No, not the football team. This time it’s the basketball team that’s failing to meet anyone’s expectations.

The #15 Wolverines lost to Alabama over the weekend, putting their earl record at 3-2. In their last three games, they’ve lost to two unranked teams and went into overtime against unranked Creighton. Not exactly the stellar start college basketball writers and fans expected out of the Wolverines. This, in fact, is a team that many picked to win the Big Ten.

To their credit, though, the players know they have some work to do.

“It’s still early, but it did let us know that we’ve got a ways to go and that we probably wasn’t the Top-15 team in the country,” said Michigan forward DeShawn Sims, who had 16 points and six rebounds.

Indeed, it is still early. But after another brutal football season, topped off with another easy victory for the Buckeyes, I’m sure Michigan fans aren’t feeling too optimistic at the moment.

[via ESPN]