Do the Right Thing, Bill Martin

So is our long national regional nightmare now over? The Michigan basketball team had their season mercifully laid to rest last night in Tallahassee, 87-66. At least that's what I'm reading. Michigan Sports Center confirms this result, and there were highlights on ESPN this morning to corroborate this information. That's good enough for me.

I've already said my piece on Tommy Amaker - several times. My arms are tired from swinging, and my throat is sore from screaming. What needs to happen for the Michigan basketball program is now beyond obvious.

This thing has fallen apart on most every level. Amaker can (inexplicably) make his case, and maybe it will convince the right people in the athletic department. If so, they can all watch fan and alumni support erode even further. Just don't publicly shrug your shoulders, hold out your hands, and plead ignorance. No one's buying this $#!+ anymore.

EDIT (4 p.m.): Yes, I originally typed "Ed Martin" in the headline, instead of "Bill." Oops. Thanks to those who pointed out my mistake.

Not Interested, Tommy

But really, so what?

I hate that I feel that way about Michigan basketball. I actually strongly considered going to last night's NIT game vs. Utah State. The tickets were cheap, and I could've had almost any seat in the house. But ultimately, it just came down to the feeling that I can't support this stuff.

The majority of fans obviously shared the same sentiment. 3,114 fans attended the game. That's the lowest Crisler Arena crowd for a men's basketball game in 23 years. 1,000 fewer fans showed up for this game than last year's NIT first-round match-up with Texas-El Paso.

On TV, the crowd looked like what you typically see for a women's basketball or gymnastics contest in Ann Arbor. Credit the Maize Rage section for making it as loud as they could, but judging from the large sections of empty seats and bleachers, that was essentially a scrimmage.

We could argue about how many Michigan fans care about basketball, in general, (and I don't think it's very many) but if apathy hadn't already set in, a significant dose of it has rushed in over the past few weeks. Go ahead and question the reasonability or expectations of the Michigan fanbase, but don't question their intelligence. This was not a case of Michigan almost being good enough to get a bid to the NCAA tournament, but things didn't go their way, so they should just try to make the best of an NIT bid and show people they may have deserved better. Not this year. Not when schools like Syracuse, Drexel, Kansas State, West Virginia, Clemson, Washington, and Air Force didn't get in, either.

This is exactly what the Michigan basketball program deserved. I'm not talking about the players; it would've been nice for that senior class to participate in at least one NCAA tournament. I feel bad that they had to play in front of 3,000 people last night. At least they went out and won this game. (It's too bad no one will be able to see their second-round contest with Florida State. If a game is shown on ESPNU, and virtually no one can see it, will it really have happened?)

But this is about something much bigger right now. Basketball is undergoing a slow death at Michigan, and if the athletic department won't (or can't) take steps to prevent that and bring in someone who can at least achieve the bare minimum for a Big Ten program, who has at least a shred of interest in promoting his team and embracing the community at-large, then they can't possibly expect people to support the team. This charade has been carried as far as it can go. There is no better time to make a change.

Not Interested Tonight

It's my fault. I jinxed 'em.

The one game I sit down to watch (and actually can watch - thanks, ESPN) during Michigan's NIT run is a total snoozer. As I write this, South Carolina is up by 15 points with five-and-a-half minutes left, and I don't see Tommy's guys making a game of it. Maybe Michigan never had a chance. If there's one school that's better at this NIT thing, it might be the defending NIT champ Gamecocks. I bet those "back-to-back" shirts will sell like hot pimento cheese in Columbia. Maybe I can get my sister to drive up from Charleston and snag me one.

Speaking of my Lil' Sis, this NIT match-up was worth it, if only to get a "Beat the Cocks!" e-mail from her today. What has the South done to my little sister's mouth? This from a woman who refuses to get me one of those "COCKS" hats (for which I should probably be thankful).

I was ready to take some notes so I could have some actual analysis for tomorrow, but this thing has just bored me to tears. Wiping the dust off the top of my TV seems more interesting. So as my mind drifts to other, random thoughts, we'll call this my Larry King post...

▪▪ Was Tuesday's Pistons-Mavericks match-up the best regular season game you've seen in a while? I don't watch anywhere near as much regular season NBA basketball as I used to (when I'd sit through entire TNT doubleheaders), but I can't imagine many games having the same kind of urgency I saw on Tuesday. The fans were making serious noise, and the players seemed to drive harder to the basket, fight more fiercely for rebounds, and stand tougher on defense.

▪▪ And then the Pistons follow that up the next night - when they could've been understandably worn out - with a win over Philadelphia on the road? If anyone was worried about these guys over the past couple of weeks, I think you can stop now. They're getting serious again.

