Rebounding and Beilein Ball
AnnArbor.com article today breaks down the recent struggles on the glass and dishes out some pretty stunning numbers.
Michigan State grabbed a ridiculous 48 percent of its missed shots and shot 61 percent from two-point range. When Michigan played Ohio State a week ago, the Buckeyes grabbed 42.4 percent of their misses and dropped in 16 points on putback attempts.
We all knew it was bad but . . . ouch. What also caught my eye in the same article was this:
"We can't get taller," Beilein said. "We can't get bigger."
No, we can't. But for no person is that a stranger comment to come from than the head coach. He can't help that Horford got hurt but this is his personnel, built by design in the way he has chosen to recruit. Beilein's WVU tenure also showed a clear preference for small lineups and while the 3s flowed and the 1-3-1 frustrated, rebounding (particularly offensively) was weak. Small lineups are one of the only items of style he hasn't tweaked since making the move here (pick-and-roll plays and far less zone defense have been his main concessions thus far).
With the arrival of McGary next season, we should finally be able to have two legitimate big men on the floor at the same time. The question, then, is do you want Beilein from next year out to adopt a more conventional approach to the size of his roster or is sacrificing rebounding worth it to have teams that can run and stretch the floor with the threat of outside shooting?