Elijah Holyfield offered football scholarship by Michigan

Elijah Holyfield, the son of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield has built quite a reputation on the  football field.

Elijah, who is a running back in Atlanta is  big time recruit and has been offered by a number of big time programs such as Wisconsin, Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Holyfield, who plays for the Woodward Academy in Atlanta, has been offered a scholarship in the 2016 class by the Michigan Wolverines.

The Wolverines are trying to get their program back to a championship level are hoping that Holyfield's championship pedigree can rub off on the rest of the team. I'm sure Brady Hoke is hoping that Holyfield is the real deal like his father once was.

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.    

Michigan's Mitch McGary: "We're soft right now"

After a humbling 79-69 loss to Duke in the Big Ten/ACC challenge, Michigan's Mitch McGary said the team was frustrated with their performance at Cameron Indoor Stadium after being beaten by an undersized Duke team.  

McGary then told ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman that the Wolverines were "soft right now".

“We’re soft,” McGary said following the 79-69 loss that wasn’t quite as close as the score indicated. “We’re soft right now. That’s it.” 

The Wolverines dropped their third game this season and maybe frustration is starting to mount early in the season. They were outrebounded and out hustled by a Duke team that has been rather mediocre on the glass despite the team's star power. Also the disappearance of Glenn Robinson III didn't help matters either. GRIII scored 8 points, looked out of sync, and was a non factor against the Blue Devils. McGary finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds, but most of his damage was done with the outcome decided.

Sharp shooter Nik Stauskas had four points all from the free throw line as Duke concentrated their defensive effort on taking Stauskas out of the game. Sophomore Caris LeVert had 24 points in the losing effort but he showed toughness and heart throughout the night.

The problem is that the team is still looking for the guy to take over games like Trey Burke did last season. Burke was the unquestioned go to guy when the team needed someone to step up. They can't replicate what Burke was but others need to step up.

Stauskas is trying become that guy and LeVert to a certain extent. McGary is still trying to play himself into shape so I'll give him a mulligan. The biggest culprit to the team's 5-3 start might be Robinson. I thought he would be the one to try and take over when the team needed a scoring presence. Instead it looks like he has NBA dreams in his head and is content to take a backseat to Stauskas, LeVert, or McGary in crunch time. If Michigan is to be successful, Robinson needs to take it up a few notches.

“We were rattled and didn’t have the same poise we had last year,” McGary said.

That's true. While the team is young, they are battle tested and should respond better when the heat is on.

 “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” McGary said.

Rome wasn't built in a day and I look for John Beilein to get this team back on track. It better happen fast because second ranked Arizona is coming to Ann Arbor in two weeks. If the Wolverines can't get it together things could get a little ugly.

Jason Whitlock and Brady Hoke help to send Ball State students on road trip

Despite Jason Whitlock's critical piece on the Michigan football program, it didn't stop Wolverines coach Brady Hoke to join him in helping their alma mater.

They will fund a bus trip for students to support the Ball State Cardinals in a key Mid American Conference showdown with the Northern Illinois Huskies.

Whitlock, a former Ball State football player and currently a sportswriter for ESPN, reached out to Ball State officials last week asking how he could help fund a trip for students to next week’s game, which will be the biggest regular-season game of the season in the MAC, pitting 10-0 Northern Illinois against the 9-1 Cardinals. Whitlock agreed to donate $5,000, which will pay for most of the trip for 100 students, including the game ticket, the bus ride and two meals.

Whitlock then contacted Hoke's wife, Laura, and asked if they would match the donation. Both Brady and Laura Hoke are Ball State graduates, and they agreed to contribute $5,000 as well.

“I gotta give Jason a lot of credit,” said Brian Hardin, deputy athletics director at Ball State. “He called at the beginning of last week and said he would love to find a way to get as many students up there as possible.”

Hoke coached Ball State to the MAC title game in 2008.

One has to wonder if this was done prior to the article Whitlock wrote criticizing some of the Wolverines players.

Rich Rodriguez lets out some steam about violations at Michigan

Arizona head football coach Rich Rodriguez still has Michigan on his mind.

Rodriguez had plenty to say when asked about NCAA violations against him during his 3-year tenure in Ann Arbor. During an interview with Seth Davis, Rodriguez called the violations that occurred on his watch at Michigan a "bunch of BS".

