Ohio State 76, Michigan 66 Comment Count

Ace

Michigan lost to Ohio State in basketball tonight. ESPN said so. It must be true.

ESPN, forgetting that cameras, unlike humans, are equipped with a zoom function, decided to show us the entire game from the floor. It's an understatement to say the experiment failed. I'm mostly incapable of telling you what went on. If you attended the game, feel free to help us out in the comments.

Ohio State was able to get inside on Michigan. That much I can tell you because the Buckeyes were obscured by other players, not the officials. The box score tells me they had 38 points in the paint. JaeSean Tate led the way with 13 points and made 6/8 two-pointers; center Trevor Thompson, not normally a major factor on offense, had 12 on 6/7 FGs.

Michigan had a difficult time doing the same. I know this because the Wolverines were obscured by the officials, not other players. Unless, of course, they were on the far side of the court, and then they were obscured by everyone. The box score tells me they were 5/24 on three-pointers. Zak Irvin, Duncan Robinson, and Derrick Walton were a combined 4/18 from beyond the arc. The only consistent performer on offense was Mark Donnal (17 points, 6/10 FG, 5/7 FT, 7 REB), who still relied on the rare successful foray to the hoop by a Wolverine to attain most of his points. 

What not even ESPN's Worst Idea Since Jason Whitlock could obscure was how much better Ohio State's offense functioned than Michigan's, and also how poor the Wolverines performed on defense. When the Buckeyes weren't bulling their way into the paint, they were breaking open off curl-cuts for easy jumpers. Michigan never got in a rhythm, couldn't get all the way to the basket, and didn't find ways to get their shooters open.

Michigan missed their best chance to pull an upset and all but secure an NCAA Tournament bid. They'll get another shot on Sunday at Maryland. Even from butt-level, it's apparent the Wolverines will have to raise their level of play substantially this weekend.

Comments

Maize and Blue…

February 17th, 2016 at 7:25 AM ^

Despite that ugly win against Purdue. That was a pathetic display of basketball against a team that isn't very good. Not to mention it was OSU. Halftime adjustments were none existent unless the plan was to let the Buckeyes score easier than in the first half.
Recruiting has been bad and next year we will have Donnal, Wilson, Doyle. Teske, and Davis all on scholarships for the 5. Do we really need almost half our scholarships dedicated to a position that is an afterthought in Coach B's system?

mgobaran

February 17th, 2016 at 9:05 AM ^

They removed Donnal's RS which using means a guy is going to transfer. If he isn't now because he is our best big and wants to be here, then his 4 years will be up when Teske and Davis come off a RS. Wilson shoots threes halfway decent and can end up playing the 4 if need be.

Also everyone complains that Beilein doesn't recruit bigs well. Now you are complaining that he is trying to stack his deck with them?

Also also, you forgot Mo Weezy.

Michigan4Harbaugh

February 16th, 2016 at 9:13 PM ^

The camera angle was shit, we shot like shit, we rebounded like shit, we played defense like shit, we inbounded the ball like shit (as usual), we hustled like shit. To sum it up, the entire spectacle was shit. Frustrating.

APGOBLUE

February 16th, 2016 at 9:14 PM ^

but we need a coach that isn't mediocre. I've wrestled with it and when he's good he's good, but it's gotta be perfect for him to to be good all pieces must be in place. I'd rather have a good BIG TIME coach for Michigan. he's gotta go. Team has no emotion, no chemistry, no heart, no leaders. this sucks.

991GT3

February 17th, 2016 at 12:56 AM ^

he has nothing now and nothing next year. The BB program is on a downward path and its future looks worse.

The question is do we keep Beilein because of his limited past success? If so, we are accepting mediocrity because he is a good and decent man just like Brady Hoke.

Tuebor

February 17th, 2016 at 9:32 AM ^

I think we keep him one more year because of injuries to critical players this year and last year.  Next year is when his seat will start really heating up if he can't get the team to produce.  I have a lot of respect for Beilein so it pains me to say that.

Archibald Meatpants

February 17th, 2016 at 11:30 AM ^

Just wanted to revisit those names.  Love them, but all stars they will never be.  Trey's shot against Kansas, GR3's put in to save the Purdue game, Stauskis blowing kisses to MSU fans as he ran off the court & Mitch just being Mitch.  All great memories, but they have all struggled badly since jumping to the NBA.  Give Beilein some credit for getting the most out of each of them.  He made those guys millionaires. 

