This makes me very happy...

[MWmetalhead]

The National Media, as usual, discounted the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team greatly at the start of the season, leaving them unranked.

Well, within the last 24 hours - Michigan handed losses to not just one, but two (!!!) perennial powerhouse programs - the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

In fact, Michigan absolutely SMOKED Gonzaga today! The Wolverines turned in a dominating performance in the second half.

Let's not forget that both North Carolina and Gonzaga were #1 seeds in last year's post-season NCAA tournament.

Michigan looked sluggish against some of the chopped liver-type opponents near the start of the season, but they appear to be hitting their stride now. Very encouraging stuff under new head coach, Juwan Howard.

[Matt]

Highest jump ever, from unranked to #4. Last night's result is a setback, but losing to #1 on the road after extensive travel is forgivable. Now they just have to get two quick conference wins.

[Lester The Nightfly]

This looks like a team that's both interesting and frustrating at the same time. First, I'm impressed how well Juwan Howard seems to be working out in his first big-time college head coach gig (Beilein probably wishes his transition to the NBA was going as well). That said, it's going to be a roller coaster. There will be a few big wins, a lot of close wins and losses and like the Illinois game, some losses that simply shouldn't have happened for a team ranked as high as they are. After that game and today's loss to Oregon (which was a tremendous effort and a great game to watch) I don't see them staying as #5 much longer. All in all, this seems like a team that will hover near the 10-spot give or take for a good part of the season. Nothing wrong with that all things considered. I suspect they'll be a number 2 or 3 seed come March.

[MWmetalhead]

Yeah, no kidding. The last ten or twelve days have been rough for this team. The loss to Illinois was a bad loss. They showed great resolve in the second half today but the inability to get a bucket in the final 34 seconds of OT is indeed frustrating as hell. (Didn't the Wolverines lose to Oregon by a point in the tournament in 2017?)

I don't think they'll stay near the 10 spot most of the season but they'll at least be in the top 25 for most if not all of it. Could they be in #10 territory from time to time? Sure.

I would be thrilled if they enter the tournament as a 2 or 3 seed, but I think it's a big stretch to put them on the two line. I'm thinking they'll be a 4 or even a 5. Fine by me if that's how things turn out.

[craig11152]

I see them as as a 4-6 at tournament time but I'm just throwing a dart blindfolded.