NCAA: Here's a What to Do List for U of M basketball fans

Michigan basketball fans, as well as anyone else who watched the game against Duke, know that this basketball team will not compete for anything but maybe last place in the Big Ten. After the first few minutes of the game, someone should have thrown in the towel or the referees should have just had a running clock to finish the game.

Maybe ESPN should have broadcast ESPN Classic or women's bowling from about 9:30 PM on. Even a high school game or the WNBA could have kept Michigan fans from being so embarrassed that they felt like crawling in a cave until April. Fortunately for U of M fans, not ESPN, most people started channel surfing well before the first half was even 10 minutes old.

So, being a Michigan basketball fan myself, I wondered what to do with all the extra time I would have used to watch Wolverine basketball. I could just pull out some of my old video tapes and remember the glory years. In 1989, U of M won the national championship over Seton Hall in overtime. What a great game!

Then the Fab Five years when the Wolverines went to the finals two times as freshman and sophomores. Although they lost both finals, Webber, Howard, Rose, King, and Jackson were a fun and entertaining team to watch. From the bald heads to the black socks, these kids were way ahead of their time. The past is the past, so let's move on and see what we can do now as Michigan fans.

Another thing we, as fans, can do is demand, ask or even beg for Brian Ellerbe to be fired. He is way out of his league. The team does not seem prepared offensively or defensively. Really, with a high profile program like U of M, a big name coach should have been hired before Ellerbe was even looked at. But, it's time the higher ups at Michigan cut their losses and get someone who is a proven winner to become the new head coach. U of M needs someone who can coach and will attract the best high school talent in Michigan and elsewhere. It would be great to get a guy like Rick Pitino, who is not a great NBA coach, but one of the best college coaches around. I'm just dreaming, but nonetheless, this is the kind of guy Michigan needs.

Perhaps to satisfy their basketball hunger, Michigan fans could jump on the MSU Spartan bandwagon. They are a great team and, unlike Michigan, have a great coach. Tom Izzo paid his dues, learning under Jud Heathcote, and then became one of the best coaches in the country. Izzo recruits well, handles his players fantastically, and is very classy in treating the media. He really has won my respect and admiration with his game plans and preparation. Plus, the Spartans just keep winning. They may well be on their way to another Final Four appearance and two championships in a row. Despite having said all this,

I really do not root for MSU to win like I do Michigan. In fact, over the past two years, I cheered for their opponents when MSU was in the Final Four. Yet, being a huge college basketball fan, I just enjoy watching good games and MSU fills this criteria. But even if you still can't watch Spartan basketball, the other teams in the top 25 will satisfy your need to see college basketball.

Personally, although I will catch as many top games as possible, they will not be as much fun to watch with no rooting interest. Watching Michigan play this year has already been akin to having a root canal. I will still take a peek at the Wolverines occasionally, and hopefully, they will improve and be more competitive. I, along with other Michigan fans, hope the team gets a new coach to jump start the team, or a great recruiting class that even Ellerbe can not mess up.