MGoBlog: The MGoPodcast

MGoPodcast 16.20: Louie the Guy with the Catchphrase

GoFundMes to support victims of the fires in LA:

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1 hour and 29 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Football Portal

Starts at 1:00

Find out which MGoPodcaster almost ran over Craig. Michigan picks up UMass wide receiver Anthony Simpson from the portal, hopefully he can be Drew Dileo. They also get Louisiana cornerback Caleb Anderson, he played injured last year so his PFF grades weren't terrific. He's a great tackler. OT Ty Haywood has de-committed from Alabama and was set to visit Michigan over the weekend. Apparently he wanted early play time. Cade McNamara has committed to ETSU. Ohio State and Notre Dame is not a meteor game, the choice here is obvious! 

2. Men's Basketball vs Minnesota

Starts at 17:47

Lack of toughness was not the issue! Minnesota hit 50% from mid-range which was the difference between OT and a Michigan win, they usually don't make these shots. The Gophers also changed their lineup quite significantly. Nimari Burnett was held in check (and was in foul trouble), Roddy Gayle was having an off game as well. Giving up 71 points in regulation to Minnesota is concerning. Need Will Tschetter to be able to put up 6-8 points per game. 

3. Hot Takes and Hockey vs Michigan State

Starts at 37:22

Considering Michigan State is currently #1 in the country, getting some points over the weekend is nice. Michigan is giving up a lot of goals in the five-hole. They were was able to hang with #1 MSU but there is a skill gap, Michigan doesn't have a dynamic skater and is playing a lot of freshmen. There were three penalties in Yost on Friday and 21(!) in Munn on Saturday. TJ Hughes has 10 points in six games, How should Michigan approach player development moving forward? Need to win three of the next four. 

4. Men's Basketball vs Northwestern

Starts at 1:05:35

Attending this game in person was torture because you can't even see what they're reviewing. Can't have your foot too close to the jingle jangles. Goldin is 9 of 16 on threes! He needs to wear a cup or something. Is this Michigan's first game this season where they had fewer turnovers than the opposition? The offense needs to diversify because opposing defenses are collapsing on the center and Wolf has been having issues. Is Tre Donaldson or Roddy Gayle the answer? Gotta respect Chris Collins for having a competitive team every year. Purdue is smaller than we're used to seeing but playing them at Mackey is a tall order. 

MUSIC:

• "Trouble"—Father John Misty
• "Never Ending Math Equation"—Sun Kil Moon
• "One Of These Days"—Michigander
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra    

WTKA Roundtable 1/16/2025: Lest We Forget 13-10

Things Discussed:

• Hoops: We are still fascinated by Mick Cronin, even as he turns a top-25 road win into just another bottom-of-the-B1G team.
• Wolf back next year? Musselman clearly trying to talk NBA into existence, but NBA is listening.
• Big Ten MBB looks like a Michigan-Michigan State race with Purdue and Illinois on the 2nd tier, though Illinois can beat anybody—they're weird because they rely on the three.
• Brian: MSU is a better shooting team than they look: Akins is at least, and they hit free throws. Craig: MSU is really good, unbeatable when Izzo can browbeat the refs into letting them be handsy. Counter: they don't take many threes, with three primary players on the court non-shooters: using Jaxon Kohler as a shooter, using Jeremy Fears as a shooter, Xavier Booker as a shooter. Booker is a frustrating guy, more evidence that Izzo doesn't develop guys.
• It's also weird that Frankie Fidler hasn't been that good, and Calipari turned Johnnell Davis into a bench player. Shoutout to Dusty May, and what he's done with Nimari Burnett. Seth: he's not the 5-star Texas Tech thought they were getting; he's the guy Alabama thought they were getting. It's about anticipation; the game is coming to him so slowly. Brian: He's Bobby Hull!
• We eat crow for saying the two big lineup won't work—in our defense…
  https://twitter.com/EvanMiya/status/1879650374128447983
• During break: Effort to bring Brandon Graham to Michigan; now he's going to keep playing. The guys do math.
• Speaking of Eat Crow: Wink Martindale NFL interest? Sam says they'll have to pay him; Seth says someone will because he's too good of an idea for an NFL team: NYG are 28th in DVOA and blitzy/1-high again with out him, meanwhile he's beating OSU with QQH. He's the guy who invented the most popular defense in the league, regardless if people want to claim Mac and Minter's defenses are "Fangio-style." But they're going to have to commit to him: he's not taking a pay cut. Michigan would have to put an extension in front of him as well.

