MBB vs. Minnesota: Snowflakes Thread
December 11th, 2021 at 10:43 PM ^
Penny Hardaway and Memphis as our first round opponent there, please
December 11th, 2021 at 10:44 PM ^
This was a double post. Please ignore it
December 11th, 2021 at 8:39 PM ^
Need a point guard and a reliable shooter. Looks like a long year. Good news is none are one and done.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:57 PM ^
Moussa is one and done.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:07 PM ^
Yeah I think he'll be a high draft pick if only based on potential.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:08 PM ^
I like Moussa. He brings great energy. But he can’t hang on to rebounds and his free throw shooting is suspect. I don’t see him projecting as a stretch 5 since his role isn’t that now. He’s good and athletic, but somebody would have to stuff him in the G league for 2 years before bringing him to the bigs.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:27 PM ^
I don't see it either. I think of 1 and dones and think of guys like Chris Webber. Webber was dunking on everyone left and right.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:27 PM ^
Agreed. Webber had first basemans mitts fer hands. Hed hoover those loose balls and slam em home. This Minnesota team doesnt have Voshon Leonard either so WTF. Weird how the power forward has disappeared from basketball. I miss it. This finesse game in both the collegiate ranks and pros is…..geccch
December 11th, 2021 at 8:40 PM ^
This team is one year away.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:49 PM ^
From what? We don't have a proven point guard, nobody on this roster has good looking jumper, no slasher wings. 2 or the 3 guys that produce anything on offense will be gone.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:55 PM ^
All the freshman will take giant leaps. I don't care how bad Hunter wants to go to the NBA, he isn't getting drafted at the moment. Don't be a prisoner of the moment. If everyone returns who isn't Brooks they will be night and day better with a lot more experience.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:01 PM ^
Hunter won't be here next year even if he doesn't get drafted. He'll play pro basketball somewhere for alot of money.
There's no magic bullet that makes players better from their freshman to sophmore year.....Kam Chatman, Brandon Johns, Terrance Williams are recent examples.
Johns, Jones, Hunter, and Brooks will all be gone. That leaves us an unproven and young team with a ton of questions marks.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:20 PM ^
If Houstan and Diabate both go pro, then Michigan will be replacing their top 6 players this year.
December 12th, 2021 at 2:51 PM ^
Yeah this is wild.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:39 PM ^
It's not really a magic bullet, it's just more time in a college strength and conditioning program, and developing with the coaches and practicing with their teammates. You mentioned a few guys who really didn't develop... but the list of guys that did get better from their freshman to sophomore seasons is many, many times longer.
I don't think it's an absolute forgone conclusion that these guys will be world beaters next year, but it's a fair assumption to assume they will be stronger and smarter/better basketball players one year from now than they are today. I think they definitely are waiting on Collins to take the next step and Bufkin to emerge before this team is going to be remotely good. That unfortunately may not happen this season.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:40 PM ^
Shooting is dreadful. Need more from PG position
December 11th, 2021 at 8:40 PM ^
Here is my take….
1. there is a lot of lazy play. Lazy and/or out of shape. I can’t tell the difference and it’s likely both. Even the guys like Dickinson just don’t look right.
2. diabate is a beast. Diving all over the court, etc. we may need him to do more than play hard and well and be a vocal leader.
3. this team needs a leader. That’s not negative towards Eli but they need a hutch prototype in here. There is no leader and they are all just falling all over theirselves.
4. Defense. See #1. Holly s&@t
December 11th, 2021 at 8:48 PM ^
Glad you’re not coaching. Talking about the kids, but anyways people are entitled to their opinion. This team is young and will definitely get better. Youth vs Experience that’s a simple equation.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:59 PM ^
I’m glad you’re not coaching as well. My post was about as “milk-toast” as it gets:
they need to get in better shape and apply more effort on D, they need someone to step up as leader, and diabate is a freak.
what don’t you agree with?
December 11th, 2021 at 10:14 PM ^
It’s no biggie to me either way. Like I said they in no way resembled a lazy team to me. But like I said, they are young and the main reason that they are in a way disassembled is because, there’s no one lineup that we can depend on yet. Oh well, like I said before they’ll get better. It wasn’t an argument there is a gap between our kids and lots of other teams with upperclassmen.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:47 PM ^
Dickinson pouts and plays lazy when he gets doubled.
December 12th, 2021 at 8:59 AM ^
“lazy” doesn’t necessarily mean the way we all in the general public think of it. I’m sure these are good kids and not lazy in the sense of “eat Cheetos all day and watch Netflix”.
I more mean it as they need to be taught the level of effort this takes to succeed on this level, with these level of expectations.
something was miscalculated, and honestly that’s ok. Heck it’s a learning curve for Juwan too but this team is not playing with the effort or leadership that is needed. To be fair and to your point, “lazy”, may be a harsh word and that doesn’t mean (to me) this kids can’t change quickly or that Juwan should just yell and call them all lazy asses.
