Things Discussed:

• We believe MSU is likely planting diseases in Brian's kid's school.
• Michigan State preview: They can't shoot; they're 354th (I was wrong on the pod) out of 364 teams in 3P%. But caveat: Jase Richardson can shoot and has been playing more, Frankie Fiddler career-wise can shoot, Fears is at 35% and Kohler is at 34%. It's Hollomon and Carr and Akins who give them that profile, but when only one is on the court they're fine.
• They are physical. Purdue is physical too but MSU is that and DIRTY.
• MSU vs Purdue: great coaching job. Strategy was switching, throwing guard after guard on Braden Smith, getting the Purdue backcourt trapped down low and running on rebounds. Also got Breslin calls on Trey Kaufman-Renn.
• Szymon Zapala is the dirtiest player to come through the Big Ten since Brad Davison and whinier than his coach. MSU's process involves getting called (Zapala has 6 fouls/40) but they roll four-deep a the five when you include Kohler.
• Key: Do not turn the ball over against MSU. They're excellent in transition, in the half-court vs zone they have to take pullup 2s and go for rebounds.
• Tschetter's rapid elbow: he knew the head was there.
• By the way: change the wedgie rule. Wedgie should be defense's ball OOB.
• Sam gonna die on the hill that Bill Laimbeer was a "physical" player. He was dirty.
• Seth's quick study on teams that get more home calls (based on the idea that it's normal to get about 1 free throw per missed shot at the rim vs top-100 competition, and teams get about 10% more fouls at home): Purdue gets the worst whistle in the league, Michigan is 2nd, MSU gets the best whistle and at home it's off the charts.
• Does Dusty need to work the refs better? I think he just needs to get to know them better.
• Michigan strategy vs State: Wolf needs to take advantage of Kohler, Goldin needs to give it back to Zapala.
• Illinois? They shoot a lot of threes and go for rebounds.
• Craig's Baseball update: They're very good! 4-0 with an extra innings win vs #2 Virginia and wins vs Rice, Villanova and Stetson in the Puerto Rico Challenge. Jonathan Kim and Mitch Voight are hammering the ball, getting great pitching from Gavin DeVooght, David Lally and Kurt Barr, who've given up zero ER in 17-1/3 innings. Next is TCU, KSU, and Arkansas in Arlington.

1 Hour and 33 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

• Opener
• More Lack of Scoring
• Korpi to Stein and Goals
• Overtime Power Play

• Early Period Goals
• Cocaine OT and Shootout
• Old Friends and the League
• Four Nations Opinions

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Overtime" -- Cash Cash
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

Things Discussed:

• Ohio State hires Matt Patricia:
  • Brian: He'll have a Wile E. Coyote year with Caleb Downs but he's not a good coach. He does have a weird beard though.
  • Seth if the idea is to capture what Michigan got in Wink Martindale they forgot the part where he invented the defense that Michigan runs.
  • Craig: Nothing in his resume shows he's a good coach.
• Purdue game: Michigan had to try at least four defenses against Braden Smith to wear that guy out, finally got Danny Wolf to work. Seth: the zone was the most effective because it was forcing him into even worse stepbacks.
• But Braden Smith, gotdang is that a good basketball player. Gives them a floor for every shot of 0.9 points per possession.
• Physicality: Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn brought it, Vlad got chewed out but then he gave it back.
• Michigan: Massive effort, especially early from Tre Donaldson who led the first comeback by getting ball-dominant.
• Officiating? Craig takes the side of Szelc. Seth says it was bad; they let them play way too physically early on and then switched it up, which is how you get both of Purdue's forwards fouling out late after getting away with a ton early. Players hate inconsistency the most.
• Recognition for Roddy Gayle and Rubin Jones. Roddy filled the box score, can play the role of a secondary creator much better than the role of a fourth offensive option/spacer. You want him starting possessions not ending them.
• Shooting from either? Roddy's shot is broken—that high arc makes it travel further which means he's effectively shooting at a smaller target. That needs an offseason. Jones's shot looks fine; he's just got to keep taking them and playing as hard as he did.
• Dusty "inspiring" Vlad leads to two hard takes over TKR where he used his size advantage. Need that from Goldin.
• Dusty May's future: Brian thinks the pressure cooker in Bloomington with similar resources as Michigan makes Michigan the better job, but we all agree Michigan has to make an Indiana-level investment to keep him.
• At the outtro: congrats to Kim Barnes-Arico: the winningest basketball coach in the history of the University of Michigan.

1 Hour and 24 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

• Opener
• Power Play Goals
• Korpi Wins It
• Is That Enough?

• Korpi Hangs On For 30
• The Dam Breaks
• Old Friends and the League
• Gopher Redux

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Get Ready For This" -- 2 Unlimited
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

Things Discussed:

Signing Day: Got the most talent on offense since…1998? Down the list:

• OL: Two of the highest-ranked OTs in the history of the program, Gach was a Priority 1 for the program, Strayhorn is a center.
• RB: Jasper Parker the sites just missed; poorer man's Adrian Peterson. M thinks DJ is healthy.
• WR: Marsh was a big pull vs heavy hitters, Year 1 player. Browder needs development but Junior Hemingway upside. Washington is tall and can move well.
• TE: Owens is a Bredeson, really hurts that they missed on Olesh.
• DL: We love the heavy-handed build-a-bears that Esposito recruits. Remember his WMU guys? Moten and Patterson are going to be those guys too. Lou is convinced Benny Patterson is the guy. Kanka is a Godin. Marshall was a Priority and a big win. Can't expect them to get the scouting coup of the century with Graham and Grant every year but they can scout and now they can win the guys they scouted.

Basketball:

• Every guy is good with a tradeoff, and that tradeoff is turnovers, e.g. look at the defense that Roddy Gayle (and Pippen) played on Ace Bailey.
• Rutgers: We got a break by missing Harper, who just shredded Illinois.
• Oregon game: the mental errors are baked in at this point, like they're not going to score at the rim as well as you want them to.
• Also baked in is the fact that they switch everything and play drop coverage, so your Shelstad types who make 50%+ of other twos after attacking a Goldin or Wolf are going to score.
• Sugarplum vision of a top-3 seed and winning the B10 is probably gone. All but one of their remaining games (all but Rutgers at home) are Kenpom A (top-50) tier, IE Q1 opportunities.