Don't Give up on Basketball Just Yet...

Submitted by Wolverheel on
2 years ago we lost to Charlotte, got crushed by Duke, and started 6-4 in non-conference. THEN to top it all off, Mitch McGary got injured for the year. All hell broke loose and that team was going nowhere. But then Stauskas stepped up and lifted the team on his back. We ended up going 22-4 the rest of the season en route to a dominating big ten championship before coming inches away from knocking off the eventual national runners up in the [edit: Elite 8! My bad guys.]

We are still a young team and from the looks of it the Big Ten isn't very strong this year. If we can just become competent defensively and get ONE of our 4 centers to play at their best level this team still has good potential once we get Irvin back to full health. Be patient guys!

MLaw06

November 21st, 2015 at 12:22 AM ^

It's basketball.  This is like pre-season unless we're trying to get a top-seed.  If we go in as a 7 or 8 seed and have a hot hand in March, we can still go pretty far.  In basketball, people only remember post-season play.  No one cares how many games you lost so long as you make it to the Tourney and make a nice run. But it's time to clean up the fouls, free throws, and silly defense - like stop hedging when it gets nothing done, etc.

EGD

November 21st, 2015 at 12:29 AM ^

I don't claim to know much about basketball, but that was a pretty demoralizing loss. When you give up endless offensive rebounds down the stretch, woof. I'm sure they'll get better, but it's hard for me to see this group seriously competing for championships. Hopefully they will prove me wrong.

Clarence Boddicker

November 21st, 2015 at 12:30 AM ^

Listen to David Soul. Don't give up on us...

"Don't give up on us, baby
Don't make the wrong seem right
The future isn't just one night
It's written in the moonlight
Painted on the stars
We can't change ours."

 

Maizen

November 21st, 2015 at 12:41 AM ^

Not giving up at all, but it's the same problems over and over with Beilein. His teams don't play defense and don't rebound the basketball. Unless we are going to be Kenpom's most efficient offense team in the nation like we were in 2012 and 2013, then I don't see how we are going to compete with the big men this league is going to throw our way this year. Jalen Reynolds killed us tonight, what is Diamond Stone, Thomas Bryant, Deyonte Davis, and Caleb Swanigan going to do to us? 

The recruiting in the post has to get better. There's not other way to put it. Outside of McGary it's been horrendous and it's going to limit the growth of this program every year until he fixes it. Beilein is a great coach with a great system, but he needs to recruit the center position better because what we are trotting out there right now is mid major shit.

RickH

November 21st, 2015 at 2:55 AM ^

This is spot on.  We'll never become an elite program if we don't start recruiting bigs better.  I feel like JB is always digging himself a hole with these lower-ranked guys who just have major holes in their games, most guys don't turn out like Trey Burke or Caris.

UMForLife

November 21st, 2015 at 6:12 AM ^

Center is a tough one for JB's system. His system expects center to get their shots through putbacks, and from the perimeter or a 10 footer. Offense does not run through the system. He should spend a scholarship on a big who is not a shooter but just a solid defender and rebounder. If you are a good center, you are not coming here. So it will be worth getting a low ranked player without any shooting ability. I am sure he knows more about recruiting than any of us and I am sure he will find some gems eventually. We are unlucky that we whiffed on two centers in the last couple of years. We will see if Doyle can round out to form. He did it last year.

DMill2782

November 21st, 2015 at 12:43 AM ^

but Donnal should color at the end of the bench the rest of the year. He's really bad at everything. The only reason he has a scholarship at this level is because he's 6'9".

JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

November 21st, 2015 at 12:45 AM ^

Sorry, but we don't have the IT factor on this team that the 2013-2014 team had.

Burke had IT.  He willed the team to victory.

Stauskas had IT.  He willed the team to victory.

When it was Levert and Walton's turn, they both sat out half the season.

 While I love Levert, he doesn't have IT (and its probably not his fault). He is clearly a NBA player, but he was in on the act with some of his play late in the first half (seriously, fouls a 3 point shooter)

We have a game in a few days against a similar level team in UCONN.  We better wake the fuck up pretty fast.

We will not survive another dog shit showing in nonconference.  We made sure to eliminate ourselves last year in December and we might end doing the same fucking thing this year.

I think we have way too much faith in Walton and Levert leading this team.  

 

ThirdVanGundy

November 21st, 2015 at 1:03 AM ^

To winning the conference title. Maryland and MSU are two of the best teams in the nation. While I think our perimeter players can pick it up, we still have no leadership(Outside of Spike) and absolutely NOTHING in the middle. Donnal and Doyle is a worse partnership than pickles and ice cream.

