Sunday, January 21, 2007

"Road woes"

Last Saturday I watched on TV as the University of Michigan men’s basketball team got bullied by Purdue, 67-53. This afternoon I sat in dank Crisler Arena and watched another team called “Michigan” dominate Purdue, 71-55.

After the game, I was confused. Very confused.

Isn’t there only one University of Michigan? I thought. Why would this “Michigan” team play in Crisler, which I know is the home of U-M?

I was getting very frustrated - so frustrated that I was prepared to make a hot dog stand raid - until my friend cleared things up for me. He told me that the two teams that had played Purdue twice within a week were, in actuality, the same team, the Michigan Wolverines.

Shock would best describe my reaction.

I tried to comprehend my friend’s words. So... the team that turned the ball over 10 times in the first half a week ago was the same team that turned it over a total of just 14 times on Saturday?? So... the team that allowed David Teague to make four 3-pointers - most of them open looks - a week ago played uptight defense on him Saturday, holding him to 1-for-6 shooting from downtown?? So... the team that was physically dominated in the paint a week ago, allowing Carl Landry to score 22 points without breaking a sweat, owned the paint on Saturday, blocking nine shots and outrebounding the Boilermakers??

All right. Enough. The questions circling through my head were only confusing me more.

The only conclusion I could come to is that home-court advantage is very, very, very important in college basketball. At least in the Big Ten. Purdue has now dropped an astounding 29 straight games on the road. And I though Michigan was a bad road team.

Well, it is. Just not Purdue bad. Michigan is 2-3 on the road this season, registering wins over mediocre Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern, losing to a crippled N.C. State team, getting absolutely embarrassed by UCLA and, of course, losing handily to Purdue a week ago.

If only the Wolverines could play all their games at Crisler Arena. They are 14-1 at home, with the only loss coming to Georgetown. The Wolverines haven’t beaten a quality team this season, but here’s a truth: While they have virtually no chance of winning at Ohio State or Michigan State, when those teams come to Ann Arbor in March, at least there will be hope.

It’s hard to figure out how a team can be so different away from home. Especially a team laden with upperclassmen. I get the sense that Michigan’s players simply don’t believe in themselves away from home. They’re like kids left home alone at night for the first time. If they hear one suspicious noise, they panic.

People can say all they want about how great Michigan played on Saturday. They can mention Michigan’s 4-1 Big Ten record, tied for second in the Big Ten. They can talk about the Wolverines making a push for the NCAA tournament.

None of that will matter if the Wolverines I saw on Saturday don’t show up for Michigan’s six remaining Big Ten road games. Michigan will need at least one or two more road wins this season to make the Big Dance for the first time since 1998 (and that’s assuming it continues to win at home). Lester Abram or Dion Harris will have to step up as a vocal leader on the road and say, “I will not stand for a lower standard of basketball just because we’re playing in a hostile environment.”

Midway through the second half Saturday the Wolverines were having fun. After Jerret Smith pulled up for a long jumper on a fastbreak to give Michigan a commanding lead, he was greeted in the backcourt by a smiling Harris. They were having fun. Just playing.

I haven’t seen one smile by a Wolverine during a road game this season. Instead they appear tight, nervous and devoid of any passion. They play like a high school team with freshmen starters.

The next two games - at Wisconsin and at Indiana - will tell us what this “Michigan” team is really about. Will they become that team again, reinvigorating “Fire Amaker” talk all around Washtenaw County? Or - and this is definitely the underdog pick- will they decide that having two identities really isn’t as cool as it sounds?

So confusing it hurts.

1 comment:

csd said...

I really like your blog, and had similar thoughts as you over that week long span. I saw a very good Boiler team in person one weekend, then the next weekend watched some imposters play at Crisler. It seems like each Big Ten school has an A team that plays at home, and the B team that they send on the road.