Perspective After Tonight’s BB Loss
Well that sucked. In regards to this game, this showed the true bugaboo of UM’s team. Same thing happened at Wisconsin, foul trouble and can’t shoot. Officials killed us this game. Especially early, taking us out of it. Our fault for not being deep, but they controlled this game making Brooks, Davis, Johns, DeJulius, Castleton Play, some key minutes. Shooting woes weren’t good, but 2nd half was 2 point game when our top players get to play. Oh, don’t want to hear about the auto bench. JB knows you only get 5. His approach is have all hands on deck 2nd half. Both sides have pros and cons. Reality is a thin team can’t get screwed on crap calls.
The funny thing and my main point of this message was the perception of this fan base. Many say, this team blows. Others say, relax this team is 20-2. Reality is and most gotta see it, something in between. We can’t control officials, so only having 6 Maybe 7 at times a huge problem with this squad. Second, this team can’t shoot. Even see our bad shooting on several games we win. This team doesn’t have any pure shooters. Few in our rotation are just bad. Both Iowa and Wisconsin loss were similar and how we lose. Foul trouble, especially early and lots of missed shots. Many times the misses come from multiple people on floor who suck at shooting, and Poole/Iggy try to do too much. You see Iggy/Poole force a lot when our 6 main play? Maybe a few, but majority are when Teske and Livers are sitting. The receipe for success hinges on lots of luck. Refs and health going our way.
No, sky is not falling. We have 2 losses, at Iowa and at Wisconsin. Most years I chalk both up as losses. Over years, haven’t played well at their house and we always get screwed by BS calls. Both games didn’t let me down this year. Frustrating when you know this going in, probably some truth to it? Also, at Wisconsin with all the junk on the road (foul trouble/bad shooting), we within 3 with a minute left. Tonight, we were basically even in 2nd half when our top 6 could actually play. Not bad when you stack up the consistently bad calls and awful shooting.
Lets hang in there and realize that both sides have lots of solid arguments, but both off, and just enjoy the ride. Hopefully this team can get some guys hot . But we know we only got 6 guys (crazy how much better Teske is on D vs. Livers/Johns when watching those 2 halves). So pray officials are kind and the injury bug escapes us come March. I like our chances when our 6/7 can play all the minutes.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:31 PM ^
We've been the best Big Ten basketball team this decade. We matter.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:07 PM ^
Guess we’ve arrived though, the fans rushed the court after Iowa beat us! It’s a big deal to beat Michigan basketball now!
edit: LOL, we said the same thing at the same time!
February 1st, 2019 at 10:10 PM ^
20-2 and it's not even March, y'know, that time of year when the Beilein death star goes fully online.
Meanwhile, like most years, Iowa and Wisconsin will probably lose in the first round to Stephen F Austin and Old Dominion or whatever. There's no home cooking in the tournament.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:10 PM ^
Agree with most everything you said OP, except Poole is a shooter IMO. He's going through a rough patch, but I'll be surprised if he doesn't score a lot of points in the NBA (hopefully far in the future). He's not Glen Rice, but he can fill it up.
Iggy and Livers both have pretty good strokes, but aren't really gunners. Iggy's more of a scorer than a pure shooter and Livers isn't that assertive. The rest of the guys are inconsistent shooters at best, pretty awful at worst. While "sucky" describes their shooting tonight, I think it's a bit overcritical for a team that's 20-2.
I'm a bit confused by your "choice" - is this a team that blows or one that's 20-2? The latter is a fact, isn't it? I suppose you mean they're not likely to keep winning >90% of their games; back-loaded B1G schedule makes that unlikely but not impossible - will need to make a strong run in both tournaments.
Michigan's having a great season. They've beaten some really good teams, and are undefeated at home and on neutral floors.
The last three games we blew out Indiana and OSU and lost on the road to Iowa - that sure doesn't seem like cause for doom and gloom to me. Very good team that had a bad night.
Coach Beilein always has his team peaking come tournament time.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:10 PM ^
Between basketball & football my new favorite team to loathe forever is Iowa.
Of course, a few weeks that'll change back to staee.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:23 PM ^
I +1'd you because of your username, mr. schulz.
