Michigan 83, Maryland 64
With seconds dwindling in an easy Michigan win over Maryland, Jace Howard hoisted a three from way downtown. He nailed it. The Crisler Center crowd went wild and it cemented what the night was like for the Wolverines. The Wolverines got a much needed boost from Hunter Dickinson returning to the lineup, and like he normally does against the Maryland Terrapins, Dickinson feasted. Everything went right tonight, and it was a much, much needed victory, snapping a three-game Michigan losing streak.
The Maize & Blue found the lone team in the B1G who might be having a worse season relative to expectations, and they didn't waste that opportunity. Against the Danny Manning-led Terps, it was a blowout from the beginning to the end, wire-to-wire domination. It all started with Dickinson, who showcased the diverse skillset that he has developed. The Maryland-native hung 21 on his home-state team on 10/14 from the field. He hit a three-pointer off the dribble, he dished out six assists, and gobbled up six rebounds. Meanwhile, Maryland center Qudus Wahab mustered just four points in thirteen minutes. This was a reminder of how much Michigan missed the 7'1" big man during his COVID pause.
Michigan led 11-4, then 20-9, and the tone was set for the rest of the night. The Wolverines' defense was dominant for wide stretches of the game, asserting itself in style. The Terps went over four minutes in the first half stuck at 14 points, and scored just 19 total in the first 20 minutes. There was another, nearly three minute stretch where Maryland went scoreless, spinning its tires but unable to find little traction against the Michigan defense, which looked much sharper and well-coached. Offense opened up a bit more in the second half for Maryland, once the game was out of question, but when the margin was tight, Michigan was strong on its own end.
FRANKIE! FRANKIE! FRANKIE! [Campredon]
Though Dickinson dominated the day on offense, two freshman were the storylines. Caleb Houstan finally snapped out of his funk, going 6/7 from the field and 3/4 from three. It's hard to understate how big that is for the team. An improved Houstan is nearly a prerequisite if Michigan is to reverse its season and make the tournament, given the dearth of other quality wings on the roster. Not just was Houstan sharper shooting the ball, but he looked more engaged defensively too, a sign that his mind may have been reset to some extent. Seeing whether that continues forward is a huge storyline to pay attention to.
The other freshman development was Juwan Howard's use of a Frankie Collins-Kobe Bufkin backcourt very early in the contest. Howard let the younger kids get a run, and it was Collins who wowed the home crowd. He started it off with an electric-coast-to-coast layup and then punctuated his appearance with a leaping finish on a very difficult lob, which was simply jawdropping. Collins also had a pair of nice assists and looked comfortable running the point, though his shooting woes from the perimeter were still there. Still, it was a good sign to build on.
Also a solid night from the other PG [Campredon]
The other half of that tandem, Kobe Bufkin, was not memorable. He was held scoreless in seventeen minutes of play, with one three being way off the mark. Perhaps it's an "ask again later" about him. Though Collins won the heart of Michigan Twitter, the other PG, DeVante' Jones, had a nice night as well, 12 points, including two three-pointers, and one of his patented floaters. Moussa Diabate had 14 points and six rebounds, but the wildness and foul trouble (he committed four fouls) were still there. Beyond that, Eli Brooks had a quiet seven points, Jace Howard had a career-high five points, and Jaron Faulds made another appearance with Brandon Johns Jr. still out, hitting one shot.
Michigan is back up over .500 at 8-7 and 2-3 in the Big Ten, with several games still needing to be made up. The next contest is on Sunday at 3:30 PM in another important matchup, as the Wolverines head to Bloomington to face Indiana. Another winnable game for a team that needs all the wins it can get. That game is slated to be on CBS.
[Click the JUMP for the box score]
January 18th, 2022 at 9:57 PM ^
The effort was there tonight just like vs Illinois. UM has put together half seasons that are epic before, why not? If Wisconsin can go 14-2 why not us?
+6500 to win it all. Might have to throw down a 10 spot.
January 18th, 2022 at 10:00 PM ^
Moussa Diabate had 14 points and six rebounds, but the wildness and foul trouble (he committed four fouls*)
*three fouls plus one Bo Boroski patented what the fuck were you watching
January 18th, 2022 at 10:05 PM ^
There is a chance that playing Illinois close for most of the game while being shorthanded gave this team confidence. The energy they played then and tonight has been missing almost the whole year. These next few games will tell.
