hoops game recaps
muhammad ali abdur-rahkman
2015-16 purdue

Purdue 87, Michigan 70 Comment Count

Ace


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.

Comments

Ty Butterfield

January 8th, 2016 at 12:21 AM ^

Michigan has the resources to compete in basketball. Recruiting is part of the job and Beilein is just not bringing in elite guys. It is what it is.

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: -81685

Trader Jack

January 8th, 2016 at 12:31 AM ^

Is it not obvious to you why this is, or do people complaining about his recruiting not understand? College basketball recruiting is extremely dirty. Beilein was the head of the Ethics Committee. He's known as a very clean recruiter. The reason why he's struggled to land elite prospects isn't very hard to deduce, is it?



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 04/27/2010

MGoPoints: 10620

Bertello NC

January 8th, 2016 at 12:43 AM ^

Ok ok. I've heard it before. Maybe signing with Nike/Jordan changes the AAU pipeline? Still Dirty? So in reality being on the board of the NCAA basketball ethics coalition is a death wish in terms of recruiting? I like Beilein and I think he does more with less more times than not. I also know that he's done a remarkable job of keeping the program clean and clear of garbage. I guess we just roll with the punches and do what we can with the 2-3 star type talent we have in the front court.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 09/13/2011

MGoPoints: 958

Trader Jack

January 8th, 2016 at 2:08 AM ^

We have better than just 2-3* talent in the front court. I'm not saying that M can't land solid recruits under Beilein. That's what they've done in this past. I'm just saying that Beilein has consistently shown that he's unwilling to cheat when it comes to recruiting. So if you're expecting to land elite, 5* prospects, it's not going to happen very often.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 04/27/2010

MGoPoints: 10620

BornSinner

January 8th, 2016 at 2:01 AM ^

We don't need to get dirty. Coach Beilein just needs to fucking adjust his system ever so god damn slightly so that bigs will think Michigan might actually RESPECT THEIR SKILLSET!!!! 

Getting tired of teams just pushing us around in the paint and it's not like we have NBA ready guards to cover up said deficiencies like in years past!!! 

Joined: 09/20/2014

MGoPoints: 14672

JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

January 8th, 2016 at 3:13 AM ^

Not one of Burke, Stauskas, GR3 came in as NBA ready.   Hell even Morris wasn't really NBA ready.  

Those guys were all great players, but no one had them pegged as NBA players.

Hell no one in the Big Ten even recruited any one of them aside from Penn State with Burke.

Joined: 02/06/2015

MGoPoints: 4079

Bertello NC

January 8th, 2016 at 12:23 AM ^

And to go along with my post- If JB wants to get back to being semi elite he needs to accept the fact and realize that when we were successful was when we did have some girth+talent down low. Duplicate that for god-sakes! Or imitate it the best you can. No reason after a championship game then a follow up elite eight appearance, upgraded facilities, and in a power conference we should be struggling this much to land some higher end 4/5's. Maybe he needs to look at his assistants and figure out how to teach some post to make M a little more attractive those recruits. Or find someone who can teach post and meld that in with his offensive system. He may need to really tweak some things moving forward. I'm not saying throw the baby out with the bath water but there needs to be some readjustment. Maybe I'm just crazy but that's my opinion.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 09/13/2011

MGoPoints: 958

Monocle Smile

January 8th, 2016 at 2:39 AM ^

Not sure why I expected this thread to not be full of assholes.

JB is as clean as they come. That's why he misses on recruiting. There was a board thread not long ago that told us a bit, even if it was hearsay.

Purdue isn't just good...they are this Michigan squad's worst nightmare of a matchup. We're still 12-4.

Joined: 09/17/2009

MGoPoints: 23027

Bertello NC

January 8th, 2016 at 9:25 AM ^

Sad to say though I feel like most quality teams we'll play just in the BIG will be our worst nightmare because of the size and quality front court disparity we will be faced with. (Purdue, MSU, Maryland, Iowa, OSU, Minnesota, ect)



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 09/13/2011

MGoPoints: 958

JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

January 8th, 2016 at 3:21 AM ^

You need Levert in a game like this.  

Hopefully this is a short term loss with long term gain in mind. (Levert getting right healthwise and returning after close to 2 weeks off.)