It's either a nice homage to a long ago legend, or you're remarkably vigorous for a man well into his second century.
Well done, and Go Blue!
February 1st, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
There is no room for "persepective".
It is either "Win", or "Threat Level Midnight"
February 1st, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
Michigan played HORRIBLY and only lost by 15. I think that is VERY encouraging.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:17 PM ^
Iowa isn't a world beater, though.
A better team beats us by 25 tonight. On the flip side of that, we probably play better against a better team.
February 2nd, 2019 at 12:02 AM ^
I don't know that a 15 point loss is cause for encouragement.
That said, we clawed back to within 5, and had several good shots to get right into the game. Even near the end, if we'd hit a couple of our threes we might have stolen it - just wasn't our night.
So, encouraged by the fight. Simpson is one determined dude.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:15 PM ^
Ticky tack calls against Michigan in the first 6 minutes took the starters and flow out of our game. And we shot horribly. Matthews struggled. Credit Iowa for playing good defense. Far from our A game. Move on and get better.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:16 PM ^
I am worried that the shooting is not improving , unlike most of the past JB's teams.
2 years ago, the team's shooting got hot with late decent/improving defense toward the end of the season, it won B1G tournament.
Last season, the shooting didn't improve, but with very good defense, it went to Natty .
I am afraid that, this season like the last, the shooting may not be improving in time to win the whole thing.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:37 PM ^
We shot the lights out toward the end of last season and into the BTT. We cooled off in the tourney but we were a much better shooting team than this. It really is simple, if we start making more shots we will probably be a Final Four team. If we don’t we are a nice second weekend/sweet 16 team. Nobody on the team is shooting the ball with any confidence right now. This is quite a fucking slump. I love this team but if we can’t turn around our outside shooting this isn’t going to be what we hoped for.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:18 PM ^
Pretty much agree with everything.
Refs hurt us.
Can't shoot well enough. Missed a ton of bunnies tonight.
Matthews regressing big time and team has very little depth. Incoming Frosh other than Iggy just not ready yet.
Overall, I think I got spoiled with how we played the first month of the season. In reality, we are playing like a decent team and nothing more right now. 2nd or 3rd in the Big and a 2 or 3 seed who wins 1 or 2 games.
Sky's the limit if that November team shows up, but I'm starting to wonder if it ever will.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:34 PM ^
Wow, Coach Beilein has really spoiled Michigan fans.
Even if you're right, a 2 or 3 seed is a top 8-12 team - if that's "decent", you have high standards.
There are 347 Div. 1 teams, and we've had better than a 3 seed only a handful of times.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:18 PM ^
We have to develop more depth. Games like this we need a punch off the bench and only going 7-8 deep can do you harm in a game like this. Must develop the youngsters, come tourney time we may need one of them.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:21 PM ^
I watched a couple of minutes and had to leave. What I initially noticed after just a few minutes is that Iowa had some pretty decent size and contested those perimeter shots.
Just an initial observation and average shooters can turn to below average under defensive pressure.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:22 PM ^
Whatever. I’ll let you all try and rationalize this pathetic loss. Great teams can win on the road. Iowa is nothing special.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:26 PM ^
#snowflake
February 1st, 2019 at 10:30 PM ^
Late January to Mid February is the "dog days" of the college basketball season. The regular season has been grinding on for awhile now, but the NCAA tournament still isn't particularly close on the calendar.
Rare is the college basketball team that doesn't have some lesser games around this time of year.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:35 PM ^
Exactly. This has never been a stellar time for Michigan basketball.
It's a grind.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:44 PM ^
Yes But. Can you tell me this teams 6 man only rotation and awful shooting is just gonna get better? I think we are what we are on that. Especially on the depth factor.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:46 PM ^
I don't think it will get a ton better.
Our fate will be based on whether refs let us play some defense.
We can do that very well, but only of they let us.
February 2nd, 2019 at 1:16 AM ^
You're correct. We are what we are. And that's a historically good defense and a solid but not great offense. And that's good for 6th in the country and a 20-2 record.
February 2nd, 2019 at 1:30 AM ^
But do you really think there are only 5 teams playing better basketball than Michigan right now? I think if we were truly ranked on how we've been playing it would be in the 10-15 range.
