Bomb Busby Berkeley
1/12/2021 – Michigan 77, Wisconsin 54 – 11-0, 6-0 Big Ten
It doesn't seem real.
This isn't the usual mopey woe-is-we Michigan fan garbage. Set aside backslides from previous teams in various sports. Set aside emotional states entirely. Just focus on what usually happens when relatively equal, good basketball teams butt heads. The results are not this, literally ever in the history of college basketball:
Michigan is the 1st team in college basketball history to beat three ranked opponents in a row by at least 19 points. https://t.co/f7MqH09SjM
— Larry Lage (@LarryLage) January 13, 2021
This doesn't even cover it, really, since all of these games saw Michigan leap out to even more absurd leads than they finished with.
It doesn't seem real because Wisconsin has gone 18 years without getting clobbered by 30, and the only reason they didn't in this game was a stirring comeback after they were down 40. Wisconsin has lost a total of four games by 20+ in a decade. Michigan hadn't beaten a top-ten opponent this badly since 1987. If you're watching Michigan basketball games these days and you don't wonder about your sanity, you have far too much experience with psychedelic mushrooms. Nate Reuvers's face is melting. Literally? Metaphorically? Who can tell anymore?
Michigan has this effect not only on observers but also on their opponents. Early in the second half Tyler Wahl went Full Carlton:
What
— Due# (@JDue51) January 13, 2021
The hell
Was that pic.twitter.com/vf6CFeBRna
This was one of the more stupefying plays I've seen in the last decade of college basketball; at the same time it also fit right in there. Wisconsin entered the game on pace for the best turnover rate in the history of Kenpom; late in the first half Greg Gard called timeout because Franz Wagner's ghostly appendages had emerged from Badger sternums far too often for his taste.
An initial flurry of ferociously blocked post-ups led to a flurry of—uh—wide open three-pointers I was certain would go down. Once those didn't fall, the ancien regime of Wisconsin basketball devolved into a chaotic mess of contested two-pointers, turnovers, and guillotines. Wisconsin is a team of thousand-year-old vampires executing gloriously regimented plays; fifteen minutes in they looked like a Busby Berkeley movie after it got hit by a nuclear bomb.
You have to focus. You have to focus on it and assure yourself it's real. Michigan's third-most-common lineup over a five-game stretch including three ranked opponents and a feisty, weird Maryland team is the Kenpom Kids.
That ain't real! Nobody can tell me that's real! This is one of those prestige television episodes where the protagonist is unjustly confined in a mental institution, except it's completely awesome! No I will not take your drugs, Doctor Butthole, this is rad!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The Matthew Loves Ball highlight reel we use for clips, like most other highlight reels, is almost exclusively focused on buckets. Blocks will show up, as will critical end of game possessions that end up empty. Misses are excised in the name of time. This game's highlight reel includes all of the last 49 seconds of the first half, in which no buckets are scored:
First Chaundee Brown forces Trice to give it up, then denies him on a dribble handoff. When Wisconsin gets it back to their tough-shot maker with ten seconds on the clock, Trice… gives it up to Tyler Wahl. Cheap foul on Wagner, fine.
The second sequence features Brad Davison trying to drive past Mike Smith; Davis slides over and Davison has to try to fit between a couple of closing doors. Smith gets his chest back to the front of Davison, and Davison humps up a shot through Smith that doesn't get over the rim. The wild rebound bounces off Brown.
The third sequence: Livers and Brown switch off, then switch off again on Trice. Livers cuts off a rim cut from Ford, and with the clock ticking down Brown comes over to double. Ford fumbles the ball into his feet, and Wisconsin doesn't get a shot up.
The bench erupts onto the court when the horn sounds. The announcers are flabbergasted. The halftime crew stares blankly into the camera for 15 straight minutes, unsure of the implications of such a display. It must be befriended lest it destroy us all. By the numbers, Michigan's offense is better than its defense.
[After THE JUMP: GUMBZILLAAAAAA]
BULLETS
HOLY SHIT Y'ALL. That all this bullet is.
NOTE: I have been to football games at Auburn and Georgia, so I can say y'all.
hhyaaaarrrrrr its arms never stop [Campredon]
Fun with absurd numbers. Here are some tempo free stats for you:
- Michigan is now 1st nationally in 2PT D after holding Wisconsin to 30% from the field.
- Their 2PT D improves(!) in Big Ten play by a point.
- They are fifth in FTAs allowed while having the best two-point D in America.
- Their FTA allowed rate drops(!) five points in conference play.
- Franz Wagner has top ten block and steal rates in B10 play; he also has a 136 ORTG.