▪▪ So Joey Harrington's going to have a free-agent tour across America? Someone should make t-shirts. Seven teams are interested in him? (Oops, make that six teams. Scratch Denver off the list. Thanks, Kevin Antcliff.) But Joey's still going to Kansas City, isn't he? Doesn't that make the most sense for both teams involved?

▪▪ And if Dallas is interested in Harrington, what does that say about the Cowboys' opinion of Drew Henson? Apparently, Parcells isn't much of a Rhein Fire watcher.

▪▪ I'm already tired of this Barry Bonds $#!+, and George Mitchell's Steroid Probe (hey, there's a title for a blog, if you were looking for one) hasn't even started yet. The best thing I've read on the story, however, was Buster Olney's ESPN blog today. This investigation brings up far more questions - Why now? How deep will it really dig? - than any answers it'll hope to provide.

▪▪ During a fantasy baseball draft I was in this week, someone took Curtis Granderson, and then asked me if he'd be this year's Grady Sizemore. And I started to shiver. If Granderson plays well enough to score a six-year extension like the one Sizemore just signed with Cleveland, the Tigers will be looking good.

▪▪ This is my first year playing fantasy baseball, and I can already see that I'll be way too into it. I've been checking over my rosters obsessively since my drafts, wondering where I came up short. I think I underestimated stolen bases with most of my picks. Any veteran fantasy players have a thought on that?

The three magic letters of success

I don't know as much about basketball coaching as Tommy Amaker. My experience on the bench consists solely of helping my friend Scott coach a recreation league team of high schoolers about seven or eight years ago. Coaches were mostly there because teams needed an adult to sit on the bench. Those guys didn't need us, though I'd like to think our coaching played a role in the team winning the league championship.

Actually, I wasn't there for the final few games. I was sick of dealing with those kids by then. But like I said, they didn't really need us.

But I did learn some things about strategy and motivation. And that's what brings me to Amaker and the Michigan basketball team. After last night's 66-43 stomping of Old Dominion, the Wolverines are one game away from winning the NIT tournament. No, it's not the "real" tournament, and hardly anyone remembers NIT championships years later. But Michigan is winning the games they're playing right now, even if it would've been better for them to play this way three weeks ago.

(Photo by Steve Perez/ Detroit News)

Amaker's players seem to focus when the NIT is on the line, and the coach needs to take advantage of that. Look at Courtney Sims: 18 points and seven rebounds last night. Michigan fans (along with coaches and teammates) have been waiting for that kind of game out of Sims for a long time.

Somehow, the coach needs to convince his guys next season that they're playing for the NIT again. Maybe he can post NIT logos, posters, and banners all over the locker room. Cover up anything that says "NCAA." Get one of the assistants or a student to dub "NIT" over "NCAA" whenever the players watch SportsCenter. Make anyone who dares mention those four letters sleep in the dark and scary upper deck of Crisler Arena.

But that seems like a lot of work. Maybe there's an easier way. And I think Daniel Horton alluded to it in a post-game quote from today's Detroit News:

"We're backed to the three H's that coach talked about," senior guard Daniel Horton said. "That allows us to be a better team. And we're sharing the ball better."

Three letters. Something about that number, regardless of the letters involved, gets these guys' attention. But the combination of the letters "N," "I", and "T" really keeps them sharp. Amaker needs to keep them in that zone. And after carefully considering this for the last 30 minutes over my morning coffee, I think I know how he can do it.

Hypnotism.

Courtney Sims, you are getting very, veerrrry sleeeeepyyyy. We're playing in the NIT. Relax. Forget the pressure of the NCAA tournament. We're going to hang another banner in Crisler. When I count to three, you will become a dominant frontcourt player, like you were in New York City. Maize rage... maize rage...

I think it's worth a shot. And in case it doesn't completely work, and you have Michigan basketball players wandering the streets of Ann Arbor looking for Times Square or Central Park, put in some trigger word safeguards, like "Webber" or "Ellerbe" to snap them back to reality when it's necessary. Just to be safe, maybe Amaker can just whip out the watch before important conference games. Or just use it in March.

Anyway, like I said, I don't know a lot about basketball coaching. I think I threw away Jerry Krause's book on coaching around the same time I told my buddy that I hated those punk-ass mother#@$%ers we were babysitting every Sunday afternoon. But I think I'm onto something here. Consider it free advice, Coach. No charge.

