Post game thoughts IU
February 3rd, 2013 at 4:35 AM ^
I disagree. I think it is a young team that is learning how to win and scratching the surface of what they are capable of doing.
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:56 AM ^
I think that's why he meant. They're already playing at a level they normally wouldn't get to at this point in the career if not for excellent coaching. Another year of experience and the team could be scary good.
February 3rd, 2013 at 4:33 AM ^
Our theoretical or hypothetical B10 champ was to be the team that defended its home court and lost road games only to contenders. Maybe not now. Indiana lost at home already. OSU and MSU have road losses to non-contenders. Until Michigan loses at home or loses on the road to a non-contender they are still in the driver's seat. I say recalibrate because all other contenders already have demerits, Michigan just lost to the only contender with a home loss, and has only one chance left for a break-out win, at contender MSU. I hope I can sleep now with that off my mind.
February 3rd, 2013 at 8:01 AM ^
that we haven't beaten any top contenders at home, or on the road. Indiana already has wins over us and Michigan State. If we don't win at least two of our next three, we have no realistic chance to finish first.
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:09 AM ^
You can't hold that against us. We've only played 2 "Top Contenders", and they were both on the road.
MSU still has Minny, us twice, IU again, Wisky, and @OSU.
OSU still has at Crisler, twice against IU, Wisky, @Minny, and @MSU.
IU still has a return trip to Crisler, plus @MSU, twice against OSU, and @Minny
By comparison, we have OSU, IU, and MSU at home, with only trips to Madison and the Breslin as our tough games
February 3rd, 2013 at 4:49 AM ^
... we are in the same league as anyone in the country (unlike football and Alabama, say). We didn't play well - maybe Indiana is better, maybe home court, maybe the refs - but we had our chances.
The sequence I remember is Burke nailing a deep three to pull to within 3 ... and then promptly losing IU's best shooter in the corner and having Hall stick the 3 to push it back to 6 and kill our momentum again. That's just losing your head in the heat of the moment - I'm sure that everyone was told not to help off that guy - but it really was the one thing we couldn't do there.
IU benefited from having a useful "default" on offense - post to Zeller or clear a spot for Oladipo - and we didn't. All the screens were contested and the passing angles were defensed, and IU re-routed penetration right to the big shot-blocker. They were very good.
Hope the rematch goes better, and we beat OSU!
February 3rd, 2013 at 5:47 AM ^
followed by Beilein going to the 1-3-1 for the only time in the game and Hulls nailing a 3 from the corner. IIRC Hulls snuck along the baseline from the opposite corner and nobody really noticed.
Though a few mins were left, that play was the dagger.
February 3rd, 2013 at 8:00 AM ^
For those who said that we probably win if a few more baskets go in, the numbers actually support this. We attempt an average of 56 FGs per game and make an average of 28, but in this game, we attempted 70 and made 30, so we weren't getting much return on the extra attempts. It's a similar story with three-pointers - our average in-conference is 7 for 18, and in this game, we went 7 for 23. Definitely, a few more of those go in and this could be a different result.
It's difficult to be upset though - an away game in a conference that is #1 in almost every measure of conference power is going to be a tough game. One glaring stat might be that it took us 70 shots to get 73 points, so if they can fine tune the things which make Michigan's offense ruthlessly efficient, you make a few more of the shots mentioned above and you possibly win this one. The other glaring stat is that Indiana went to the line literally over three times more than we did, with almost one quarter of their points coming off FTs - that ratio is tough to overcome.
In any case, you take what you learn here and hopefully roll it into a win at Crisler on Tuesday in what is possibly the most brutal stretch of the schedule.
February 3rd, 2013 at 8:05 AM ^
that if a few more shots go in for Indiana, we lose by even more. What about it? They played better defense than us, by far, and had better offensive weapons.
Hopefully the game will convince the NBA scouts that Robinson has a lot of work to do on his game (and hopefully it will convince Robinson, too). A top 10 NBA pick shouldn't flop in a big game like this.
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:19 AM ^
I don't know how many of those last 14 consecutive free throws were intentional, but it seems like they ought to be in a separate category. At a certain point our only hope was to swap threes for free throws in the hope that they might miss one. There is a free throw advantage for any team that has such a high average margin of victory, I should think.
