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Tillman being able to sag off Johns was a huge problem for M's offense. [Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Brian's post-MSU game column hit the nail on the head.

Livers was not replaceable. Not that we thought he was, but two of the above three bullet points were impacted by Livers's absence. Obviously missing your 50% three point shooter is an issue. [Brandon] Johns had a decent game, all things considered, but after he missed an early three he started turning down open shots. Michigan turned those into much worse shots.

As Brian mentioned, having Zavier Simpson at point guard comes with some limitations. The one most exposed at Breslin is that, when your point guard isn't an outside shooting threat, you need everyone else in your lineup to be a relatively confident and competent three-point shooter. Johns didn't have the confidence on Sunday and it played a big part in wrecking Michigan's spacing.

While this play ends in a made basket, it was an early turning point. Johns gets a pass in the corner while his defender, Xavier Tillman, still has a foot in the paint. This should be an automatic shot. Instead, Johns passes it out, and Michigan is forced to end the possession with a Jon Teske post-up—he has to turn away from a double-team that doesn't even include Tillman lurking in the lane to hit a tough baseline hook:

That's a nice finish by Teske. The expected value on that shot, however, is significantly lower than Johns attempting a wide open corner three. Tillman got the message that he didn't need to respect Johns on the perimeter. That'd have major ramifications for the rest of the game.

[Hit THE JUMP for an example of those ramifications.]

the double drag screen created some wide open shots [Marc-Gregor Campredon]

When Michigan needed a bucket against Creighton last night, the play that created perhaps more good looks than any other was a double drag screen, also sometimes called a double stagger. (Basketball terminology, like football terminology, can be different depending on the coach/analyst.)

The concept is pretty simple. With the ballhandler initiating the play from the side of the court, two players—spaced, or staggered, apart—set consecutive on-ball screens, with one screener then popping out to the three-point line and the other rolling to the basket. When executed correctly, this play puts the defense in a bind; the on-ball defender has to navigate two screens, which usually requires help, thus forcing quick, difficult decisions for the off-ball defenders. If the double-screen doesn't free up the ballhandler to drive for a layup, at least one of the roll or pop is usually open.

It took Juwan Howard a little while to break the double drag out against Creighton, and when he did, it failed to work as designed and had to be bailed out by a David DeJulius stepback three:

What went wrong? As Matt from Endless Motor pointed out in our slack chat, Colin Castleton waited too long to roll, which screwed up the timing and spacing of the play. Simpson has to double back as his defender goes under the screen and, as you can see below, Castleton still hasn't begun to go to the hoop:

Simpson's man easily recovers, Castleton's is waiting for him in the paint, and Johns isn't open on the pop. DeJulius has to hit an absurd shot to save the possession.

[After THE JUMP: they fix it, then start making it rain.]

post offense! [Marc-Gregor Campredon]

The ugly finish to Tuesday's Appalachian State game distracted from what had been a near-ideal start for Juwan Howard's Wolverines. One of the most important developments occurred right out of the gate: center Jon Teske scored Michigan's first 11 points and finished with 17, a mark he's surpassed once in his career (he's scored exactly 17 five times). I'll have more on this game and Teske's all-around performance next week, but I wanted to feature how Howard unleashed Teske in the game's opening minutes.

For the third straight half, Howard called for a Teske post-up as the primary option on the opening play. They set up in the same look they showed on the first play in the SVSU exhibition, with both bigs lined up at the elbows and Teske popping out for a quick pass to initiate the set. Against SVSU, Howard ran Teske around picks from both Adrien Nunez and Eli Brooks to get post position on the opposite (far) side of the court. This time, Teske sets a downscreen for Brooks that gets them to switch spots; meanwhile, Simpson steps towards the middle to make it appear he's reversing the ball before swinging it back to Brooks, who makes a (somewhat suspect) entry pass to Teske, who's in great position to eventually finish.

Appalachian State's big man could've done a much better job of staying in touch with Teske; that said, Howard is showing varied ways to get his 7'1" center touches near the basket, and that's going to make it harder for defenders to anticipate where to establish position.

[Hit THE JUMP for the midrange game and TRANSITION TESKE, plus early corrections on pick-and-roll defense]