Recruiting concerns.
There is an elephant in the room. We dance around it and it's time to stop. We don't have the proper athletic talent at our 4 and 5 spots. We try and win with middling talent in the paint and stretch 4 and 5s!?!?! This is not going to work for this program in my opinion. The Center for SMU had 8 dunks tonight. 8! That's absolutely a result of inadequate recruiting and coaching in the paint. We have som great wing players but we sorely lack in the paint. We are one of the worst rebounding teams in the B1G year in and year out and have to shoot extremely well to win. Connecticut ..Xavier and SMU all featured athletic front lines and all 3 embarrassed us badly. Many will think we lost tonight because Caris shot miserably. We lost because we have guys playing in the paint that simply can't get it done. It's very similar to our line backing core down the stretch. The level of athleticism simply isn't there to compete on an elite level.
The Xavier game sticKS out most because that Center was from Detroit....and he manhandled us. We have 3 players at the 5 spot that are not physically able to compete on an elite level. Moritz may get there and has talent and youth on his side. He may turn out to be an exception and is very likeable. The other 2 just have not progressed and are assuredly great kids...but not effective simply put. Why does DJ Wilson not play? He's by far the best athlete and plays the least. It's a head scratcher for me because his ceiling suggests that he'd be worth the invested minutes. He gets scrap minutes...and is our best athlete in the paint. This wouldn't be as troubling if there wasn't more of the same coming down the pipe in recrutiing. We still don't have an athletic big coming in for the next 2 classes and Beilein seems to be willing to settle with this. This is simply upsettling. Webber...Howard....Baston....Taylor...Trayor......hell even Courtney Sims and J. Morgan! Where are our athletic bigs these days? It sure seems like everyone else has them. We used to have them and we've gotten completely away from it.
You do NOT win without athletes in the paint. Simple and plain. The notion that we can shoot our way around it or hit on one single big recruit (Mitch) in a 4 year span is absolute rubbish. Something needs to change. Michigan used have some of the most dynamic athletes in the country in the paint and until we get back to that it's just going to be hard to stomach. We need to recruit Detroit for starters and play our athletes. We can continue to avoid this elephant and make excuses as to why we are consistently losing to physical front lines...or we can adapt and change. We are not going to win without help in the middle. 8 damn dunks from one player.....that's not even pride. If Bacari is in charge of the bigs....then he needs to be held responsible because it's awful. Youth is something everyone plays with and isn't an excuse.
Recruit Detroit please...or at least fight like hell to do so. Tired of seeing homegrown talent go elsewhere and us running to the damn burbs to grab underrated kids who don't play with the same explosiveness and passion. Enough is enough. Your 5s don't need to be able to knock down 20 foot jumpers. That's horse crap. Get some dogs in the paint. We look straight up soft right now and thats the worst thing to look like.
December 9th, 2015 at 9:36 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 9:14 AM ^
after a loss.
December 9th, 2015 at 10:08 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 12:36 AM ^
are your friends. Don't be afraid to use them.
December 9th, 2015 at 12:38 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 3:17 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 8:22 AM ^
He must be very young, or now very blind.
December 9th, 2015 at 12:39 AM ^
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December 9th, 2015 at 12:39 AM ^
Holy wall of text, Batman!
December 9th, 2015 at 12:41 AM ^
a game on the road to a team they were an underdog against that has literally nothing else to play for but "big" games like this one at home.
We played terrible, leave it at that and move on.
December 9th, 2015 at 12:44 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 12:44 AM ^
This is about more than just this game.
December 9th, 2015 at 8:25 AM ^
Yes, this is a symptom of an underlying disease - WE ARE GOING TO GET STEAMROLLED BY BIG TEN TEAMS disease. Hence the very legit concern.
December 9th, 2015 at 12:46 AM ^
We had a big game at home against a respectable program (Xavier) and got run off our court.
Isn't it time to expect something from these guys?
The losing is not the issue, its the manner in which we do it.
I thought we were beyond the (its a road game, eh no big deal is we lose by 20 crap).
This looks exactly like last year to this point.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:05 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 12:43 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 12:55 AM ^
This, exactly. We were getting devoured by dribble penetration. Our bigs played poorly, but the perimeter defense left something to be desired tonight. Ugly game overall, no doubt about it.
December 9th, 2015 at 12:47 AM ^
Acutally 10 dunks. I think it was 10 dunks.
December 9th, 2015 at 12:57 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 1:58 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 12:49 AM ^
We will not win many games giving up a layup line and dunk drill to other teams.
We don't compete for the ball on defense and we don't grind.
Zack and Stu maxed out their abilties, grinded their asses off, and built the foundation of this program.
Right now, we are reverting to pre-2011 play, and its really sad.
Why do we even schedule these type of games if we aren't even going to care to show up or compete.
