Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Iowa

Michigan left Madison on Saturday with its first win at the Kohl Center since 1999; naturally, it wasn't hard to picture the Wolverines throwing out a letdown game their next time on the court.

Luckily for John Beilein and Co., that was most definitely not the case against Iowa on Wednesday night in the Crisler Center, where the Wolverines defeated No. 10 Iowa, 75-67. As usual, I recapped it over at Maize n Brew.

Michigan is perfect a third of the way through the Big Ten schedule, one of only two remaining squads without a Big Ten loss. The other? Of course, the Michigan State Spartans, Michigan's opponent this Saturday.

Like many will express throughout the rest of this week, after wins at Wisconsin and against Iowa, Michigan is basically playing with house money this Saturday. With that said, a win in the Breslin Center would push Michigan's post-McGary-injury run from "unexpectedly great" to "transcendent." Hopefully the Wolverines learned a thing or two from the thumping they took there last season.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Recapping Wisconsin

In spite of my extreme skepticism, Michigan went to Madison on Saturday and won for the first time since 1999. As usual, I threw down some thoughts over at Maize n Brew.

It has been over 48 hours since the game ended, and, quite honestly, I'm still a little shocked. Not necessarily shocked that Michigan won, even though I had thought it an unlikely outcome. I was more surprised by how brutally efficient and downright unfair Michigan was on the offensive end. Watching it unfold live, it was almost too good to be true. Michigan's drought in the second half, when the Badgers made the run, was the only indicator of Michigan's mortality in this game. For the better part of two hours, the Wolverines were unstoppable.

This team doesn't have Trey Burke, but that's okay: they've got Nik Stauskas.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Wisconsin

file photo

Michigan heads to the Kohl Center tomorrow, a place where they've had no success in recent years. The Wolverines will attempt to break a 12-game losing streak at the Kohl Center against the No. 3 Badgers, who are coming off of their first loss of the season, a high-scoring affair in Bloomington on Tuesday.

As such, I wrote up a little something about Michigan's struggles at the Kohl Center over at Maize n Brew.

Also, my standard Wisconsin game preview is also available for your perusal at MnB.

The game tips off at 6:00 ET and will be televised on ESPN.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Nebraska

It wouldn't be a Big Ten road game without some late game drama. The Michigan Wolverines moved to 3-0 tonight in the conference, but not without some struggles. Nebraska drove around Wolverine defenders all game, from the pick and roll or 1-on-1, resulting in one of the most frustratingly poor defensive performances since Michigan's loss to Penn State last season.

But, in the end, Michigan had one more point than Nebraska when the game ended, and that's all that counts when you hit the road in this conference. In any case, my recap of tonight's excitement went up at Maize n Brew a little while ago, as usual.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Kansas State, Minnesota

It's been a little quiet here of late, but now that Big Ten basketball is underway that should hopefully be changing. In any case, if you missed my last football recap of the season, I wrote about Saturday's Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl over at Maize n Brew.

In sunnier news, my recap of tonight's basketball game against Minnesota at The Barn went up at Maize n Brew a little while ago; you can read that here.

If you told me that Michigan would win a Big Ten game on the road without Mitch McGary, without Glenn Robinson III for most of the second half and with Zak Irvin leading the way in scoring, well, I would not have believed you. But, that is exactly what happened. The fearless freshman scored 15 points for Michigan tonight, all from beyond the arc (5-for-8 from three).

A big performance from Jon Horford (14 points, 9 rebounds) paced Michigan in the frontcourt. The Wolverines did not show up on the defensive glass --Minnesota rebounded 46.8 percent of its misses-- but that was by no means Horford's fault.

Michigan will have to do a better job on the glass the rest of the way, but, for tonight, a win is a win. The most important numbers of all are the following: 1-0, Michigan's Big Ten record.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Arizona

Michigan took on No. 1 Arizona in chilly Ann Arbor this afternoon, looking to snag a huge resume-booster of a win. As usual, my post-game recap can be found at Maize n Brew.

Despite leading for most of the game, the Wolverines couldn't quite hold off the big, athletic Wildcats late in the game. Nik Stauskas had a chance to regain the lead for Michigan with under 20 seconds to play, but his jumper landed off the mark and the Wolverines ultimately fell, 72-70.

With the loss, Michigan fell to 6-4 on the season with two games remaining before the Jan. 2 Big Ten opener at Minnesota.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Puerto Rico Tip-Off Reaction

The Michigan Wolverines traveled to San Juan to compete in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, where they advanced to the tournament final before being knocked off by Charlotte on Sunday, 63-61.