February 2nd, 2019 at 1:33 AM ^
If you asked this question before tonight's game, most would have said yes - we just blew out Indiana and OSU.
We're fine.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
I mean, Iowa played out of their ass and that idiot insane fan base of their's was a definitive edge. I went to a game in Iowa City. I'll never go back. Those fucking pieces of shit were rude to my 7 and 8 year old nephews. Fucked up. Had I been a former assassin like Denzel in Man on Fire, they would've been sorry.
I guarantee you that person that watches Iowa every game would say that was their best game. It was their game 7 of the finals. They rushed the court. It's February 1st. Give me a fucking break. This team just needs to not shoot themselves(live and die by the 3) out of the game for good when they are down by double digits. Especially at a venue like that. Like everyone keeps saying, this team isn't an elite outside shooting team. They shoot good in Ann Arbor. That's actually about it for the most part. There are a few outliers here and there but when you are down 10 with 8 minutes to go, just attack the fucking rim. If you cant get to the rim, shoot some fucking mid range jumpers. IT'S A HIGHER PERCENTAGE SHOT. It's half the distance as opposed to a 3 pointer. Don't launch 20 desperation 3's and only make 2. Are these guys coached? John Beilein anyone? Oh shit, how dare I say anything about Johnny and his coaching?
Xavier Simpson could shoot mid range jumpers all day off of those pick and rolls. How in the fuck does a point guard at the highest level of college basketball in the world not be able to hit a 10 to 12 foot pull up jumper? That is the easiest shot you will ever take. There is not better set up than coming off of a screen in the flow of the game and pulling up for that shot. You geniuses do realize how far 10 feet is right? Seriously, two big steps and I'm about at 10 feet. I'm so fucking pissed off right now.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:55 PM ^
You have no clue what the hell you're talking about.
Michigan shot 40.6% inside the arc tonight. That's not going to win many games. There's little difference between shooting 24.2% from 3 (not good) and 40.6% from 2. Over 100 possessions, you'd score 72 on the threes and 80 on the twos. Michigan's defense allows about 83 points per 100 possessions and is the best in the country.
Midrange 2s are a terrible shot, and much of Michigan's success over the past couple of years has boiled down to avoiding taking them and forcing the other team to take them.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:59 PM ^
Ok, you're pretty angry, so I'll tread lightly.
Zavier Simpson has no jump shot - I mean literally, he does not shoot a jump shot, ever. Not all that unusual for a 6 foot point guard.
He has a set shot, a layup, and his amazing hook shot. None of those are effective from 10-12 feet.
Additionally, modern basketball and all the advanced stats pretty clearly favor layups or 3 point shots. Remember, 33% from 3=50% from 2 (a bit oversimplified based on fouls/charges/rebounds/turnovers, but you get the point).
Shooting mid-range shots is only a good strategy if you're hitting a high percentage - basically as high as layups and dunks.
An exception to this is when the clock runs low, when a good look from anywhere is a good shot.
Coach Beilein was one of the early coaches to embrace this, which is one reason why his offenses are typically so efficient.
This Michigan team is an inconsistent shooting team, so underdog teams often try to sag into a zone, key on our best shooters, and hope the other guys are missing. To beat a good zone, you have to shoot well and/or execute great offense. We didn't do either tonight.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:36 PM ^
We still have a great team and coaches. Iowa gave us their best and they shot well. I won't lose a wink of sleep over this because the team will learn from this loss.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:40 PM ^
let’s get exposed now so we can correct it.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:43 PM ^
Here is some perspective: There are 9 minutes to go in the Maryland at Wisconsin game, and Maryland has been to the free throw line only one time.
That's life on the Big Ten road. Refs don't call it fair.
It's not just us.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:48 PM ^
Not all big 10, mainly a few spots. Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa stick out to me as the worst. Have for years.
February 1st, 2019 at 11:03 PM ^
Few people seem to say this about the Crisler Center...
I'd add Minnesota on to that list as well. Weird things happen in the Barn.
February 1st, 2019 at 11:33 PM ^
I dunno. We're undefeated at home, and blew out some good teams including NC and Purdue.