January 18th, 2022 at 10:49 PM ^
When you play hard, especially on defense, good things happen.
January 18th, 2022 at 11:10 PM ^
Just really not true, but okay. . . Go back and watch. They've been down a couple of players, and several of their freshmen lost confidence. Most coaches will tell you that when their teams lose it's not usually because they lack energy or don't play hard. They may, more simply, lack talent, or be less coordinated as teams. Message boards are, no doubt, the place where cliches go to die, but this one wants challenging. Very, very few kids don't want to win.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:30 AM ^
They've been down a couple of players, and several of their freshmen lost confidence.
Isn't that the perfect example of a "legitimate" situation of low confidence and energy??
January 19th, 2022 at 12:46 PM ^
I'm objecting to the idea that they haven't been playing hard. That's not the problem.
EDIT: Okay, I can see how my comment comes across as more combative than I meant. Cheers.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:31 AM ^
Yeah, but it's a simple maxim; if you don't want to win, you're not going to. And in plenty of Michigan's games this year, they looked sluggish and lost. Look at the body language in the Arizona/UNC/Minnesota games compared to last night and the Illinois game. There is a noticeable difference. I think it's fair to say that you have to play with some level of focus and effort or you will not win. And over the course of 30+ games in a season, it's hard for an entire team to be razor-sharp in every one. But, Michigan was flat in those L's this year and they can save their season if they bring this renewed energy into every game going forward.
January 19th, 2022 at 3:24 PM ^
Yeah, but the body language is the result of getting blown out of the gym and having no answers.
It wasn't the cause, per se.
Although sleeping in a Las Vegas casino hotel for about four or five nights will wear on you as will traveling to North Carolina so that saps some energy.
The home game against Minnesota was a bit demoralizing because basically everything they shot went in but the team fought hard and battled back into it.
January 18th, 2022 at 10:10 PM ^
I say play Diabate and Collins a lot from here on out. This season isn't going to amount to much anyway -- but the energy they bring to the court more than makes up for their mental mistakes, and I'd love to have them fully experienced and ready to go next fall.
January 18th, 2022 at 11:58 PM ^
Frankie is an exciting athlete but he's a long way from being playable a lot. He can't shoot, which is an absolute killer for a team that already struggles to shoot and needs to help Dickinson out as much as possible by keeping defenders honest.
And man, he's shooting 38% on FTs!! Not even a small number of them either.
Playing more minutes this year isn't going to help his shot. He needs to be shooting thousands and thousands of shots whenever he can and even then he just might not have "it" as a shooter. He'll get ready for next year (learning how to play defense, etc) in practice.
But he is a nice energy guy coming off the bench for 10-15 min in the right matchups.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:04 AM ^
I disagree on Frankie, I say he needs the minutes. Yes, his shot isn’t good but he is a good defender, he drives and dishes and brings energy. He rebounds well for his size and pushes the ball up court. The shot will take a few years but him and Kobe add a dimension that others on the team don’t have and that is speed. They are good enough to play now and it’ll help for next year as well.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:19 PM ^
Well, good thing Juwan isn't going to do what you say. Speed in basketball isn't nearly as important as being able to make shots. Frankie is good enough to be the backup PG for 10-15 min a game now and as he improves and earns more time, he'll get it. Or perhaps if Michigan is completely out of the postseason he'll get more minutes but Juwan isn't going to give up yet.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:05 AM ^
All the freshman need to play more. The chances of this team making the NCAA’s are slim to none so I would start working on next years team.
I know we are long way from 2023, but next years roster looks like it will have a lot of the same flaws and roster construction issues as this years team.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:30 AM ^
Interesting prediction buried in your post. Mark it down and see how it looks at the season’s end and in 2022-3 season as well. The great thing about freshman is they become sophomores. Sure looks like they’ll all be back, doesn’t it??
January 19th, 2022 at 6:46 PM ^
I think it's impossible to say anything about how rosters are constructed in the age of the transfer portal and also Michigan has some freshmen with decisions to make.
But there's a good chance that this already young and inexperienced team loses every starter.