Its not ideal, buts it not the end of the world.

I am proud of MAAR and how he put the team on his back.  

I know a lot want Wagner to play more and so do I, but he is so raw right now and he is making basic mistakes on both offense and defense.   

Levert is more of a distrubutor than MAAR.    

I would love to see these guys get more time together.  

Joined: 02/06/2015

MGoPoints: 4079

Swayze Howell Sheen

January 8th, 2016 at 7:13 AM ^

if it's true that JB is "too clean" to recruit well, I guess we should lower expectations. 

A few years ago I was thinking JB would get a national title sometime; now I'm wondering whether they will ever seriously compete for the B10 again.

At some point, coaches just get too old (can't relate to players, can't recruit as well, can't put in the 100-hour work weeks); JB sadly may have reached that time.

 

Joined: 10/05/2008

MGoPoints: 46859

jmblue

January 8th, 2016 at 9:20 AM ^

I can't get too worked up about losing at Purdue with LeVert out.  I thought this would be a very difficult game even with him. 

We've just got to get LeVert back.  This team's ceiling is simply a lot lower without him.  

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102715

blue90

January 8th, 2016 at 9:55 AM ^

That is completely unnecesarry (stinger bell, not to name names).  I think we should all just calm down A LOT.  There is plenty that none of us know about and that is why we're all commenting on a blog and watching the games in the stands.  Cheating is completely and utterly unnecesarry.  Plenty of teams do it and plenty of teams don't and they both do well.

Now to defend our coach.  Beilein is one of the best coaches on the planet and anyone who knows anything about basketball knows this.  ALL current and former greats from any team or conference would tell you this. He takes players who can do NOTHING and makes them into first round draft picks.  Other coaches take players who are already NBA-bound regardless of who coaches them and just put them on a roster and give them the ball.  Stauskus would be nowhere without him, as with Levert, as with RAHK. The former two will have fifteen year careers in the NBA and if RAHK makes it there after his senior year he owes everything to Beilein.

If you're looking for a program that is consistently good and keeps players for two years maximum then Michigan is not your school or team and Beilein is not your coach.  He doesn't want one and done players.  A huge part of being a coach is the relationships you build with your players.  Paying them to come for a year and then leaving is something Beilein could care less about.  Taking a player who is a three star or barely a four and making him into NBA-level talent so he can chase his dream is something completely different and that is what we get with Beilein.  It means we get to know the players and see them progress. 

Stop complaining that Beilein can't recruit top level guys, he can and he does but he partly doesn't even want them.  Yes he cannot get the TOP guys even if he tried but so what.  Also, Michigan is not a basketball school and NEVER WILL BE in the near future.  We are a Football school with a decent basketball program who gets to the National Championship every twenty years, that is about it.  Of course we should want more and better but if you want to be in the Elite Eight every year then go watch another team.  If you're going to complain about our basketball program and how much Beilein sucks then why do you wath every game every year?  Just stop watching.  GO BEILEIN AND GO BLUE.

 

Joined: 12/24/2015

MGoPoints: -18

WindyCityBlue

January 8th, 2016 at 1:27 PM ^

"He takes players who can do NOTHING and makes them into first round draft picks"

Really?!  Who?!  Who does "Nothing"?

Besides Burke, I think everyone JB recruited that were first rounders were 4* or better (I could be wrong).  Not saying that JB can't develop - he certainly can.  

I think JB is a basketball genius.  However, for whatever reason, his genius doesn't always translate to performance on the court.  And its the performance on the court is really what matters.  

Joined: 07/23/2008

MGoPoints: 40459

rlcBlue

January 8th, 2016 at 2:33 PM ^

All three star (or lower), ranked outside the consensus top 100 in their classes. Here's a site for historical research. 

Of course "can do nothing" described none of them. Beilein always looks for some skills from his recruits - that's why the team never has any of the athletic projects who take three years to figure out which end of the ball to hold.