I compiled some scattered thoughts and observations into a reaction post over at Maize n Brew. In short, it's November: there is no reason to panic at this point, even with a loss against a non-name brand team like Charlotte. After all, look at North Carolina. Last week they lost to Belmont at home, only to go on to beat No. 3 Louisville on Sunday.

In any case, Michigan still has a few more opportunities to notch quality non-conference wins (Duke, Arizona, Stanford) before the Big Ten opener on Jan. 2 at Minnesota.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Iowa

As always, my recap of Saturday's game went up at Maize n Brew this morning.

In short, whatever happens against Ohio State and in the bowl game, Michigan is looking at its biggest offseason in several years. Whether that includes coaching turnover or not, 2014 will prove to be a crucial season for a program that has trended downward since the 11-2 season two years ago.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Iowa State Preview

Although Michigan fans have a football game to get through first tomorrow, the Wolverine basketball team will head to Iowa State on Sunday for what should be a credible early season test. I previewed that game over at Maize n Brew: go take a look.

The Cyclones are without F Melvin Ejim, but they still have plenty of offensive firepower. Michigan will have its hands full attempting to check Naz Long and Georges Niang, not to mention transfers DeAndre Kane and Dustin Hogue.

Sunday's game at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames tips off at 5:00 ET on ESPN2.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Nebraska

As usual, my recap of Saturday's proceedings went up at Maize n Brew this morning. Once again, the story of the day was Michigan's inability to keep Devin Gardner upright, he took seven sacks on Saturday after taking nine in East Lansing.

With trips to Evanston and Iowa City coming up, if Michigan's previous ineptitude on the road continues, the Wolverines could very well be looking at a 6-6 regular season and a bowl game in Detroit.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Indiana

Little late linking this today, but my recap of the Indiana shootout--note to self: if I ever start an indie country band, call it "The Indiana Shootout"--went up at Maize n Brew this morning.

Overall, the tackling was a concern but I'm not sure the defensive issues in this one should be anything to seriously worry about the rest of the way. Indiana will continue to be a special case in this way as long as Kevin Wilson is in Bloomington, I'm afraid.

Offensively, Michigan destroyed a bad Indiana defense, but did it better than any of Indiana's previous opponents, so that's something if you're looking for some relativistic comfort.

In any case, the bye week is once again coming at a good time. Devin Gardner took some big hits on Saturday, and he'll have a chance to heal up before Michigan attempts to solve Michigan State's monstrous defense. That will be a tall order, but Al Borges and Co. will have an extra week to figure out a plan for that.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Minnesota

My recap of Michigan's 42-13 rout of Minnesota went up this morning at Maize n Brew. In retrospect, I think I allowed the first half to disproportionately affect my thinking; even when the game was "close," it really wasn't. Michigan wasn't completely horrid in any aspect of the game save for third down defense on Minnesota's touchdown drive. Zero turnovers was the biggest positive takeaway from this past weekend.

In any case, as unimpressive as Michigan has looked at times, 5-0 is 5-0, and two more very winnable games are coming up before Michigan's second open week. After that, the tough part of the schedule begins, when Michigan faces Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa and Ohio State. Assuming Michigan wins the next two, a 3-2 record or better in the final quintet of games would make for a decent season. I'm not sure if a 6-2 conference record wins Michigan the division, but they've got as good of a shot as the other three contenders, especially if at least two of those wins come against teams from the Northwestern-Nebraska-Michigan State group.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Notre Dame

I wrote about the game over at Maize n Brew here. That wasn't as heart-stopping as any of the 2009-11 games, but there is something nice about taking an early lead and then keeping it throughout (save for the time the game was tied 10-10).

More important than the "IS THIS A RIVALRY" debate is this incredibly important question...which stare was weirder: Eminem's at halftime or this guy's?

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Central Michigan

My recap of Saturday's bludgeoning went up at Maize n Brew this morning. That's all I've got. 

The wait for Saturday night is going to feel like the entire offseason compressed into one week. 

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Michigan to the Final Four

It's been over 48 hours now, and it really hasn't sunk in yet. Michigan is going to the Final Four.

