You may have been distracted by college football of one sort or another on Saturday, but a funny thing happened in Ann Arbor, Mich.: John Beilein's Michigan Wolverines convincingly topped the Duke Blue Devils, 81-73. It probably shouldn't have been that close, given that Duke started 3-27 from beyond the arc. (Chris noted this issue at the time.) But the credit goes to the Wolverines, who now have two giant wins on their resume (vs. UCLA in New York; vs. Duke) that could, along with a solid mid-Big Ten finish, assure them a place in the NCAA tournament.

What does this mean? You know what it means: John Beilein has officially earned the much-coveted coach-as-genius label. From FOX Sports' John Goodman:

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 label may or may not stick for a while, but for now, Beilein moves into the pantheon of coaches once referred to as "genius." He can take his seat next to Mike Leach.

Of course, more important -- to Beilein, anyway -- is any supposed early resurgence of Michigan fan enthusiasm. In a down year for the football team, Beilien could really capitalize and revitalize the Michigan's long-dormant program with the sort of early success he's had already. If Joey at Straight Bangin' is any indication, Michigan fans are ready to love again. Or, at the very least, dance to Muppet songs. That's something.

Related: Big Ten Basketball, College Basketball Media