UM @ Ohio - postgame thoughts
Let's keep postgame thoughts as consolidated as we can. My takeaways from today:
- I thought we did a terrific job on Sullinger and Buford. If we keep those guys in check iin Ann Arbor like we did today, we've got a terrific chance of winning. Craft was the difference though - he keyed the small Ohio runs in the second half. As good as Burke is offensively, he's been beaten up and worn down a bit defensively by Jackson and Craft the past two games.
- We missed a lot of open shots, but also made some tough ones. If Smot and Stu each hit another shot or two of the many good looks they had, we would've been right in this thing. In particular, Stu had a chance to cut it to 4 with about 6 or 7 minutes left. He missed and Ohio scored 5 in about 30 seconds to break it open
- We had absolutely no chance on the glass today, offensively or defensively. Smith was particularly hard to box out. He repeatedly grabbed boards over Novak and Hardaway it seemed. Again we did a decent job on Sullinger though
- Today simply confirmed what many of us thought already. Ohio is the best team in the conference, and we are squarely in the second tier of the B1G. We've got a great shot at anywhere from 2-5 in the conference, and if Ohio falls a few more times on the road, we aren't out of the running for 1st
January 29th, 2012 at 4:22 PM ^
They play with a lot of heart, but still lack some talent in the right spots.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:26 PM ^
I did not watch this game expecting Michigan to win. Ohio isn't the #4 team in the country with a 30-something win streak at home for nothing. Hate them or not, they are a damn good team, and are clearly the best team in the conference right now.
If we can play like we did in the first half for a whole game, there is no reason we can't beat them at home. But we've got a murderer's row of a schedule remaining, especially in the next few weeks, which will tell us a lot about this team and where it should be placed in the tournament.
Remember too, we beat them in football this year, and at the end of the day, that's what will hurt them more than any basketball game.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:30 PM ^
after this week (3 games) the schedule is about as easy as it can get to end the BIG season.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:28 PM ^
We are missing a star player. Maybe Trey can develop into that, but to win on the road you need a player that you know can give you 20-25 pts or demand so much attention that it allows your role players to play well and get wide open shots. We are good because of our coaching PERIOD. We have a bunch of role players that we rely too heavily on. With that being said, I do believe the Sweet 16 is a realistic goal. Next year with the addition of MM, GRIII, and Nick, the Final Four will be the goal. We were outplayed by a more talented team. I can handle that a lot better than losing to Iowa and freakin Arkansas.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:35 PM ^
(at least as bad as we were beat) is why I do not think that this is a sweet 16 team.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:44 PM ^
The nice thing about the NCAA tournament: there are no road games.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:45 PM ^
that have not struggled on the road?
January 29th, 2012 at 4:30 PM ^
My thing about Ohio is that they claim they don't care about us, but then they have a SONG that is about HOW MUCH they DON"T GIVE A DAMN about us. If you REALLY didn't care about us, you wouldn't have song...must be all the inbreeding that makes them so stupid.
January 29th, 2012 at 6:19 PM ^
Ohio State fans don't care about Michigan in the same way that Michigan fans don't care about Sparty.
January 29th, 2012 at 6:26 PM ^
We don't assault MSU fans that come to Ann Arbor.
January 29th, 2012 at 6:40 PM ^
Speak for yourself. I beat the shit out of an MSU mom at a Tupperware party.
(sarcasm assumed - no /s needed)
January 29th, 2012 at 6:29 PM ^
We don't assault MSU fans that come to Ann Arbor.
January 29th, 2012 at 8:41 PM ^
If Ohio doesn't care about us, then who do they care about? We are their primary rival, without question; as they are ours.
January 30th, 2012 at 2:25 AM ^
Those Ohio fans are stupid. If an OSU fan says he doesn't care about Michigan, he's lying. Trust me, we all hate you guys, like any rival would.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:32 PM ^
I think we live and die by the 3 too much. We didn't need to play that way today. There were a lot of inside looks that we passed to the 3 look.