I wrote about this and the enduring incredulity over at Maize n Brew today:

The NCAA tournament is a strange concentrated series of staccato blasts, short weekends of fevered action moving faster than Time itself. Hopes rise and they fall, expectations collapse and are born anew. It is sport on a subatomic level, each game meaningful on an elemental level. March Madness is like staring the supernatural in the face, not unlike the Sodees in Escanaba in Da Moonlight. You see what you see and sometimes you just can't believe it. Sometimes you even go crazy, waiting for that first buck. You're 43 and wondering: when?

To be quite honest, growing up watch Michigan basketball during the Ellerbe and Amaker eras, I never thought this day would come; but, here we are.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: FGCU Eagles

Source: Fouad Egbaria

Once again, I took a brief look at a potential Michigan opponent in the next round (should the Wolverines advance); this time, I put in a few words on the 15th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, this year's Norfolk State if Norfolk State had won another game after knocking off Missouri last season.

Anywho, here it is. We're still many hours away from 7:37 on Friday, so fill your mind with useless sports knowledge.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Michigan State

So, I won't lie, I've been a little disappointed that I haven't had much time to post much of anything here in 2013. With a break coming up in a couple of weeks, I will have a decent chunk of free time to get this thing going again.

Also of note: thanks to being a Big Ten student again (YEAH #B1GCATS), I am planning on being at every session of the Big Ten tournament here in Chicago. I'll do my best to provide some real, actual coverage of this, doing some journalisty things like video, pictures (probably take from the 300 level of the United Center) and general updates, Michigan and non-Michigan alike. Either way, it should be a fun time, assuming the Wolverines bring yesterday's defensive intensity to the Windy City.

Speaking of, I recapped yesterday's rematch against the Spartans over at Maize n Brew, as usual. Michigan is now 8-5 in its last 13 games, so to say that things have been just a little up and down this past month would be somewhat of an understatement when juxtaposed with that 16-0 start.

Regardless, whether you're beating Northwestern by 28 on Jan. 3 or Michigan State by one on Feb. 3, a win is a win. The share of the regular season title is out of reach unless Indiana gets upset by Ohio State on Tuesday, but a pair of wins to end the season would do wonders for Michigan heading into postseason play.

Even on the heels of a tremendous victory such as this one, it's hard not to look back and think about what could have been (see: @Wisconsin, @Penn State). Luckily, there's still a great deal for which to play.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Michigan State

I've been a little negligent of late when it comes to linking my Maize n Brew stuff here, which is probably for the better given the recent stretch. Even Mr. Kurtz is all "man, that stunk," and he was the guy who said "the horror, the horror." So, you know things have gotten pretty real.

Oh well. Anyway, here's my post from yesterday, in which I talk about the Michigan State game and what it means (if anything) going forward:

No, all is not lost. These sorts of things happen, especially when you've been confronted with the schedule that Michigan has in the last 10 days. The good news is that the most difficult portion of the schedule is behind Michigan now. The recently completed 4-game stretch, without looking into this further, has to have been the toughest such stretch in the country thus far. To recap, Michigan: 1) lost a tough one at Indiana despite getting ambushed at the start 2) gritted out an OT victory against Ohio State at Crisler, aided largely by Tim Hardaway Jr.'s sharpshooting 3) lost in OT at the Kohl Center after a ridiculous Ben Brust shot to tie it and 4) got blown out at the Breslin Center to cap this mini-campaign through the Sahara-esque portion of the greater journey.

The only fun thing about writing that post was the title, which I'm still patting myself on the back for. Good job, me. On the bright side, Michigan should have an opportunity for a nice, cathartic blowout victory on Sunday, back in the friendly confines of the Crisler Center. If everything goes according to plan, it will be like a like nostalgic trip to the early portion of the conference schedule, when everything was great and Michigan was invincible and clearly never going to lose a game ever.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Purdue Recap

(HT: mgovideo)

Here it is, as usual. Michigan wins 68-53, moving to 5-1 in the conference and 18-1 overall. Excellence is good, quoth Henne.

Michigan takes on the enigmatic Illini in Champaign on Sunday. Assuming Michigan doesn't get full on Paul'd (which, given the trolly nature of it is probably better spelled PAWLLLLLL'd), that should be another win for the Wolverines.

Either way, this is fun. I promise I'll actually post something of substance in this space at some point in the near future...school, man. Get outta here, school.

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Nebraska Recap

As usual, here's my recap of last night's 62-47 win against Nebraska, available for viewing over at Maize n Brew for the low low price of $0.00. As The Boss would say, "you ain't a beauty but hey you're all right."

Michigan makes a visit to Columbus on Sunday for what should be the first real test of the young conference season.