Purdue 87, Michigan 70
Dustin Johnston/UMHoops
Purdue overwhelmed.
That's the simple version. Without Caris LeVert in the lineup, Michigan took an early lead and remained in striking distance until late, but when the defense faltered the Wolverine offense couldn't keep pace against Purdue's top-ranked D.
Outside of Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who tallied a career-high 25 points on 10/16 FG, nobody could consistently get to the rim and finish against Purdue's front line; center AJ Hammons blocked four shots and altered several others. Michigan had to rely on their perimeter play, and with reigning Big Ten DPOY Rapheal Davis shadowing Duncan Robinson, open looks weren't easy to come by—M managed to reach 40% from three but only following a few makes after the game was decided. Purdue's defense lived up to its billing.
Purdue's offensive success, meanwhile, didn't come in the way most expected. Instead of playing volleyball on the glass, they mixed post touches with a drive-and-kick approach that generated both layups and open three-pointers—the Boilermakers, not a great outside shooting squad, went 9/18 from beyond the arc. With Hammons scoring 17 on ten shots, Michigan couldn't slow the Boilermakers inside or outside the paint.
Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin couldn't make up the difference. Walton needed 12 shot equivalents to net his 12 points; he had trouble dealing with Purdue's size at the rim, and he also strugged mightily on defense. Irvin had to expend a ton of energy guarding burly power forward Caleb Swanigan, and while he did well in that regard, it left him without much juice to carry the offense—he went 2/10 for seven points with three assists and four turnovers.
There were positives to take away here, especially the play of Rahkman and the team keeping the rebounding battle even; that latter part was a huge issue in their previous losses. Mark Donnal didn't turn out to be an instant solution at center, however, even if he looked the best of M's bigs tonight, and for this team to compete with the top-tier B1G squads they need a healthy LeVert.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:18 PM ^
They kept it within 20. That's better than their other losses. Baby steps
January 7th, 2016 at 9:27 PM ^
Be honest, you had the comment fired up and ready to send since 7PM.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:29 PM ^
I had this comment fired up and ready to send since I saw this game on our schedule. I got worried for a second when Michigan was leading that I might not get to use it.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:32 PM ^
Haha, at least you admit it. Props to you.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:21 PM ^
I grow weary of waiting for this program to become real. How long are we going to have to deal with this mediocrity thing? Oddball is ready for some positive waves man...
January 7th, 2016 at 9:24 PM ^
Getting tired? UM's one injury riddled season removed from the elite eight. It's amazing to me how fucking fickle people are.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:28 PM ^
If you can't see why people are so fickle, then you're just as fickle.
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January 7th, 2016 at 10:57 PM ^
That doesn't make any sense.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:30 PM ^
And injuries are just not an excuse, especially when we are talking about a what, 6-7 year sample size? We just haven't recruited to the level needed to compete
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January 8th, 2016 at 9:08 AM ^
We've competed quite well actually.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:48 PM ^
...is I think we played better last year...as that injury riddled team. I somehow think last year's team would beat this year's team.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:55 PM ^
Last year we had Bielfeldt. He wasn't a star at the position but he grabbed a few boards and played good defense. Also Spike could probe the defense and drive more than anyone sans Levert.
January 7th, 2016 at 11:04 PM ^
You know it's trouble when people start missing Matt Bielfeldt
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January 7th, 2016 at 11:11 PM ^
Matt? WTF
January 8th, 2016 at 9:19 AM ^
You never heard of him? Friend of Billy Manziel?
January 7th, 2016 at 11:06 PM ^
This years team hasn't lost to NJIT or EMU. they're not a great team, fine. But they're 12-4, and haven't lost to a bad team. Do we all wish they were better? Sure. But Beilein is a great coach, and I'm going to just assume that they get better as the year goes on, like almost every other UM Beilein team.
January 7th, 2016 at 11:16 PM ^
Well we're halfway through the season. You tell me where the improvement has been.
January 7th, 2016 at 11:23 PM ^
You honestly don't think the team the last couple of weeks looks better than the group that got run off the court vs. Xavier? Again-it's not a great team. But the negativity here seems absurd to me.
