But with the way the Michigan is closing after the three week pause, they've just been dynamite coming off the pause.

You said it.

They need to be in the conversation with Gonzaga and Baylor.

Why?

Well, first of all, I know that it was something intelligent.

If you agree with me now, Keyshawn agreed with that kind of worried about a little bit because you agreed with me.

I feel better about that.

Cities God already shot.

I didn't even do anything.

Coach.

I'm minding my own business.

Just thinking about J will and his Michigan State UConn days is, uh, you know, that's all he compared to me in honor of my man Jay.

Will trophies are behind you today, J Well, but, uh, look, when you think about Michigan, you think about their their you think about Gonzaga.

You think about Michigan.

Uh, what?

Michigan?

What doesn't Michigan have that?

Those two teams have their elite top five offensive defensive efficiency, which is incredible.

They've got four games all over the floor.

They've got terrific guard play.

They've got the immovable object in 100 Dickinson.

They're so poised.

So balanced offensive defensively.

So connected defensively, they share the ball, They have shot makers and they handle adversity seamlessly.

I mean, they come off of that pause there.

Down at the half against Wisconsin, they come out and dropped 40 against Wisconsin and a half 40 holding 2 20 win.

Going away.

They play in Iowa Team.

Luka Garza is probably gonna be a player of the year.

Alright, 100.

Dickinson guards him head up.

No help.

A little bit of help.

Maybe from the top.

Scraping down.

All right, He goes six for 19, All right?

And they win the game.

Going away.

J Well, you always used to say this and I'm starting to believe it a little bit and kind of lean towards you.

Gonzaga.

They haven't played anyone.

They barely were beating Santa Clara at the half yesterday.

Now, look, they took over the game and they're beating people, but they haven't been pushed.

They haven't been challenged in months.

Bail are coming off a pause.

They are the most connected defensive team I've seen since UNLV back in the day.

But at times they can get stuck offensively.

This Michigan team is as balanced offensively and defensively as any team in the country, and they are in the conversation and as good as the two.

Aforementioned Baylor and Gonzaga.

Notorious B E R G is Juwan Howard the coach of the year, because the job he's done is phenomenal with this unit.

Well, in my mind, not even a question about it.

He's coaching here because think about before the season.

Yeah, Gonzaga, Baylor.

They were 12 preseason that was expected of them and have fulfilled their legacy that still fulfill the expectation.

Michigan wasn't in that conversation To me.

You give the coach of the year to the coach that takes his team and gets them to a level that was unexpected.

You give the coach of the year to a team that maximizes his team potential.

Look, they lose Xavier Simpson, who was the leader of that team last year who is a terrific on ball defender.

Alright, they lose him.

They lose testy, their front court rim protector.

They take Michael Smith, who transferred from Colombia.

He's been not good.

He's been phenomenal.

Phenomenal play starter.

Playmakers Shotmaker defends the ball.

Tough, unselfish.

They take a freshman 100 vacancy, all right, and the job that the staff in Michigan is done with Donald Dixon is absolutely terrific.

He steps into the highest level college basketball.

He's a seven footer that is comfortable in his own skin.

He wants to play on the block.

You double him.

He's a terrific pass around a double teams, which John is spacing to play on the double teams That might be the best in college basketball.

What they did to Ohio State and those double teams was clinical.

And then you have Wagner, all right.

Who to me is just maybe has the best floor game in college basketball at 69 and livers Every time he shoots.

You think it's going in.

They utilize their bench.

They extremely unselfish.

You can see they have joy for each other's successes.

What what John Howard's done not only just with this team, what with the program and with the feeling about the program, and you can see these kids really love playing with each other.

He's my culture in the year, it's hands down, since I want to talk about Brad Underwood's A Line I fighting team, and, um, you know I o D Suma is out indefinitely with this facial fracture.

How big of a loss.

I mean, he's one.

He was competing against Luka Garza for National Player of the Year, in my opinion.

But can you explain to us how big of a loss that is for the fighting?

Alana.

It's a huge loss.

And if he doesn't come back and actually in the short term, J will and tell me if you agree with this because, you know, you've been on teams like, you know, with what I would assume around.

I agree with that.

I think he has to be in a conversation player.

He's the best closer in college basketball.

He's the Mariano Rivera of college basketball.

At the end of game.

He takes over.

But because he's out all right, Andrea Cabral has got to have a bigger role as a freshman.

He's played a ton of minutes, but now the balls in his hands, he's a playmaker.

Miller, out of Miller, already has to have a bigger role.

He's got to be more consistent.

You know Trent Frazier is going to give you great minutes.

Joe Kofi Coburg is going to dominate the paint, but with the sumo out.

All of a sudden for a couple of games you're going to have to freshmen.

Their roles are going to change significantly.

And as their roles change, they're going to have greater ownership in what they're doing.

It's not like, Oh, you know what?

I was gonna bail us out, so I think it's just a couple of games.

I think actually, this team has an opportunity to grow some developed greater depth, and then when I comes back, they're going to be that much better.

This is an elite 18.

There are solid defensive team.

They've improved defensively.

They keep it in front.

They don't give up splits.

They're not spread out as far Kobe Cooper is like Baby Shaq, man.

I mean, like the dude, he carves out space.

I mean, he's like baby shock.

I mean, he finishes everything around the basket.

He rebounds every miss like it's a pass off the backboard.

The CMOs phenomenal.

Trent Franks just got a toughness about him and a maturity about him and Brad Edwards done a great job, so they're for real.

I actually think in the short term this might help them for the long term.

They got three monster games that they really need to you for, but they may not have them at Wisconsin.

Then at number three, Michigan at number four, Ohio State to end the season.

And, by the way, Michigan started the season at 25th bottom.

The poll.

They might end up at the top when all is said and done.

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