bowl bid in 1993, the last of six bowl bids in eight years. Cam Cameron's first IU roster included players who had been part of winning teams. Again, I realize that IU is not a plum job, but neither are the expectations sky-high. Cam could have bought himself a couple of more years with a minor bowl bid with an extremely talented team in 2001. By the time Cam was fired in 2001 after five losing seasons, the other three Big Ten schools that hired coaches in 1997 had received a combined 10 bowl bids, including BCS appearances by Illinois and Purdue. In the age of 85 scholarships and 25+ bowl games, an occasional bowl appearance is not too much to ask, regardless of a program's history.

Despite Cam's failure at IU, it has been my impression over the years that many Michigan folks hold Cam in fairly high esteem. I believe he is given some credit for Michigan's late 1980s transition from a traditional Big Ten offense into a modern-day cradle of quarterbacks. That's all fine and good, but I think Cam's skills are best suited to being an assistant coach. Perhaps he's like Mike Martz, a good offensive mind who is better off without the responsibility of making all of the HC decisions (and with someone looking over his shoulder). Perhaps he would prove me wrong, but I think Michigan would regret hiring Cam Cameron.

The season that was, games 9/10/11: Indiana 46, Michigan State 21; Minnesota 63, Indiana 26; Michigan 34, Indiana 3.

Michigan State

Date: 10/28/06
Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.
Box score/stats
Attendance: 36444

Historically, it’s rare for a Hoosier team to whip a non-Northwestern Big Ten opponent into submission, so I tried to savor last season’s MSU whipping as it transpired. The last time IU played a reeling, coach-killing MSU team was 2002, the game after Bob Williams resigned, and while the Spartans looked vulnerable then, they pistolwhipped IU. Not so in 2006. MSU managed a quick 10 play, 80 yard drive to start the game and then allowed 46 points in a row to the Hoosiers. Kellen Lewis threw five touchdown passes, including four to James Hardy. IU won the first down battle 26-8 and outgained the Spartans 446-215. MSU managed 79 yards in the fourth quarter, meaning that at the end of the third, MSU had only 136 yards of offense. Lewis was 15-22, an while it he throw an interception, it was inconsequential and came late in the fourth quarter when IU led by 32. Marcus Thigpen lead IU with 104 yards rushing on 20 carries and Lewis added 75 on 14 carries. I don’t expect this game to tell us much about this season. MSU was a really odd team. I hesitate to say that the Spartans had quit, because this game came only a week after MSU’s amazing comeback at Northwestern. Still, it’s a new day in East Lansing. IU rarely does this to a Big Ten opponent, so I choose to savor the memory of this game standing alone. Unfortunately, the MSU game was the Hoosiers’ last win of the season.



Minnesota

Date: 11/4/06
Location: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minn.
Box Score/stats
Attendance: 44,610

After the MSU game, the Hoosiers were within a game of their first bowl game since 1993. The only home game remaining was against then second-ranked Michigan, so IU fans pinned their hopes on the road games against Minnesota and Purdue, two solid but uneven teams. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers performance at the Metrodome was a disaster. IU played as poorly as had the Spartans in Bloomington a week earlier. Minnesota led 35-0 less than halfway through the second quarter. IU never pulled closer than 21. Bryan Cupito embarrassed the IU defense, throwing four touchdowns and for 378 yards on 33 attempts. Kellen Lewis continued to accumulate some numbers (321 yards) but threw two interceptions and was relieved by Blake Powers late in the game. As was too often the case, Lewis was IU’s only viable rushing threat. This game was a bitter blow to IU fans and halted the momentum of the program. With Michigan upcoming, all eyes were on the Bucket game.

Michigan
Date: 11/11/06
Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.
Box score/stats
Attendance: 42,320
As with the OSU game, there’s not much to say about a whipping administered by a top five team that IU doesn’t play until 2009. IU’s 131 yard offensive output was the worst of the year. Ball State, by scoring some points late against Michigan a week earlier, erased any hope that the Hoosier might sneak up on the Wolverines.

Delany and Silverman are going to AA.

No, not that AA, although they may need those services eventually if Comcast and Time Warner don't budge. Commissioner Delany and BTN president Mark Silverman are going to Ann Arbor. The two will meet the public at the Junge Family Champions Center in Michigan Stadium on Wednesday. Hopefully an Ann Arbor-based Michigan blogger can provide an update.

Michigan coaching search.

Tommy Amaker, beloved by all Big Ten basketball fans (except Michigan fans, of course), finally received a well-earned pink slip over the weekend. Mgoblog and Maize n Brew are covering the story and breaking down the candidates in impressive detail. I'm not sure if Michigan really qualifies as a sleeping giant--the facilities problems and general indifference of many Michigan fans to basketball create challenges--but U-M probably has the best basketball tradition of any Big Ten school other than IU. Both Wolverine bloggers seem to be high on Chris Lowery of Southern Illinois, whose immediate predecessors, Matt Painter and Bruce Weber, coach in the Big Ten.

Minnesota, of course, has an job opening as well, and rumors continue to swirl about Steve Alford's future in Iowa and his possible interest in the New Mexico job, as discussed and dismissed in this column.