Purdue 64, Michigan 51
I don't have much to say here, because nobody is going to want to read this.
Michigan went into halftime with an eight-point lead after Spike Albrecht drilled a contested three over AJ Hammons. A long two by Zak Irvin kept the lead at eight with 19:11 left in the second half.
The Wolverines would not hit a shot for the next 12:34. They'd finish with just three second-half field goals.
The big three of Zak Irvin, Caris LeVert, and Derrick Walton combined to hit just 6/31 shots. Irvin managed to miss all four of his layups, and he accounted for nearly half of M's total attempts at the rim. If not for Albrecht scoring 17 and Ricky Doyle going 3/3 from the field, this game somehow could've gone worse.
Aubrey Dawkins, the hero of the Illinois game, scored a basket for Purdue on an accidental tip-in. He did not score for Michigan.
A Big Ten road loss is not a death knell, of course. The fashion in which Michigan acquired it, however, is deeply troublesome. The Boilermakers crushed them in the paint, owned the glass, and on the rare occasion they gave up half-decent looks, the Wolverines rarely converted.
Whether it's inexperience, injuries, the lack of a viable big man, or—most likely—some combination of the three, there's something deeply wrong with this team. They're running out of time to figure it out.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:34 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:40 PM ^
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January 3rd, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^
The offense got some decent looks in the 2nd half but nothing went down.
When you got a team that is only good at outside shooting and the shooting goes cold (and there WILL be days where it does), you're screwed.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:51 PM ^
What's most puzzling to me has been how much worse the fast break offense has gotten as the season goes on.
January 3rd, 2015 at 6:39 PM ^
what might have been with Walton so obviously slowed. He was starting to be so confident driving last year, so clearly doesn't have that first step this year. . . and started so many fast breaks with his own rebounds. . . We looked better with him out against Illinois, sadly.
My hunch is we'll tend to be hotter at home and win a few, but often be stone cold on the road like today. All judgements about how good most of the frosh will ultimately be remain mostly conjecture, though.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:34 PM ^
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January 3rd, 2015 at 5:11 PM ^
I disagree -- the problem isn't lack of leadership, it's lack of leadership from your leaders if that makes sense. I think Spike does a great job of providing leadership and stepped up when called upon. The problem is that none of the big 3 are providing the leadership that we would expect and our freshmen class is no where near as ready as the previous two have been
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:40 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 9:22 PM ^
It's not lack of leadership, per se; sometimes your stars just have to play like stars. Michigan fans have certainly seen plenty of that in the past couple years. Just not so much lately.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:35 PM ^
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January 3rd, 2015 at 4:37 PM ^
For Beilein it seems to be his apparent lack of landing big recruits that was the lament.
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January 3rd, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^
Still so puzzling to me... considering the manifold success that the program has had over the previous three seasons, there's no obvious reason for us not landing more elite-level talent. My cynical suspicion is that most of the elite-level kids believe they're one and done and have no interest in the academic side of things, and they know that Beilein and his staff won't stand for that.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:49 PM ^
i don't think the talent in the state of michigan has been very good the past few years. it seemed to me that there were several 4* and 5* players just about every year in the 90s. not so much in the 2010s.
kentucky and ohio have a nabbed a couple the past few years, but outside of that, what studs have we missed out on? beilein has dipped into indiana to supplement this and has done a great job at winning some battles down there.
where are all of the stud detroit players? there used to be a constant pipeline.
January 3rd, 2015 at 6:28 PM ^
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January 3rd, 2015 at 6:42 PM ^
Vince Hunter, Monte Morris, Jaylen Reynolds, Chris Haas, EC Matthews, Paris Bass, etc
Not sure I agree
January 3rd, 2015 at 9:01 PM ^
the highest rated was a 4 star (reynolds PF- louisville 2014). he was offered by Mich. The only top 100 player in the state (using rivals).
Hunter (UTEP 2013 guard) that was probably his best offer. We got Walton/Stauskus
Morris 3/4 star (Iowa St 2013 PG) We got Walton
Bass (Detroit 2013 SF) probably his best offer. We got Irvin.
Hass (Bucknell) can't find a ranking for him. i mean, it's Bucknell.
Matthews (Rhode Island 2013 PG) he rec'd some good offers. We got Walton
I will add James Young (2013) who went to kentucky.
A few of these guys have performed above expectations. a couple borderline top 100. The state used to routinely put top 50 guys in the ncaa. it's been pretty weak the past few years.
January 3rd, 2015 at 9:14 PM ^
squarely on the head. The one-and-dones are going to college purely because they can't go to the NBA. No interest in a difficult class schedule. Certainly wouldn't have worried about exams as our players had to after playing in Brooklyn. This is the trough at the bottom of the wave. They'll be better by the end of the season. Probably not NCAA tourney good, but better.
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:08 PM ^
It's basketball. Sometimes the shots don't fall. It's one game. The loss of Nik Stauskas looks more and more devastating as time goes by. To use baseball slang, this team doesn't have a "stopper" yet. They can't really count on anyone to hit an open jumper when they need to stop a drought.
They will have a game where the shots start falling soon. They will suddenly start winning games again. They will look totally different. People will try to figure out what they are doing better. But the main reason will be that shots are finally going down instead of going "clang."
It will happen.
January 3rd, 2015 at 10:17 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 7:42 PM ^
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January 3rd, 2015 at 5:44 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:40 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:29 PM ^
Geez dude.
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:46 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:45 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 6:40 PM ^
Happy New Year!
