Video Interview with Lloyd Carr on retiring.

An AP Preview of the Big Ten in its last year with eleven members.

Eso Akunne is back on the team after being academically ineligible the end of last season.

James Rogers on the opportunity he now has for playing time his senior season.

Josh Furman interview from Media Day:

Ace Anbender, The Wolverine Blog, previews the safety position. & Offensive Line.

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Video from the ground breaking on the Michigan Basketball Program’s New Practice Facilities (Courtesy of Rivals.com):

CollegeFootballNews, Scout, lists Michigan’s Homecoming Game against Iowa as a 8PM start either on ESPN or ESPN2.  Has to be a typo, the official schedule still says TBA on the game start and why would a Homecoming game be at night?

Dan Feldman, Michigan Daily, wrote in 2008 that the departure of Ekpe Udoh could possible spell doom for John Beilein during his time at Michigan. Prophetic Words?

Ace Anbender, TheWolverineBlog.com, in his series on the foundation of Michigan’s Football Roster, picks apart the 2009 Signing Class

Barry Larkin on his number being retired this past weekend:

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Dhani Jones still isn’t a fan of Rich Rodriguez.  On ESPN’s Jim Rome Is Burning, he recently said:

"I’m not cool with him … I’m at my wits end right now. I mean, you can’t come in and explain that you’re going to do all this, and then your first year? Terrible. Second year? Alright — but then terrible. You have to be able to change something if you’re really going to make a statement. You have to do it within the first two years, and this is his third.”

ESPN’s Adam Rittenburg interviewed Rich Rodriguez and talked with him about the QB Depth Chart and 2010 Expectations.

If you live anywhere near Milwaukee, there’s a dinner on April 29, where for $200 you can dine with NFL Defensive MVP Charles Woodson.

Michigan Daily Character Study on Red Berenson Making Michigan Men

Bleacher Report’s Bryan Kelly ranks Michigan 10th in his Top 15 2010 Defensive Recruiting Classes.

The Detroit News has notes from John Beilein’s Post-season Banquet Speech: “Change is inevitable … Change is part of the program. I'm the head coach. I have to make decisions. It's about making decisions for the future.”

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For the time being, Manny Harris’ decision to turn pro strikes me of Ernest Shazor.  Some have pointed to Donovan Warren, but that relation doesn’t make any sense.  By all accounts, Warren is on pace to become a third round pick in next month’s NFL Draft.  Chad Ford, ESPN Analyst, ranked Manny Harris 85th on his big board of eligible draft prospects last week.  That means he has Harris going in the late 2nd round or not at all.  Shazor played for the Wolverines from 2002-04 and won All-American honors in ‘04, while also being a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.  While many told him his game wasn’t ready to translate to the pro level, he went pro anyway.  Shazor went undrafted, signed on with the Arizona Cardinals, and was out of the league a year later.  I hope Harris has a better pro career than Shazor to say the least, but five years from now when we look back, ala Shazor, don’t say the caution signs weren’t there.

• (Video is courtesy of Michael Rothstein, AnnArbor.com)

- Michigan will face off with Miami (OH) at Joe Louis Arena on Friday (8 p.m.) with hopes of advancing to the CCHA Championship game on Saturday.  Game Preview will be up on Friday.  AnnArbor.com has a great article on Wolverine Goalie Shawn Hunwick.  The Hockey News reports that Carl Hagelin has an opportunity to shine in next few months.

- CollegeFootballogy.com breaks down Michigan’s five impact freshman and what they expect them to do on the gridiron next season.  1) Demar Dorsey 2) Marvin Robinson 3) Devin Gardner 4) Josh Furman 5) Ricardo Miller.  My favorite part is Gardner being listed as QB/Savior

- UMHoops.com reports that Jon Horford received an offer from John Beilein that will become official when he makes a visit to Michigan’s campus.  ESPN.com breaks down the recruitment of Trey Zeigler.

- NationalFootballPost.com Previews Michigan Football Heading into the Spring.

- 2010 Top Michigan Recruit Mac Bennett (D) got in a fight the other night:

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I must have missed the memo, because I found an article three weeks old claiming Michigan will most likely be facing off with Florida Atlantic in 2012 on the gridiron. FAU AD Craig Angelos says of the deal, “It looks like both sides are ammenable to it.”

Sports News And Scores ranks Tate Forcier & Fitzgerald Toussaint as the 3rd best backfield in the Big Ten next season.  They are behind Wisconsin  (Tolzien/Clay) & OSU (Prior/Saine).  But I would have to disagree with this ranking and say that Iowa (Stanzi/Hampton/Robinson) should be third based on their production and wins on the field.

Joe Schad, ESPN, ranked his top 100 stars in college football.  The only Wolverine placing in the list was Tate Forcier at #68.  Conversely Andy Hutchins blogs that Denard Robinson should have been included: “He's got excellent speed and considerable agility, and Michigan needs him to be a playmaker in the open field. I doubt he disappoints, given those chances.” 

Brian, Genuinely Sarcastic, gives his thoughts on the state of Michigan basketball following the thumping they received from Michigan State.  He goes into the state of recruiting and John Beilein’s job security.

