Slow day board question: what are your keys to victory Saturday?
Slow day so far so I thought I'd just throw out the simple question: what does Michigan need to do to win Saturday?
This is arguably our toughest game of the year so our guys are really going to need to step it up. I think Simpson and Teske need to play better than last time defensively (limit Winston and take away inside looks) and play efficient offensively (don't need a lot of points but shoot on good looks and get decent percentage).
But the key to me is our shooters (Iggy, Poole, Matthews/Livers) all need to have a good day on offense, i.e. at least 10 points each. Seems like in all of our losses one of these guys is in a slump and we just can't have that Saturday if we're going to win.
Oh and stay out of foul trouble, everyone. What do you think?
Score more points than MSU.
/s
Usually the team that scores the most points wins the game.
No....no. That is incorrect. Ask Scott Frost.
...or his mom.
WIN THE GAME
**THREAD JACK**
so, the ticket office has opened up the interest list for football season tickets. Given that MSU, ND, & OSU are all on the home schedule this year, I anticipate demand to be pretty high this year, and as such I won’t meet the “point” threshold to get tickets.
When will the ticket sheet be updated with people looking to sell tickets for the upcoming season? I’ll be looking for 4 tickets to the Iowa game...
"I owe, uh, Zack ten bucks. Could you loan it to me?"
Only the die hard fans will get that.
Did Slater actually take the scholarship?
https://mgoblue.com/sports/2017/6/16/tickets-fbl-season-html.aspx
This is a good resource the university provides to show where they are at with the ticket process. I think once a week they will update the number of people who have donated the minimum $150 towards tickets. Two years ago the minimum number of points to be considered for new tickets was 22 and that was with more new tickets available.
That's helpful, but I'm talking about the ticket spreadsheet that is here on MGoBlog. I had bought tickets to a couple of games there in the past and was hoping it would be updated with 2019 tickets soon, as I haven't seen anything new in a while for football.
Demand is going to be high.
If Michigan finishes with a thud against at the end of this season, demand in 2020 is going to be a serious problem. Like, Warde Manuel's office is getting calls from the Coca-Cola promotions department bad.
As long as I don't watch the game, Michigan will win...or they have much better chance to win.
I used to think the same thing myself until a friend of mine asked why I though I alone was so powerful! I had to laugh at myself when I thought about it.
I don't actually think that...and I don't know of anyone who does.
The back story is that because of my involvement with my kids sports and church activities, I don't get to watch games. In 2019, I have only been able to watch the last minute of the Penn State game and the last 15 minutes and change of the MSU game. Michigan had a 51-45 lead at that point...and proceeded to be terrible for the rest of the game. I posted all of this in the post game thread by Alex. Muttley said he blamed me for the loss.
I will claim that I can affect the game due to the enormity of my TV.
Damn, you’ve only seen 4 games all season?
No, I have only seen the last minute of the Penn State game, which hardly counts...and the last 15 and minutes and change of the MSU game in 2019.
correlation is not causation but why take the chance. i refuse to watch or even check the score while michigan basketball is playing due to them losing if i watch live.
You should quit watching the games we lose. Simple as that.
A healthy, smiling Charles Mathews and fewer turnovers.
Score more points than them!
Convincing Matt McQuaid that it's in his best interest to attack the basket. Repeatedly.
If Jordan Poole keeps his head out of his ass this game they'll be fine
...and stops playing hero ball by chucking threes at the wrong time.
Yes.....unless he gets really hot.
Well, in that case, I'd have him drink some Gatorade and/or sit in front of a fan.
Poise. We will have the talent on the court, and we will have the game plan. MSU may be tight, too. Playing super-hard D, using the pent-up energy from a number of days off, should help get the team in a groove.
Break what was working for them before in hedging Winston but dropping off down low to prevent easy dump to the post dunks. I almost think Michigan has to play more foul prone (a la Illinois) to force a few more turnovers. If that starts yielding too many open shots then back off but turnovers, and the fast break points thereafter, are a way to mitigate what worked for them at Chrysler
Purdue used a one man quasi- three quarter court press on Minnesotas primary ballhandler Coffey and it worked to slow down their pace. We should do the same to Winston to disrupt there flow and get the ball out of his hands. I know Purdue lost, but I really think we need to disrupt Staees fast pace.
Except Coffey isn't a natural PG and Winston is.
Some discussion of this taking place at umhoops. Problems: it's something we rarely do, so. . . practice. And we're so thin that it could wear us out as well as Winston. Maybe we see a little of it anyway.