Michigan HockeyCast 7.12: Identity Crisis

1 Hour and 19 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.

Segment 1: Expected Win
 

• Opener
• Another Rough Start
• Taking Control
• Shutdown Third

Segment 2: Goals in 32 Seconds
 

• Where's the Defense?
• 32 seconds of scoring...twice
• Old Friends and the League
• First Look at MSU

 
MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Whatever You Say, Say Nothing" -- Makem & Clancy
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

MGoPodcast 16.19: Mick Cronin's Aneurysm of Narcissism

1 hour and 32 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Football Transfer Portal

Starts at 1:00

Wwwwwwelcome! To one of the internet's college football podcasts. We can't wait to talk about Mick Cronin. The defensive front seven looks pretty set for next year, now just need a cornerback (which happened after recording). OL Lawrence Hattar transfers in from Ferris State, he will likely move to guard. Still need a tackle but most plug and play guys are off the board. Everyone is nervous about wide receiver, this is problematic because Chip Lindsey wants a balanced attack. They might have to overpay for a receiver at some point. Michigan is good at tight end (unless it's one that looks like a wide receiver). WE HAVE A LONG SNAPPER. 

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP] 

2. Men's Basketball vs UCLA

Starts at 26:22

The win over UCLA is probably not going to look as good by the end of the year. Michigan had an 18 point lead, then was down by 5, then wins by 19 (something similar may have happened under Juwan Howard?). Tre Donaldson has not had to put the team on his back until now. Which Michigan team was the best shooting team? This team is up there. Nimari Burnett has finally found his place. Vlad Goldin with 36 points, and now he's a shooter! Michigan is currently favored in all but two of their remaining games.

3. Hot Takes and Men's Basketball vs Washington

Starts at 54:28

Takes hotter than Mick Cronin when somebody did something wrong that's not him. Michigan's bigs get into foul trouble early but collectively pick up one foul in the 2nd half. It was a parade to the basket. Great Osobor is tough to cover for anyone who isn't Goldin. How worried should we be about free throw shooting? Michigan matched their missed two pointers with their offensive rebounds! Michigan's turnover rating on Kenpom is out of the deep blood red (it's still red, just not the worst red). They're the best offense in the country if they can just stop turning the ball over. 

4. Hockey vs Notre Dame

Starts at 1:19:09

The hope for this team at this point is just to make the tournament. This has been a very good defensive team, giving up three goals in 32 seconds is nearly impossible. Michigan doesn't have top-end talent and especially doesn't have back-end talent. The Big Ten is a tough conference, need to scrap for points where you can. Michigan State got really good really fast. 

MUSIC:

• "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"—The Rolling Stones
• "Unforgettable"—French Montana
• "Giving Up"—Michigander
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra    

WTKA Roundtable 1/9/2025: This Virtual Chat Room is Soft

Things Discussed:

• Hoops: Wolf is having a lot more creation put on him than he did at Yale, turnovers can still go down. Danny Wolf NBA hype.
• Officiating vs UCLA was about the worst we've ever seen: Wolf picks up two awful calls in a row that take him from 2 to 4 fouls.
• Cronin's presser: It's maybe the most program-destructive one we've ever seen. He's the guy who put a power forward against Vlad Goldin. Man is it going to be easy to recruit against that guy. Hopefully this doesn't break them so badly that this win doesn't stand up.
• Tre Donaldson star-making trip. Twenty points is his best output of the year, he wasn't even on the court because he got autobenched in the 1st half, maybe that was a good thing because he played the entire 2nd half.
• Weakness: Michigan needs one more creator: Gayle, Jones, or one of the freshmen, or else they need Tre or Wolf on the court at all times.
• Nimari Burnett: premier shot absorber.
• Michigan set up for a Big Ten title run: already 3-0 in their 6 toughest road games.
• Max Bredeson returns: HUGE. Bigger than Underwood for next year. He's the kind of guy you can build the offense around, need to develop him in the passing game.
• Portal: Michigan needs to figure out a reciprocity system for athletes like every other school does so you can complete a degree. I don't think it makes us a better academic school—the point of reciprocity in these cases is to let you get a better caliber of grad student by having them finish their undergrads.
• Playoffs: Craig does it by vibes. A cute exhibition at the end of the season, but it's hard to take this as a national championship when it's a bunch of 2-loss teams.
• Drew Allar wants to come back and be Hackenberg.

