B1G or Bust

December 4th, 2018 at 11:08 PM ^

Big win in a tough environment! Teske won that game with his quick hands on that last possession. I like the story of Davis (southern Michigan kid, not really recruited by anybody, earns some minutes at Michigan). However, it’s clear that this is a live by Teske, die by Teske season.

Good, gritty win in the road. Lots to learn from it.

RobM_24

December 5th, 2018 at 12:41 AM ^

I hope you're right, and I'm rooting for him ... but he looks like he's playing in snow boots out there. Heavy footed and no lift. He had an easy lob dunk that he didn't even get close to. Might be an athleticism/coordination thing more than stuff that can be taught/learned. Hopefully Livers can man the backup 5 most games.

garde

December 4th, 2018 at 11:08 PM ^

Best win of the year! Great game, but also a GREAT win.

Just made top 5, undefeated, beating teams by 20, on the road in a hostile environment, against a decent team with a very good coach....and we get a hard fought W. This victory tonight makes the team even better.

M Ascending

December 5th, 2018 at 9:09 AM ^

The best thing about this game is that it will help keep the team's head out of the clouds, thinking they are unbeatable.  And we still won the game.  And they got to perform under pressure late in a game and managed to hold it together.  All in all, a very productive evening.

Michigan4Harbaugh

December 4th, 2018 at 11:12 PM ^

Good Lord that game aged me about 5 years. Very nice gritty road win in a tough environment, and asstastic officiating to boot. It was like 12 fouls to 5 in the second half, but I digress. Nice to see we can win a close one being that the last several games have been easy double digit victories. GO BLUE!!

Barn Animal

December 4th, 2018 at 11:13 PM ^

This was very good for us, they exposed some weaknesses that we can work on.

1. Davis may not be as adequate as we thought he was if Teske gets in foul trouble.

2. Z is a liability if the defense decides not to show any respect to his shot (nor should they). Have to figure out a way around this.

Johns and DDJ are possible solutions to these. And most important we got the W!

bdneely4

December 4th, 2018 at 11:19 PM ^

Based of this game, yes Z was off but I disagree with your point of Z being a liability if they lag off. I feel his shot is a bit better this year and his ability to dish the rock is at elite levels at times.  If a team wants to try to make him the liability, they will be the losers more times than not. 

MichiganStan

December 4th, 2018 at 11:35 PM ^

Next 4 games are South Carolina, WMU, Air Force, and Binghamton

Should be a pretty easy 13-0. I think the best Beilein start was 16-0. We'd have to beat Penn State, Illinois, Indiana, and then Northwestern for 17-0

Totally doable. In fact were not losing a single game this year IMO. I have the stats to prove it

michmaiku

December 4th, 2018 at 11:40 PM ^

Hurdle cleared, for sure.  I think the good (because passed, if by a hair) road test will be beneficial. And we now have some out of conference tune-ups to iron out some wrinkles in the offense. 

Nervous Bird

December 4th, 2018 at 11:50 PM ^

Last week, Coach Beilein talked about wanting to see how the team would react to some adversity. Well, they got it tonight, and they responded with aplomb. To win after losing a 15 point lead, and going down by 3 with five minutes left on the road, is a testament to the character and toughness of this basketball team. 

I'm unconcerned about the 2nd half offensive lull. Coach Beilein will use that half as a teachable moment. He will show how our offense is much better when we move the ball and not simply rely on one-on-one moves by Iggy, Jordan, or Charles. Coach will also spotlight how the team lost its intensity when it got up by 15. Things seemed easy again, and they relaxed. And, lastly, Coach Beilein will express the need for Zavier to be patient, and Charles to stay attentive. 

Zavier was pressing with his jump shot tonight. During that 5 minute stretch where they lost the lead, Zavier missed 4 three-pointers. On only one of those possessions was the shot clock under 5 seconds. He's got to be patient and not force the three. After the second miss, he's got to continue moving the ball to get a better shot. On the other hand, Charles needs to stay 'in' the game. When he got pulled with the early foul, he completely lost his rhythm and he never got on track. All of this is correctable, and the smile that Coach Beilein had during the post-game interview expressed the sentiment that "I get to coach them hard again". Got the win... but finally a lot to work on in practice. 

By the way, what a raucous environment! 

Indiana Blue

December 5th, 2018 at 8:01 AM ^

Agree mostly ... but Simpson uses a "set" shot, not a jump shot.  He had 2 of them tonight get "blocked" by a guy 4 feet away from him.  He needs to be in his own "zip code" before shooting.  He's a great assist guy that can drive on anyone ... but if he misses his first two 3-balls, then he should not even consider taking another one that game.  But he runs the offense much better than any other option.

Go Blue!

Blue in PA

December 5th, 2018 at 8:47 AM ^

I think this dog-fight was exactly what this team needed.  The way we fell flat and let them climb back into the game I figured coach B was going to be pissed and frustrated.   Yet when he was interviewed he was smiling, enjoying the atmosphere and fight that they just endured.   If that doesn't scream confidence in this squad.....

The potential for this season, WOW.   We have such a history of hitting our stride after the 1st of the year, I just hope we don't run out of steam early.

 

GO BLUE!