Tempering Expectations
 It certainly seems like the driver of the Laval Lucas-Perry hype bandwagon did a bang-up job. The hype involved with LLP's debut Saturday vs. Oakland is getting pretty out of hand.
While it hasn't reached the point of him being the next Michael Jordan, I've seen people talk about him as a "dominant defender who will step into the third scoring role on this team".
I'll step into the role of killjoy right about.... now:
I don't expect much from LLP. I think his playing time may not be a substantial minutes for awhile, maybe not until the very end of the season. I feel that the Michigan fanbase has set themselves up for disappointment again, because of their constant over-hyping of players.
Now if LLP can give something like 8 points, 2 assists, and 2 boards off the bench game-in game-out, I'll be absolutely thrilled. While those numbers may not amaze the heart of the fanbase, we've got to realize.. this is a guy playing for the first time live with a new team, hasn't played a live game in 377 days, and is (after all) still technically a freshman.
Oakland
Oakland is a program that is really solid. They've beaten Oregon two years straight now, but I don't expect them to win this game. Other then the Oregon game, Oakland's victories have come against perennial powers Delaware State and Southeast Missouri State.
Oakland's game against Michigan will be their third game of the week, (they play Wisconsin Green-Bay tonight), so fatigue may be a factor by Saturday.
Rankings
While the AP Poll doesn't put Michigan into their top 25 just yet, Sports Illustrated does in a very big way, putting Michigan all the way up at number 11.
The writer of the article makes a good point, while Michigan may not be the 11th best team in the country, there is no argument that you can fight them with. They have the two best wins in the country.
And for a prediction for the Oakland game...
Michigan: 79
Oakland: 53
Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims both dumped 20+ on Oakland last year in a game that saw Michigan exceed the century mark in points. I wouldn't expect one hundey from this Michigan squad, but I would expect similar totals from Harris and Sims. |
