Jon Epstein

When Manny Harris got ejected from the Michigan/ Purdue game in West Lafayette this past Saturday and the Wolverines had a four point lead, Michigan fans lost control. A move that we see many players make so often at all levels of basketball, a sweep from one side of the body to the other(used to create space for an offensive player), got Manny Harris ejected from the game with almost a full half to go. It is my belief, and many others, that it was the wrong call to make. This was a kid that has a reputation of being humble. A kid that rarely argues calls. Someone who is considered to be a great teammate and a hard worker. His goal is always to win the game, not to win the physical matchup. Why then, on an already questionable call, was none of this taken into consideration? I don’t know. I can’t tell you what was going through the officials’ minds, but I have a feeling that if the game were in Ann Arbor and there was no blood that this wouldn’t have turned out the way that it did.
But the game wasn’t in Ann Arbor, and Kramer came up with blood gushing from his nose and a scrape below his eye. It was as if he had just gotten into a fight, and came out on the losing end. Harris was called for a flagrant, and automatically ejected. From then on, Purdue dominated the game in every facet. And so, Michigan finds itself at 4-6 in conference play, more than likely out of the big dance if it were to start today. They needed one big away victory, and with the lead at Purdue-a top 25 team- they were robbed. Now I am not saying that Purdue wouldn’t have won that game, I’m just saying Michigan might have. So where do the Wolverines go from here? Many say they look tired. Others say they just aren’t that good. I say they’re in a mid-season shooting slump that will end this Thursday in Ann Arbor, when the Wolverines host Penn State.
       No doubt the Wolverines must be frustrated right now with the way things have gone. The only team they have beaten in the last five games is last place Northwestern. Superb High School shooters such as Stuart Douglas and Laval Lucas Perry have missed open shot after open shot. And with each wide open shot missed, the Wolverines confidence sinks lower and lower. The good news is, this team started out the year cocky. That confidence shouldn’t all be gone quite yet. After a start that included two victories over top 5 teams, maybe they just became too cocky. It is really the only explanation I can come up with as to why they can’t make wide open shots.
I wrote in my article earlier in the season that I believed the Wolverines were back to being a tournament team, and I will not sway from that argument. I believe that the shooting woes will end this Thursday, and for the Wolverines hopes of making the tournament, I really hope I am right. This is a must win if there were ever such a thing.