This weekend its on for the 7th seeded Michigan Hockey team.  They will be facing off with the 2nd Seeded Michigan State in a best-of-three series in East Lansing, at Munn Ice Arena.  With the Spartans taking the last few match-ups on the court and the gridiron, this definitely becomes a series that will be magnified by many.

Mark Eckel, The Times, ranks Desmond Howard’s free agent signing with the Green Bay Packers as the 10th best in the history of free agency.

I was looking forward to watching the Wolverines play against the Illini last night in order to gain some insight as to how the players felt about their last performance.  However, the performance last night was dreadful.

I have never seen a team shoot so badly from the field, and miss so many layups in my life.  I think some of the players have lost focus, and have other things on their minds.  I just don’t understand why the shooting has become such an issue, but I do know Beilein needs to take charge.  I often see him commenting about their poor play, but I never see anything different from game to game.  The Wolverines seem to be getting worse, and it doesn’t help they are playing for nothing now.  I am curious to see if they will even try these next three games, however, I won’t get my hopes up.

I am proud of the team for some positive elements this season, but I am looking forward to next year to see if they can turn it around, and add some needed depth on the bench.

We shall overcome eventually, GO BLUE. 

John Beilein previews the game against Iowa tonight (8:05/Big Ten Network):

Video is courtesy of AnnArbor.com

When the U of M Men's Basketball team started the season, I was very excited to see what all the hype was about.  I have always enjoyed U of M Basketball, however, the past eight years it seemed to have fallen off.  I am not on the bandwagon anymore for this season because I know we can't accomplish what we want, but I am still hopeful for the future.  I am curious to see the damage this season has done to recruiting in the future, and what next season holds for us.  It seems like we have good players, but some of them just don't play as a team.  The team lacks discipline, and they don't seem to have great direction.  I think John Beilein needs to approach the team in a different way to see if he can finish the season strong.  If the team can pull it together and finish strong, I know it will help carry the momentum into next season.  I have always believed in one team, one fight, and the team needs to learn that.  They have everything to gain, and I hope they can finish the season strong.

- Don Jozwiak of VisitDetroit.com wrote about the Frozen Four coming to Detroit’s Ford Field.  Red Berenson had the following to say:

“The Frozen Four is a lot like basketball’s Final Four. The off-ice stuff is just as much a part of it as the games themselves. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the players and for a lot of the fans. I know Detroit’s going to do a great job as the host, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a magical weekend for the game. You can’t beat Detroit as a sports town, especially when it comes to hockey.”

- Former Wolverine Carson Butler has signed on to play with the New York Giants in 2010.  Here’s to hoping he can stick with a NFL squad next season.

- Baseball Head Coach Rich Maloney announced that the team’s sixth annual “Meet The Wolverines Night” will be February 10 @ Junge Family Champions Center (betw. Crisler & Michigan Stadium).

- AnnArbor.com has reported that Boubacar Cissoko was arrested in Ypsilanti for possession of marijuana last Friday after and later admitted intent to sell it.

- LostLettermen.com has a special on the Big Ten’s B-ball coaches before they were coaches including a piece on John Beilein leading his high school team to a then-record 23 wins.

  - 2010 Michigan Hockey Commit Mac Bennett has been named to the USHL All-Star Gamenext Tuesday at the Pepsi Center in Indianapolis, IN.

- Greg from MVictors.com has Part One of his interview up of his interview with Scout’s (WTKA Personality) Sam Webb.

- New Michigan AD David Brandon compared Michigan to Pizza in an interview with ESPN The Magazine:

“We're talking about a business as well as a school. Of course, I need to be mindful of the most popular offering. At Michigan, football is the classic-crust pepperoni pizza. So I understand the need for a successful football team. But I want to be sure I represent all the sports. We're not just making pepperoni. We're going to make a variety of pizzas, and ensure each one is baked just right.”

By Josh Hagerman:

Before the season started a lot of pressure was put on the Wolverines, and it seemed to many they had returned to their prominence since the Fab Five left. However, as the season has gone on, a lot of people are starting to question the players. I know I was excited coming into this season since I felt they had pretty good recruiting. I have always thought Beilein was a good coach, but when I watch the Wolverines they just look lost. I know chemistry has to be developed between the players, but it just doesn’t look like it has happened yet.

When the Wolverines played the Jayhawks, they looked lethargic, and as if they have forgotten the basics of basketball. I am not sure what was going on in their mind, but I could plainly see a lack of effort. They did well in some aspects by only turning the ball over 10 times, however, they did not get to the line, and their 3-point shooting was horrendous. It seems they are lacking a dominant inside game because once the Jayhawks got through the 1-3-1 they scored at will. I couldn’t even tell you how many uncontested dunks the Jayhawks had, but the Wolverines made no effort to even stop them from scoring.

I am still hopeful for the season since they are playing one of the hardest schedules in the NCAA, but they need to pull it together and put forth more of an effort. They have great players, and I know they can do much better than they are. I think Beilein needs to instill some confidence, and pay close attention to where the Wolverines broke down defensively in this game. I believe the Wolverines need to take smarter shots because they took over 60 shots, and only made about 35 percent. If they even made 45 percent, they would have won the game.

I see a lot of promise in the players and team, but everyone needs to pull it together and play up to their ability. I think the players will learn a lot from this game, and come out with a stronger desire in the weeks to come. GO BLUE!