With the off-court bickering that has gone on this week between former Blue Devil Grant Hill and former Wolverine Jalen Rose, it seems almost right for the current incarnation of their teams to battle each other on the court in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament. (Editor's note: Jalen Rose said some really, really dopey things that he really shouldn't have said. That is all.) That's the match-up we'll see today in the West Regional today in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the Duke Blue Devils and Michigan Wolverines are set to renew acquaintances for the right to move on to the Sweet 16.
Both teams got here by blowing out an opponent, as the Blue Devils waxed the Hampton Pirates 87-45 in the opening round, while the Wolverines crushed the Tennessee Volunteers. . .and, likely, Bruce Pearl's "employed" status. . .by a score of 75-45.
At Maize n Brew, SB Nation's home for all things Wolverines, they know that the odds are stacked against them in this one.
Today they go up against one of the best teams in the country in the Duke Blue Devils, the number one seed in the Wolverines bracket. They're loaded top to bottom with McDonald's All Americans. They're tall. They can shoot from the outside and rebound the ball like maniacs. They're favored.
But this is nothing new to this Michigan team. They've run up against teams that are taller than them, more athletic, more yadda yadda yadda. It doesn't matter. Michigan's here. They're still playing. They shoot the ball well, they distribute the ball as well as any team in the country, and they don't care who you are. They're here to beat you. They're here to go to the Sweet 16. And you're in their way.
The tip-off for this one is schedule for 1:45 PM Central time, and you can watch all of the action on your local CBS affiliate.