Also in Franz:
I still remember that Franz Wagner recorded more steals than turnovers in his only full pro season with ALBA Berlin, which seemed notable to me at the time.
— 7 Foot Schnitzel (@7_Ft_Schnitzel) January 13, 2021
This year, he's, so far, not only doing it with steals but also with blocks. 14 blocks, 14 steals and 11 turnovers.
It is now common to look at a Wagner box score that has a bunch of stuff in the block and steal columns (1 and 4 in this game) and think to yourself "I thought it was more than that."
Post-ups: no. Michigan must have prepped their guards for the inevitable Wisconsin post-ups, because all Wisconsin attempts were soundly defeated. Reuvers got the first opportunity and got blocked by Isaiah Livers, who's four inches shorter than him.
Mike Smith holding up against Davison was even more of a size mismatch but Smith was able to avoid getting bodied under the rim and forced tough shots. Low man wins?
dunk [Campredon]
And then, a mismatch. Livers followed up the post denial on Reuvers with a circle cut for a dunk that Reuvers could not keep up on. Total Wisconsin minutes with both 5s on the floor: 3.
About those three-pointers. Michigan was somewhat fortunate that Wisconsin only hit 32% of their copious looks. They were particularly fortunate that Reuvers, who's currently scuffling badly, went 0/3 on wide open looks and ended up turning down more after he'd missed a couple. Except for one missed switch, Michigan did do a good job containing Trice in the competitive section of the game. He got his long after the game was decided.
I do think there's a different script to this game where UW bigs hit some early threes and establish themselves a threat and things are much more touch-and-go for the duration.
The usual(?) from Mike Smith. Smith was superbly accurate as a shooter, ran the offense well, and had an unfortunate number of turnovers. During the competitive section of the game I was pretty frustrated with him because he had a series of decisions that resulted either in tough shots or turnovers.
On the other hand, he was the primary defender on Davison and Davison finished with two points on eight shot equivalents. Smith was able to body up on the early, inevitable post touch, and subsequent drives from Davison and Trice against Smith saw Smith in great position to force the opposition to finish through him.
I don't want to get ahead of myself, but if Wagner goes to the NBA there will be a rotation slot for a returning senior. I'd be happy with any of Brooks, Brown, or Smith; I'd imagine that Smith is the most likely because Brown will get enough NBA interest to go and Brooks has plenty of high-major experience. Smith probably isn't going to be of major interest to high-level European teams and hasn't had the experience of a major conference year with actual fans. Getting him back would be a major boon to a team that looks super talented, but also super young next year.
Aleem Ford: [Campredon]
This is not a Josh Christopher slam. This is about Chaundee Brown. On the podcast one of my Fuegobox Hot Takes™ was something along the lines of "I'd rather have Chaundee Brown than Josh Christopher." Fuegobox Hot Takes™ are supposed to be plausible but, you know, hot. Not accurate. Verging on accurate.
This take is getting less hot. I think I'm at the point where I'm willing to argue that I would not swap Brown for Christopher straight-up if you offered me that deal right now. Christopher is a much better offensive prospect, but he provides a bunch of stuff Michigan evidently doesn't need (isolation shot creation) and is struggling from three. Brown is knocking down threes at a 40% clip.
On the defensive end, Christopher is a work in progress while Brown is a 6'5" shutdown machine. Also Brown comes off the bench without complaint and is a lunatic effort cornerstone for a Michigan team with amazing culture. Since both guys are effectively one-and-dones the choice is clear.
no sale [Campredon]
Fun with flops. Basketball refereeing continues to improve. The combination of the restricted circle and verticality made straight-up no-foul contests the best option at the rim, erasing Duke under-the-basket charges and encouraging players to actually go up instead of standing with their arms behind their back like soccer players in a free-kick wall.
This year there is a clear emphasis on not calling garbage flops:
The whistle after this was probably a flop warning issued to Wisconsin—the announce team, stuck at home, didn't get a clear shot of a ref making the GET UP FLOPPER motion and never mentioned the mysterious interruption. This is far from an outlier. Most Big Ten games feature an attempt to draw a floppy charge that either gets called a block or induces the warning.
The flop penalty is so light (first a warning, afterwards one-shot, no-personal class B techs) that it functions mostly as a public shaming device. Thus the motion refs use to call it. But it seems to be working. Brad Davison only tried it once, and was openly frustrated when his attempt was ignored:
The game of basketball does not improve if that's anywhere near a call. It is excellent that the rate of OH CUMONG charge calls has plummeted this year.