Purdue used Nojel Eastern to do that, their defensive specialist who is, um... low priority on offense.
We'd have to use Simpson. Zavier already pretty much has to go the whole way for us. We can't have him wasting energy chasing Winston around in the back court.
Not a terrible theory, but I can't imagine we'll see that.
Make open shots.
Forcing turnovers. Don’t lose Goins on the 3 pt line. Should be enough.
reminder, they only committed 6 TO’s last time (they probably average double that) and we only had 6 total assists. We were NOT prepared for them switching every pick on D
That's easy, it's ball screen defense. You can't let Winston carve up the defense again. They gotta be tighter on their switches and rotations so he can't find an open guy for 3 or a layup.
On offense, MSU will probably go under most screens and dare us to shoot, so you gotta make your open looks.
Lock down, chase all over, McQuaid. He plays like Rip Hamilton always running and cutting until he is open. DD could run with him.
Don’t double Cass on the hedge nearly as long. Let Simpson take him. He killed us with assists.
shoot 35% or greater from 3.
1. Ball screen defense-Winston sliced this defense up in the first game.
2. Attack switches-If Teske is against a guard he needs a paint touch.
3. Fouls- If Tillman or Winston are in foul trouble they are screwed; likewise if Teske or Simpson are in foul trouble Michigan is DOA.
I'd recommend a strategy like UM uses on Happ and Wisconsin with Winston. Play him one on one, let him get his, but don't let McQuaid and Goins be such a factor. Winston can have his 27 points, but he can't have 8 assists again.
We tried that in the 1st game and Winston still got 27. Are we going to let Winston go for 40?
I saw the strategy in the first game as hedging hard on all screens with Winston getting everyone out of place and scrambling to recover which led to open shots for Goins and McQuaid.
Hit a few more 3, we win. Hopefully its one of those blitz days where shots are falling, coupled with a better defense game....run them out of gym. (not likely but we did it to nova and unc, here is to hoping)
Shots will be there....gotta make them at even an OK clip, not even talking respectable at this point. Just "meh they hit some" ...will win the game.
Don't hedge so hard with Teske and put more of defending Winston on X. If he hits a few threes he hits a few threes but Teske would be in better position to defend inside. MSU got far too many open looks in the last game and that allowed them to pull away.
Offensively, Iggy needs to do what he did against Maryland and take the ball aggressively to the hole. That ought to open up some outside looks for others and, hopefully, get MSU in some foul trouble.
I agree. I think, with how high they were running the Winston/Tillman screens, Simpson can go under those to keep Teske on Tillman. Winston will get his, but don't let him create wide open looks for his teammates.
You cannot go under screens on Winston. I have watched many MSU games this season. Although Winston did not hit any 3s in our first matchup, if you give him a foot of space he will hit 3s and that is worse than a layup. All they need to do is have better rotations than they did in the previous game. Going under screens would definitely not be the answer.
JB and Co has had a week to fix the hedge issues from the last sparty game. Keep Teske closer to the rim. On offense, Teske is going to get more opportunities against guards due to switching. Please make those bunnies Teske!!
I guess you can guess who is the key to this game, imo.
I think this one comes down mostly to uniforms/shoes.
The biggest factor would be MSU wearing the Neon green uniforms. They suck when they wear those and I think we would blow them out. The MAC uniforms would also benefit Michigan, as we beat them last year when they wore those and there may be a familiarity factor with some of our guys. The script State uniforms would likely be trouble for Michigan.
On the Michigan side, we never wear Maize on the road in EL. I don't know whether State has the option as to whether an opposing team can wear a "light" color or something like that, but I would really like to see them come out in this one. If State randomly wears their road uniforms at home again we should definitively be in maize. If Michigan is in blue, ditch the pink shoes. Go with the black sock and shoe look that Michigan teams have routinely worn on the road since the Fab Five days.
I think it would also favor Michigan if Izzo is wearing that absurd green blazer again because he looks ridiculous and probably feels self-conscious.
A lot of variables here. Should be a really good game.
I was thinking along the same lines. Key for Michigan: Don't wear the 1989 faux-back uniforms.
Wearing regular uniforms: 26-3 (.897 win pct)
Wearing 1989 maize: 0-1 (.000 win pct.)
That's just facts. Pure science. Our chances of victory are infinitely increased Saturday.
Those are some very telling numbers. It's hard to argue with that.