Beilein got 30 wins with just 34.2% team shooting from 3
Going through the final stats and recording them and noticed something interesting when compiling the team shooting stats.
The 3 point shooting at times felt really bad by our standards this season and the numbers show it was.
Beilein era team 3-point shooting, ranked-
- 2013-14 (319-794, 40.2%) 28-9, NCAA Elite Eight
- 2016-17 (361-937, 38.5%) 26-12, NCAA Sweet Sixteen
- 2012-13 (296-769, 38.4%) 31-8, NCAA National Runner-Up
- 2015-16 (342-901, 38.0%) 23-13, NCAA Round of 64
- 2014-15 (250-696, 35.9%) 16-16
- 2017-18 (361-1011, 35.7%) 33-8, NCAA National Runner-Up
- 2010-11 (283-804, 35.2%) 21-14, NCAA Round of 32
- 2011-12 (276-788, 35.0%) 24-10, NCAA Round of 64
- 2018-19 (287-839, 34.2%) 30-7, NCAA Sweet Sixteen
- 2008-09 (305-912, 33.4%) 21-14, NCAA Round of 32
- 2007-08 (228-731, 31.2%) 10-22
- 2009-10 (227-760, 29.9%) 15-17
Now here is the 3-point shooting of every 30-win team in Michigan history, ranked-
- 1988-89 (196-419, 46.8%) 30-7, NCAA National Champions
- 2012-13 (296-769, 38.5%) 31-8, NCAA National Runner-Up
- 2017-18 (361-1011, 35-7%) 33-8, NCAA National Runner-Up
- 1992-93 (151-431, 35.0%) 31-5, NCAA National Runner-Up
- 2018-19 (287-839, 34.2%) 30-7, NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Arguably the most impressive job John Beilein has done here getting 30 wins with that kind of 3-point shooting.
Guys gotta get in the gym and work on their shots all offseason. Hopefully Jalen Wilson can step in and light it up. Getting Franz Wagner in here would be a very nice step in the right direction, too.
Really interested to see who steps up in shooting next year. A more consistent Iggy, and Poole for that matter, may make all the difference
I think we need both Livers and Poole to make a year 3 jump in shooting. Livers will start next year (same lineup as when Matthews was out for a bit this year) and I would like him to be more aggressive in his playmaking. I hope we can get some good bench minutes out of DeJulius and even Nunez for 3 point shooting.
Livers shot 42.6% from 3 this past season. I'd just like him to get off more attempts.
Word
Shorter line, but holy cow that 89 team.
And their percentage is inflated because we took less than 500 3FGAs.
All of the early 3-point shooting numbers are kind of funny if you compare them to now. Had over 1000 3FGAs in 2016-17.
Even in today's era, the '89 team probably shoots over 40%. That team was absolutely stacked and Rice was an all-time great shooter, with Sean Higgins not far behind. It's remarkable that we finished this season with the same record as them (30-7).
Rice, Higgins, and Rumeal Robinson were basically the only 3-point shooters on the team. Besides them only Kirk Taylor and Rob Pelinka even had more than 10, and they were both under 20. Different sort of game back then, but that tells you that the guys who could make the shots were the ones taking them.
Rice shot .516 for the season. He didn't just get hot in the tournament; that's who he was. He was a very good NBA player and of course a great college player, but he was born in the wrong era.
The three was still something of a novelty and teams typically only had a couple of guys that bothered to shoot them. But besides that trio, Calip and Pelinka would go on to become big 3pt guys later in their careers and Terry Mills would in the NBA.
That was back when dumping the ball into the post was the thing to do.
The 2018-2019 team missed 121 more 3 point shots than the 1992-1993 team attempted. Yikes
Thank god for Yaklich.
You'll never guess who hired Yaklich.
Was it Cassius Winston?
Glen Rice hit 27 three-pointers in 49 attempts during the tournament in '89. A 55% shooter would have helped us last night.
Glen Rice ... that dude was great and even 30 years before his time.
Little Wagner would help. Is Jalen Wilson a 3 shooter?
2015-16 (342-901, 38.0%) 23-13, NCAA Round of 64
I really would have liked to have seen a healthy Caris LeVert that year. We didn't have a ton inside and didn't play much D, but LeVert surrounded by the shooters we had that year could have been a lot of fun to watch.
