Here's what I honestly think regarding scUM basketball (and I think many here will agree):
Beilein is a good coach. He's not a joke or a dumb redneck like DickRod, and it's actually kind of hard to hate Beilein. Although he runs a silly offense, he's doing the right things at scUM and actually putting them in a position to improve.
However (and this is all very big), scUM won't be a power in the Big Ten for many years because of 2 things:
1. Recruiting: In basketball, there are at the most 2-3 "can't miss" recruits in the state of MI every year, and they all go to
MSU. scUM basketball has limitations recruiting outside of the midwest (as does
MSU to a certain extent, actually), so they have to take
MSU's, Wisconsin's, Purdue's, Illinois's, and Indiana's leftovers. The only recruit they have actually beat us for in the last decade is Deshawn Sims, and he's gone after this season. Manny Harris was a guy Izzo wanted but we had no space for him once Lucas, Allen, and Summers committed so early. Tough luck for the kid--he's a star at scUM, but would've actually wanted to be at
MSU. With
MSU, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, and OSU recruiting the way they have been, scUM is once again left with leftovers. I'm not saying they're bad players, just that they're not as good as the guys other B11 schools are getting. scUM isn't getting a guy as good as Harris or Sims anytime soon.
2. Coaching: Yes, Beilein is a good coach... but he happens to be in the league with the best coaches in the nation. While he's good, he's not as good as Izzo, Painter, Tubby, Matta, Weber, or the dbag Bo Ryan. Also, while his offense gives him a good chance at knocking down better teams, it also allows for very, very bad games. Remember, that while this team with Manny Harris and Deshawn Sims looked good in the tournament, it is also the same team that was taken to overtime in Ann Arbor by Savannah State. It's an offense that depends on streaks, and that's no good for continued success. It also doesn't help that the best shooter you have recruited in years (Byrd) decided to play for
MSU instead.
Sorry, scUM. The gap ain't closing.