Bench mobbery. This is more appropriate for a massive comeback but it's good to know that the bench has this club in their bag should that situation ever arise:
Things seem to be going pretty good pic.twitter.com/M4YgOqQ3HU
— Due# (@JDue51) January 13, 2021
Wisconsin takes! I have perused a couple message boards.
It's to Davison's credit that he did not do this. I believe he is a reformed character, and look forward to him whanging Tom Izzo in the pingle-pangles.
January 13th, 2021 at 12:56 PM ^
"Full Carlton" I laughed so hard when I read that.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
That was funny, side note: Bel Air Academy can't afford glass backboards? That gym looks like Scarlett Junior High in A2.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:22 PM ^
Also, he is simultaneously at half court and the three point line.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:34 PM ^
And it's not very Bel Air to have a "KILL WITH WILL" banner on the wall.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:04 PM ^
My high school gym was like that. It wasn't regulation length. We had to play our home games at a nearby school and rent their gym.
(Our coach tried to compensate for our undersized court by having us run all the time. Practice sucked.)
January 13th, 2021 at 3:03 PM ^
My old junior high gym had wood backboards painted white and a slippery tile floor.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:30 PM ^
They probably should have went to an actual gym to film that.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:49 PM ^
Sitcoms have a tradition filming basketball scenes in gyms the size of a walk-in closet.
Steve Urkel did the same...
January 13th, 2021 at 2:40 PM ^
Old school camera movement like that...
You needed a dolly on rail... Add the light, add the staff, and
it is Probably taking 2/3 of the court at least
January 13th, 2021 at 1:39 PM ^
What a great reference! Former Road Runner here. Scarlett basketball was no joke. Our team had the other middle schools looking like Wisconsin out there all 3 years I was around.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:06 PM ^
The highlights of Emoni Bates in the AAPS middle school gyms are still one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
Gotta love those cheap soundstage sets...
January 13th, 2021 at 3:57 PM ^
Bel Air Academy can't afford glass backboards?
You have to remember that pre-Will Smith, their basketball program was terrible and Carlton was one of the starters on the current team. Sure, they could've had a college-level court, but why bother when they can barely hit the rim and get more than 3 spectators?
/confusingfictionwithreality
January 13th, 2021 at 4:55 PM ^
Aging myself, 80s/early 90s most middle schools did not have glass backboards
January 13th, 2021 at 2:02 PM ^
HAHA, I didn't get the reference. Thank you for posting. Perfect.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:36 PM ^
Going "Full Carlton?" It's not unusual.
January 13th, 2021 at 12:56 PM ^
I was hoping for a wider margin than the predicted 2 points, so I wouldn't get nervous as I watched.
Thank you to the team for winning by more than 2 points. I appreciate your consideration for my state of mind.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:05 PM ^
After they hit like three threes in a row to go from down 40 to down 31, I did the math in my head and was like, ok, 8 min left, Michigan could literally run the clock out every possession without shooting again and still win. We're good here. That's a comfortable win.
January 13th, 2021 at 12:56 PM ^
Michigan, Wisconsin'd Wisconsin. Except it was pretty to watch and not vomit-inducing.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:18 PM ^
Nah, to "Wisconsin" someone is to win a close game featuring some manner of dodgy bullcrap (a last-second 3 banks in, there is a clear uncalled foul on the last shot, a player is hit in sensitive part of the body...)
We Michiganed them - made it clear in no uncertain terms that they needed to GTFO our court.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:37 PM ^
I meant more the physical style of play all-around. Wisconsin has always played that borderline chippy brand of basketball and I fully expected their 25 year-olds to use that to their advantage. Instead, they looked like children against men and had no idea what hit them. Michigan was the aggressor and bulldozed Wisconsin with their physicality on defense AND offense(Did you see that pick Dickenson set on Trice? OUCH!).
January 13th, 2021 at 2:57 PM ^
all due respect, they've never been 'borderline' about it. i seem to recall a "wisconsin kills good basketball" tag on here at some point.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:39 PM ^
Exactly. Winning by that lopsided of a score cannot be "Wisconsin-ing" someone. It's a last second win with insane fluky variables and BS officiating.
Notre Dame football did that for decades before Wisconsin did it in basketball.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:13 PM ^
Fucking Lake Dawson.
January 13th, 2021 at 3:35 PM ^
Don't forget that to Wisconsin some is to also play a snail paced 60 possession game in the 50s or 60s with some manner of dodgy bullcrap.
January 13th, 2021 at 3:29 PM ^
I wonder if, for flop recognition training purposes, refs simply review Brad Davison highlight clips from the past several years.
