Mitch McGary was unquestionably the star of Michigan's tournament weekend. He will appear several times in later on in this post. But my gawd, Spike Albrecht, you just made the pass of the year on a team with Trey Burke. Take a bow.
Four other reasons this gif wins the weekend:
- You can see VCU's defender rip open Glenn Robinson III's jersey as he runs down the court. This did not appear to affect GRIII very much.
- The bench goes nuts... before GRIII even dunks.
- Both Tim Hardaway Jr. (bottom left corner) and Trey Burke (in front of the bench) hop in identical fashion at the exact same time, like it's a Pavlovian response to Robinson's dunk.
- Spike rounds off his run at the three-point line. Walk it out like crutches, Spike.
All these things are great, and all pale in comparison to the pass itself. Thread, meet needle.
[Hit THE JUMP to see (and vote for) the best gifs from Michigan's opening weekend, also known as Mitchapalooza.]
As always, click the still frames to open each gif in a lightbox.
15. Mitch McGary Approves of GRIII's Midrange Game (SDSU)
This won't be the last you see of Mitch McGary, the bench reacting in hilarious fashion, or the combination of the two.
14. Rise and Fire (VCU)
This shot gave Michigan its first double-digit lead late in the first half. Obviously, that didn't matter as much as it seemed at the time, but this was some great camerawork by CBS nonetheless—and not a bad shot, too.
13. McGary Steal and Score (SDSU)
No big deal, just a 6'11" freshman center jumping the play at midcourt and going coast to coast for a dunk.
12. III-for-III (SDSU)
If not for the bounce on the rim, you'd be hard pressed to find a difference between the first two of GRIII's three consective three-pointers against SDSU.
11. GRIIIgoggles
Yeah, you get to do this when you hit three bombs in a row in your first NCAA tournament game.
10. Trey Burke Can Wreak Havoc, Too (VCU)
Yoink.
9. Oh, Finally (SDSU)
Over 27 minutes elapsed before Trey Burke made a field goal against South Dakota State, so of course once he got around to making one it was patently absurd.
8. [Obligatory Wes Unseld Reference] (VCU)
I normally hate when broadcasts deviate from the standard sideline camera angle; in this case, CBS nailed it.
7. Big Bird Shoots Wounded Duck
Blake McLimans halfheartedly attempted a very long three at the end of the VCU game. It did not go well, but I cannot stop laughing at the bench, which clearly encouraged Big Bird to launch the shot and then, well, I think they were hoping for a better result. Strongly recommend watching Jon Horford (far left end of the bench).
6. Spike Drops Bombs (VCU)
It's the fist-pump that gets me—even our tiny white freshman backup point guard oozes swag.
5. Mitch Rolls The Dice, Again (SDSU)
It's really all he's got, and that's just fine. (Bonus gif with context if you desire such a thing.)
4. "The Easiest Dunk" (VCU)
Sure, Tim. Whatever you say.
3. Silly Hat Salute
I may be underselling this at #3, especially considering the random hand—clearly in desperate search for a high-five—that Tim Sr. entirely ignores at the end. But then again...
2. MCGARY SMASH
Yeah, VCU guy, we saw it too.
Angle the second:
One of the other VCU defenders probably should've called "pick right" with a little more urgency.
FRAMES OF THE GAME(S)
Here's the Spike gif, again, as well as a zoomed-in version of just the bench.
If you don't like this team you should probably stop watching sports.
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