I think Frankie has tantalizing talent and Bufkin could be an absolute star but that leaves Michigan with gaping holes still on the wing and inside. I could see Johns getting a fifth year, but Michigan is going to need a transfer big or two.
Jett Howard could come in and be a difference maker right away on the wing. Terence Williams will provide depth or a decent floor. Barnes might be a factor.
But after having a glut of bigs this year, Michigan is going to have a dearth if Diabate, Johns and Dickinson are all gone.
January 18th, 2022 at 10:14 PM ^
Winning is, like, so much better than losing.
January 18th, 2022 at 10:15 PM ^
Maryland is god awful.
January 18th, 2022 at 10:25 PM ^
A fine effort! Collins looks to be the future at point guard. I love the aggression and ability in going to the basket. Dickinson is still one of the best in the country. Diabate is hard to stop near the basket, and decent on defense. Bufkin just looks like a basketball player to me -- tall, athletic, smooth moves. Brooks is better than ever this year. Jones and Houstan seem like good team players, as is Johns. Lots more talent in the wings with Jace, Terrance, Zeb (?), and more.
January 18th, 2022 at 10:56 PM ^
I think Johns being out has helped us. Looking at unwilling, scared, or just not good shooters on our roster and its stacking up. Johns should be out there lighting it up. If I was Juwan I would tell him on offense, if you arent the center, you better be shooting from beyond 3. We need him to wake up.
January 19th, 2022 at 11:33 AM ^
Except his absence means more minutes for Williams and all he does is run up and down the court.
January 18th, 2022 at 10:54 PM ^
1. Yay box score is back
2. First win in a month! (Dec. 18 Southern Utah)
3. I believe with the win we avoided having a losing record for the first time since... 2014-15?
January 18th, 2022 at 11:03 PM ^
This game was, more or less, the type of performance we all expected to see frequently this year. Time will tell if Michigan has turned a corner or if Maryland is simply that bad.
Continuing Michigan's unprecedented run of success against Indiana on Sunday would be a welcome sight indeed. Michigan's 8-game winning streak against the Hoosiers -- including three in a row at Assembly Hall -- is the longest they've ever had.
Michigan has 3 wins at Indiana in the last five years.
They had 2 wins at Indiana in the 27 previous years (2-23!).
January 19th, 2022 at 12:05 AM ^
Maryland is that bad. So grains of salt aplenty. But winning is better than losing and winning by 19 is better than winning by two. Good to see most of the team back from illness. Good to see Houstan shoot well (although we've seen this against bad teams before, only to bomb again).
I think the most encouraging thing of the day was that Juwan was willing to play Bufkin nearly half the game. He seemed to have been in the doghouse and has apparently gotten out of it. His ceiling is sky high so the sooner he moves up the curve, the better. If the team is going to do anything this year, I suspect it will be because he breaks out.
January 18th, 2022 at 11:05 PM ^
it was Maryland, but this was a must win game for Michigan. Have to at least win your remaining home games now...
Houstan finally played like everyone was hoping he would and it was nice to see FC making things happen with the ball...
more a sigh of relief than elation, but better to build off of a win rather than a loss.
January 18th, 2022 at 11:31 PM ^
The good....
- Hunter has been dominant since his no show against UNC. Love it....need it.
- Houstan hitting shots and being assertive changes everything. Suddenly the pieces fit.
- Jones, aside from his no show at Rutgers, has been really good lately.
- Collins being aggressive on offense and a pest on defense is a great change of pace for about 15min. Reminds me of freshman X.
- Diabate finally played some defense and grabbed OREB...things he has to do if we play two bigs.
- Jace is the new fan favorite.
The bad....
- Maryland might have packed it in for the year and gone the full Nebraska. They are so much worse than their parts.
- The second half defense was bad. We can't seem to play a complete game on that end of the court. It was hidden by the margin, but Maryland scored at will after the break.
- Maybe the longer Fiba line is a bigger adjustment than we think? Frankie's shot is one of the worst I have ever seen, Kobe's is becoming a concern, and Houstan has struggled all year. Let's hope they fix it in the offseason.
- Williams continues to be invisible. As the glue/hustle guy he doesn't need to score....but he needs to do something. Pretty soon he's going to have to look over his shoulder at Jace!
