2016-17 illinois

There's too much from this tournament run to cram into one GIFs post, so I'm splitting it into two parts; today's covers the Illinois and Purdue games. The glut of quality GIFs is due in no small part to Fred Wright-Jones, who emerged over the tournament as the heir apparent to Andrew Dakich's role as King of the Bench Mob. You can see him above mirroring Zak Irvin's dunk from the end of the bench. There's much more where that came from.

[Hit THE JUMP for the best moments from the Illinois and Purdue wins.]

Zak Irvin, in practice gear, had one of his best all-around games. [Paul Sherman]

While the harrowing details of yesterday's plane accident were still being released, Michigan played Illinois wearing their practice jerseys. Their normal gear sat in the cargo hold of a crashed plane in Willow Run. Tipoff was delayed by under a half-hour to accommodate the Wolverines arriving at the Verizon Center at 10:40 am for what was originally set to be a noon game.

Once the game started, however, the unusual uniforms were the only sign the Wolverines were less than 24 hours removed from skidding off a runway. Fresh off an early morning flight, Michigan jumped out to a 15-4 lead against Illinois and spent much of the duration ahead by double digits, ending the Illini's NCAA tournament hopes (and quite possibly John Groce's employment hopes) while earning a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded Purdue. John Beilein also broke Johnny Orr's school record with his 210th victory at Michigan.

Zak Irvin had his shot going early, netting 12 of his 18 points in the first half. That inital run held strong as Michigan made 5-of-11 threes in the half and forced nine Illinois turnovers on the other end. The defense was every bit as impressive as the offense. Timely weak-side double-teams from the baseline caught the Illini off-guard time and again, and the Wolverines used that element of surprise to convert turnovers into easy points.

Michigan didn't look ready to play a game. Looks can be deceiving. [Sherman]

Tracy Abrams was almost singlehandedly responsible for keeping Illinois within striking distance at halftime due to a personal ten-point run late in the first, and he kept his offense going in the second, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting. But Michigan shut down everyone else; no other Illini scored in double figures. Irvin locked down second-team all-conference forward Malcolm Hill, who mustered only four points while going 1-for-8 from the field.

That strong defensive effort gave Michigan the breathing room it needed when their outside shooting suddenly went cold. The Wolverines went only 4-for-14 from beyond the arc in the second half, missing nine in a row at one point. Lethal finishing helped, too; M finished the game a stellar 21-for-31 on two-pointers.

Much of that was driven, as usual, by Derrick Walton. The first-team All-B1G snub played at the remarkable level he has for the last couple months, scoring 19 points, dishing out five assists, and pulling down four rebounds while continually pushing the tempo to catch the Illini defense out of position. Muhammad-Ali Adbur-Rahkman looked ready to replicate last year's Big Ten Tournament breakout with 17 points, three assists, and three steals. DJ Wilson had a quiet yet efficient 11 points. Illinois was content to focus on limiting Moe Wagner, who only scored six points but had a huge impact on the other end, coming away with five steals and committing just three fouls.

Maverick Morgan finished with four points, three rebounds, and five turnovers while his "white collar" quote hung above Michigan's lockers.

This team is anything but that now. After a frightening, hectic, and ultimately triumphant 24 hours, they finally have a little time to regroup before facing Purdue at noon tomorrow. The Wolverines are the last team the Boilermakers want to face right now.

THE ESSENTIALS

Right: Michigan's co-MVP turns away as DJ Wilson celebrates his authoritative dunk. [Marc-Gregor Campredon]

THE US

Michigan enters the Big Ten Tournament in a good spot. They're one of the hottest teams in the conference and have moved into the "lock" section on pretty much any bracket you can find; after fighting their way off the bubble, they're playing for seeding.

At the moment, Michigan is a nine-seed on most brackets, and they'd probably need a deep run in the conference tournament to have a shot at avoiding an 8/9 game—the winner of which, of course, gets a one-seed in the second round. That's the bad news. The good news, according to ESPN's John Gasaway, is Michigan fits the profile of a giant killer:

Beilein's men finished conference play with easily the best offense in the league, and the UM defense looked much better once opponents stopped making well over half of their 3-point attempts. Derrick Walton Jr. is far and away the best point guard that no one ever brings up as one of the nation's best point guards, and Michigan loves to torment opposing defenses by stretching the floor with five legitimate 3-point shooting threats. The Wolverines would be the underdog in a round-of-32 game against Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina or Gonzaga, but this group could definitely keep things interesting.

While Michigan would like to avoid those teams, they've got a better than than most at springing a major upset.

UPDATE: Michigan's team plane was involved in an accident caused by the extreme high winds in the area. Everyone, thankfully, is fine. Statement from SID Tom Wywrot:

The Michigan men's basketball team plane was involved in an accident Wednesday afternoon. After attempting to take off in high winds, takeoff was aborted and, after strong braking, the plane slide off runway. The plane sustained extensive damage but everyone on board was safely evacuated and is safe. The team is making alternate travel plans.

Let's hope they make it to DC without any further incident. Driving isn't much of an option given the early tipoff tomorrow.