We can beat ohio in A2!
Go Blue!
January 29th, 2012 at 4:50 PM ^
Ohio State just has a better team philosophy than we do. They move the ball around the outside until they can get a good angle entry pass to the post, and either have their big man take it to the rim or kick it for a 3 when the D collapses. Their post players are well positioned on the floor. Inside-out and pretty simple basketball.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:02 PM ^
Having multiple future NBA players helps, too. Give us a big hoss like Sullinger in the middle and suddenly we'll be getting a lot of good looks.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:55 PM ^
If you don't want Thad Matta to beat Beilein in another thing remember to vote everyday in the Infiniti charity thing on ESPN. Vote everyday. Matta's up on Beilein by 1% but we can make a late push.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:08 PM ^
but combined with shooting 39% for 2-pointers on top of getting outrebounded by double-digits and you're going to struggle to beat average teams, let alone OSU. The only way this squad gets within shouting distance of a Sweet 16 berth is to get red-hot at tournament time.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:38 PM ^
We also weren't shooting in an empty gym. OSU's team defense is very good (and Craft's on-the-ball D is phenomenal). We had a handful of open threes, but pretty much every other shot we took was heavily contested.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:44 PM ^
I was starting to think I was the only one with that thought.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:45 PM ^
I think just making the tournament as a single digit seed would probably qualify as within "shouting distance" of the Sweet 16. There are multiple Sweet 16 teams every year that wouldn't stand a chance on the road against the #4 team in the country without playing out of their minds.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:10 PM ^
Some things worked well, others didn't like rebounding and drawing fouls. 18 FTA for Ohio vs. 4 for Michigan irritates me but that's life sometimes. Novak leaving will hurt but everyone's been inconsistent at shooting at some point this season. At least we can comfortably project THJ coming back for his senior season.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:28 PM ^
Not to brag but I very nearly nailed this game exactly. I picked M 66-64. Ohio State held up their end of the bargain by scoring precisely 64 points. Michigan was a mere 5 three pointers and a layup away from the 66 points I predicted. I am not about to dwell on my near miss, I have to get my Bob Knight game face on for Wednesday.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:37 PM ^
My postgame thought is that the announcer was really annoying. He was clearly a Buckeye fan and on top of that his catch phrases were incredibly stupid and forced. I don't watch a lot of College B-Ball. Who was that guy? Horrible, this announcer, horrible.
edit: I know there were two guys, so if you're wondering which one I'm referring to, it's the annoying one.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:49 PM ^
He is one of the best college basketball color commentators around.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:57 PM ^
But man, some broadcasters these days are getting ridiculous. The verbal diarrhea they spew becomes nauseating. And I like Dick Vitale if that can help my case of not being bias against all announcers these days. Much of what Raftery was saying today was flat out wrong, regarding the Michigan team (and how they function, who does what well, etc.). It's not just Bill Raftery. The poor commentating and homerism they can show all starts to add up after a few years.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:47 PM ^
I'm watching Heat vs Bulls and Derrick Rose is absolutely phenomenal. How in the hell did Memphis not win the NC with him. Rose is better than Trey Burke
January 29th, 2012 at 8:56 PM ^
As an MSU fan, I get nightmares thinking of Derrick Rose in a Memphis uniform.
January 30th, 2012 at 2:27 AM ^
Free throws. And Rose is a much different athlete than Burke. Burke is stronger, but that's about it. Rose is just a freak.
January 29th, 2012 at 5:53 PM ^
And it showed today. The thing is, they are beatable, by Michigan. Things need to fall Michigan's way a little more to do so, but it is feasible, especailly in Ann Arbor. Michigan's possessions are more valuable to us for scoring than OSU's are to them and throwing up inefficient shots and turning the ball over will not beat them. Being slaughtered on the boards, like today, will not beat them. Shooting 4 FTAs an entire game will not beat them. However, if Michigan were to have hit two more shots, maybe only one, like the above poster mentioned (Stu missing the 3 to cut to 4 with ~6 min remaining after being down ~12 moments before) they would have been right in the thick of things.