- We still haven't figured out how to get Eli shots. Run him off more screens away from the ball.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:12 AM ^
Agree about the second half defense.
Michigan has had its four worst defensive performances of the season in the past six games (per Torviks adjusted defensive efficiency). Tonight was its fourth worst overall despite only allowing 19 points in the first half. That gets lost a bit, like you said, because it was the best offensive performance of the season but this team doesn't seem to be getting better on defense.
Two short guards, two freshmen who make a lot of mistakes and Dickinson spells rough going on defense. Things would need to click for the freshmen to turn the defense around some (cuz Eli and Devante aren't going to grow and Hunter isn't going to get more athletic).
January 18th, 2022 at 11:40 PM ^
Not sure I’d go so far as to call the game at IU winnable. Unless all future games are described as winnable, which hypothetically they are. IU is a better team than we are right now.
January 18th, 2022 at 11:47 PM ^
Not really.
They have played a much easier schedule which is skewing your view of them.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:02 AM ^
We shall see.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:04 AM ^
The mulligans are gone. Have to win this one.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:16 AM ^
It's not like it's at Illinois or at Purdue which...weren't/aren't winnable.
To put it in perspective, we'll be about 6 points dogs at IU which implies about a 30% chance of winning. Certainly would call that winnable.
We'll be about 12 point dogs at Purdue which is about a 15% chance. That's like miracle range.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:11 AM ^
Honestly I wasn’t down on Kobe’s performance. I love his intensity and ability to get his hands on the ball on defense and he has a knack for moving without the ball. He’s also aggressive on offense without being reckless.
I thought his process was good and there’s a lot of skill there.
The theme with all the freshman I think is that they are a year away. In the one and done era people forget but a lot of really good recruits need a year. Even Franz didn’t really blow up until sophomore year.
Other thoughts:
- Devante has picked up his play and his willingness to pull up from 3 (and solid accuracy) has helped. He’s a bit miscast as a PG, and his chemistry with Moussa in PnR is lacking (though I think a lot of that is on Moussa). Seems like they don’t have the timing down. But Jones is fast in a straight line and has the strength to finish at the rim, and that makes him still our best option even with his limitations as a creator and passer.
But man Frankie just looks so smooth with the ball in his hands. The speed, strength, vertical ability is special. He’s also a pretty high IQ player (both him and Kobe are). His mistakes are usually getting greedy or adjusting to college defenses but generally the right kind of thinking. Again, he’s a head away. That shot needs a lot of work though.
- This was a terrific game for Houstan. He was great playing off Hunter and I think setting him up with curls and actions to get him toward the rim are the best way to get him going. Once he gets some confidence you play off that with the 3. He has limitations but he’s got nice touch and length at the rim and he knows how to use the threat of Dickinson. Defense was also much better than it’s been in the past
- Dickinson is the team’s best player (hot take, I know). That baby jumper is becoming almost automatic and when he’s playing with better threats off ball he’s really tough to defend.
- Ultimately, Maryland is a mess and they are far from the best defense we’ll see. But some things were sustainable. Collins finishing with more confidence, Jones being a tougher cover in pick and roll when you can’t go under, Dickinson coming back, Houstan seeming less lost on both ends. And the defensive intensity in the first half (as well as an improved ability to cause deflections/turnovers) was missing. This team still has a chance to fight to a middle of the big ten finish and an at large bid. But more than that, just carrying over the chemistry and comfort each day and getting a little bit better…that’s what you’re looking for.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:22 AM ^
I agree, almost entirely on Bufkin and I was really glad to see Juwan trust him enough to play him so much.
I do think he's sometimes a little reckless, like on the charge against Illinois. Hasn't quite adjusted to what college defenses are capable of doing but that'll come.
Overall though, insanely high ceiling for that guy.
January 19th, 2022 at 7:45 AM ^
HD is not a “Maryland native.” He’s from Alexandria VA. Though, he did attend and play ball at DeMatha HS in Maryland.