Michigan HockeyCast 7.11: Outdoor Nuts

1 Hour and 15 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.

Segment 1: Outdoors, Cold, and Sad
 

• Opener
• The Fun 30 Minutes
• The Bad 30 Minutes
• Korpi and Penalties? Nothing on 5v5?

Segment 2: Points, At Least
 

• What a Dreadful Start
• Clawing Back and OT
• Old Friends and the League
• A Preview of South Bend

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Wrigley" -- Kid Copter, Cremini Jicket, and Morel Dilemma
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

MGoPodcast 16.18: You're The Dude Now, Guy

2 hours and 2 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Retrospective Vibes

Starts at 1:00

The second funniest game of the season, and our lives. After three first quarter turnovers (plus a turnover on downs) it was about to become frustrating if Michigan lost. What was the low point of the season for you? 19 is a fun number for Bryce Underwood. The defensive performance against Alabama is encouraging for next year, which should be set. Still some work to do on offense. Michigan needs to do a better job at developing relationships with guys hitting the portal. 

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP] 

2. Offense vs Alabama

Starts at 23:58

All things considered the offensive line performance was encouraging. Check Sarah Jessica off your bingo card for this podcast again. Jordan Marshall - Blake Corum comparisons are made. PFF said everyone had solid pass protection except Sprague, but Sprague had the best run blocking. Where does Frederick Moore fit on the depth chart that would make you comfortable? Ben Hall was okay, he was less patient than Marshall. Davis Warren tore his ACL, if he's back in time for Fall camp would he even be an option? Expect the beginning of next season to have Bryce run packages but not be fully deployed. 

3. Hot Takes, Defense, Special Teams, and Game Theory vs Alabama

Starts at 54:36

Takes hotter than your 15-2 Detroit Lions. Michigan sacked Jalen Milroe 11 times in the year 2024 (six in the Rose Bowl, five in this bowl). Michigan's ends got in the tackles' heads and the blitzes prevented Milroe from escaping up the middle. Credit Wink Martindale for understanding how to coach college kids mid-way through the season. Alabama's run game was relatively non-existent. Bring on analyst Don Brown. Aamir Hall had some Will Johnson-esque plays towards the end of the season. Zvada remains very good. Let's talk about the timeout at the end of the first half. Do you kick that field goal to go up 16-0 or try for a touchdown? Any deviation from 1950s football would've lost this game.

4. Basketball vs USC

Starts at 1:34:30

This game was frustrating, sometimes they had it together, then lost it, then fixed it, then didn't. Let's play the game of "did they have more offensive rebounds or misses from two?". Danny Wolf had a superlative game (please don't go to the NFL). The fouling was a bit out of control but that went both ways. Can two teams just agree to fire the refs mid-game and play without them? There are too many Big Ten teams now, we don't want to know about USC. How far do we expect Michigan to go into the tournament now? UCLA forces a lot of turnovers which will be interesting against Michigan.