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:43 PM ^
I don't remember Michigan being such a streaky team in the past. We've had a few games where the team has been Arctic cold when it comes to shooting. It's hard to win a game when your shooting percentage is in the teens.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:45 PM ^
I counted 10 missed layups before i stopped watching that garbage.. How many did we miss after the first 2 mins of the second half?
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:46 PM ^
No team will be good with only 1 guy who can get to the rim.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:49 PM ^
Twas disturbing to watch this game. Oh well, though, a down year was bound to happen with the massive turnover and on the bright side it is beginning to look like everyone will be returning next season except for Max.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:55 PM ^
Levert is stil in 1st round based on all the mocks I've seen. Doubt he drops.
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:07 PM ^
I doubt those things are as up to date as a time stamp would suggest. No one is playing good enough to be snatched up. Now the other side of the good news is that if 1 of 12 is wrong then it will be because guys start playing a lot better. That wouldn't be bad either.
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:33 PM ^
I was never as high as Brian was on him. Right now I think he comes back.
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:38 PM ^
Every mock I have read has mentioned how bad his supporting cast is.
He gone.
January 3rd, 2015 at 8:55 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:56 PM ^
Sorry, still looking for bright side. Levert, the only threat on the team of the dribble in half court set is likely gone.
Next year is not looking much better right now. Unless Duncan Robinson got a lot more athletic.
They need athletes on the wing and down low. Beilin is great coach. Will always be great coach. He has to step up his recruiting though. McGary is his only 5 star I believe?
We were so spoiled the last few years. Unfortunately 2016 looks like the next big year for M recruits.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:52 PM ^
But it's not looking good. Rebuilding years are bound to happen unless you are Duke. Even Kentucky missed the tourney a couple seasons ago.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:54 PM ^
What a grisly performance. This team is easy to defend--pressure them on the perimeter and challenge the 3s. Looking more and more like a lost season.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:54 PM ^
Chatman stat line-
0-0, 0 points, 4 fouls.
W.T.F.
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:58 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 4:59 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:03 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 6:15 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:00 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:11 PM ^
I never understood the Stauskas comparisons at all. Just because two players can both shoot threes doesn't make them similar players. Stauskas was an aggressive player with a high IQ, dangerous off the dribble and making passes. Irvin.... shoots. He has trouble getting to the basket against most defenses, and his ball skills are adequate at best. Nik carried us at times last year. Irvin is still a one-dimensional role player on a team that is counting on him to be a star. We'd love him on a team that had either a good low post threat or guys that were good at penetrating and kicking it out. Unfortunately, we're lacking in both departments this season.
The bright side for us is that he won't be two-and-done like Stauskas was.
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:01 PM ^
Sit Walton! He needs to get healthy because right now his playing hurt is hurting the team. He can't cover opposing guards off the dribble, his shot is off because it looks like he can't get his normal lift and you can just see his confidence waning. That said, I still like his fight, which is more than I can say for Irvin. Watched Irvin hang his head after missed shots, not fight through screens on defense and overall just bad body language on the court.
I don't think this team has "entitlement fever," believing that the successes from the past few years are to be given, not earned, but there is something you feel watching them that suggests the chemistry is way off, and it's not just about learning Beilein's system. There are basic breakdowns on defense and a seemingly directionless offense that shouldn't be present 14 games in to the season, especially with veteran players/starters knowing the system.
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:02 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:02 PM ^
It just feels like a team that has a vacuum of sorts at the top - there isn't an offensive leader to direct play, stop bad streaks, etc. I have my doubts this team makes the tournament, but maybe next year it means the team is better situated because it has more players returning and growing in the system.
That said, whatever happened to early-season Irvin is tragic; the guy can't seem to do anything effectively right now.
January 3rd, 2015 at 6:21 PM ^
January 3rd, 2015 at 5:04 PM ^
I do think we're far enough into the season that it's at least fair to post constructive criticism - It's annoying when you can't make even the fairest of negative points because Beilein had success last year or the year before. If Harbaugh goes to the playoffs next year and then goes 5-7 in 2016, it'll be perfectly fair to point out whatever problem areas exist at that time.
None of Beilein's teams have been particularly good at defense, rebounding, or post play (except during the 2013 tournament run with a healthy McGary.) The difference in the good seasons is that the offense has been scoring at such an absurdly high PPP rate that we've been able to cover that up. This year, the efficiency has dipped and all the normal issues we usually overcome with offensive efficiency are now fully exposed.
Part of this is likely due to leadership, and yes some vets would help (although in the modern game if you're a sophomore with playing experience, you're basically an upperclassman.) LeVert is supposed to be our star, and he's a junior that was playing as a freshman. Ditto Albrecht. Walton was starting last year. Irvin was a sixth man last year. We're young, but we aren't putting five true freshmen on the floor. We actually returned a lot of minutes from teams that made deep tournament runs.
It's also disappointing that a five man recruiting class didn't provide a single instant impact player - Doyle comes closest, but he's not going to make anyone's freshman AA team. It's easy to excuse some of this team's issues based on departures, but Purdue alone has two freshmen better than anyone in our class. Looking around the Big 10, there are a handful of other freshmen I'd say the same for. A team that went to the finals and the elite eight in successive years ought to be able to capitalize just a little bit more than that. I like the long-term upside of four of our freshmen (I still don't get the MAAR offer, forgive me,) but a team that is winning the Big 10 and making final four runs probably shouldn't have to count on projects. Just one Vince Edwards or Isaac Haas would have probably made Michigan a tournament team. Purdue got both without having any recent on-court success and despite a coach on the hot seat. I don't expect us to recruit like Kentucky (the red herring that always gets thrown out there: "We're not Kentucky!" I know, dude,) but I do expect us to recruit as well as middling conference teams.
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