Metro Detroit 2, South Beach 0

Tell me you didn't have a bad feeling in the first half of last night's Heat-Pistons game. It usually doesn't end well when the Pistons miss that many jump shots. And they missed a lot of them. Think of any jokes about laying bricks and building walls, and they'd fit.

Detroit shot 35% from the field. Chauncey Billups was 5-for-16 (but made up for it big-time by going 11-for-12 at the free throw line). 'Sheed was 3-for-12 (and only went to the line twice).

And I know it does no good to complain about this, but I will never be comfortable with 'Sheed shooting that many three-pointers. Call me "old school" - I don't believe a big man should be taking shots that far from the basket. That belief is affirmed when those shots don't go in. Rasheed Wallace, you are not Dirk Nowitzki.

He could go 4-for-4 from three-point range, and my teeth would still grind. I hate it. Last night, the Pistons needed a low-post threat, and the one guy on the team who can provide it chose to stay away from the paint. And that was with Shaquille O'Neal looking like he was wearing cement shoes and Alonzo Mourning out of the game with a pulled calf.

(Photo by Julian H. Gonzalez/ Detroit Free Press)

Of course, the Pistons did win the game, 82-73, so maybe I'm fretting over nothing. (Greg Eno says I am.) To have played that badly, yet still win a game over their closest competitor in the Eastern Conference is an impressive feat. I've heard a lot of jabber on sports talk radio today from people scared over how the Pistons are playing. But Miami should be freaking out, if you ask me. Detroit was just asking to be beaten last night, and the Heat couldn't get it done.

Teams shouldn't be able to win games by suddenly "turning it on," but the Pistons seemed to do exactly that. When they decided to crack down on defense, Miami was shut down. Big gold stars to Rip Hamilton and Lindsey Hunter, who did a good job holding Dwyane Wade to 13 points on 3-for-15 shooting. Pistons killer? Soooo last month, Dwayne.

Meanwhile in Ann Arbor, Michigan made it a doubleheader sweep for metro Detroit. The Wolverines and the Maize Rage are apparently off to the NIT semi-finals in New York after beating Miami's other basketball team, 71-65. I say "apparently," because I didn't see it. But this time, it's because I couldn't see the game. Raise your hand if you have ESPNU? Where does that channel come in? On campus? In the dorms?

It's not like I'm mad about it; I would've watched the Pistons game, anyway. But it would've been nice to watch the NIT during commercial breaks.

Is it silly if I feel a bit excited about Michigan going this far in the postseason step-tournament? Probably. It's like winning the "Toilet Bowl" in Gus Macker 3-on-3. You only got that chance because you lost when it really counted. But I'll still enjoy watching them play for a trophy. Unless ESPN sticks the games on ESPNU again.

(Photo by Kirt Dozier/ Detroit Free Press)

NIT-picking, indeed

I can't even frame this in a good news/bad news scenario, can I? If I told you the good news, that Michigan earned a #1 seed in its upcoming postseason tournament, you'd figure out the bad news almost immediately. Because you know the only tournament Michigan would receive a #1 seed in is... the NIT.

I only caught bits and pieces of the NCAA tournament selection while working on "magazine stuff" (which I'll probably write about tomorrow). The people around me were mostly buzzing about the teams (including "my" Iowa Hawkeyes) playing in first-and-second-round games at The Palace on Friday, while wondering where Michigan State was being placed and what seed they'd receive. By paying more attention to who was in and where they were going, the teams that weren't invited to the NCAA tournament kind of got lost in the shuffle.

Maybe it's because I didn't expect Michigan to get a NCAA bid. I was surprised that any so-called "bracketologists" (a term that is thankfully retired until next year) would predict the Wolverines to be invited after losing their last two games to Indiana (oh, look who received a bid over U-M) and Minnesota. (Or was it just Jay Bilas stumping for his fellow Blue Devil, Tommy Amaker?) Anyway, I didn't even think about what happened to Michigan, until I heard the news on the drive home.

Did Michigan get "jobbed"? I'm sure plenty of fans (those that care about Michigan basketball, by the way) will say yes. Sports talk radio is already burning about that, and probably will be all day. If you ask whether or not Michigan is among the best 64 teams in the country, then they probably did get snubbed. But that's not how it really works, and we all know that. Besides, Michigan had control over its tournament fate, but acted like their hands were soaked with lotion. At least their hands should be left smooth this postseason.

▪▪ Michigan's Graham Brown says there's a big difference in motivation between this team and the 2004 squad that won the NIT.

▪▪ The M Zone points out that this is probably the worst overall performance by the Michigan athletic program in 25+ years. (Softball team, a fandom turns its lonely eyes to you. Woo woo woo.)

▪▪ Big Al watched Michigan's tournament die a slow death.

