Feels So Good

My last post was a rant about the lack of passion that I saw on the court last weekend.  Yesterday was the exact opposite.  Those kids showed up to play. They played with passion, fight, grit, edginess and undying commitment. Which resulted in a victory. And what a great win it was.


Today's post may come off a little braggy, rub-it-in-your-face, poor winner, arrogant, classless, whatever name you want to give, I don't care.  You play the game to WIN! And winning feels so good. Especially when it is against an in-state rival with a fan base that never misses an opportunity to point out a Michigan loss.


Today it was my turn. I did it in my own way. I wore my maize and blue proudly to work (as did both of my daughters). I silently sang The Victors all day in my head.  I never said a word about the game, unless a rival mentioned it first.  And not surprisingly, I wasn't presented with many opportunities to talk about the game.  For you see, this is how the majority of them are.  When their team beats Michigan, they can't wait to walk into my classroom and rub it in my face. I've even had them ask me if I watched the game. To which my response was, "Do you know me? Of course I watched the game. I never miss a game." Or when Michigan lost the heartbreaker to Penn State this year in eleventy hundred overtimes, a Sparty asked me "But, wasn't it exciting to watch?" Ummm, no!


I couldn't have been more proud of the way Michigan bounced back yesterday from the terrible loss they had last weekend.  Things didn't go their way for the first half of the first half, but thank God for Caris LeVert.  He isn't always pretty to watch, he doesn't have the natural athleticism that GR3 exudes, but there is no denying that kid works hard. Every game. Every minute. Every play. I loved his 3 pointer that he hit to end the first half. He turned and started heading toward the locker room before it was even 1/2 way to the basket.  In a post game interview, he said he knew it was going in as soon as it left his hands.  I think that basket was the turning point in the game. 


The second half looked nothing like the first for Michigan.....in a good way. A really good way.  And it just kept going from there.  The 3s started falling for Stauskas, GR3 had a sweet behind-the-back catch alley-oop, the hustle on defense from all of the guys was awesome.  That's the way I want them to play.  Like it's the last game they'll ever play.


There has been a question all year about whom the best team was in the B1G.  I don't think there is question anymore. It's Michigan. Michigan.


My Pick 6 favorite quotes from post-game interviews yesterday:
1. "I knew it was going in as soon as it left my hands." Caris LeVert
2. "The better team won today." Tom Izzo
3. "It feels good, but we're not satisified." Jordan Morgan
4. "We came out with the right mentality today." Glenn Robinson III
5. "When you're making tough shots, it takes a lot out of teams." Nik Stauskas
6. "Michigan's back in so many ways." John Beilein


Go Blue!
~ Bekki