"I get mad when I think about that, to me -- and I don't mind saying it -- I thought it was a bunch of BS," Rodriguez said. "We got in trouble for, in the offseason, a strength coach putting a rubber ball on a stick for a get-off thing when (players) did their running. A rubber ball on a stick.

"Now think about that, I could have put a hat on a stick -- that was something I got in trouble for."

"Another thing we got in trouble for was letting some of the interns, or quality control guys, sit in the room while we watched film," Rodriguez added. "Not add any input, just sit there and learn -- young coaches wanting to be coaches -- and that's a violation.


"There's schools now that are hiring ex-NFL coaches and scouts to do that full-time for them. Yet I got a violation because of that."

Rodriguez was fired by Michigan after the 2010 season, following three turbulent years. He went 15-22 with the Wolverines and the program was cited for five major rules violations by the NCAA during his tenure. The program was placed on probation for three years.


Among the rules violations the NCAA Committee on Infractions found that Rodriguez “failed to monitor the duties and activities of the quality control staff members, the former graduate assistant coach and a student assistant coach, and the time limits for athletically related activities.”

In my opinion Rodriguez acts like he has an axe to grind when it comes to Michigan.

I'm probably one of the few that feel Rodriguez got a raw deal at Michigan. Fans and boosters wanted nothing to do with the guy and he was cut at the knees anytime he wanted something. Honestly, don't you think Michigan would've found a way to get Demar Dorsey on campus if Lloyd Carr was still around?

Otherwise, Rodriguez really needs to let it go. He talks about Michigan every time someone shoves a mic in his face. It's time to move on a try winning some games at Arizona.

Minnesota player says Michigan's Devin Gardner "panics a lot"

The Michigan-Minnesota game is shaping up to be just another game. The teams do play for the Little Brown Jug but generally there's not too much excitement that surrounds this game. The rivalry has been fairly one side as the Wolverines have won 20 of the past 21 games. That hasn't stopped the Golden Gophers from feeling confident about themselves.

Despite being a 20 point underdog the Golden Gophers feel they have as good of a shot as anyone to knock off the unbeaten Wolverines. After narrow wins over Akron and Connecticut they feel the Wolverines are ripe for the pickings.

“Just the fact they almost lost to Akron, they’re human,” Gophers defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman said. “You know what I mean? Everybody praises them to be elite, and I just feel like they’re a regular football team. You just have to come with your A-game, but that’s how you approach every game.”

To add a little spice to the game, Minnesota safety Cedric Thompson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner 'panics a lot' when he gets pressured.

“I think he kind of just panics a lot,” Thompson said. “I think that when he scrambles, he kind of just throws the ball.”

I'm sure those words will make it back to Ann Arbor. Hopefully for the Wolverines it'll be a little incentive to bring their best this Saturday. If not they could find themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard.

Thoughts on week 3 in college football

I'll admit this is the first week I've really had a chance to watch a full slate of college football. It was a week in which we had near upsets, shootouts, and comeback wins.

Michigan over Akron- The Wolverines clearly had a hangover from the Notre Dame game and it showed. Michigan nearly suffered an upset of Appalachian State proportions to a team that has lost 28 straight road games and has suffered through three straight one win seasons in the Akron Zips. Pump the brakes on the Wolverine bandwagon for now. Quarterback Devin Gardner needs to learn the meaning of ball security and the defense has to play better if they expect to compete with Ohio State for the Big Ten championship. Give Akron credit for coming close and playing hard.

UCLA over Nebraska- The Bruins came into Lincoln with heavy hearts after the death of Nick Pasquale and played with a lot of early emotion. Unfortunately that emotion led to an early 21-3 deficit. The Bruins rallied in the second half and put up a combined 38 unanswered points in a 41-21 win. For the Huskers it was disappointing loss after looking like they were poised to run away with this game. UCLA made the adjustments and Nebraska failed to get the momentum back.

 "The second half was a lot like last year," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "We made the tackles in the first half. I don't know how many tackles we missed in that second half but it is a lot. We missed tackle after tackle after tackle." 

Sounds almost like every big game the Huskers have played in since they've joined the Big Ten. If Pelini can't get it together and start winning some of those games he might find himself listening to the wolves howling for his job.

Alabama over Texas A&M- Billed as the SEC game of the century for this season, it lived up to the hype. Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel didn't disappoint as the Aggies jumped out to a 14-0 lead. After that it was all Alabama, as the Tide rolled to 35 straight points to seize control of the game. Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron went 20-29 for 334 yards and 4 touchdowns. The 42 points and 628 total yards were the most allowed by an Alabama team, but it wasn't enough as Alabama has taken control of the SEC West division.
Maybe it's time to trumpet AJ Champion aka McCarron as a legit Heisman candidate.

Arizona State over Wisconsin- This game ended in controversy. The Badgers appeared to be robbed of a possible win by the officials. The Badgers were driving for a game winning field goal. Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave appeared to take a knee to stop the clock and put the ball on the ground. A Sun Devil defender jumped on the ball and looked like it was a defensive delay of game. The officials spotted the ball and time ran out on the Badgers in this back and forth affair.

Oregon over Tennessee- It was a good week for the Pac-12 as the league racked up a number of 'name' wins this weekend. the Ducks once again steamrolled another opponent and they made their SEC foe look like a Sun Belt team. Fans chanted S-E-C and we want Bama. The Ducks have been impressive early but first take care of business in your own conference before calling out the champion like Clubber Lang.

Minnesota over Western Illinois- This game was significant because Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill was carted off on a stretcher after he suffered another seizure in their 29-12 win over  Western Illinois. Reports say he's resting comfortably in the hospital but you have to wonder if the administration at Minnesota might be thinking of moving on instead of keeping Kill around.

Ole Miss over Texas- The Rebels scored an impressive 44-23 win over the Longhorns. I guess it doesn't matter who the defensive coordinator is in Austin if the talent is going to underachieve. Coach Mack Brown might see the vultures circling if the Horns can't win the Oklahoma game. In all fairness starting quarterback David Ash didn't play but with the talent on hand in Austin this team has no excuses to be losing by three touchdowns at home.

Honorable mention- Ohio State looked impressive against California with backup quarterback Kenny Guiton at the controls....Notre Dame and South Carolina bounced back after week 2 losses, although it took the Irish awhile to get going...On a positive note Rutgers honored the paralyzed former player Eric LeGrand by retiring his number 52. It marked the first time in the 144-year history of the birthplace of college football that the university retired the number of a football player and this one was clearly loved by all in attendance.

Winners- Pac-12, Alabama, Rutgers, UCLA, Ole Miss, Marcus Mariota, AJ McCarron, Eric LeGrand    

Losers- Big Ten, Pac-12 officials, Texas    

Brady Hoke says Johnny Manziel would play behind Devin Gardner if he was at Michigan

Michigan head coach Brady Hoke made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show to hype the upcoming game between Michigan and Notre Dame.

This game will be the last in the storied rivalry until further notice due to Notre Dame's ACC commitments.

During a question and answer session of the interview Hoke was asked about Texas A&M's Heisman winning quarterback Johnny Manziel. The answer Hoke gave Patrick surprised many.

Patrick:    "If Johnny Manziel's your quarterback …"

Hoke: "If Johnny Manziels's our quarterback, he'd probably be playing behind Devin Gardner"

"We try and educate the kids here that this has always been about the team, the team, the team," Hoke said. "If they're going to celebrate and they're going to express themselves, do it with your teammates. Do it with the other 10 guys who are on the field that helped you make whatever great play happen where you feel you need to celebrate. Grab a teammate. Get together with them."

Hoke isn't knocking Manziel's ability, just his character and being a good teammate.

Hoke obviously has faith in Gardner despite his relative inexperience, but any coach in the nation would probably take Manziel over their current starter unless it's Teddy Bridgewater or Tajh Boyd. If I left anyone out let me know.

This is what Hoke does. He sells his program and his players. He's all about Michigan and is intent on getting the Michigan brand into the conversation when you mention the elite programs in America. Besides, as a coach you have to pimp your own quarterback, even if he only has seven career starts under his belt.

Instilling trust in your players is part of your job, and this was the perfect answer.

FCS teams aren't pushovers anymore

Towson over Connecticut. North Dakota State over Kansas State. Eastern Washington over Oregon State and McNeese State over South Florida.  

Those games were scheduled as "gimmies" for teams in the FBS Subdivision. Instead they were ambushed by their FCS opponents.