He perceives that the turtles slighted him in recruiting. Not sure if that is factually correct but it sure has lit a fire under him in the games vs Md.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:09 AM ^
Frankie is like we merged the body, game and athleticism of Trey Burke and Zavier Simpson together.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:51 AM ^
Not sure I get that. Frankie's vertical leap alone might be as much as the other two put together. (Exaggeration, but ...) Trey was highly skilled but I never thought to myself "next-level athlete." Simpson was a great defender and I loved the hooks but, again, I didn't see elite athleticism there.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:25 PM ^
Huh? He's far more athletic than either Simpson or Burke. But he's an even worse shooter than Simpson. So basically not much like either one, ha. He pretty much has no Trey Burke in him (who was a meh athlete but a great shooter and skilled PG).
January 19th, 2022 at 9:33 AM ^
Hilarious sequence where, I think with the shot clock running down, Frankie threw a shot over the backboard. The announcers then went off on how he had hit the shot clock. Later, right before intermission, when someone else did the same thing, one of them said something like, "Wow, not often you see a team hit the shot clock TWICE in one half, and still lead by 20!"
January 19th, 2022 at 9:37 AM ^
Regarding Houstan, Hummel commented that he really liked the way that Juwan was using him at the 4, and said that if he can guard the 4, that makes him so much better on offense as well. This is dead on! (Although I've never really understood why a guy can't play one position, say, the 3, on offense, and guard another guy, say, the 4, on defense...in this case I would consider having Moussa guard the 3 but play the 4 when we have the ball, and Houstan, vice versa)
January 19th, 2022 at 10:20 AM ^
I was aggressively told I didn't know anything about basketball when I suggested Caleb would be better at the 4, so they should probably fire Hummel.
January 19th, 2022 at 1:06 PM ^
The point of playing him at the four on offense is that it enables Michigan to get more shooters on the court and spread things out for Hunter.
It also matches Houstan up with a potentially slower defender that might not be able to come out and guard him on the perimeter as tightly. Which makes it easier on Houstan. That's probably what Hummel is talking about. But Michigan doesn't dictate who guards whom. So if two bigs are also out there, then the opposition will still put their wingish guy on Houstan and their Bigish guy on Diabate (Hummel may also be suggesting that Houstan wouldn't have to work as hard guarding a four, but I think that's dependent on the matchup and probably not a big impact anyway).
It's also difficult to guard a guy that's not guarding you. When you're on offense, he's guarding you so it's a lot easier when the shot goes up and he boxes you out for you to just stay with him. If you're switching, you might have to go all the way to the other side of the court to pick him out and you're more vulnerable in transition.
Houstan is just better suited to straight up playing the four some, especially if the other team is playing small ball. Makes for better matchups for him and gets overall much better shooting on the floor for M. The only problem is that Michigan doesn't have another wing on the entire roster. Bufkin could emerge as a third guard option but then you're really pretty small 1-4. I still like it for some matchups but the lack of wings is killing Michigan.
January 19th, 2022 at 1:48 PM ^
The fact that we don't have any other 3s does throw a wrench into that plan.
January 19th, 2022 at 11:38 AM ^
I will say, it was a fun game to watch and see the team play with some life. A team that is defense-first can probably succeed this year especially if they can get anything consistently from Houstan offensively. Dickinson looked engaged as well, and his passing remains some of the best in the conference. The defense was great in the first half but faltered a bit in the second; hopefully that was a by-product of the big lead. And the drop in TOs is a positive sign.
IU will be a challenge; UM is still on the outskirts of a bid but a road win against top 30 KenPom team is a good start to getting back on the right side of the bubble.
January 19th, 2022 at 1:25 PM ^
This team is the opposite of defense first. The defense has fallen off a cliff and that's the issue.
Last year the defense was 4th in the country in adjusted efficiency, this year it's 57th (!!!) per kenpom.
In contrast, the offense has only taken a modest step back from 9th to 24th. That's better than the 2018 Mo Wagner-led offense that was not great but good enough to get the title game (with the #3 defense).
This is a pretty bad defensive team. Michigan lost elite defenders in Brown, Wagner and Livers and are left with two short guards, two freshmen that don't really know what they're doing yet, and Hunter who is a minus athlete so he can't switch and can't protect the rim which all spells bad defense.
January 19th, 2022 at 1:11 PM ^
What was the crowd like last night? Many empty seats?
January 19th, 2022 at 2:48 PM ^
Love seeing the freshman heating up and looking more comfortable!
*one article note, looks like you meant to say that it’s hard to ‘overstate’ and not ‘understate’ 〽️
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