Happy Hoops
A new season of college basketball starts today
Today marks the start of a new college basketball season, my eighth covering Michigan full-time for MLive. In my first season on the beat, the Wolverines reached the national championship. Last season, they lost three times as many games as they won. I’ve seen everything in between.
Michigan has a new coach, Dusty May, whom I profiled over the summer. He revamped the roster with transfers, and the talent is there to be competitive in the Big Ten and beyond. Michigan hosts Cleveland State tonight (8 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network).
The Michigan women might start three freshmen, including two McDonald’s All-Americans, in what could be a rebuilding year. They open against No. 1 South Carolina, the defending national champions who have lost one game over the past two seasons, tonight in Las Vegas (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
Also, there are enough former Wolverines still playing college basketball to fill a roster.
The college football season is still going strong, though Michigan (with a 5-4 record) is fighting for bowl eligibility, not a playoff spot. Michigan won it all last season and just faced the consensus No. 1 team in the country, a game that illustrated the gaps between where the Wolverines were and where they are.
What I’m reading and listening to
Since my last update I think I’ve read two books: “Water for Elephants,” the 2006 best-selling novel, and “Yes Please,” Amy Poehler’s memoir. Both were good in very different ways.
On Friday, I attended a once-in-a-lifetime, life-changing event: a Taylor Swift concert as part of her Eras Tour. I’m here to report the hype was real. The tour enveloped Indianapolis, where she performed for three straight nights. Bars renamed drinks in her honor, street names were changed to match her song titles, and bedazzled women roamed the streets.
The talented Gracie Abrams opened before Taylor took the stage and performed for 3.5 hours. She owned the LED-paneled stage, disappearing underneath between “eras” to change outfits. I’ve attended national championships in football and basketball, World Series games, and Michigan-Ohio State football games, but none compared to the volume and consistency of noise I heard on Friday night inside Lucas Oil Stadium. At one point, Taylor — we’re on a first-name basis after making eye contact during her show — soaked in the screaming for what felt like 10 straight minutes (I think it was literally five). My ears are still ringing, and I’m fine with that.
Enjoy the start of college basketball season. I leave you with a top five and a final four:
Top 5 Taylor Swift songs:
I Knew You Were Trouble
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Love Story
All Too Well
The Man
Final Four predictions (men):
Houston, Gonzaga, Creighton, Duke
Final Four predictions (women):
South Carolina, USC, Connecticut, Notre Dame