▪▪ Michigan Sports Center praises Jim Nantz and Billy Packer for questioning Craig Littlepage, head of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, about the apparent inconsistencies in the selection process.

▪▪ The Detroit Free Press' Michael Rosenberg explains why Bill Martin won't be firing Tommy Amaker any time soon.

▪▪ Beyond Boxscores is conflicted on Amaker, wanting him to stay, but wondering whether he should.

Is this a bad time for an Iowa alumnus to talk about "his" basketball team, and its #3 seed? Right. Wrong blog, wrong state, wrong time. But I am proud of "my" guys today, even though my two years in Iowa City did nothing to transfuse my Michigan blood.

I should point this out, however: Two years ago, Steve Alford was in much the same position Amaker is now. There was a lot of talk last year that Alford might lose his job if the Hawkeyes hadn't made the NCAA tournament. But he turned it around. That's how fast it can change. Of course, his seniors developed more and played a hell of a lot better, which says a lot about where each team is right now.

NIT-picking?

I've barely written about the Michigan basketball team this season (and have been rather out of touch with the sport overall), so to jump up and down in outrage or to call for Tommy Amaker's job after the Wolverines' loss to Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, when I haven't watched many of their games, rings false to me.

I was hoping to point you toward several blogs that could provide what I can't, but it appears that the Go Blue blogosphere mostly feels the same way about Michigan hoops that the general majority of Michigan fans do. Football? HELL YES! Basketball? Eh. And that shouldn't be a surprise. Sports blogs reflect the fanbase, right? These are the Michigan blogs that stepped for us all today:

▪▪ MGoBlog has a live blog of the game's radio broadcast. (Why I love the idea of someone live-blogging from the radio isn't quite clear to me.) Brian sums up the season nicely:

This probably excises Michigan from the tourney. They played a paper soft non-conference schedule. They're 18-10 against a crap schedule, finished the year 2-7, and just lost to a team that couldn't find its ass with both hands in the halfcourt.

▪▪ Ronald Bellamy's Underachieving All-Stars recaps what the so-called experts are saying about Michigan's NCAA tournament chances, and promises "anguish and scathing tirades" later.

▪▪ Michigan Sports Center has an excellent game summary. He watched so the rest of us didn't have to.

▪▪ Westsider Rider laments the opportunity Michigan squandered, with the rest of the college basketball landscape doing its best to allow the Wolverines into the tournament. Kenny also tries to look at this through maize-and-blue glasses:

Maybe this senior class will be able to say they won 2 NIT championships.

▪▪ Lester Abram told the Detroit News' Jim Spadafore that selfish play cost his team the game. (Abram's ankle injury might have cost Michigan its season.)

▪▪ Mark Snyder's game story in the Detroit Free Press has a lead that might explain just why this team has been so frustrating.

There were no tears in the Michigan basketball team's locker room late Thursday.

No one was weeping. No one was furious. Everyone was simply quiet.

The team looked like it did on the court for the previous two hours: passive and resigned to its fate.

I can't really say what should happen to Tommy Amaker if Michigan is relegated to the NIT again this year. As I said, I haven't watched the games. I can't point out any clear reasons as to why they're not succeeding. I don't know if Amaker's coaching is costing them wins.

What I do know is that this was a baffling team. After beating Illinois, a tournament bid seemed assured. Maybe the players felt the same way, and just coasted through the rest of the schedule. Unfortunately, with three straight losses to close out the season - the last two of which were to teams they should've beaten, in games they needed to win - Michigan likely cost itself a spot in the 64-team pool.

What I do know is that Amaker has had to clean up a huge mess in the basketball program, dealing with matters that many coaches would've run away from, screaming in horror. He's had a lot of support and patience from an athletic department that knew what it was asking Amaker to do. Maybe this was a much bigger project than we realized. Or maybe it's an insurmountable task for Amaker.

But how much time should Amaker be given? Five years is five years. He's had time to bring in his own players, and this senior class should've progressed to the point of an upper-tier finish in the conference and an invitation to the NCAA tournament. Yet that senior class seemed to reach a plateau, in terms of achievement. His players haven't gotten better in four years under his tutelage, which to me, might be the most damning indictment you can throw at a college basketball coach.

Amaker is probably the beneficiary of a school and fanbase that regards its basketball program with second-string interest. But Michigan fans aren't ones to let their expectations lower as the years go on. And college basketball - especially when your team plays in the Big Ten conference - isn't a sport that will allow Amaker to continue to hover under the radar. Not at this time of the year.

(Photo by Dale G. Young/ The Detroit News)