Beilein Says Michigan, MSU Basketball Same as Duke, North Carolina
Michigan men's basketball coach John Beilein says, "The way Michigan and Michigan State have been playing basketball in these last six or seven years, it's no different than Duke and North Carolina."
Is he right?
Both Michigan and Michigan State men's basketball look really good right now. Michigan sits undefeated at #2 and MSU is ranked #6. The two won't meet until February 24, then they'll meet again on March 9. (Then maybe again in the Big Ten tournament and/or the NCAA tournament?)
Duke #1 and North Carolina #12 are doing pretty good too. They usually get more national hype around their programs than Michigan and Michigan State, but maybe that's changing. That's what Beilein suggested to WXYZ in Detroit.
Does Beilein have a point? Time to fact-check. Here's how the numbers look since the 2012-13 season.
Overall records:
- Duke: 186-48 (.795)
- MSU: 176-58 (.752)
- North Carolina: 179-61 (.746)
- Michigan: 172 - 66 (.723)
Times advancing to at least the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament:
- Duke/North Carolina - 6
- Michigan/MSU - 5
Regular season conference championships:
- Michigan/MSU - 2
- Duke/North Carolina - 2
Conference tournament championships:
- Michigan/MSU - 4
- Duke/North Carolina - 2
Seems even. No doubt Beilein is right. Especially if you stop reading now...
National Championship game appearances:
- Duke/North Carolina - 3
- Michigan/MSU - 2
National championship wins:
- Duke/North Carolina - 2
- Michigan/MSU - 0
Duke and North Carolina take an edge in consistency too. They only have one season with 12+ losses while Michigan and Michigan State have five. Also, Michigan is the only one to have missed the NCAA tournament since the 2012-13 season. Michigan missed in 2014-15 when they finished 16-16.
So maybe the Spartans and Wolverines aren't quite even with the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, but it couldn't get much closer and this season looks to be a great one for all four schools. Maybe Michigan and Michigan State can close the gap a little further.