January 7th, 2016 at 11:39 PM ^
Their competition the past couple of weeks has been varying degrees of terribad. Purdue is the first good team they've played since SMU and the results were the same, just as the SMU game was the same as the UConn game, just as the UConn game was the same as the Xavier game. So no, sorry, I don't see the improvement from this team yet.
January 8th, 2016 at 5:33 AM ^
the last few weeks we have lost Spike and Caris(And yes, let's by me honest, Walton is again hobbling, last year style). Hard to improve when injuries continue to decimate.
January 8th, 2016 at 9:41 AM ^
I don't disagree with this assessment... but I have to raise the old trope: don't the other teams have to deal with injuries as well, and, if not, why is it that we seem to be so susceptible/unlucky?
January 8th, 2016 at 10:11 AM ^
Tom Izzo, cause I thought he was the one who likes to use injuries as an excuse?
January 8th, 2016 at 1:03 PM ^
"weird guys" because Brandon Dawson is out and Appling has a wrist thing. It is another thing when our best player has played like 5 games in the last two years, Walton needs a walker, Irvin can't stand up right and Spike had to f-ing retire. I think we can go ahead any play that card.
January 8th, 2016 at 12:08 AM ^
...that's kinda what I'm getting at. Last year, we lost to NJIT and EMU before we became an injured riddled team. It was until after we lost our star players for the year that we started playing some good ball. Honestly, I haven't really seen much good ball this year (yet). To your point, we'll see how the rest of the season goes.
January 7th, 2016 at 11:30 PM ^
I think you'd be wrong. People remember last years team fondly because they kept fighting. That doesn't change the fact that the post injury team peaked by having close loses to good teams. So yes it was nice to randomly beat an offensively challenged ohio state team but that team also went 3-8 over its last 11 games and outside of the random osu game our best win in the big ten was illinois. They weren't good, and finished the year 75th in kenpom. The current team is 27th even after tonight.
That team might have been fun to watch for a lot of reasons, but they weren't actually good.
January 8th, 2016 at 9:13 AM ^
Unrelated side note. Kelly's Heros...Awsome!!!!!
January 8th, 2016 at 3:01 AM ^
Dakich ended any hope of Donnal having another really good game.
That sequence with Dakich's ill advised drive to the hoop led to a run out and Donnal getting stuck with a foul under the hoop.
Donnal made a couple threes. Wasn't a great game, but wasn't terrible.
Doyle provides nothing.
Wagner - love the raw ability, but early in the game, he botched an easy pick and roll by being turned around. Just no court awareness from him as of late.
January 8th, 2016 at 9:20 AM ^
both those Donnal fouls were BS, should be no calls on both of them.
January 8th, 2016 at 9:44 AM ^
Re: "Doyle provides nothing", what's up with that? He looked like he could turn into a reliable post player, but certainly doesn't seem improved so far this year. Was he always limited, and we just didn't see it? Did he not develop as he should/could this offseason? Injury limited?
January 8th, 2016 at 1:23 PM ^
But he was a true freshman who arrived with little fanfare and was immediately our best big. He exceeded expectations and it was reasonable to expect more from him this year. We're not seeing improvement but he's at least reasonably consistent. He provides something, but Donnal has passed him and Wagner and Wilson flash more potential. There will still be days where we'll be relying on Doyle.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:27 PM ^
Looks like a great direction for our program
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January 7th, 2016 at 9:31 PM ^
Blown out vs every good team we've played this year. Looked like the JV vs the varsity in all of them.
Until Beilein decides he's going to recruit a legitimate big man who can rebound, block shots, finish around the basket, and run the pick n roll, Michigan is going to be a middle of the pack/bubble team every year.
So frustrating to watch teams just absolutely punk Michigan down low. This is basically the equivalent of Rich Rod's offense where we score 28 points on Wisconsin but give up 48 while they run the ball 32 plays in a row.
It's not a coincidence Beilien had his best years with McGary and a 5th year J-Mo.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:37 PM ^
Getting McGary was a coup, but JMo was a three-star. And I'm sure the staff would have taken Diamond Stone or Henry Ellenson if they could have. The current bigs (along with Teske and Davis) are who they could get.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:45 PM ^
You're telling me Beilen can't get a Haas,Hammons, Swanigan if Purdue can do it? Ricky Doyle was the first guy he offered in 2015. Just get taller, bigger guys who can grab everything. They don't need to shoot it.
