UM-MSU Snowflakes Thread
It is probably not too early to start this up. I love the team and the success they have had this year so far, but in order to go far in the tournament they've got to step it up.
The lack of physicality on this team is a noticeable issue - they have gotten eaten up inside by teams with a halfway decent big man.
Trey Burke is the only one who can create offense for others. No other players can penetrate to the hole with regularity. You slow Burke down and Michigan suffers.
You're not going to get very far on jump shots alone. Take it to the hole.
EDIT: The defense is average at best. Get in front of someone and cut off drives to the hoop...PLEASE.
Enough said.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:06 PM ^
I don't watch much NBA, but after these last few games against high level competition how in the world in Burke considered such a high draft pick? His D is average, his outside shot is iffy and agianst tall, quick defenders he gets shut down.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:08 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:14 PM ^
A point guard needs players around him to do something. ANYTHING. He'd have that in the NBA. If they didnt have Burke tonight they would have lost by 25.
Oh wait. Ok 40. There was no offensive without him. NONE>
February 12th, 2013 at 11:52 PM ^
Trey had 18 points on 7-11 shooting (3-5 from deep) with 4 assists and 3 steals and you're mad at him!?
I just don't understand how you can write a statement like that. Trey Burke is the only reason this team didn't lose by 50 tonight.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:04 PM ^
Outcoached, outhustled, outsmarted, and outskilled....
February 12th, 2013 at 11:05 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:08 PM ^
I'm still not convinced we even played.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:05 PM ^
Izzo was pretty classy in the post-game interview.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:07 PM ^
He usually is when they win....... Cries like a little baby if they lose
February 12th, 2013 at 11:07 PM ^
He usually is when they win....... Cries like a little baby if they lose
February 12th, 2013 at 11:06 PM ^
This teams ceailing is the seet 16, and we saw exactly why tonight. Go Blue!
February 12th, 2013 at 11:12 PM ^
How far UM goes in the tourney will probably depend on who they end up playing. A physical team will give them problems. A team that can defend on the perimeter will give them problems. After watching these last 4 games, it seems if you can keep Burke from penetrating, you're going to cause the UM offense fits. Wisky usually trailed Burke on the pick and roll but their big men was set up so Burke couldn't knife to the bucket.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:18 PM ^
We are an easy team to defend. Switch off and stay in Burke's face on the pick and rolls . . . don't allow penetration, and get in the pockets of the perimeter shooters. We have no answer.
February 13th, 2013 at 12:06 AM ^
That's obviously easier said than done buddy.
February 13th, 2013 at 12:27 AM ^
Wasn't too hard for Ohio State, Indiana, MSU, Wisconsin . . . .
February 13th, 2013 at 3:23 AM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:08 PM ^
For some reason I have very little emotion towards this loss. Maybe because M got taken out so early in the game. I was much more irate about @OSU and @Wisc, but this. Jaded, man. Jaded.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:08 PM ^
I realize defense is an issue but do they not have any set plays on offense to try and get somone a good open look? It seems the offense is either 3 man weave on the perimeter or pick and roll on the perimeter.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:08 PM ^
State, from Izzo on down, WANTED this much much more than Michigan did. He outcoached Beilein from start to finish. Period. Don't get me wrong, i really like what Beilein is doing and has done already this year, but tonight, it was ugly, and it starts with the HC.
As for the team, anybody not named Burke got dominated, and he only marginally played better than Appling. Hardaway was a total no show, including ZERO defense to go with his awful 1-11 shooting tonight. GRIII has bottomed out, let's hope he gets his mojo back and gets back on track. The Big guys got thoroughly dominated, really hope Morgan gets healthy and playing again, they miss his interior presence, and he is the only nasty player on the team. McGary played like a freshman tonight.
All told, gotta take a step back, that was the most difficult 4 game stretch any team will have, and if Brust does not heave his miracle shot, Michigan would be in excellent shape.
Got some easier games upcoming (2 against Penn St plus a home game with the now resurgent Illini) before the State game again. Hope they get some wins, get their confidence back, and try to return the favor in two and a half weeks.
Again, this is why the Wisconsin loss hurts so much, now Mich has to win out and hope to get some help with MSU and IU each losing one more game.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:09 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:10 PM ^
For real though, it's one game. We take them and Indiana at home and we still have a shot at the Big Ten. Long shot? Sure, but you know what? This is the first time in a long time I can say that we still have a great shot in the tournament.
February 13th, 2013 at 12:21 AM ^
Until we run into a team with a half decent interior presence and they sweep us off the floor.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:11 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:11 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:15 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:22 PM ^
February 13th, 2013 at 12:27 AM ^
Unfortunately in all of those games the same things showed up as weaknesses.