UPDATE 2: More on the travel situation:

That was crazy,glad everyone is ok! Coach B's leadership was great, he helped everyone off the plane as they slid down the emergency slide. pic.twitter.com/sDWz6DWEoE

— Jon Sanderson (@CampSanderson) March 8, 2017

The option of Michigan busing to Washington D.C. is not being considered at this time.

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 8, 2017

Big Ten waiting on Michigan's official finalized travel plans to make any decision per ESPN.

— Dylan Burkhardt (@umhoops) March 8, 2017

Spoke with Big Ten officials. There's no procedure in place for moving games or rescheduling, should it have to come to that. New territory.

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 8, 2017

For those asking. I can confirm that Austin Hatch, who remains a part of the Michigan program, was not on the plane today. He was in class.

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 8, 2017

I'll keep this post updated.

UPDATE 3: The team will take an early flight to DC and play the game as scheduled.

Here is a travel update for #GoBlue

We can't wait to get to D.C. on Thursday and compete for Michigan!  pic.twitter.com/HqZYiEoM7b

— Michigan Basketball (@umichbball) March 9, 2017

UPDATE 4: Michigan didn't arrive at the arena until 10:40 am and the Big Ten somehow didn't have a contingency plan in place. After some negotiation, the game will tip off at 12:20 pm. Thanks, Delany.

THE LAST TIME

The first matchup between these two teams was the debacle in Champaign that prompted Illini center Maverick Morgan to describe Michigan's program as "white collar."

The second matchup went a bit different:

Michigan won 66-57 in a game that wasn't as close as that score would indicate. DJ Wilson led the way with 19 points, six offensive rebounds, and five assists; he also scored 19 in the game at Illinois. Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin both had double-digit point totals, while a more motivated defense held the Illini to 0.86 PPP.

This, of course, was the genesis of Michigan's midseason turnaround.

Derrick Walton Jr. was asked yesterday if, in hindsight, Michigan got the boost it needed from Maverick Morgan's "white collar" comment: pic.twitter.com/YhAQj3t9Eq

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 8, 2017

I would not be against Michigan fans chanting "MVP" when Morgan touches the ball.

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	ORtg	SIBMIHHAT
G	3	Te'Jon Lucas	Fr.	6'0, 170	42	18	95	Not Really
Became starter in late Jan for defense. Pass-first PG, rarely shoots, TO-prone. First matchup: 23 mins, 5 pts (1/1 2p, 1/1 3p), 1 reb, 8 ast, 1 to, 1 stl Second matchup: 15 mins, 8 pts (1/1 2p, 1/1 3p), 1 to, 1 stl
G	13	Tracy Abrams	Gr.	6'2, 185	64	19	106	No
Robbie Hummel, Guard Edition. Learned how to shoot while hurt, somehow. First matchup: 24 mins, 4 pts (1/2 2p, 0/1 3p), 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 to, 1 stl Second matchup: 23 mins, 2 pts (1/3 2p, 0/2 3p), 2 reb, 3 ast, 3 to
G	21	Malcolm Hill	Sr.	6'6, 225	84	26	114	No
High-usage and efficient, versatile scorer. Draws a ton of fouls. First matchup: 32 mins, 15 pts (3/5 2p, 1/3 3p, 6/7 ft), 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 to Second matchup: 32 mins, 16 pts (5/8 2p, 0/2 3p), 2 reb (1 off), 7 ast, 2 stl
F	12	Leron Black	So.	6'7, 220	44	23	101	Very
Excellent rebounder on both ends. Decent finisher who gets to line. First matchup: 17 mins, 10 pts (5/9 2p, 0/1 3p), 5 reb (1 off) Second matchup: 13 mins, 4 pts (2/2 2p), 4 reb (2 off), 1 to
C	22	Maverick Morgan	Sr.	6'10, 245	63	21	105	Very
Good finisher and shot-blocker, not much of a rebounder. Elite motivator. First matchup: 29 mins, 16 pts (8/9 2p), 1 reb, 4 ast, 3 to, 1 blk, 1 stl Second matchup: 22 mins, 6 pts (3/5 2p), 2 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 3 to, 1 blk
G	5	Jalen Coleman-Lands	So.	6'3, 190	61	17	98	Not At All
Just A Shooter™ made 43% of 3P in B1G play. First matchup: 31 mins, 12 pts (0/3 2p, 4/5 3p), 3 reb, 4 ast, 2 to Second matchup: 20 mins, 2 pts (1/3 2p, 0/1 3p), 1 reb (1 off), 1 stl
F	43	Michael Finke	So.	6'10, 230	49	17	109	Not At All
Stretch four with career 52/38/62 shooting splits. Good offensive rebounder. First matchup: 12 mins, 10 pts (2/2 2p, 2/2 3p), 3 reb (1 off) Second matchup: 13 mins, 4 pts (1/1 3p), 3 reb
F	2	Kipper Nichols	Fr.	6'6, 225	21	19	101	Not At All
Crushed M on boards in first matchup, earned way into 8-man rotation. First matchup: 19 mins, 13 pts (5/8 2p, 1/1 3p), 8 reb (5 off) Second matchup: 17 mins, 4 pts (2/5 2p, 0/2 3p), 3 reb, 2 to

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