I mean watch a UM game the last years. Those guys were dogs man. For as finesse as they were with shooting they out in extreme effort all over the court.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:01 PM ^
The youth excuse isn't enough. This team has a core of upperclassmen who just aren't getting it done. And there are holes on this team that fall on the coaches. Sure, it will get better. But this team shouldn't get punked at home by a team of transfer portal players.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:04 PM ^
Agree 100%. I’m not being person or ragging on the guys. They need coaching and direction. They look lost and they are full of talent.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:02 AM ^
Last years team had a high BB IQ. This year's team has to try and get there. It makes a team look slow and lazy but it's the split second recognition of what's going on that makes the team flow. The kids aren't lazy. Wagner Livers Brown Smith all had high BB IQ.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:05 PM ^
Agree with this comment 100%. I’m sort of done with “they’re young” excuses. Plenty of teams with youth win, this team simply doesn’t and are a typical bubble team
December 11th, 2021 at 8:41 PM ^
#FreeKobe #FreeZeb
December 11th, 2021 at 8:41 PM ^
Let's start with defense.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:42 PM ^
Livers is missed. No one seems to be able to step up and hit a 3 to stop an opponent’s run.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:45 PM ^
Wagner even moreso.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:11 PM ^
Smith even moreso.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:33 PM ^
Chaundee even moreso
December 11th, 2021 at 8:42 PM ^
We are bad… hoping Juwan coaches the team up over the next couple of months
December 11th, 2021 at 8:43 PM ^
So what player is leading this team right now? Nobody seems to be playing that part.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:43 PM ^
I like Juwan and think he’s a good coach, but there’s no excuse for Michigan basketball getting regularly blown out. Alarm bells are starting to ring.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:04 PM ^
I like Juwan, but.... See, how people get on coaches. This is the same crap every year. Last year was Harbaugh this year Juwan. I know people are upset things are not working right now, but statements like "Alarm bells go on", shows how fickle fans are.
Carry on with your subtle way of creating don't on Juwan.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:22 PM ^
Exactly. That’s what I was referring to earlier. You could see this coming from a mile away. Juwan can’t coach. One year removed from winning an outright BIG10 championship. I’ve been here through lots of great comments. Fire Beilein. Fire Harbaugh. Fire Juwan. I’m just not built like that. I’ve played basketball at high school and college levels and trust me, to say that team is lazy is well I’ll just stay positive. Lots of corrections will be made and we have lots of growing to do. But anyone can come to a message board and say anything they’d like and it still won’t affect our team. GO BLUE!!!
half a double post sorry!!!
December 12th, 2021 at 9:37 AM ^
I do find it concerning that this team was ranked #4 early in the season....that means the vast majority of basketball people thought this was a good, talented team, that would also be well coached by Juwan. Now, clearly those people were wrong, but to go from a percieved #4 to a bubble NIT team is a big problem. I love Juwan and think he's a great coach...but the current state of this team being THIS bad, falls on his shoulders, and the decisions he's making/not making, and his apparent lack of ability to motivate these players to play hard, smart, and, for the love of gawd, any sort of defense.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:45 PM ^
I think this is still a bubble team; they aren't as good shooting as they looked against Nebraska but they aren't this bad either. Minnesota also shot a number of contested jumpers that dropped, and when that keeps happening you then have defenders start making dumb plays because they have to suddenly worry about 20-footers with a hand going in. The defense overall is still a bit of a mess but this was also a game where UM had to just hit shots when Minny was as well and couldn't.
I still don't understand why Jones plays as much as he does. He's not a bad player but he's so limited on defense and his offense just doesn't jive with the rest of the team. At this point if you're 6-4 you need to play...someone who can maybe grow with this team, and a transfer PG who looks a step slow ain't that.
The stretch against UCF and Rutgers after the next two games will be telling - those are games you HAVE to win to have any argument for the bubble (since they're likely on it as well) and then it would be super great if they can pull a game out of their ass and beat MSU.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:56 PM ^
MSU is this team’s kryptonite. They are athletic play defense and can shoot. Michigan is poor on D and really unathletic. It will be a beat down, unfortunately.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:09 PM ^
This team's kryptonite is any team not named Nebraska.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:12 PM ^
Yeah, I have a hard time seeing that ending well except if UM just plays really inspired and has a hot shooting night. I mean, I've seen less talented version of UM beat more talented versions of MSU than how both teams look this year but I'd have to see a lot of improvement these next 4 games to feel remotely confident about that being in play.
I do think Collins getting more run compared to Jones is a start, as is playing Johns more. Not because I think either of them is the answer to UM's problems but with Collins you get a better athlete at that spot and with Johns you don't put so much pressure on Diabate to play 30+ minutes a night.
December 12th, 2021 at 2:36 AM ^
This. It's just a weird team where the pieces don't fit. Lots of these guys could be functional to good players...on other teams. No PG, no shooting, and no athletes on the wings makes for a mess on both ends of the floor.
For as painful as the offense is with no spacing, the closeouts on defense, and the absolute inability to stay in front of someone driving to the basket is just hard to fathom.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:46 PM ^
Thankfully we are a football school again!
December 11th, 2021 at 8:47 PM ^
This team sucks.
Juwan has not coached them up very well at all, his substitutions and rotations are weird.
Jones is so awful it's painful, it starts there and goes downhill quickly.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:52 PM ^
The coaching is glaringly bad. The PG decision is malpractice.
December 12th, 2021 at 6:11 PM ^
Defenders sag off Jones so much it's clogging up the paint. Need a PG who can shoot.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:47 PM ^
This team isn’t very good. They can and might improve this season.
Anyone else wish David DeJulius had hung around?
We are seeing how valuable Isaiah Livers and Franz were.
December 11th, 2021 at 8:50 PM ^
The football team and basketball couldn’t have more 180 degree seasons. Unranked to playoffs and over ranked to NIT at best. That is a very not good team.