January 13th, 2021 at 12:59 PM ^
CPR is good.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:06 PM ^
Livers, then Smith were "able to avoid getting bodied under the rim and forced tough shots. Low man wins?"
Brian, everyone knows that low pad level is crucial.
January 13th, 2021 at 3:59 PM ^
I'm not sure everyone in the adjacent stadium knows that...
January 13th, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
Agree with the concerns surrounding the bigs and their open 3s. There were a few that were considerably concerning early on but after they kept missing them, the more they took to try and stop the bleeding the better. Long-run, when they play Wisconsin again at Wisconsin, have to assume those shots will fall a bit more and have to combat them.
Only real concern at this point looking forward is Covid and complacency. Last year (a very different team) did hit a rough skid that took a bit to pull out of, though this team looks better built to avoid those long skids. With Dickinson down low against most of the Big Ten, the offense will continue to have a safety valve if Livers goes cold (he has a few times this year and it didn't matter) or their sets start to stall a bit. Complacency doesn't look like a concern because they go 100mph when they're up 30. Tight game down the stretch against a good team on the road is the final "test" to pass.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:12 PM ^
A big reason for the midseason slump last year was that Livers got hurt, then reinjured himself in his first game back.
January 13th, 2021 at 3:46 PM ^
Yes, injury is the biggest concern. Covid is shorter term and games can be rescheduled. An injury to Franz or Dickinson would be... not good Bob.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:12 PM ^
I too enjoyed this game. How many of UWs 3s, not even made threes, were before garbage time? I'm glad they aren't rewarding those flops as much now. And that Davidson one, his heel was on the line anyway even if it would have been a legit charge attempt
January 13th, 2021 at 1:13 PM ^
I agree with Brian that Wisconsin had several really good looks, especially in the first half, that did not go down. If they hit those in the rematch at their place it could be the tight game everyone was expecting last night. In the meantime we will keep their testicles in a brown paper bag and chilled in our refrigerator.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
While there were some good looks I noticed a number of the "open" looks were from a few feet beyond the three point line so while open, they were a higher level of difficulty. I am guessing this is because Wisconsins players were fearful of getting their pockets picked if they got too close to any of our horde of maniacal defenders.
January 13th, 2021 at 5:53 PM ^
I think Juwan was forcing Wisconsin bigs to beat them on the perimeter and he would live with them shooting as opposed to other Wisconsin players and it worked. Otherwise, Hunter and Davis would get exposed on the perimeter.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:13 PM ^
I spent the second half of this game sipping whiskey and giggling while texting the most insane laughter gifs I could find to my dad and brother. It was a good evening.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:18 PM ^
Definitely doesn’t seem real. Please for the love of God sweep MSU.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:19 PM ^
I've Carlton'd before. But that was in Middle School.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:26 PM ^
"Too much experience with psychedelic mushrooms." This is impossible.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:32 PM ^
Michigan hadn't beaten a top-ten opponent this badly since 1987.
Nitpick, but the caveat is "top-ten B1G opponent"
January 13th, 2021 at 1:33 PM ^
Watching the Wisconsin bench on that flop by Davison showed, at least to me, a team that is as sick of that shit as opponents are. Like, I'm sure they'd be happy if he got a foul call because basketball is a mercenary sport, but I'd imagine watching this nut-punching pest not getting to grit his way to a cheap call isn't that bad for those players who actually enjoy playing the sport.
January 13th, 2021 at 3:00 PM ^
i noticed that, too - a few years ago, they would've lost their collective cheese-curdled minds, and bo ryan would have barfed up one of his kidneys. this time they were...not that.
January 13th, 2021 at 5:09 PM ^
I suspect the Badger version of MGoBlog is going nuts that no nut-punching proves their team is soft, that their players doesn't WANT IT ENOUGH, DAMMIT!
January 13th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
Another thing to note with the defensive possession at the end of the first half, in the first sequence, Mike Smith is initially guarding the big man, but him and Franz, who's man is out at the 3 point line on the far side, immediately switch. That type of communication is a big key to their amazing defense.
January 13th, 2021 at 1:49 PM ^
Brian the rate of terrible charges has not gone down at all this year. Just thankfully Michigan has avoided them so far, but across CBB it's an epidemic.
January 13th, 2021 at 2:22 PM ^
I agree completely with you and disagree with Brian. It is recentcy bias after surviving Wisconsin unscathed. After trending in the right direction for a couple of years it has gotten worse this season.
I do think that Michigan has gotten a favorable whistle this year as most games are free flowing and not stopped by a bunch of cheap fouls with stars on the bench. But watching other games that hasn't been the case. Too many bad calls still remain.
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