It really was an accomplishment for this team to win 30 games.
1. They have no superstar players and only one that is currently trending towards NBA level talent.
2. Poor shooters a plenty...
3. They don't rebound. I wouldn't mind if Beilein saw the light here.
4. No Bench, especially bigs.
5. You can argue that a few players regressed and some didn't improve or play at a level that was expected.
6. Lost 3 of their best players.
7. Incoming freshman other than Iggy underperformed.
Pretty impressive when all things are considered.
3. They don't rebound.
We were actually a strong defensive rebounding team. We don't crash the offensive boards that much in order to set up our transition D - which has been a consistent strength under Beilein, even in years when our overall D was shaky.
That’s a good observation that I haven’t seen mentioned much. When one of our guys puts up the shot, unless one of the bigs is already in good position, the whole team is already pack pedaling down court to get in position.
March 30th, 2019 at 11:04 AM ^
And the price for having great transition defense is no second chance shots. That can really be a high cost of your team shoots poorly.
March 30th, 2019 at 11:35 AM ^
Absolutely that is the trade off. It’s hard to argue that the teams the last few years have done great things with mediocre talent, but that has always been the most frustrating aspect of watching them. They live or die by the jump shot- if they’re on, they’re almost unstoppable. If they’re off, they can be beaten by almost anyone.
March 30th, 2019 at 11:51 AM ^
It makes no sense to me that Beilein would rather get back on defense than offensive rebound. Wouldn't our 2nd chance points be more than the few times we would get beat getting back on defense?
March 30th, 2019 at 12:22 PM ^
Taking away an opponent's transition offense is a big deal. A lot of teams look to run to compensate for struggles in the halfcourt offense. Part of our success against MSU last year was that we shut down their transition game and forced them to beat us in the halfcourt, which they struggled to last year (this year obviously was a different story).
Incidentally, against teams that don't look to push it up - or play zones - you'll see us crash the offensive glass more often.
March 30th, 2019 at 11:36 AM ^
Double post.
Will three point accuracy rise measurably next year?
Probably, because Matthews was not good at them and a lot of his minutes will go to Livers who can hit them.
But a team with Z and Teske is only ever going to be so good at hitting 3's.
We shot on average 26.8 percent from three in our seven losses. In the Iowa loss we shot 33 3s and made 8.
Nothing but love for Coach B but it is really frustrating to watch us do a lot of something we’re not good at doing.
The big question is why did he continue to allow his team to jack up so many 3s during B1G and tourney play.
Because it's an important part of our offense (and of modern basketball in general). The threat of the three creates space inside the arc. You've got to put up some threes in order to establish that threat.
Beilein was mic'd during a game and you could hear him say "I got them open looks, what more can I do?".
Beilein schemes to get open 3 looks. That is what he does. Even last night there were quite a few.
If you call plays to get your receivers open in football and they drop the ball, what are you going to do? You are not going to stop calling those plays. You are going to look at developing your receivers, or getting replacements.
March 29th, 2019 at 10:03 PM ^
I was actually kind of impressed about how many open looks they had! I thought TT's defense would take them away, but they didn't do a very good job of that. But nobody squared up, everything was rushed and out of sync. Once the first few were missed, it just became more urgent and more out of sync.
Was just brutal...
The threat of the three is basically a staple of the modern game. If you want to create spacing, especially inside, you need to be able to establish that. What would you have done differently that you believe would have been effective?
One note I feel compelled to mention: The 1989 team was also shooting from a line a foot closer than today's line. It was also just the third NCAA tournament to feature a three-point line.
The line moved to its current spot for the 2008-09 season.
Franz have any shot? Do we even have a realistic chance to have a scholarship available for him or a grad transfer? Seems like a couple guys who don’t play much gotta leave.
And that’s exactly why I’ve said this team has overachieved!
Is help coming?
Are Bajema and Wilson elite shooters?