February 3rd, 2013 at 7:55 AM ^
I've watched us play down there for a long time, and I've seen this exact same game played out over and over and over. Those who were saying yesterday that past history would have no effect on this game simply didn't know what they were talking about. Dan Dakich had it exactly right when he said during the Wisconsin-Indiana game that some teams come into Assembly Hall and are beat before the game even starts. Michigan is one of those teams. This game was essentially over in the first 5 or 6 minutes, and the rest was just muddling around to see what the final margin would be.
Now we have to see if this team can recover from a big loss and play well against a quality opponent. If they lose to OSU at home, the Big Ten Championship and a number one seed in the tournament are pretty much out of reach...we'll be playing for second place and second seed at that point.
February 3rd, 2013 at 7:58 AM ^
IU and OSU beat us because they played defense something we don't do well we kept leaving shooters open for 3 pointers and we got punked inside the paint. All that we played we played on the road is crap Belien just don't know how to play defense
February 3rd, 2013 at 8:11 AM ^
Whaaaaaaaa?
February 3rd, 2013 at 8:57 AM ^
Hunh?
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:49 AM ^
Phil? Is that you?
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:40 AM ^
the only reason we were dancing the past couple years was our defense
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:05 AM ^
His use of "The Team, the Team, the Team" while not copyrighted by any means, infuriated me for a moment. Pay back is a bitch and I can't wait for the Hoosiers to come to A2. Plus he looks like a troll doll with his hair combed down.
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:25 AM ^
Really? I felt honored. Especially as he referenced it via the Harbaughs.
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
As Indiana doesn't have a truly epic football coaching legend, I am struggling to find a true comparison, but my issue was not the use of the quote, it was when he used it, right after beating Michigan. Do I think Bo would mind, no I don't. But it's like us beating the Irish and then saying, We played like champions today". Just tasteless.
The fact that he is married to a Harbaugh doesn't really make me like him more. He is still a douche.
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:53 AM ^
The reference to Bo didn't bother me, not sure why so many people are getting worked up about it. I was more put off by the dunk at the end than anything else. And even that was kind of worth it just to see the awkward WTF reactions on the faces of Hardaway and Crean during the handshake line.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:59 PM ^
I took it as a slam against Burke . . . as in "Michigan is just one guy playing hero, but at IU, we're all about The Team, The Team, The Team." I did not like it, but at that moment it was hard to argue against it.
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:11 AM ^
1) No GRIII
2) Burke for three too often - not agressive as he neededto be
3) Indiana just seemed more athletic
4) Hoosiers' shots semmed to be falling more
5) Absence of Morgan is underrated
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:10 AM ^
What I got from the game was that Oladipo is really good but Trey Burke is a monster. He knew how to find the hot hands when it came to his assists and made great decisions all night. Too bad we couldn't connect on a handful of those Stauskas three pointers. Our boys looked great nonetheless.
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:23 AM ^
This is a very young team that is going to struggle at times. I still feel a sweet 16 at worst.
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:25 AM ^
We have a very young team and they lost a tough game to one of the top teams in the country on the road. Running the B1G gauntlet is just getting them ready for the tournament. 20-2 isn't bad. IU had a hot hand shooting and we didn't. That is just the way things work sometimes.
Let's see if the teachable moments from last night will result in kicking some buckeye ass next Tuesday.
February 3rd, 2013 at 9:30 AM ^
Wakes up, checks Kenpom, we are still 3rd,rolls back over.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:54 PM ^
For winning Kenpom?
February 3rd, 2013 at 1:34 PM ^
The trophy is twelve feet high, and it is glorious. I've seen it.
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:16 AM ^
IU was constantly on the attack. M just seemed to be passive on every possession. Even my wife wondered about this during the game. She asked why all the Michigan players just seemed to stand there while Indiana always seemed to be going fast paced. And that coming from the most casual of casual fans.
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:26 AM ^
How you can travel after a foul (oledipo) and still have the basket count and how you can run two guys over to get to a losse ball (zeller) and some a foul gets called against UM. Those two calls were unbelievably bad.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
A few questionable calls in the game (going against both teams), but the continuation call was the worst...it looked like he took 4 steps.