I can't imagine other teams are too excited to play at Crisler.
February 1st, 2019 at 11:40 PM ^
But did you ever get the sense that Michigan was getting a ton of gifts from the referees? The calls might tilt slightly in Michigan's favor, but not like some of the road venues in the B1G (I'm looking at you, Bloomington).
February 1st, 2019 at 11:53 PM ^
Well, I think sometimes we look through maize colored glasses. We get calls and (even more important for this team) no-calls at home.
I will admit Assembly and Trohl do seem especially treacherous.
February 2nd, 2019 at 5:36 AM ^
TING!
It's the no-calls at home on defense that have made us 20-2.
We've been allowed a lot of bumps down low that we weren't allowed today.
February 2nd, 2019 at 12:51 PM ^
I try to look at the officiating as impartially as possible. I have definitely seen Michigan get away with a few bumps, as you say. However, Iowa did the same thing last night -- and while I was upset about the non-calls against Iowa, I could live with it if it were called both ways.
What I don't see is Michigan opponents picking up a lot of ticky-tack fouls in games at Michigan. The only game I can think of this year where the opponent really got into foul trouble was Indiana, where both Morgan and Langford sat most of the first half with two early fouls. Morgan, though, is a foul machine (very good player -- but a foul machine). Langford isn't, and I thought one of his two fouls was a gift.
That's the difference. That's why so many people were shocked that Michigan went into Assembly Hall and won; I fully expected Teske to play two first half minutes in that game, because its Bloomington.
February 2nd, 2019 at 9:23 AM ^
Agree. UM just shoots better at home, especially Z and Matthews.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:46 PM ^
Not enough depth and not enough shooting. Will get swept by Staee and won’t make it out of the first weekend of the ncaa tournament.
February 2nd, 2019 at 1:21 AM ^
This was like a reverse jinx or something right? Cuz this is exactly what everyone was saying before the Staee game last year. So yeah, let's think this way.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:47 PM ^
Basketball is about adjusting to the adjustments. When you come out smoking like this year and 2012-13, opponents adjust to your strengths. This game reminded me a bit of the OSU game where they fell behind by a lot in 2013. Sometime in late January, early February, you begin to adjust to what the “book” on you is. Once that adjustment is made, it makes you very tough to play in March, because the “book” isn’t as effective anymore. I do have concerns that this team may run out of bullets. We will see what Belein does. He is a master. But 20/3-14 he found caris and started using McGary more. Not sure what he has to unlock this year. We will see.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:51 PM ^
On this point...Was interesting to see DeJulius and Castleton get real minutes. Brooks and Johns/Davis sat instead. Sort of hopeful for Nunez. One dude who they say can shoot. We need more of this!!
February 1st, 2019 at 11:38 PM ^
Re 1blueeye:
Walton suddenly exploded too.
Who knows who might surprise us this year?
Matthews has shown he can step it up against big-time opponents, and Poole showed us his clutch gene last year. Maybe they put the team on their shoulders.
Maybe Livers decides to become aggressive and starts lighting it up, or Iggy figures out how to pass - the possibilities are many...
February 2nd, 2019 at 1:34 AM ^
Yes, those would be the adjustments to the adjustments that need to be made.
The adjustment to Iggy was to collapse the help on him with abandon because he won't pass. It has largely worked. His 2pt FG% in conference play is 45% after shooting 55% in the non-conf. His foul rate (rate at which he gets fouled) is also significantly lower in conference play.
His adjustment needs to be that he anticipates the helps and finds the open man.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:48 PM ^
We can’t score. Love the boys, but lack of shooting & too much dribbling will end our season earlier than we would like.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:57 PM ^
If Michigan's season ends early, that will almost certainly be the reason.
Michigan had these exact same problems last year and had an early lead in the national championship game. The difference? This year's team plays better defense.
February 2nd, 2019 at 1:44 AM ^
Yeah, Michigan had four pretty brutal offensive performances in their five wins in the tourney last year. They won those all with defense. And yes, this years defense is significantly better.
February 1st, 2019 at 10:57 PM ^
The refs aren’t the problem, shooting is.