I've been a Michigan fan/ticket holder for almost 10 years now.  I remember
one year when I thought that we had a pretty good team and we didn't make it
to the "final 12" or whatever it was that year.  I remember winning even more
games the next year and STILL not making into the tournament even though we
had a better record than 2 of the teams that did make it.  Then I remember
winning even more games the next year and finally making into the tournament.
I was so happy, I didn't care where we were playing or against whom.  That
year we were blown out by BU ( and I mean blown out. BU skated rings around us
with their speed, and from that day Red has always gone after FAST kids, thank
you BU).
 
The year (many years later) that we finally won the championship, we had to
play the number 1 team in the country, the number 3 and the number 4 (we were
number 2 at the time).  Absolutely no other team had a tougher schedule than
UM which made the OT championship that much better.
 
Stop complaining about where your team is playing or who your team is playing.
Trust me, there are no chump teams in this tournament.  The quality of the
play increases geometrically for the next 11 games.  Every single game is the
toughest of the season for every single team in the tournament.  Enjoy these
games, they're the best games all year.
 
Take my opinions for what they're worth.
 
Steve Bartley
 
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