Michigan MLK Day Holiday Edition

Happy MLK Today to all Michigan Fans!  I hope you get a chance to have the day off and enjoy some time with family and friends.


There is something about this Michigan Wolverine Basketball team.  It's not always pretty and sometimes it looks they are doing it with mirrors but they get it done.   On Saturday night, they had a season defining win against the #3 ranked team in the nation the Wisconsin Badgers.   To be fair, Wisconsin was coming off a loss to IU in Bloomington where they got a bit exposed against the pick and roll.   It seem John Beilein and staff watched that film and went in to the Kohl Center with a similar strategy. 

Michigan hadn't beaten a top 5 team on the road since 1964.  Which doesn't seem possible with all the good teams that have rolled through Ann Arbor but it just shows you how hard it is to win on the road in college basketball.   Michigan also had another nasty streak broken on Saturday, they were 0-10 in the Kohl Center, never winning in Wisconsin's new arena.  They pushed back both slumps and left Wisconsin with a 77-70 win.

The one thing that is very clear is that Nik Stauskas is Trey Burke 2014.  Michigan was looking for Derrick Walton or others to step up but this is Stauskas team now.  He scored the last 11 points and was on the bench for a rest during most of Wisconsin's comeback.   That step back, bounce through the legs, 3 pointer was just cold blooded and the shot of the game.   This team is far from perfect but they sure are fun to watch.   When they shoot well and play a bit of defense they are hard to beat. 

They have a really tough road ahead with a very hot Iowa team in Crisler and a trip to East Lansing (ESPN Game Day) this week.

• Speaking of ESPN it sounds like they are trying to move Brett Musburger to the SEC Network and replacing him on Saturday Night Football.

• Michigan's 2014 RB recruiting is getting quite interesting.   Michigan seems very much in play for Jeff Jones who is visiting on 1/31 and Florida RB Marlon Mack who de-committed from UCLA the same day he was offered by the Wolverines.    This could be interesting as Signing Day approaches.   The same goes with the quiet Malik McDowell, who just visited FSU and it seemed to go very well.  Now I'm hearing he will visit MSU next week instead of LSU, with OSU the following week.   I believe he is also planning a day trip to Ann Arbor to talk to the coaches at some point.   Nobody really knows anything at this point but most believe he will stay close to home and go to OSU, MSU or Michigan.   I hope the Michigan coaches have a back up plan.   Update:  Rumors are starting to fly that Michigan might take a pass on both RB's they have offers to out to right now.   Since interest seemingly continues to be there, it sound like it could be a transcript issue or maybe they want to show a commitment to Damien Harris.   Both are guesses, but if true that leaves only Malik on the table for the 2014 close.  

• A record 98 under classman entered this years draft.  Last year it was 73 and the year before it was 65.

• Gallon was the East's leading receiver in the East West Shrine Game on Saturday.  He had 4 catches for 55 yards with a long of 25.