Stringer Bell

February 16th, 2016 at 9:14 PM ^

At least I wasn't able to really see that loss.  But this was one of the worst defensive efforts of the season, which is really saying something.  They've been pretty bad at shooting for a while now and they seem to be hit or miss when it comes to actually playing with effort.  Still think we have to win 2 more to feel comfortable on selection sunday.

ijohnb

February 17th, 2016 at 5:02 AM ^

can see how intently you watch Michigan basketball from your posts. So let me pose this to you - How could this possibly be a game where the effort was a "miss.". Part of coaching is having a team ready to play mentally. The Purdue game had the potential to be a season making win and really kick start this team. I am 100% baffled by how the team played last night and I just don't know how that happens. The play was terrible, the rotations were terrible, the effort was nonexistent. I do not understand this team or its coaches.

In reply to by ijohnb

Stringer Bell

February 17th, 2016 at 6:25 AM ^

I think this team is just mentally soft.  They're incapable of going into a hostile road environment and pulling out a win.  That's why any road game against a decent opponent (and that's being very generous to tOSU) has been a double digit loss.  Now, whose fault that is I leave to you to decide.  Me, I believe that a team takes on the identity of its coach.  We all saw how different of a mentality the football team had with Harbaugh in charge compared to Hoke.  In the past, we had guys who stepped their games up and led by example in hostile road environments i.e. Burke and Stauskas.  This team doesn't have that, and the 2 guys capable of doing that are injured.  But when this team doesn't have that leader, they turn to the coach for guidance.  And Beilein has not been able to instill that toughness within this team to go into a big road game unfazed and ready to play.

ijohnb

February 17th, 2016 at 6:34 AM ^

need one guy on the floor who essentially says this team is going to "ride or die" with me. After Minnesota, I thought that guy was Walton and then he missed 146 consecutive shots since then. When the fall begins it just feels like there is nobody there to catch them. (It has actually pretty much felt that way even with a healthy Levert when that rare situation has presented itself in the last two seasons).

In reply to by ijohnb

Stringer Bell

February 17th, 2016 at 6:57 AM ^

I agree.  If anybody can become that guy I think it's Irvin.  He's the only guy who's shown up against the good teams relatively consistently.  It's clear that Beilein's teams have a fairly low ceiling when they don't have that alpha dog, the guy like Burke or Stauskas who can take over a game and create the offense almost single handedly.  Hell, even a guy like Novak would make a huge difference on this team.  Oh well, it is what it is.

Fenrir the Righteous

February 17th, 2016 at 9:04 AM ^

Every college team needs that guy with the edge to step up; one of my favorite parts of the sport is that the drive of an individual can shape a season. Thus, I think the problem is more about recruiting than scheme. Dakich et al. were pumping up Beilien at one point during the broadcast, and for the first time I felt that it was more out of pity than genuine admiration. 

ijohnb

February 17th, 2016 at 4:47 AM ^

anybody else kind of think they were having technical difficulties and did not have the primary camera available so they tried to spin it into an innovation?

In reply to by ijohnb

GoBlueCincy

February 17th, 2016 at 8:12 AM ^

My buddy at work, big Buckeye fan, sent me a paragraph from Bucknuts yesterday morning that said this was going to happen. Apparently ESPN gave them a heads up in the morning. It basically said they were going to use this camera angle "most of the game" to let people at home feel like they are sitting courtside.

Wasn't a technical issue at all. Just a bad idea from the beginning.

In reply to by ijohnb

jmblue

February 17th, 2016 at 9:01 AM ^

If that was their plan, it was crazy.  Viewers can forgive technical difficulties.  

The crew stressed all night that this was a deliberate thing, so they assumed responsibility for the fiasco it was.

 

 

ijohnb

February 17th, 2016 at 9:06 AM ^

guess I just thought that maybe they tried to spin something bad into something "new" in order to convince us that we were not having THE SINGLE WORST television viewing experience in history. But, alas, no it sounds like they did this horrible, horrible thing on purpose.

One Armed Bandit

February 16th, 2016 at 9:16 PM ^

Let us count the ways

1. Caris doesn't play for whatever reason.

2. The camera angle (discussed ad nauseum, but annoying nonetheless)

3. At one point, Dakich and that chick walk out onto the court right before the end of a timeout to discuss Michigan's lingo, thus delaying the game. You could see how fast she had to hurry off.

4. Once again, we have a one-dimensional basketball team that can't do the one thing that they're supposed to be good at with consistency..

UMForLife

February 16th, 2016 at 9:18 PM ^

ESPN should try this during March Madness.

Hope Michigan raises the level of play and gets a couple of wins. No way they are going to shoot that bad every game. I HOPE.

BornInAA

February 16th, 2016 at 9:19 PM ^

Lot of cold shooting again. It was a miracle Walton pulled us out against Purdue.

I counted 8 missed layups (that I could see) before I stopped counting. Can't anyone dunk?