I’m impressed. I know this team is young. I know they haven’t played anyone. I know this year will be a learning process and the Big Ten is arguably better top to bottom than it has been in a long time. All these things considered, I’m still impressed.

I feel that’s allowable. You can still be impressed and not get carried away. You can still be proud of the way the team has played and not begin booking your flight for an NCAA Tournament game.

You can applaud Jordan Morgan’s effort on the glass and his ability to finish around the basket in the first three games. You can praise Darius Morris for his OUTSTANDING play, controlling the floor from all angles and finding the best shot for the team on the offensive end. You can appreciate the aggressiveness of freshman Evan Smotrycz and Tim Hardaway Jr. and the leadership and consistency of Zack Novak and Stu Douglass. You can even respect the fact that no opponent has scored 60 points against Michigan’s defense.

We can do all these things, but we must keep a level head. We must take it one day at a time. We must have the same attitude that I’m sure the team has right now: Let’s get better today. If we get better today, it’s a good day. If we don’t get better today, it’s not a good day.

Even though we have to let this team grow, we can still smile along the way. And there’s no question, they have made us smile through the first three games. It’s not even about them winning three straight, it’s about their effort and attitude.

We are leaving today for the Legends Classic in Atlantic City and I’m extremely excited. Syracuse is our first taste of true competition and I can’t wait to see how the team responds. Stay tuned right here throughout the weekend because we’ve got special features and coverage for you. I need your help though. I’m looking for coverage ideas while we’re in Atlantic City. Put your thinking caps on. It doesn’t even have to be about basketball. You want a picture of Darius Morris on the bus. I’ll try to make that happen. You want to know Jordan Morgan’s diet and how he lost 40 pounds over the summer. I’ll try to figure that out for you. Anything and everything. Shoot your ideas to me in the comments. I can’t promise anything but I want to accomplish a few of these tasks for you.

Also, my apparel brand, IMU, is having a Black Friday Sale starting tonight at 12 AM. The sales runs from November 26th-28th and features discounts on ALL product. However, I want to give away a FREE shirt to the UM Hoops audience. So here’s the deal: post a comment below predicting the winner and score of the Michigan/Syracuse game. The person that predicts the winner and the closest score wins the FREE shirt.

David Merritt is a former Michigan basketball captain and played on the 2008-2009 NCAA Tournament Team. David is also the founder of I Miss You, Inc. & The IMU Brand, an apparel company focused on offering high quality product while spreading happiness and bettering communities.

You can reach him in a variety of ways namely through his twitter account, blog, or e-mail.

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