Michigan's McGary elects to have surgery; Wolverines must move on without him

Michigan center Mitch McGary has elected to have surgery to correct a "lower back problem", pretty much ending the season for the sophomore center.

"I’ve done research and stuff, but it’s kind of personal and whatnot. I really don’t know the timetable (for a return to the court)," McGary said, later adding, "I just have a lower back condition. That’s about as much as I can say right now. It’s kind of personal."

McGary said the surgery will occur "next week, sometime."

This isn't what Wolverines fans envisioned once the season started. The team was ranked No.7 and was expected to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. Instead the team has stumbled to a 7-4 start and is still searching for someone to fill the go to void left by Trey Burke.

With McGary out it's time for Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III to turn it up a notch. Stauskas has shown signs but teams have started to hone in on him defensively. I believe Stauskas will take it upon himself to put the team on his back. Robinson will have to really kick it into high gear. He's a better athlete than his father but doesn't possess the will to take over a game like the Big Dog did at Purdue. GR III's time is now and he must realize that for the Wolverines to salvage their season he must play like the Big Dog.

Role players have to step up as well. Jordan Morgan (who's seemingly been there forever) and Jon Horford have to play better defense, rebound and make the hustle plays. Spike Albrecht has looks like he's picked up where he left off last season. Derrick Walton Jr. must take advantage of the open looks he's going to get wit teams trying to take away Robinson and Stauskas.

The loss of McGary is a big one, but that doesn't mean the Wolverines have to go in the tank. More than likely McGary will be back for next season and if the team stays together the Wolverines could have what it takes to make another run to the Final Four.    

Purdue Football Team Lands Transfer From The Hoops Squad

A growing trend in the world of college sports is when a player from the basketball team decides that they want to give football the ol' college try. It's not that they haven't played before, but they are usually three or more years removed from the gridiron.

Purdue forward Patrick Bade had an underwhelming basketball career to say the least, so he decided to give football another try. Following in the footsteps of Melvin Goins and Demetri Goodson (who transferred to Baylor).

“I want to thank the Purdue basketball staff for the opportunity to be a member of such a successful program for the last two years,” Bade said in a statement. “This is the start of a new chapter for me, and I look forward to taking on the challenges that come with playing college football. I’m excited for the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Bade who is 6-8 and 229 pounds will be playing tight end, something that looks like a position of need according to head coach Danny Hope.


“We’ve met with Patrick and I know he’s excited about joining our football team,” head coach Danny Hope said. “He didn’t play football his senior year of high school, but I’ve seen his junior film and he looks like a pretty good prospect for us. He’s a big-body guy who plays a position where we have a quite a bit of youth and not a lot experience, so he’ll be able to compete right away. We’re happy to have him aboard.”

Bade last played football his junior year of high school, but he was apparently talented enough to be recruited by Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Ohio State.




 

Young Wolverines Take It On The Chin

The youth and inexperience of the Michigan Wolverines reared it's ugly head in an 80-57 loss to Purdue in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

For starters, point guard and leading scorer Darius Morris was held out of the starting lineup for "disregarding some of the core values" according to coach John Beilein. You know, same as conduct detrimental to the team. Well, Morris wound up playing 32 minutes and shot 3-14 for 9 points. Michigan shot 38 percent as a team and had 14 turnovers.

Purdeur jumped out to a 19-3 lead, which Michigan did recover from only to have the Boilermakers get it together and take a four point lead at the half. The second half was all Purdue as this game turned into a route.

I've watched a lot of college basketball and there's a chance Michigan could learn from this and get better. Of course the jury is still out on that. They're young and will take their lumps, but if my memory serves me right the 1985 team lost 87-62 to Indiana in their Big Ten opener and ended up winning the conference. I'm not saying they'll be that good, and call it trying to find a silver lining. They've shown potential and there's still a lot of basketball to be played, so don't throw in the towel on the young Wolverines just yet.

Purdue's Title Hopes Take a Hit

Purdue was thought to be a contender for the Final Four and possibly the national championship. That was before Robbie Hummel tore the ACL in the right knee in practice. The same one he tore with eight games left in last season against Minnesota. Although Hummel will be eligible to redshirt, this is another snake bitten moment for him. The Boliers will be good, but not Final Four good without him.