The University of Michigan men’s basketball team is now halfway through their Big Ten schedule, so it’s time for their “second trimester” grades. You’ll remember that the first trimester ended after the non-conference portion of the schedule.
At this point, UM’s record is 6-3 in the Big Ten, good for a tie for 3rd place. See my weekly Big Ten Report for more details. 6-3 is a good record, and if Michigan could match that record in the 2nd half of the Big Ten season, they would certainly finish near the top. However, UM had an easier schedule in the first half of the Big Ten season than they have in the second half. In the first half, they played 5 games at home, and 4 on the road. They won all 5 home games, but 3 of those games were against teams in the lower half of the Big Ten standings (Penn State, Minnesota, and Northwestern), and only 2 of them were against “contenders” (Wisconsin and Michigan State). They didn’t do very well on the road in the first half, going 1-3. Their one road victory (Purdue) was pretty impressive, and they hung in there against Indiana, but they lost big to Ohio State (understandable) and Iowa (not very impressive). The second half of their Big Ten schedule is much harder, with only 4 home games, all against “contenders” (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, and Purdue), and 5 road games. All road games are tough, but 2 of the road games Michigan has scheduled are tougher: at Michigan State, and at Illinois. Looking at the second half of Michigan’s Big Ten schedule, they’ll be doing well to go 4-5, beating Illinois and Purdue at home, and Nebraska and Penn State on the road. Maybe they’ll be able to beat Northwestern on the road.
Anyway, it’s time to look at the second trimester grades:
Continue reading “Nothing But ‘Net – 01/30/2012 – Oops! Forgot The Second Trimester Grades”