Yesterday's game came down to a couple of key points.
- Bad game plan: The first shot of the game was Sims shooting from outside. Not good. I know Illinois is taller then Iowa, but the low post game was non-existent for most of the game. Also, if Illinois is going to guard the 3's on defense the back cuts and low post should have been open. Michigan didn't take advantage of that once.
- Tired Legs: It wasn't hard to see that Michigan was playing in its second game in two days and Illinois was playing it's first. The talent level between the two teams is not that far off, but Illinois length caused Michigan problems all day.
- Too many turnovers, which was caused more by the tired Wolverines then anything.
- Michigan fans didn't travel well: it was like a home game for the Illini.
So coach Beilein is to blame for this one. Sure, it's hard to game plan for a team in one day, but Illinois didn't play that well either. Michigan should have pulled it's starters much earlier in the Iowa game and had a much better game plan on Friday. If Syracuse can go 6 OT's and then win the next day after playing another OT. Michigan shouldn't have been that tired.
What's done is done: So learn from this game, huddle around a TV on Sunday, celebrate your first NCAA invite in a decade, go to bed, and start preparing for Villanova or whoever Michigan draws on Sunday.
Remember this season is still a success when "Michigan" is announced on CBS Sunday night.
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