BEILEIN BEGINS BEGGING FOR BACKDOOR BID

(July is Beilein Month: Originally published on 3-13-15)

The sound of the cash register you hear in the background is the University of Michigan Athletic Department loading up some big trucks with countless wads of cold, hard cash, on it's way to the selection committee of the National Invitational Tournament. Coach John Beilein is hoping there's enough money on the table to get his UNDER .500 team into the NIT once again.

They are boldly asking for a home game to start the second-class tournament, despite being projected outside of top-seed position for several weeks. If you can't play your way in, it doesn't hurt to just throw down the money and see if that works, eh?

We will find out on Sunday night if the Wolverine's money games work out this time, as they have so many times before. (e.g., 2012 Sugar Bowl.) It's the only real hope they have to continue playing, as they are sporting a losing record at 15-16, and the NIT hasn't taken a team with that poor of a record in at least a decade.

We sure don't mind if teams qualify the normal way for the NIT, but the normal methods are basically off the table now for UM. By objective measurements, they basically don't make the field. So, if they are selected on Sunday, you will know the reason why.

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