MUSIC:

• "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"—The Rolling Stones
• "Unforgettable"—French Montana
• "Giving Up"—Michigander
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra    

MGoPodcast 16.17: Who's Picking Up the Phone

1 hour and 25 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Alabama "Preview"

Starts at 1:00

Welcome to the utterly meaningless bowl game we are less excited for than any Michigan game before. Now that we're paying the players, shouldn't they be expected to complete the season? Contracts would do that. Is Alabama interested in showing up? They have a few players like Milroe who need to show something. Michigan's offense was bad to begin with so what are they now? Jadyn Davis should play at least. Glorified spring game bits: looking forward to seeing Andrew Sprague, the running backs.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP] 

2. Portal: Offense

Starts at 19:59

Mikey Keene is a floor, played with Dillon Gabriel (and Chip Lindsay) at UCF so it's not the first time he's been with a talented dual-threat. Thrown a LOT of passes, can loft one downfield, isn't a run threat, was probably a scramble after Billy Edwards didn't want to compete with Bryce. When do you start Bryce, because Game 2 is in Norman and Game 3 is in Lincoln. They got OL Brady Norton who's an addition to the 2023 class, Donaven McCulley we like as that downfield threat. Wanted to see more WRs and a TE and better luck at OL: Josh Thompson chose LSU.

3. Portal: Defense

Starts at 43:50

Hot takes segment has ideas for retaining the Outback Bowl legacy. Damon Payne is a very good pickup even though he's not flashy because DTs are a premium position and he's a decent SEC player. Troy Bowles was in a stacked LB room, comp is Hausmann. Metcalfs played at Chip Lindsay's high school in Pinson, Alabama, TJ is a high floor for the safety position and Tevis is a developmental cornerback. Don't have any glaring needs. Discussion of Barham's move to edge—think it's a Jaylen Harrell position thing in the 5-2, which is more about holding the edge than rushing it. Always get a 5th year cornerback, but they can get that on the cheap later in the process.

4. Basketball vs WKU/PFW and Big Ten Outlook

Starts at 1:04:48

After the Oklahoma loss that we're STILL MAD about, the threes are falling, which makes this team utterly terrifying. WKU chose not to defend the perimeter, had a lot of injuries, and PFW was also super small up front so those are not great tests. Good news: Big Ten doesn't have a lot of NBA guards who can tear them up by driving. USC-UCLA road trip next week will be fascinating—USC is a bunch of power forwards even with T-Will out for the season and UCLA is all defense.

MUSIC:

• "Antarctica"—Divorce
• "Cinderella"—Remi Wolf
• "Everyday Hustle"—Metro Boomin and Rick Ross    
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra    

WTKA Roundtable 12/19/2024: Crunch Time Theory

Things Discussed:

• Seth on early to talk about Lions injuries, Ira gives us a short history of Detroit-Buffalo friendship.
• Oklahoma: Yes they got absolutely jobbed by Szelc. Yes, it's the #1 story of the game. Pushoffs, moving screens, 75 percent of Fears's free throws, and then a soft whistle at one end while ignoring a two-handed shove at the other end. Both of those were Szelc calls. Michigan won't get a fair whistle against this guy tbut what are you gonna do about it, have Warde complain to the Big Ten? They don't care.
• Rest of the game: Thruck was thruck. Michigan is a good team that gets the best shots in CBB. They're doing it with the big-on-big, and they're starting to know each other. Seth: pay attention to where Goldin gets his passes, where he likes it. Gonna need a team with extreme athleticism and NBA shot-blockers to contest them.
• Portal: Sam runs us through the QB options. DQ is a good one, Brendan Lewis is the one we like the best, Mikey Keene is a decent floor—he played for Lindsey at UCF—but you don't want a pocket-bound popgun arm before Bryce, do you?
• Lindsey connection got us the Arkansas brothers. Good athleticism and presence, but see TJ Metcalf as a high-floor Walker not a difference-maker. Always want a 5th year guy at nickel from now on.
• Brian: Can Morris come back? Sam: It's possible; he had concerns about the offense so if they have an OC and a QB now things could change. He hasn't set up any visits.
• Offense needs some bodies at OL: the guy they got is a development prospect. They're all in on Josh Thompson, who's checking out Auburn and Tennessee.

Michigan HockeyCast 7.10: Melted Cheese

1 Hour and 19 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.

Segment 1: The Games
 

• Opener
• No One Score Again
• A Lead Through Two Periods
• Blown Third Period with an OT Winner

Segment 2: Takes, Everyone Else, Outdoor Preview
 

• First Half Takeaways
• Old Friends and the League
• Wrigley Preview

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "You're Not Gonna Score" -- Untamed
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme