Jeff Riger's Blog: Michigan Misses Chance For Credibility

Michigan Basketball missed a great chance to prove that they would be a force to reckon with in the Big Ten. Despite the teams 10-2 record in non-conference play, I think it's safe to say that the majority of college basketball fans refuse to believe in the Wolverines until they prove it in conference play. Tuesday afternoon was that time! Crisler Arena was packed to the rafters, Michigan was the only show in town and the opponent was ranked 11th in the country in Purdue. Win this game and instant credibility would follow! Of course the other side of that coin is if you lose the game, people will go back to how they usually view Michigan Basketball, and that is forget that they even exist.

So what happened you ask? They lost and they lost big, as the Boilermakers rolled the Wolverines 80-57. Head Coach John Belein saying after the game "we are very disappointed today with just our overall game." Michigan fell behind early, clawed their way back and then fell apart in the second half allowing an almost sell out crowd to view the usual, losing by a lot, to a good team. Now college hoops followers will think of the Wolverines as shams, frauds or just a team that has beat nobody thus far. Junior Stu Douglas was asked after the game if this was indeed a measuring stick game? "A little bit, but it's a long season and we have to realize that. We will take it one game at a time and we can't look back at this game and let it affect the next game against Penn State. We just have a lot to learn, that's what we have learned from this."

Freshman Tim Hardaway Jr. talked before the game about how important it was to win a contest like this against a good team to let people know that Michigan is for real. So what did he say after the game when reminded about those comments? " We got a lot of work to do, the Big Ten is not regular season no more, it's now the Big Ten conference season. We have to come out harder, stronger on the court and buckle down and try to get victories.

Sophmore Darius Morris was not allowed to start the game after breaking undisclosed team rules leaving fans to wonder if that was the reason for an awful start that saw Purdue jump out to a 19-3 lead. Morris after the game covered that question saying "Maybe a little bit, but that is a situation that I put myself in, I'm responsible for it, it's nobody else's fault. If I want to be out there starting I have to do the necessary things. Beilein also chimed in about Morris after the game saying " I don't know how much it affected us in the game, but as a coach you have to make decisions (like that)." Belein also said that he thinks Morris has learned his lesson and there should be no more disciplinary action.

Michigan next plays Penn State Sunday, January 2nd at Crisler Arena at 4pm. The Wolverines let their chance for respectability allude them this time, but the good news is there will be plenty more times for Michigan to prove themselves as the Big Ten is one of the better conferences in the country.