January 7th, 2016 at 10:03 PM ^
I'm not sure about Haas, but Hammons was the 76th player in his class per 247. And Swanigan was rated even higher. Bigger, taller guys with any skill level at all are going to have schools knocking down their doors. Coach Beilein has missed on guys, but he's not ignoring the 4 and the 5. If he had his way, Kevon Looney and Henry Ellenson would have taken the floor at those positions tonight. The staff just couldn't land them.
January 7th, 2016 at 10:11 PM ^
That's the problem. If Purdue can land these guys, we should especially after the success we had and the people we put in the nba.
January 7th, 2016 at 10:09 PM ^
Then they aren't good enough recruiters. Either get better players or better coaches, but I'm sick of watching Beilein recruit like he's at a mid major. Michigan just dumped over $100 million dollars into their basketball facilities. Somehow JB has managed to turn that and two pretty succesful NCAA runs into worse recruiting.
He got too cute thinking he could just develop everyone because he didn't want to go up against the big boys and do the type of recruiting necessary to land these good prospects. It's not a coincidence Michigan was by far the biggest offer for guys like Dawkins, MAAR, Doyle, Wilson, etc
At the end of the day it just needs to get better. I don't care how, but this crap where Michigan gets raped in the post can't keep happening. This is basketball, you need tall guys who are good.
January 7th, 2016 at 10:23 PM ^
There's no question the staff isn't getting it done when it comes to recruiting. Whether that's because of a lack of recruiting skill or the refusal to cut corners or both is another question.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:58 PM ^
Michigan might just go 0-3 on this rough stretch... How are people possibly thinking we comfortably make the tourney?
Losses vs any team with a pulse this year.
January 7th, 2016 at 10:09 PM ^
They could squeeze into the tournament, but they're just not in the league of the real contenders for the conference title - not even close.
January 8th, 2016 at 9:49 AM ^
Ok, but *why*? Not enough talent at the skill positions? Not enough size inside? Is it the wrong players, or the wrong scheme? Is it poor execution of the scheme? For me personally, I'm particularly interested in why the defense is poor... There's a comment above about the last few teams being like RR's squads... sure they can score, but basically no defense to go with the offense....
January 7th, 2016 at 9:31 PM ^
I was surprised Michigan hung around for as long as they did. We just don't match up well against big, inside teams that can also play perimeter defense. And without LeVert, we had even less of a chance to win. If not for MAAR, the game would have turned out worse. Speaking of whom, I sincerely hope Beilein finds more minutes for him, even when Caris is back. He seems to be playing very well and can really score.
Games like this, with Michigan completely outmatched in the paint, are kind of depressing to watch. If only Beilein could sign a couple bad-ass inside guys who can actually rebound effectively and post-up. Sigh.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:32 PM ^
IAVM!
January 7th, 2016 at 9:37 PM ^
I'm really tired of just running an "offense" that consists of passing around the 3 point line for 25 seconds and then someone penetrating. Countless times I saw the ball not even get inside the 3 point line before there were 10 seconds left on the shot clock
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January 7th, 2016 at 10:07 PM ^
JB™
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January 8th, 2016 at 7:16 AM ^
It does seem like in every game, the first and second possessions (and sometimes the third) consist of passing the ball around the perimeter, seemingly with no purpose. No one will take a shot, even if they're open.
This can't be a coincidence. I don't know. Maybe Beilein has the players do this in order to figure out the defense? Maybe he wants everyone to touch ball early on? I don't know. I don't get it. And then it seems like every once in awhile they still think they have a 35-second shot clock.
I would be interested in knowing how many shot clock violations we have so far this year. Shoot the freakin' ball.
Goooooooo Blue!!!!
January 7th, 2016 at 9:37 PM ^
As a fan, it is getting real tiring to see our go to guy sitting on the bench in warmups all the time.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:39 PM ^
...this team's upside is just not that high. The misses on Kennard, Ellenson, Blueitt, Brown, Blackmon, etc. have simply piled up.
January 7th, 2016 at 9:42 PM ^
Edwards looked pretty good. Weren't we recruiting him too?
January 7th, 2016 at 9:45 PM ^
He's another one.
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