Detroit Sports

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Is this our year?

Michigan won their second straight game over a ranked opponent by beating 21st ranked Wisconsin 85-76 at home. The win gave Michigan their first back to back wins against a ranked opponent since 1994. The win puts Michigan in a tie with Illinois and Iowa for the Big Ten lead. All three teams sit at 5-2 in Big Ten play but Illinois holds the tie-breaker because they beat Michigan earlier in the season. Michigan's overall record is 15-3 which is their best start since the 1992-1993 season.

Michigan is a having an amazing season. Michigan basketball fans are not used to seeing them do this well. Through self imposed sanctions and injuries to key players, Michigan has not had a good season in a long time. This season, Michigan fans are asking themselves-is this our year? Is this the year we finally make the tournament and make it to at least the sweet 16 or beyond? I think this season is Michigan's year. I don't think they will win the Big Ten title because the Big Ten is very strong this season. However, I do think they will make it to the big dance and win a few games. They have a strong starting five and a good bench players. They play a good zone defense and they have guys who can score big baskets like Daniel Horton and Dion Harris. They will be even better when starting forward Lester Abram comes back from his ankle injury.

Michigan has nine games left in conference play. I think they need to win a big road game in order to fully establish themselves as a true Big Ten title contender. Both their wins against ranked opponents were at home and they need to win a big road game to legitamize themselves. When the new rankings come out, Michigan should be ranked for the first time since 1998.

Friday, January 27, 2006

The Biggest Win

I have decided to start posting again. I wanted to come back when something big happened in the Detroit Sports realm. I think Michigan beating 12th ranked Michigan State in college basketball is a good way to start....

This past Wednesday, the Michigan Wolverines beat the 12th ranked Michigan State Spartans 72-67. The win put Michigan near the top of the Big Ten standings. Michigan was one of the highest team receiving votes outside of the top 25. With the win against State, Michigan should be ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 1998.

Michigan has showed that this season is different from previous seasons. They are 14-3 with a 4-2 record in Big Ten play. They just fell shy of beating 6th ranked Illinois on the road earlier in the season. They also played UCLA tough but lost again against a ranked opponent. Although Michigan played good against UCLA and Illinois, the bottom line was that they still lost. That is why the win against State was so huge. They were down in the first half by 13 but they came back strong and took the lead. They not only took the lead, they held the lead. Michigan played a great zone defense to shut down State in the second half. State fans may say Michigan won because of the calls, but Michigan deserved to win.

Senior point guard Daniel Horton continued his great season leading the Wolverines with 23 points. He brought Michigan back in the first half by scoring 13 points, then in the second half he scored 10 points to help pad the lead.

Daniel Horton won Big Ten freshman of the year in 2002, but his game seemed to decline during his sophomore and junior season. Many people were wondering if he was the real deal or not. This season he has proved that he is the real deal with career highs in points, assists, steals, and all field goal percentages.

Michigan plays 23rd ranked Wisconsin this Saturday. The winner will sit on top of the strong Big Ten conference.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

I'm coming back

I have decided to start posting again on my website in the near future. I am still going to cover primarily Detroit Sports but I am going to change the way I cover them. Instead of covering game recaps, where you could get anywhere, I am going to analyze what happens in the Detroit Sports world. I also might eliminate some of the teams that I cover but I do not know yet. I should be up and running again this weekend.