From 247:
Bajema:
Slender 6’6” frame. He’s lean, long and fluid. Bajema’s calling card is his ability to stroke jumpers from deep. He has good shot mechanics and preparation and is a shot maker off the off move and off the catch. Also showed an ability to deck the ball and make pull-ups and runners. The obvious area to improve here is strength and adding weight to his frame. He could also improve as a ball hander. There’s good upside here and with development could see him playing professionally because of his size and shot-making ability.
Wilson:
A big perimeter prospect that possesses shooting ability and skill. At 6-8, he has very good size for the position and he's a good athlete. He has a solid build and one that would fill out further in a college weight room. He already plays well through contact. Shooting is among his biggest strengths. He has good shot mechanics, shot preparation and good range. He's also a good passer. Areas for improvement include creating space for pull-ups and ball handling. Wilson has the chance to be a first-round draft pick with development.
Wilson could be key next year. I think him and Johns will compete to replace Livers role as the versatile bench 3/4 that would maybe play some small ball 5. It's possible they will both be in the lineup, but Beilien usually keeps a pretty small bench.
Bajema seems highly unlikely to contribute next season considering the depth at the 3 and his lack of size/strength. It's possible he could get some backup 2 minutes, but Brooks played decent down the stretch and I expect Dejulius to compete for minutes too. Bajema will hopefully be ready to play a much bigger role the following season.
Great accomplishment
March 29th, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
This kind of frames the season in a kinder light - thanks WD!
I wonder if DDJ will start to take some minutes next season from both Poole and Simpson? Or will those minutes keep going to Brooks? He looked pretty good in the few minutes he got, and I suspect his shot will start to show up next year. Hopefully Nunez can find some time as a Microwave impersonator, also. We can expect some jump from Poole, Iggy, and Livers, but they alone are not going to improve the season percentage. Need to find additional shooters, which will probably be DDJ and Nunez. Maybe Johns starts his ascent, also?
March 30th, 2019 at 12:38 AM ^
Yeah so I'm thinking the credit shouldn't really go Beilein's way as much as Yaklich's. Beilein is supposed to be an offensive guru who recruits 3 point bombers and I'm sorry, but this year he came up pretty mediocre and had his win totals padded thanks to Yaklich's work with the defense. Still love JB and wouldn't trade him for anyone.
So it's not unreasonable to believe that Matthews and Poole would have taken a step up this year with improved play. They didn't. Poole never grew into his starting spot, and I'm not sure he earned his PT more than DDJ didn't develop quick enough to earn his. When Poole operated within the offense, he proved accurate enough, but that was only so often. Most of the time - and whenever he got anxious - he just jacked up shots from anywhere, outside the offensive flow. As for Matthews, he wasted most of the season missing fade aways instead of attacking the rim when he drove. That didn't help the long distance game...
Johns and DDJ didn't progress enough to help, but I'm not sure they were being counted on as freshmen. Brooks didn't get into things, either, with much improvement. Not much you can do as a coach if the players aren't coming along at a reasonable pace - and I don't think they did this year.
March 30th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
DeJulius was really growing up at the end of the season. Huge mistake not to allow him to try to have an impact in the post-season. People cite his shooting numbers as reason why he shouldn’t have played but most of that was garbage time and frankly people care less when they are only playing when a team is up 20. Honestly, Nunez should have played to. The last shot I remember him taking was a 22 footer that was pure.
It was clear from the middle of the season that lack of shooting/scoring was going to be our undoing. It may be that Beilein was coaching this season for next season. If not, he left the only possible solution to the obvious problem on the bench. Love JB but I’m not sure about that decision. Literally the only thing Zak Irvin could do his freshman season was shoot and he played 10 minutes per game in the 2014 tourney. I did not think Beilein managed the roster well this season.
March 30th, 2019 at 12:36 PM ^
Huge mistake not to allow him to try to have an impact in the post-season.
It looked to me like Brooks simply won the backup battle again. He played well down the stretch.
He did, that doesn’t mean that other player’s shouldn’t have seen the floor. Our players were dead ass tired at the end of the season. MSU went deeper with us and had as many as 3 players out injured at certain points in the season. We had depth sitting there waiting to contribute. Instead we rolled with 7 and flat out ran out of gas.
March 30th, 2019 at 11:13 PM ^
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year. The only reason it feels like the season ended with a whimper is because it began with a most unexpected bang. I'm excited for next year.