Rodney Dangerfield, Aretha Franklin and the Michigan women's basketball team have one thing in common.
They get no respect.
"(Michigan has) a better attitude than before," Illinois coach Theresa Grentz said. "I see more support."
Here are the facts:
The Wolverines are 11-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten.
The Wolverines have already won more games this season than all of last year. With four more victories, they will have won as many games this season as the past two seasons combined.
The Wolverines have not lost two games in a row this season.
The Wolverines almost upset then-No. 1 Stanford, losing by only three points.
The Wolverines most recently defeated the first-place Illini, who had previously beat No. 10 Arkansas and No. 16 Wisconsin.
Their counterparts, the gangly gentlemen in the extra-long shorts, currently own an 11-4, 2-2 record.
The difference between the two squads, besides the obvious gender distinctions?
The men's team is ranked No. 16 while the women's team is unranked in the national polls.
Why? It all comes down to respect.
In the 24 years that the team has existed, it is 216-379, a .363 winning percentage.
The team has never had a player selected to the All-Big Ten first team, let alone the All-America team. It has only had one NCAA tournament victory ever.
But this season is different.
Michigan's "interim" coach Sue Guevara's first season looks like it shouldn't be her last.
If it were up to the coaches around the league, Guevara would be the coach for next season and probably a few more down the line.
"Their players are playing better, they're playing together," Grentz said. "I said a year ago that they have some very good players. I think Sue (Guevara) has done a terrific job of putting them together and giving them a cause."
The players would probably agree.
"Last year, more things were up in the air," power forward Catherine DiGiacinto said. "I really don't like to dwell on the past. This is just a whole new situation entirely."
"We're all on the same page, with our coaches as well," small forward Molly Murray said. "I believe all attitudes and preconceived notions of the past years have been eliminated."
So what will it take for the women's team to get some respect?
Probably an entire season of solid basketball, traversing through the treacherous Big Ten season. A solid season for the Wolverines would mean finishing within the top four or five in the conference.
It's a shame because this team and its "resiliency," as Guevara put it, is filled with gamers who deserve serious consideration as a top-20 team.
They have shown that they're the best basketball team at this school and that they can play with anyone on any given day.
When asked whether Michigan should be ranked, Guevara laughed and simply said that she doesn't worry about the rankings.
"I let that kind of stuff take care of itself," Guevara said. "I know the media knows everything about basketball and the polls, so that's for you guys to take care of."