For all the things the boys in Blue did wrong and how they were outplayed, to be a single possession and a defensive stop away from being virtually even with OSU (today) shows what this team is made of and can do. Most of what I feel "needs" to happen has been said already by others. But if and when this team puts together a complete, solid game, they will be a tough match-up for just about anybody. Michigan, a tough match-up, may not resonate at first but I think we all see it. The way the defense can play and they way some of the boys CAN play, combine it all and Michigan could be playing March 25th in Atlanta*.
*Speculation. I'd rather have them closer to home (and me in Iowa) in St. Louis!
January 29th, 2012 at 5:58 PM ^
1. No depth at Center
2. No Hardaway (NBA maybe after Senior year)
3. Turnover mid-way through the 2nd half that led to a dunk and all the momentum ...
We will get them in Ann Arbor but need 1 and 2 above.
January 29th, 2012 at 6:20 PM ^
Doesn't matter. I am confident the NCAA will find out that Matta was paying Sullinger all along.
January 30th, 2012 at 2:29 AM ^
Ehh, there's a better chance of him paying Deshaun or something. Sully is a Columbus born kid whose brother played at OSU like 5 years earlier. Probably was going there all along.
January 29th, 2012 at 7:04 PM ^
No one realistically thought that we were going to break their home win streak, but those guys played for a long while as if they thought they could. No quit on this squad. Our best guys are our youngest guys, and they are getting better, although not in a linear fashion. Burke will be excellent by the end of this year, and one of the best handful of players in the conference next year. Hardaway could be, if he can get coached up to make better decisions.
We need more depth, which is coming, but this team will still be a very tough out at the B10 tournament and in March/April.
January 29th, 2012 at 8:19 PM ^
I was at the game, and the refs were horrible, but for both sides. OSU's defense is pretty tough - they're long, athletic, and fast...Burke and esp. Hardaway did a nice job of taking the ball to the hole. Michigan will be fine - this was the toughest game anyone has given OSU at home...
On another note...has anyone ever seen John Beilein go after the refs like he did? I've never seen him close to losing his cool, but he had to be restrained today at one point...
January 29th, 2012 at 11:11 PM ^
A team dominates us in the paint, particularly on the offensive bards and some of us blame the refs and missed over the back calls as the reason for the loss.
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<br>We played a game in the first half whereby we would have had a chance to win in the second if we mirrored. We stopped shooting, got out physicaled, and looked like a low second tier big ten team by the end the game. We are more than one player away, but fortunately we will have Horford and three solid recruits coming in next year. Still would be nice to have had that dcd kid (amir williams) on our sidelines this year not their's. Felt like we could not finish anywhere and they (eventually) did close in at a clip high enough to win convincingly and in a manner that made us look like a bunch of middle schoolers slapping at he arms of the jv squad.
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<br>Positives:
<br>Glad the d for the first half showed what coud be done to beat these guys.
<br>Large gangly man (Blake m)hit a three on what looked like a set play (hello true spirit of Beilein)
<br>Trey payed poorly in the second half but looked good doing it. He is that good. MVP.
<br>We can sweep the spartoons still.
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January 29th, 2012 at 11:30 PM ^
1. We sucked balls
2. osu kicked our asses in bball and football recuriting
3. At least we will have THJ back next year - cause he isn't even ready for the wnba yet!
January 30th, 2012 at 2:20 AM ^
Michigan fans complaining about other school's fans celebrating outdated national championships is a bit ... ironic.
January 30th, 2012 at 8:19 AM ^
I definitely agree, Ohio is clearly the best team in the Big Ten. Despite that, we played hard, and kept it close until late in the second half. I don't think we could've asked for much more considering we were on the road and we weren't shooting lights out.
Proud of the way the (Mich) guys played, and can't wait to see Ohio in Ann Arbor!