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:33 AM ^
Bottom line Ohio and IU fed off the energy from the crown we'll see the same with Michigan when these two teams come back to AA
February 3rd, 2013 at 10:42 AM ^
We all seem to be in agreement that Big Ten road games are brutal. Assembly is one of the toughest environments for a visiting team in the country. My takeaway from the game is that these are two really evenly matched teams talent wise. Our backcourt is stronger, their front court is stronger. Neutral court, these teams could probably split 50-50 out of a 100 game series, or something close to that.
However, there are reasons for concern. We have played two tough road games (OSU and IU) and in both the team lacked poise at times. Way too many hero shots from Burke. Freshmen look overwhelmed by the moment. I have faith they will mature and put it together by tournament time, but this is not a championship team right now. They are good enough to get to the Final Four which is quite an accomplishment, but I would be concerned about their poise on that final weekend.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:27 PM ^
seemed to be able to play their best, despite the crowd. There's no question that IU has better talent and athleticism than we do at every position except point guard. Burke can only do so much himself.
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^
Rewatching the 2nd half this morning. Not sure why Beilein takes Stauskas out right after his drive and dunk. I thought that play could have gotten him going.
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^
I would have liked to see the 1-3-1 at times. Especially with a freshman PG and a team that turns the ball somewhat frequently. Northwestern brought it out against IU and it totally changed the game.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:01 PM ^
Thought that last night too. I bet we see some of it when we play them again.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:00 PM ^
Couple of freshmen played like freshmen on a big stage. That's all. I think we learned some things, like we are going to have to use two bigs more often in B1G play. We also learned that Mitch is shaping up rapidly. Do we have a weakness or two? Sure, but there is a lot of season left, and we are in fine position come March
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^
gets them to respond. Will they improve, or keep skidding against the tough teams in the conference? IU responded to the Wisconsin loss with 5 straight wins, including us and MSU. If we can't respond similarly, we won't deserve a Big Ten title or a number one seed.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:12 PM ^
We are like a lot of other teams in that we are not as good when the other team is good. Magnify that on the road.
Overall, there were a lot of good things. Burke is Burke, McGary is a straight up animal, love the progress of Horford, Hardaway's starting to eliminate some of the mind-boggling decisions with the ball....
Also, GRIII needs at least one more year in maize and Stauskas looks like a freshman at mid season.
What has always made me skeptical about this team continues to be the Achilles heel..... shot selection. Man do we just fire up some ill-advised shit at times.
Oh, well. Still like our team and we have as good a chance as anyone to win the league. Gotta go AT LEAST 2-1 over the next three to stay in the hunt. I am not even thinking about the tourney cuz as far as I'm concerned that's more about match ups and luck of the draw (unless we somehow grab a one seed, that's the only position that usually is set up for success).
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:34 PM ^
fouls killed them...
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:43 PM ^
Indiana playing much better defense than us and shooting and rebounding much better than us was the killer. Usually is.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^
Not to jack the thread but fwiw I was playing pick up ball with Doug gottlieb today and asked him what he thinks of Michigan and he says they are outside the top 5 best teams in the country.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:59 PM ^
For theft, who can you trust?
February 3rd, 2013 at 1:02 PM ^
Where?
Gottlieb also thinks MSU is one of the best teams in the nation
February 3rd, 2013 at 1:10 PM ^
Gottlieb left ESPN in a hissy fit bc Jalen got the Gameday gig. I'm sure he has nothing good to say about Michigan
February 3rd, 2013 at 4:29 PM ^
Whatever. Vote us out of the top spot this week, but to think we're not one of the top 5 is just straight-up hating. Gottlieb's shows were never enlightening. Not sure why his opinion would be any more relevant than some other dude on the court. Oh, right, it's because he played college ball and most of us didn't.
February 3rd, 2013 at 12:57 PM ^
Ned flanders/dwight schrute offspring crean, The hobbit jordy, the jungle bushman victor, and the ugly hunchback Cody are not a very good looking bunch.
February 3rd, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^
Unfortunately, their win looked pretty good.
February 3rd, 2013 at 1:09 PM ^
My thoughts about college bball. As long as your team is good at home and neutral courts, you will be fine for the tournament. No need to panic