UM fans talk destiny after win over Louisville

Are two games too early to talk about destiny?

For the maize-and-blue crowd, it’s never too early, especially given the roll their basketball team is on.

The University of Michigan, which surprisingly won the Big Ten title eight days ago, pulled off another stunner Sunday, vanquishing Louisville for their second straight win in the NCAA tournament.

“It’s possible,” Wolverine fan Pat Phillips said about the team winning the whole shebang. “They’re playing pretty good right now.”

U-M’s cousins in East Lansing might accuse the Wolverine faithful of suffering from the monthly malady called March Madness.

Let them laugh, Phillips said as he quaffed a beer at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Detroit. The team seems to be hitting its stride at the right time.

“This is when you want to be playing your best,” said the Hastings resident, in town to visit family.

A few blocks away, Wayne Hampton was similarly preoccupied with Phillips’ twin pursuits: beer and Michigan basketball. Hoisting a Bud Light at the Anchor Bar, he saluted his favorite team.

The victory today was especially sweet because Louisville had defeated Michigan in the championship game in 2013, said Hampton.

“It feels good. We owed them one,” said the Detroit resident.

Still, if he had to pick between the game Sunday and the one in 2013, Hampton would have liked to have won the championship.

As for a championship of a more recent vintage, like 2017, did Hampton share Phillips’ optimism?

That’s like asking whether Michigan is nicknamed the Wolverine State.

“Anything can happen. I like their chances,” he said.

FDonnelly@detroitnews.com

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Twitter: @francisXdonnell