Not to say all FCS are bad teams because some of them are champions or playoff contenders in their classification. But the FBS teams are supposed to be head and shoulders, at least talentwise, above teams in the FCS. Maybe that's not the case anymore as we should've learned when Appalachian State stunned a Michigan team thought to be a contender for the national championship. If that wasn't enough two weeks later James Madison walked into Blacksburg, Virginia and beat 13th ranked Virginia Tech.    

FBS teams shouldn't be looking ahead when they schedule the FCS schools anymore. Most of the time the FBS teams will win but in some cases there will be some stunners. The biggest this week was Eastern Washington beating 25th ranked Oregon State. FCS champion North Dakota State beat a highly regarded Kansas State team coming off a BCS bowl berth. McNeese State ran roughshod over South Florida, 53-21. I know South Florida isn't a powerhouse but still.

I guess this falls into the let this be a lesson to you category. FCS teams aren't the pushovers we thought they were.

Greg Mattison believes the Big Ten can be king again

In the world of college football it's the SEC and everyone else. The conference has laid claim to the last seven BCS championships and boasts heavyweights like Alabama, Florida, and LSU among others. With the Crimson Tide being the unanimous preseason number one team, it looks like no one will wrest the BCS/national championship crown from the SEC anytime soon.

Michigan's defensive coordinator Greg Mattison believes that it's time for a change at the top of the college football food chain.

Mattison believes that the Big Ten will start taking over again, gaining back the respect lost in BCS title game blowout losses.

"What happens with conferences, throughout history, is that they're going to go up and down," Mattison said. "I really look for the Big Ten to really start taking back over again. My respect, I can tell you this from all the places I've been, my respect for the Big Ten is greater now than maybe it was when I was here 10 years ago.

"I see how hard and how physical and how tough this league is. You'd better not, in the Big Ten Conference, go out there and think that you can just walk out there. Because you're going to get hit."  
Offensive coordinator Al Borges echoed Mattison's sentiments.

"The perception right now is that the SEC is the best conference, and they’ve got something to go on,” he said. "(But) we recruit against all those schools. We get our share of players. As long as you’re getting as good a player as they’re getting, why shouldn’t you win?

"So recruiting is what it’s all about. Focusing on that, then getting them in and developing them.”

The perception of the Big Ten it's that they're too slow for teams in the SEC. Teams in the Big Ten (Michigan,Ohio State) can recruit with the heavyweights in the SEC it's just that SEC teams get a different caliber athlete than teams on the Big Ten.

I do think it's cyclical so there will be a point and time when the SEC won't be as dominant as everyone else.



  

Rumeal Robinson's 1989 NCAA championship ring up for sale

A historic piece of Michigan basketball history appears to be up for public auction.

A seller on eBay has posted an ad for a 1989 Michigan basketball national championship ring, which appears to belong to former Wolverine star Rumeal Robinson, with a "buy it now" price tag of $89,899.89.

Photos of the ring feature Robinson's name and No. 21 on the side, and also has the inscription "A Mission That Will Shock The World" engraved inside. The scores of Michigan's six NCAA tournament victories are also engraved inside the ring.

The seller, who runs the site www.championshipsportsrings.com, claims the ring is an original, and did in fact belong to Robinson.

Robinson famously hit two free throws during an overtime win over Seton Hall to seal Michigan's 1989 national championship victory, the school's only men's basketball crown.

Recent times haven't been as kind to Robinson, who is currently serving time in federal prison after being convicted of "bank bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution" in 2010.

Robinson was recently interviewed by Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel during the Wolverines' run to the national championship game.

He was expected to watch the Final Four from prison.

Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III returning to Michigan

University of Michigan basketball fans can breathe a little easier today after freshman Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III both pledged to stay another year at Michigan. Guards Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. recently gave up their remaining eligibility to go to the NBA.


Both players sought evaluations of the NBA stock with the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee and had until April 28 to make their decisions. ESPN.com's Chad Ford had Robinson and McGary both going in the first round.


"After gathering all the information and sitting down with my family, I've decided to continue my career here at Michigan," McGary said. "There's still plenty for me to work on and get better as a player and a person. I'm excited for what lies ahead."