Joined: 03/06/2013

MGoPoints: 147

blue90

January 8th, 2016 at 3:43 PM ^

Stauskus was a four star, 92 grade and got offers from no one but Michigan.  He had no skills but spot-up threes and Beilein made him into an NBA starter (currently, though the sixers suck.) LeVert was a two star, 87 grade who was going to Dayton before he came to Michigan and became a potential first-rounder because of Beilein.  RAHK is a two star, 64 grade who could only dripple and is now taking over random games and will be drafted after his senior year, thanks Beilein.  Dawkins was a three-star who got no offers until Beilein took him and there is a possibility he will turn into an NBA player.  Duncan Robinson was a D-III transfer who can currently only spot threes who is going to be drafted.  All of these players had very few (if any) assests before Beilein took over.

He takes athletic players with one or two good attributes and makes them into effecitve scores who can dish and rebound.  Most of them had little chance of ever playing at the elite level and now probably can or at least have a shot because of our coach.  I would say taking a bunch of players, the highest of whom was three-star, and making them into a team is translating into performance on the court.  Last year we were 16-16, this year we'll be around 22-10, the following year?  Who knows, but if we follow the pattern and we're around 24-8 every three years, you can't ask for more, especially if we're 24-8 with three-stars and random four/five stars mixed in occasionally.

Joined: 12/24/2015

MGoPoints: -18

DrewGOBLUE

January 8th, 2016 at 7:43 PM ^

Burke and Hardaway were 3-stars, with the exception of each getting a 4th from maybe one of the recruiting services. Stauskas was a borderline 3/4. And LeVert (who will obviously be drafted) was basically a 0-star player.

But yeah, considering that all these guys were far from being top 100 recruits, yet turned into lottery/1st round picks in a sport where only 60 get drafted, that's a pretty good reflection of exceptional player development.

Joined: 12/03/2011

MGoPoints: 2953

Wolvie3758

January 8th, 2016 at 10:09 AM ^

is mediocre...has NO quality wins..been blown out by anyone with a pulse and has shown little improvement..  Irvin and Walton are very disappointing, the team doesnt play defense and will not be making the tournament at this rate...I was one who thought we were going to be pretty good this season and boy was I wrong..

 

The only silver lining to this was our RPI went UP with a loss,  from #48 to #42 

 

Joined: 12/12/2010

MGoPoints: 6338

Wolvie3758

January 8th, 2016 at 12:11 PM ^

for me all I care about is making the Tournament...BIG Titles are great and weve had a couple recently but I dont expect it every year I just want us in the Big Dance and Its starting to look a ittle shaky for this year...we Need some Quality wins on our resume and Im having a hard time finding any on our remaining schedule...

Joined: 12/12/2010

MGoPoints: 6338

SagNasty

January 8th, 2016 at 11:51 AM ^

Over react much? They are 3 games into the big 10 season and just played the #20 team in the country at their place. They also happen to have 2 seven footers and shot 50% from behind the arc. Give this team at least a couple more weeks to see what happens. They may very well go 0-3 against Purdue, Maryland and Iowa and I am ok with that. Those are tough opponents and two are road games.
Oh did I mention they had to play without their best player? Get a grip man.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 06/22/2011

MGoPoints: 951

Bertello NC

January 8th, 2016 at 1:21 PM ^

I don't think anyone is saying JB is a bad coach by any means. I for one think he is a great coach who wrings the most out of guys. I understand that we can't always get a top 10 center or power forward. I just feel like those positions seem like an afterthought sometimes for M. Or we don't value those positions or what we look for in those positions. All I'm saying is when you load up on soft, not overly athletic, fineness type PF's and C's while the rest of your squad is outside oriented guys as well it really puts you behind the eightball when playing tournament level teams. Now maybe this isn't even an issue as Doyle, Wilson, and Wagner develop within the program. Is what it is I guess. Wish in one hand and shit in the other and see what one fills up fastest.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 09/13/2011

MGoPoints: 958

Jonesy

January 9th, 2016 at 1:10 AM ^

In contrast to all the haters above, I was rather impressed with our play this game.  Minus our best player, against one of the best teams in the country, who is our worst matchup on top of that due to their talented, massive bigs we held our own.  We led for most of the first half and were in striking distance until Purdue went on a run to end the game and make it look a lot uglier than it was.  I'm convinced most people complaining just saw the final score, didn't watch the game, are forgetting that Purdue is really good and our worst possible matchup, and are forgetting Caris didn't play.

Joined: 03/14/2012

MGoPoints: 10525