B1G_Fan

November 21st, 2015 at 7:04 AM ^

 Whoa what? No way, if you take Levert of this team, they lose by 40-50 last night. Burke not only had it, he had  Tim Hardaway JR., Sauce, Glenn Robinson III and a few bigs who where respectable defenders.... Staukas had the same minus Burke. Caris has, Caris and a lot of players who just need more time to develope. Not every player is going to be 1-2 starter and be NBA ready.

Qmatic

November 21st, 2015 at 1:02 AM ^

MGoBlog: the place where the '13 team wasn't getting out of the first weekend after State stomped us. The place where we weren't making the tourney after losing to Charlotte. The place where we'd struggle to win 6-7 games this year after the UNLV game. Over reactions, get used to it.

Trader Jack

November 21st, 2015 at 1:16 AM ^

This is pretty spot on. We lost to a team that brought back almost everyone from a Sweet 16 squad a year ago in the 3rd game of the season, while Irvin and Spike aren't 100%, and people are acting like we're doomed. One poster *cough Stringer Bell* actually said he's done with Beilein's philosophy. It's pretty unbelievable.



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MLaw06

November 21st, 2015 at 1:22 AM ^

I think people are overreacting because they are not as familiar with Xavier.  If we lost to Kentucky, UCLA or Duke, people would be more forgiving. 

It's the 3rd game, there's a lot more to be played.  Let's see how they bounce back.  THey have another tough one next week. 

Ty Butterfield

November 21st, 2015 at 1:29 AM ^

The loss to Charlotte was bad but Michigan only lost that game by one or two points. It was close. Duke is well Duke. This was total ass rapping at home. Burke and Stauskas had ice in their veins and would not let the team lose. This team lacks leadership and is soft.

CorkyCole

November 21st, 2015 at 9:14 AM ^

What was Caris supposed to do besides score 29 points to "lead this team?" It's not his fault we lost this game. The only other player to look good offensively was Robinson, and then Xavier shut him out. Stauskas and Burke has a formidable center to help protect the rim and excel in the screen game. We don't lack the "guy," we lack a few other guys. I fully believe that Wagner contains the ceiling for this team's success. He has the most "skill" as a big, but I don't think this is the year for him to go off just because he still needs more weight on him. He is most definitely going to improve, however, and I fully expect him to be at least the #2 big by the end of the season. We will need his offensive/defensive skills when it comes to tournament time if we are to go far. I'm excited for the kid. He just needs to continue soaking up what he's being taught.

CorkyCole

November 21st, 2015 at 10:51 AM ^

I really felt that way last year when he played, but he looks more in control this year. The problem was that no one else could get it going. Dawkins couldn't hit anything and neither could Walton. Irvin looked better than the Elon game, but he is still not himself. Levert was hitting nearly everything for most of the game, and then he stopped hitting it when we needed his shot the most near the end of the game. We don't have a McGary or Morgan on our team to help the offensive game at this moment, so we have to rely on our shooters to score points. Levert was the one guy hitting his shot, so I don't blame him for taking as many shots as he did.

The Brain

November 21st, 2015 at 1:57 AM ^

I don't care how you want to spin it, this shit from Beilein is getting old.  And no, this team is not young.  It's actually starting three upperclassmen, if anyone here is paying attention.

Trader Jack

November 21st, 2015 at 2:44 AM ^

If I'm looking for a bunch of incorrect points, then yes, that's enough.

You're going to question Beilein's talent development when he's about to send his 7th player to the NBA in the last 5 years, and only 2 of them were 5 star recruits? Who is the last 2 star Beilein recruited on the Wing? The only two star on scholarship is MAAR, who is a Guard (and looks like he'll be a useful player). Everyone else is a 3 or 4 star, as is every recruit in the incoming class and our only 2017 commit. You're complaining about a coach who inherited a program that hadn't made the NCAA tournament in 11 years and has won multiple Big Ten titles, was a shot away from back to back Final Four appearances, and won 3 more games than any other school in the conference between 2012-2014.

Is that enough?



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Trader Jack

November 21st, 2015 at 3:06 AM ^

No, I'm pointing out why "this Beilein shit is getting old" is a completely asinine take. I don't think you understand what an excuse is.

How is losing to Xavier without a healthy Irvin or Spike a horrendous loss? Also, it's funny that you describe it as an "early-season" loss, then chide me for pointing out that it's an early-season loss. It's also kind of amazing that you can just ignore all of the facts I gave you that prove false your ridiculous take on Beilein and just shift the argument instead.



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