"We feel like this university has a lot to offer us and we're excited to come back for another season, and hopefully competing in another national championship and take this university for a ride we haven't been on yet," Robinson said.

Their return eases the sting out of Burke's and Hardaway's departure. With incoming freshman Derrick Walton Jr., Zak Irvin and Mark Donnal, also the return of sharpshooter Nik Stauskas, the Wolverines should be formidable in the Big Ten.

Incoming Michigan basketball recruit, Derrick Walton Jr., sets the bar high for himself

Trey Burke is expected to leave Michigan for the NBA. It would be a major surprise if he doesn't. Cult hero, Spike Albrecht will be expected to pick up some of the slack. Which means that once again in John Beilein's tenure at Michigan he might have to hand the reins of the team to a freshman point guard.

That freshman would be Michigan Mr. Basketball runner up Derrick Walton Jr. Walton is up to the task of keeping Michigan basketball among the elite next season. Walton has been looked at as Burke's replacement for two years.


"I expect to play big minutes my freshman year," he said Wednesday. "Either way, if he stays or goes to the league, I'm excited. If he does go, it gives me more of an opportunity to play more minutes. I'll count on Spike a lot. With him there, it'll help with the transition.

"I know I'll make freshman mistakes. People will expect me to step in for Trey. My thing is not to get caught up in that. I can't be Trey. I've got to be me."

Walton averaged 25.6 points and 10.2 assists in his senior year at Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy, so the kid can play. With a high probability of stepping in for Burke, much will be expected of Walton and he will need those skills he displayed in high school. If Walton can step in and be a complement to Albrecht the Wolverines can keep this machine going for a few more years.

Michigan defensive coordinator likes Mitch McGary at defensive end

Michigan center Mitch McGary has made a positive impact for the Michigan basketball team during the Wolverines run to the Sweet 16. He's also made a few fans along the way.

Michigan football defensive coordinator, Greg Mattison, has taken notice and likes what he sees in McGary. He likes him so much that he says he would like to see him at defensive end on the football team. Wishful thinking but Mattison has a plan.



"No question about it," Mattison said with a laugh. "I already promised he'd be a 5-technique (defensive lineman) right away and we'd get him a lot of sacks. I love him.

"I saw him one time the team was going to eat somewhere -- I just happened to run into him. I'd never stood next to him, and I just looked at him and all I kept thinking is, 'Wow, would he be good as a 5-technique.'"



McGary did play football growing up and you can tell with the way he plays on the court. He goes all out on just about every play. Mattison can dream but this probably won't happen.

My top 10 NBA Draft prospects

I'm giving my top 10 NBA Draft Prospects, based off of my immense excitement for the upcoming draft on June 21st. Many changes happened within the ranks with injuries and players stepping up. The list is subject to change.

10. PG/SG Michael Carter-Williams, Syraucse

Great size for his position, and such a solid defender who plays a solid 35+ Minutes Per Game with Syracuse. Averaging an impressive 7.9 Assists and 2.9 Steals Per Game. My problem is that he can fold under pressure and can throw up unnecessary shots. A young guy with good upside overall, just not immediate upside.

9. C Alex Len, Maryland

Averaging 8.1 Rebounds and 2 Blocks Per Game, and is very active under the boards. Lacks some skills on the offensive end on the low block, though.

8. PG Trey Burke, Michigan

Many of draft sites don't even have him on their top 15, but I think the stats really speak for itself. Averaging 18.9 Points, 6.9 Assists and 1.6 Steals Per Game in a Conference which many of people think is the best in the country (Big 10). A tad undersized, but not that it's stopped anybody before.

7. SF/PF Anthony Bennett, UNLV

Another efficient player who has solid size. Averaging 14.6 Points, 8.3 Rebounds Per Game and he's extremely athletic. My question is the type of competition he's been going up though, being in the Mountain West Conference.

6. SG Victor Oladipo, Indiana

Averaging 14 Points, 6 Rebounds and 2.3 Steals Per Game and plays solid defense. Not enough of a scoring threat for the NBA though, but can make an impact for any team this coming year for sure.

5. PG Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

Has been a proven clutch player this year, and has good size for a PG at a strong 6'4", 225 LB. Averaging 14.6 Points, 5.6 Rebounds and 4.3 Assists Per Game. Some say he's a Shooting Guard, but I think he's going to be better at the Point. Has struggled at shooting over 15 feet, much more of a slasher.