December 9th, 2015 at 12:52 AM ^
Echoing some of the above posters, its about time everyone start respecting what Jordan Morgan did here.
December 9th, 2015 at 8:27 AM ^
Anyone who doesn't was not paying attention.
December 9th, 2015 at 10:12 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 12:58 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 1:04 AM ^
Get the hell out of the zone. Play man....oh wait we cant because our bigs cant handle their man. Another coaching issue.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:04 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 1:09 AM ^
We need major help in the paint.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:31 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 1:55 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 1:58 AM ^
There is no "argument for keeping Beilein" because there is no argument. No sane person would be arguing about this. He has won us TWO Big Ten titles in the last 4 seasons and almost won us a National Title. Yes I know one Big Tne title was shared.
If you are counting, that is 33% of our Big Ten titles in the last 40 years. The only Michigan coach to have more Big Ten titles is Dave Stack, and he won all of his with arguably the greatest player in Michigan history, Cazzie Russell.
The idea that we should fire Beilein because we struggled last year and are struggling this year is utterly ridiculous.
December 9th, 2015 at 2:06 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 6:31 AM ^
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December 9th, 2015 at 7:28 AM ^
JB was great at bringing us back from the dead and taking us to a title game and winning Big Ten titles. I'm just not sure if he's the guy to keep us at that level regularly.
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December 9th, 2015 at 9:29 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 11:30 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 1:04 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 1:01 AM ^
What we have coming down the line in recruiting is more of the same and not the changes we need. We need explosive leapers and high energy kids who play pissed off in the paint. Moritz is a baby now and its possibly not fair to clump him into this at the moment.....but Dammit....every other big program gets play NOW freshman so.....
We need grown ass athletic men in the paint. Purdue...Staee....Ohio....Maryland all have big athletes in the paint. We will have to shoot the lghts out to stay close. THis is a Beilien problem created through lackluster recruiting. You can only miss so many times and completely miss on so many guys before your ability to identify post talent comes into serious question. Missing out on Bluiett.....Battle....Brown was also devastation. Not being able to get Josh Jackson to even seriously look at us is purely a lack of recruiting ability. Detroit had Jackson....Winston and bridges all available. We missed on all three. Goddamn unacceptable. You win with great coaching and elite athletes. Coaching is nothing without the athletes and it has been far from great lately. There needs to be a shake up.
December 9th, 2015 at 9:37 AM ^
So I take it you have no excitement for the addition of Jon Teske to the roster? No he isnt an elite athlete but he is going to be the biggest player we've had on our roster in some time. Having a legit 7 foot shot blocking threat in the paint is something I am very much looking forward to. It is something that is going to alter what opposing players, both guards and centers, do when they get around the rim.
December 9th, 2015 at 11:30 AM ^
he is a generic 3 star for a reason.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:38 PM ^
What exactly is your criteria for "generic" ? He is a 4 star to rivals and one of the highest 3 stars to the other sites. Seems a tad higher than "generic". A rim protector with size and length would go a long way to help our current defensive issues. He is limited offensively and I would think that is the likely reason for not being rated higher. But his defensive and shot blocking instincts combined with his size leaves a lot of optimism for what he'll bring to the team.
Or, hey, the sky is falling and well never have a decent post player and our chances of being a quality program have entirely eroded forever and ever.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:01 AM ^
December 9th, 2015 at 1:02 AM ^
Other than Jordan Morgan, who got absolutely pissed on by the Detroit PSL fans his first few years at UM, Michigan hasn't had a decent instate player since Manny Harris and yet has sustained one of the most successful stretches in program history.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:07 AM ^
Or Xavier....or Iowa. Michigan doesn't use its biggest and most fertile recruiting ground and its right there. It's laughable. You say it's garbage? Wow. Enough people think like you and thats why we will continue to look like boys in the paint. We dont have the players or the aggression as a program neccessary to win in the paint....where it counts. Something needs to change unless you like losing by 13+ every time we play a legitimate team with legitimate D1 talent in the paint.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:12 AM ^
I would say DeShawn Sims was the last great player out of Detroit for us.
Manny Harris had to many facepalm moments and then bailed after his junior year despite it being clear he had little to no chance at being a stable NBA player.
Also we spent a long time recruiting a PG from Detroit and the kid tried to fuck us over at the 11th hour by refusing to reschedule his visit mid-week and refusing to commit before the visit.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:15 AM ^
Maybe we should recruit instate players more. Look how much success Izzo is having with them.
December 9th, 2015 at 1:08 AM ^
I can't stress enough how ridiculous people are being. It's December.
I'm done trying to talk sense into people.
If those freaking out, calling for changes want to jump off the bandwagon that most of them weren't on prior to championship banners, be my guest.
If that comes across as condescending as someone earlier said, then good.
I guess I'm a mean fan that isn't giving up literally 9 games into the season.