Mike Gansey's e-mail came in from Germany moments after Michigan knocked off Duke yesterday for the Wolverines second win against a Top five team this season.

"Coach Beilein is a genius," wrote Gansey, who starred on Beilein's teams at West Virginia a couple years ago.

He's right.

Beilein has now found a way to knock off UCLA and Duke already this season. That's not only two of the top programs in the country, but also two of the elite coaches in the game.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at what Belein is capable of doing any more, but I still am. When I saw the final score, 81-73, I was shocked.

The Wolverines had lost fairly handily to this same Duke team at Madison Square Garden about two weeks earlier.Then they needed overtime to get past Savannah State before losing on the road to Maryland.

At the start of the season, I figured Beilein was a year away from making a legitimate NCAA tournament run. He just didn't have enough talent - and enough of his "own" guys. However, with two resume victories already under their belt, the Wolverines have a legitimate shot at getting to the Big Dance this year.

Manny Harris just maybe the Big Ten's top player this season and DeShawn Sims has thrived in his new role (he had a career-high 28 points and 12 boards against Duke).

The Big Ten is down this season - which could allow Michigan to pull a few more surprises.