4. SF Otto Porter, Georgetown

A guy who's moved up so many mock drafts in the last couple of weeks, and he's moved up on mine as well. Averaging 16.6 Points, 7.6 Rebounds, 2.0 Steals Per Game while shooting at a ridiculous .469  3PT% this season. He's a really underrated defender too, and could move all the way up to #1 on many charts if he keeps this run up.

3. SG/SF Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA

A gifted scorer with great range. Averaging 18.3 Points, 5.1 Rebounds while shooting at a solid .446 3PT%. I think he could be the best offensive threat in this draft. His only problem is character, as he tends to get mad when he's passed up for the final shot of the game. Other people may look at it as a good thing though, viewing it as confidence in himself.

2. C Cody Zeller, Indiana

Now with Nerlens Noel done for the year, Zeller will be by far the best Center in this draft. He's averaging 16.5 Points, 8.1 Rebounds and 1.4 Blocks Per Game. Has tremendous size and fairly solid moves down low for an NBA prospect.

1. SG Ben McLemore, Kansas

A tremendous talent and can hit most shots from the outside. Has a Ray Allen type of stroke, and hits on .425 of his 3PT shots. Averaging 16.5 Points, 5.4 Rebounds and shooting .868% FT which is usually the one best sign of a good shooter. He has an incredible story that you can read up on which I wrote about the other day.

Indiana won't wear new Adidas uniforms

Following the lead of Michigan and North Carolina State, the Indiana Hoosiers have declined to wear the new new Adidas designed basketball uniforms for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

That's a wise choice. I know college basketball fans have gotten a peek at the sleeved jerseys and camouflage shorts. Those uniforms are flat out ugly. I don't advocate anyone losing their job but whoever designed them needs to be fired or reassigned.

Indiana athletic director Fred Glass didn't want to get away from the classic cream and crimson of the Hoosiers.  


“When you look at that picture, it’s really hard to tell those uniforms apart,’’ Glass said. “It has really been a consistent look. Our thing is stability and a classic look. It’s about the name on the front of the chest and not on the back. All those things are important to who we are.

“I take seriously our obligation to be a good partner with Adidas, and we weren’t cavalier about this. But when all is said and done, that’s just not something that I think is appropriate for us here at Indiana to do.”

“The Indiana uniform is such a reflection of who we are as a program and a university that we weren’t comfortable moving away from our classic, iconic uniforms.’’

I'm surprised that traditional powers such as UCLA, Kansas, and Louisville are going along with it. UCLA fans aren't too happy with the decision for the Bruins to wear them. They look like volleyball jerseys if you ask me.

Glass should be commended for saying no and sticking with tradition over a marketing scheme.

Rodriguez says some players had a sense of entitlement during his time at Michigan

It's no secret that Rich Rodriguez still harbors some ill feelings about his time at Michigan. Who wouldn't after he was sabotaged as soon as he was named the coach. Granted, he should stop talking about his time in Ann Arbor and concentrate on the task he has in Tucson. It seems like every time he does an interview he talks about something that happened at Michigan.

During an interview with Matt Hayes of the Sporting News, Rodriguez told Hayes that he felt some of the players had at Michigan had a sense of entitlement. Once again another reason why he failed in his tenure at Michigan.

“We got total buy-in from the get-go here,” Rodriguez said. “From the players to the support staff to everybody that was touching the program. We had some guys committed at Michigan, but we had others that weren’t. Some guys felt a sense of entitlement. The name on the chest, and 'I’ve already arrived.'

“The Chad Hennes and the Jake Longs put the work in and succeeded before us, and guys behind them thought they were entitled to the same status but hadn’t proved anything.” 

Rodriguez just didn't fit what the old 'Michigan Men' wanted, therefore it was a bad marriage from the start. Only someone with a wealth of knowledge would know that. There are some that blame those horrible three years on Rodriguez. I refuse to do that. But Rodriguez needs to move on and let his Michigan experience stay in the past.

Frieder regrets announcing he was taking over Arizona State

Hindsight is 20/20 in almost everything we do in life. Most of the time it's regarding a bad decision that someone has made and was burned by.

