2014-15 rutgers #1

Caris LeVert is out for the year. Several players were sick. Zak Irvin sat most of the first half with foul trouble. Derrick Walton didn't hit a shot until the game's waning minutes.

Sean Lonergan and Andrew Dakich played—at the same time. Aubrey Dawkins led the team in made field goals—with four. The Wolverines were 8/26 from beyond the arc—and 9/23 inside of it.

Michigan beat Rutgers on the road.

It wasn't aesthetically pleasing. It didn't make a whole lot of sense. It was... kinda fun?

The plucky underdog role suits this team, unburdened from expectations. The missteps are much more understandable, while stuff like "WALK-ON LAYUP OUT OF NOWHERE" provides genuine joy. The offense remained disjointed and relatively ineffective, but there's hope to be found in Aubrey Dawkins scoring an efficient 11 points, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman finishing a couple strong drives to the rim, Max Bielfeldt—Max Bielfeldt!—posting 8 and 8. While M didn't shoot the ball well from the outside, they generated a lot of good looks, and the defense—albeit Rutgers-aided tonight—continued to be pleasantly decent.

Losing the lead in the second half felt expected, not disastrous. Then Spike Albrecht scooped in a running layup, Walton drilled back-to-back triples, and Bielfeldt extended the lead with a three moments after he pulled down an offensive rebound. Walton and Irvin iced the game at the line, and just like that, Michigan is 5-2 in the Big Ten.

It's probably not going to last. Wisconsin comes to town on Saturday, and they're easily the best team in the conference. Then again, they lost to Rutgers last week. For tonight, let's celebrate the weird guys, in all their weird glory.

THE ESSENTIALS

Right: Look up Rutgers mascot images, get free nightmares for life. (Source)

THE US

The injury situation went from limiting to dire in a hurry, with the worst of it being Caris LeVert's season-ending foot fracture suffered on the final play of Saturday's Northwestern game.

It doesn't end there. Spike Albrecht and Ricky Doyle are both questionable due to illness; after Albrecht missed the whole game and Doyle the second half on Saturday, neither practiced Sunday. The same bug has limited Zak Irvin, though he's been able to play and practice through it. Kameron Chatman is questionable due to swelling in his knee.

Even the scout team has been hit hard. DJ Wilson still isn't cleared for full-court practice, so he's not (yet) a candidate to have his redshirt lifted. Transfer Duncan Robinson, who isn't even eligible to play, has sat out the last few weeks with a sprained ankle. Things got so bad this week that David Merritt, the former walk-on point guard, suited up for practice alongside coaches and team managers. No, he doesn't have any more eligibility.

If the questionable players can't go, Michigan will have a very short bench. The presumed starting lineup would be Walton-MAAR-Irvin-Dawkins-Donnal, leaving Max Bielfeldt as the only scholarship player off the bench. Walk-on Sean Lonergan practiced with the first team Monday in anticipation of getting serious minutes.

THE STAKES

Not losing to Rutgers would be nice.

THE LINEUP CARD

Projected starters are in bold. Hover over headers for stat explanations. The "Should I Be Mad If He Hits A Three" methodology: we're mad if a guy who's not good at shooting somehow hits one. Yes, you're still allowed to be unhappy if a proven shooter is left open. It's a free country.

Pos.	#	Name	Yr.	Ht./Wt.	%Min	%Poss	SIBMIHHAT
G	4	Myles Mack	Sr.	5'10, 175	90	24	Kinda
Scoring and assist leader is RU's only player with ORtg above 100.
G	2	Bishop Daniels	Jr.	6'3, 185	43	26	Kinda
Not very efficient but draws a lot of fouls. Very turnover-prone.
F	10	Junior Etou	So.	6'7, 230	76	16	Kinda
Team's best defensive rebounder. Iffy shooter.
F	11	Kadeem Jack	Sr.	6'9, 235	70	27	Yes
43% on twos and 29% on threes, so naturally takes a crapton of shots.
C	35	Greg Lewis	Jr.	6'9, 245	63	15	Very
Good rim protector, mediocre rebounder and finisher.
G	6	Mike Williams	Fr.	6'2, 190	60	19	Yes
Spot-up shooter who can't knock down shots (23% 3P).
F	22	DJ Foreman	Fr.	6'8, 230	35	16	Not really
Inconsistent finisher draws lots of fouls but has hit just 7/25 FTs.
C	40	Shaquille Doorson	Fr.	6'11, 275	23	12	Very
Low usage, solid off. rebounder and shot-blocker, TO- and foul-prone.

THE RESUME

Rutgers had a rough go in nonconference play, losing to #180 St. Peter's and #174 St. Francis at home and failing to come within 17 points of the three top-100 squads they faced. They started off the Big Ten schedule by losing at home to Northwestern, edged Penn State by four at home, got blown out at Nebraska, and then... beat Wisconsin. Yes, the Badgers were without Frank Kaminsky, but that's still deeply bizarre.

The Scarlet Knights have followed up their signature win with road losses to Maryland and Minnesota, the latter giving the Gophers their first conference win.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the preview.]