Other teams wanted it more than us and played much harder
Got dominated on the boards
No offense from Stauskas or GRII
No offensive creativity
No ability to impose our will on the other team or get defensive stops when it matters
Overall, right now something looks off with the team and I don't know how or if they can fix it in time for the tourney. I'm getting flachbacks to Burke trying to play one on five at the end of last year and that's not a place I like being in very much.
February 13th, 2013 at 12:56 AM ^
You could have also been 0-4 if THJ didn't have an NBA Jam fireball shooting out of his ass. Ifs, ans and buts. Subjective memory is subjective.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:19 PM ^
Duke has responded well against squishy competition after their rout at Miami, there's no reason we can't do the same.
Our team looked like a team that asks significant contributions from 3 freshman, or 60% of the players on the floor, lest we forget Burke is only in his sophomore year as well. The youth argument is probably an old, tired argument, and it won't make you feel better, but it's true and worth acknowledging.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:18 PM ^
Our lack of offensive sets is getting ridiculous. It's apparent when Spike is running the point, we can't do anything! Go back two years, we had a far-less talented team, but we were able to run sets and get good looks. We just can't do that against good defenses this year.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:18 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:18 PM ^
but based on comments above, it seems like the same thing may have happened here that happened in other loses. We can thunderstruck and no one knows how to respond, Trey Burke plays some hero ball, the other team gets jacked up and there's no Novak to have an Aneurysm of Leadership
February 12th, 2013 at 11:19 PM ^
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Tim, Horford, GRob, and Morgan were OUTSCORED by Albrecht, Person, and Akunne
February 12th, 2013 at 11:24 PM ^
GRIII looks like a beaten puppy out there...pretty much since the first OSU game. I still think he has a lot of upside...and I want him to do well. But someone needs to get inside his head and get his confidence back.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:21 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:25 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:22 PM ^
that I don't live in Michigan anymore is when we lose to Sparty. I work with a few buckeyes, but they only care about football and only talk trash about ohio beating Michigan.
Still want to move back though.
February 13th, 2013 at 12:07 AM ^
February 13th, 2013 at 5:53 AM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:23 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:24 PM ^
Michigan football and basketball teams are a combined 26-51 against Ohio and MSU since 2000. Thats a .337 % winning percentage. I couldnt' be more disgusted/upset. I feel like I root for an average sports team.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:30 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:34 PM ^
This has to go down as the WORST decade + in Michigan history, right?
February 12th, 2013 at 11:38 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:32 PM ^
February 12th, 2013 at 11:38 PM ^
I chose those dates because 2000 onward is a good starting point for modern college sports, the age of ESPN, recruiting services, big tv contracts. Do you think recruits or anyone under the age of 25 really remembers what Michigan was like before 2000?
February 13th, 2013 at 1:21 AM ^
Based on what? I'm not trying to be overly snarky (or even remotely so), but how old are you? TV money did not suddenly arive on the scene in 2000, and ESPN has been around for DECADES. March Madness has been an advertizing/TV contract bonanza for years and years, to say nothing of the massive amounts of money exchanged in office pools, bracket challenges, etc. Simply because some under the age of 25 might not remember Michigan pre-2000 (and I think many would) doesn't have anything to do with whether that time period (and arguably decades before that) was part of "modern college sports." I don't think you'll find too many people argue that the Fab Five were not a part of "modern college sports" and that was twenty years ago. While the stats from 2000 to the present say what they say, and I'm not knocking you for pointing them out (I agree they are fairly depressing) I think you could tell a completely different story simply looking at a different starting point. In the end, Michigan is still Michigan. Despite tonight's disappointment, I don't think you can honestly deny that both football and basketball are trending in the right direction.
February 13th, 2013 at 12:00 AM ^
How is that arbitrary? The point he wanted to make is we've struggled against our rivals for some time now and he figured out it went downhill starting from then to back up his point.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:25 PM ^
Well, we were clearly outplayed.
What stands out to me is that the team didn't come together -- the big road game script started out the same, fall behind by double digits. This time there was no rally. There was no hussle. Plenty of mindless errors and mistakes atypical of even this young Michigan team (turnovers stuck out).
To me, it seems they gave up. I don't know what the chemistry of the team is, but I can see that it's clearly not at a Zach Novak/Stu Douglass level. It's just a group of talented guys playing basketball, but there's been no cohesion through this stretch.
We're overrated. Our nonconference schedule was soft, and while a 21-4 record is nothing to scoff at, we've lost every big game, and the only big game we won was against Ohio State, a game most wrote off as a surefire Michigan double-digit type win, but the result was an OT 2 point decision.