When former Michigan basketball head coach Bill Frieder took the Arizona State job, to him it seemed like a good idea. Arizona State was said to be a sleeping giant (the same thing still is said about the program), nice weather and an easy sell to southern California high school basketball players. So Frieder, who was a good recruiter, figured he could build up Arizona State like he had built Michigan up to that point.

However, there was a problem along the way to the desert. For starters, Frieder announced that he was taking the job on the eve of the 1989 NCAA tournament. Number two, the media knew this before then athletic director, Bo Schembechler. So Schembechler fired Frieder, uttering the famous phrase "A Michigan man will coach Michigan". Top assistant Steve Fisher took over and the rest is history.

A report in the Detroit News says that Frieder regretted announcing that he was leaving for Arizona State too early.


"I came out of practice that Tuesday and there were media there starting to ask me questions," Frieder said Thursday. "I didn't want to lie to my team, I didn't want to lie to the media and I didn't want to lie to the community, so I thought at the time that I'm just going to be honest (and say), 'When the season's over, I'm going to Arizona State.'

"That was a bad mistake and I shouldn't have done that. I was honest."


"The bottom line was I put myself in that position," he said. "What I should have done is just not announced that I was going. I said at the time that if that's the worst thing that happens to me, I'll have a great life. I've had a great life and I've got no complaints."

Personally I think Frieder sees some similarites in his 1985-86 Big Ten championship winning team and today's team which is ranked number two and is undefeated (16-0) and feels that he should've won the championship that year.

I've always felt that Frieder was a good recruiter and a not so good game coach who couldn't get two of his better teams (1985,1986) out of the second round of the tournament. I really don't think the Wolverines would have won it all had Frieder remained.

It's a decision he has to live with and he sounds like he realized that he made a mistake in leaving Michigan.






    

Michigan football commit threatens Ohio State fans

The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry has started to take form on the recruiting trail. Over the holiday weekend Michigan recruit Logan Tuley-Tillman  lit a recruiting letter from Ohio State on fire.

Buckeye nation didn't take too kindly to Tuley-Tillman's actions and responded by making alleged death threats to Tillman.

Michigan commit Kyle Bosch has jumped into the fire feet first by coming to Tillman's defense as he lashed back at Ohio State "fans" and made a threat of his own on Twitter.

“OSU fans giving @LoganTillman threats on your way to his house make a stop by mine and I’ll show you what a real death threat is#bringagun”


The message has since been deleted and he has clarified his comments.

Bosch: "I'm just trying to defend my teammate and my friend. Logan is like a brother to me and when somebody threatens his life and his family's life, I am going to come to his defense. The gun comment has been taken out of context. I'm only saying that if you're going to threaten my friend and brother that you better bring a gun because if you're truly threatening his life, you'll have to take mine too. I should have realized that it may have been misinterpreted, but it's hard not to be angry when he and his mother have gone through so much."

Let's hope that everyone can control their temper and act accordingly.

A Big 0 For The Big Ten

Well, Gordon Gee. It's all up to your Ohio State Buckeyes to salvage the reputation of the battered and bruised Big Ten. That was a mighty pimp slap the rest of the college football world put on the boys from the midwest. Throw in Nebraska's loss to a mediocre Washington team they whacked by 35 earlier this season, that makes it a little bit worse.

For starters Northwestern fought the good fight in losing to Texas Tech 45-38. The Wildcats dug themselves too big of a hole to climb out of, but at least they made a game of it. More than what i can say about the next two games. That would be the simultaneous beatdown suffered by Michigan and Michigan State. The Michgan schools were outscored 101-21 and thoroughly embarassed by Alabama and Mississippi State. The Rodriguez era will end on an ugly note, no matter what David Brandon is saying. The Spartans are not ready for prime time. Penn State and Florida went down to the end until the Gators finally locked up an Outback Bowl victory with a pick 6, 37-24. Then in the Grandaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin lost to an unbeaten TCU squad, 21-19. No shame in that, except if Ohio State president Gordon Gee didn't make those ridiculous comments about teams like TCU not playing anyone. It's not like anyone wants to sign up to play them. Anyway, how did that taste Gordon.

The bowl season actually started out pretty good for the Big Ten, with wins by Iowa and Illinois, only to see the roof cave in during the postseason. Five losses in five games. And I'm not feeling to confident about Ohio State, with the distractions created by the Buckeye 5 and all.