2021-22 arizona

Things discussed:

• Michigan history corrections.
• Maryland: Michigan was looking past then, Donovan Edwards brings a new dimension.
• McNamara performance: not like MSU because he wasn’t getting pressure, his reads were more open, and his receivers helped him out more. It was a good performance—just stop throwing it off his OL’s helmets.
• McCarthy: Perfect game for him because UMD’s secondary falls apart, gives their running game more space, POPS. Also definitely not the starter.
• OSU-MSU: Not surprised MSU fell apart in the secondary, surprised they couldn’t move the ball, but that happens when they lost their Heisman candidate to an ankle thing.
• M-OSU: How do we win this one? Beat their linebackers, screw with Stroud’s reads, get pressure, and get the ball to Michigan’s playmakers. #SpeedinSpace time.
• Nebraska/Penn State vs OSU through-lines? Both teams make life hell on linebackers!
• We talk about OSU’s receivers, what about Michigan’s receivers?
• Michigan is the best team Ohio State’s faced this year (yes including Oregon), and Ohio State’s been in some games this year.
• Seth: It’s going to matter if Ojabo and Hutchinson are allowed to play football under the rules.
• Hoops: significantly down on Houstan, who’s not a 3. Johns has no confidence. Team is shooting <28% from three so they’re not punishing you for doubling Dickinson.

[Hit the JUMP for the player, and video and stuff]

If you fell asleep again while waiting for one of these Las Vegas games to start, and then couldn't find find it, you wouldn't be alone. ESPN's commercial break-loaded broadcast finally started at 9:50 pm, by which point four minutes of basketball had already elapsed. The Michigan team you tuned in to watch didn't make it.

Their cancelation was mostly the work of a tough Arizona outfit that proved itself far better than advertised. That said, this was easily the worst basketball Michigan has played yet in the Juwan Howard era, as once again his young team couldn’t find its identity in the forest of a tall opponent. Michigan tried lineup after lineup, but couldn’t find any that could shoot, rebound, hang onto the ball, or play defense with any consistency.

A few of the things that went wrong usually go better, and probably will again. Hunter Dickinson had just ten looks from the field, including several all alone that found a way to rim out. He took the brunt of a career night for Arizona’s bouncy frontcourt pair Christian Koloko, who scored 22, and Azuolas Tubelis. The normally defensively stalwart Dickinson also started to look lost, joining some of his younger teammates in giving up an unending sequence of alley-oops. Freshman Moussa Diabate got pushed around, and rarely got an opportunity to use his switching skills. He broke one double to kick out to an open Houstan, but his four points, four personal fouls, and three turnovers in 18 minutes are likely to fall on the bottom end of a promising career.

Michigan’s transition defense was nonfunctional as the rotating lineups struggled to figure out whom to guard. There were bad matchups created all over the court as Michigan’s smaller guards wound up checking any of many towers that Arizona runs out in the backcourt, and the ball screen defense was atrocious. The team finished 1/14 from three, almost every one of them clean looks. Frankie Collins looked audacious with the basketball, but unfortunately his teammates were even less prepared for a lot of the passes he made than the fans. Even Kobe Bufkin, a bright point emerging since the loss to Seton Hall couldn’t get his shot off. Terrance Williams II missed a couple of bunnies, missed a few box-outs, and only played 17 minutes. Eli Brooks missed his first and second free throws of the season.

Houstan’s shooting should get better, but if he’s going to stay on the floor for it his defense needs to. [Campredon]

Unfortunately, many of the rough spots that started to fray in the first four games are threatening to become like gaping holes. Starting point guard Davonte’ Jones again found himself in foul trouble, playing just 8 minutes in the first half after following up a reach-in foul with a charge. He returned and finally managed to lead a few good half-court sets by driving into the lane, but followed up his best offensive possession—a gorgeous runner through the redwoods—with an awful third foul 80 feet from the basket. His scoring ability was evident again, but like Mike Smith's early defensive struggles and turnovers last season, Michigan's latest transfer point man is going to have to adjust his game to lead Michigan.

Without Jones, they couldn’t get the ball to Dickinson, and when they did and he got it back out to a shooter, they missed. Caleb Houstan went 0/5 and was the man most responsible for the continued defensive breakdowns. He still played 33 minutes, and contributed a few turnovers and one drive and dish to Dickinson to hint at his 5-star potential, but Arizona also seemed to know right where to attack on defense. Even his brightest moment of the night found a way to be disappointing: he created a steal and his own breakaway, pulled up for three, but had his foot on the line.

His fellow winger Brandon Johns Jr. too had his moments—he canned Michigan’s lone triple—but his discombobulated play this season continued as he turned down open three-point opportunities that subsequently converted to bad possessions. The two-big lineup of Hunter Dickinson and Moussa Diabate destroyed Michigan’s spacing, and in this game even they couldn’t staunch the offensive onslaught. Only Arizona’s own bad shooting from distance—they went 4/21—kept the final score remotely close.

Arizona’s pogo sticks were impenetrable down low [Campredon]

In good things that continued to be pretty good, Eli Brooks paced the Wolverines with 14 points, found his floater, and continued to cash in whenever he was left a crack into the lane. For that, Brooks took a lot of punishment from Wildcat elbows, and ended one possession in some kind of choke-hold.

Michigan falls to 3-2 and will almost certainly drop out of the top ten. They play Tarleton State on Wednesday then get Thanksgiving weekend off. It’s a good spot in the woods to look down at a glassy pond, and figure out who’s in the reflection, since a trip to Chapel Hill comes next.

[Box score after the jump]