MBB 2015-16 Trending Up Posbang

Submitted by YoungGeezy on

I think we all were a little worried early on with some truly dissapointing basketball. When you pair that with an abysmal last season and losing out on some big name recruits, it would be easy to express concern over the direction of the program. 

But after the recent blowout wins (albeit against the most garbage of teams) and solid play overall from out most important contributers, I think we should start feeling good about this team. We may not be elite this season, but we are definitley a tournament team that has really turned things around in a short period of time as we assemble a solid resume.

Quality Wins:

  • Texas (8-3 with notable victories over now #7 UNC, and @Stanford)
  • @NCST (9-3 victory over potential #1 pick Ben Simmons and LSU)

Blowout Wins:

  • YSU 59 pt win
  • UNCC 55 pt win
  • DSU 47 pt win

Quality Losses:

  • #6 Xavier (12-0)
  • #18 SMU (11-0)
  • UConn (Currently 8-3 with losses to 9-3 SYR, 10-3 Gonzaga, and #4 Maryland)

Key Performers:

  • Caris Levert 17.3 pt, 5.4 rb, 4.8 a, 1.2 st, FG% .503
  • Duncan Robinson 12.5 pt, FG% .574, 3PT% .595
  • Derrick Walton 10.4pt, 4.7rb, 4.3a, 1.8st, FG% .485, 3PT% .528
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Basketball
2015-16 MBB

MichiganMan14

December 24th, 2015 at 1:11 PM ^

We've declined over the past few years to be honest and while our wing recruiting is adequate. ...it's not on part with our rival and our big recruiting is not adequate. Our trajectory is not moving upwards and recruiting Detroit is not a priority apprently. If we keep missing on the local guys...they'll continue to go to East Lansing...and that will be very bad for us.

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MichiganMan14

December 24th, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^

Because you are in the majority and okay with our lack of physicality aND sub standard recruiting...nothing will change. We won't be what we could be. Michigan has top notch facilities, unrivaled resources, Jordan Brand....recent success....past success....is a top university in the world....in a bug basketball market and plays in the best basketball conference in the country. Beilein should be smashing it in recruiting. He's not. It is and will continue to alter our trajectory in a negative way.

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BigBlue02

December 24th, 2015 at 2:48 PM ^

You are high if you don't think any of this was coming even without my comment. Someone could start a post saying "Teske scored 60 tonight for his high school team" and there would be 50 posts about how Beilein won't use him correctly or how he isn't Beilein's type of center

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MichiganMan14

December 24th, 2015 at 3:20 PM ^

He is a Beilein guy all the way. Unfair to negatively judge him already to be honest. I would strongly prefer a better athlete personally and it will show in the long run. Deyonta vs. Teske is coming soon. Let's see who wins out.

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MichiganMan14

December 24th, 2015 at 12:56 PM ^

We were in a title game a few years ago. The expectations are and should be to get back. We shouldnt settle for 2nd and 3rd options on recruiting. We most certainly shouldn't be forced to settle for recruits that no other major D1 program is after. We should not miss out of the lot of Detroit talent that is going to see Sparty into a historic run here in the next few years. Winston....Bridges....Deyonta....Josh Jackson....and we miss on all 4?! In addition to the Battle decommitment....and losing Jaylen Brown to Cal for goddsakes?! Our big recruiting is bad. Plain and simple. Beilein does a great job at wings. We need to completely rethink our approach to the paint...offensively and defensively. It is simply not championship basketball. We should do better in recruiting than we do. Izzo is running circles around Beilein right now. This needs to change and is a major issue. Acting like it's not breeds mediocrity and Michigan deserves better. StringerBell I'm with you on this 100%. We should not have to be going to Onsted,MI for our recruits. We should be in Detroit recruiting and winning the services of one of guys who has the athleticism to make us a championship program. We won with Stauskas...GR3....and Mitch. Hardaway and Burke were exceptional 3 star victories. Jordan Morgan was a solid athlete who played the style of ball we need. This stretch 4 and 5 garbage is killing us. Absolutely killing us. Centers need to be beasts....not stroking 3s.

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BigBlue02

December 24th, 2015 at 1:59 PM ^

The amount of self loathing on this board is pathetic. We took a top 100 PG before Winston committed anywhere and that is somehow a bad thing because some people heard a rumor about a recruit maybe not committing to them. You sound like a Spartan talking talking about DeWeaver

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MichiganMan14

December 24th, 2015 at 3:31 PM ^

We wanted Winston. When it was clear he easnt going to come here we moved on before it was official. Smart move be Coach B. He still took an L in the Winston recruitment....and the Battle...and the Bridges....and the Jackson....and the Brown...and the Langford. .. and the Towns. We needed 2 of those and got none. You can't enjoy the thought of us being secure in the recruiting department if you want. We're not. We are no where near MSU in basketball recruiting and that needs to change. I don't think Beilein can change it. He doesn't go after the type of Bigs we need. I watched us grab the Webber....Howard... Baston....Traylor...Taylor types for years. We can't do that any more and there is not a damn excuse in the world for it. We have ourselves to blame for not beating Louisville and Kentucky. We were missing the men in the middle to do so.

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Stringer Bell

December 24th, 2015 at 1:26 PM ^

I'm with you.  An athletic freak like Deyonta Davis (who was one of those 3 star diamonds in the rough that Beilein loves so much before he blew up his senior year) would completely change the makeup of this team and take us to a much higher level.  A guy like that can fill 2 major holes at once, rebounding and interior defense (that way teams won't attack the rim at will like they do currently).  I trust Beilein working with unheralded wing and point players, but they really need to go all out to start landing some of these quality big men.

I'm not sure why criticisms of Beilein are met with such harsh reactions.  Some people on here act like he's John Wooden or something, it's bizarre.

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MichiganMan14

December 24th, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^

He's not sound enough offensively and doesn't have 3 point range. Deyonta is a dog though and you need players like him. Did we even try to recruit him? The fact that MSU landed Deyonta...Bridges....Winston and is in on Jackson is crazy considered weve been essentially walled off to those same guys. We have been utterly "big-dogged" in recruiting the last 2 years and it amazes me that people think it's okay. I do like Moritz. I really like Poole. Ibi may work out nicely. We had to settle for our backup option at point albeit he's a damn good one and weve settled on 2 low athleticism bigs. With Doyle...Donnal already in the fold...our bigs are starting to form a mold that seems to be followed and it's one you can't win with. Moritz and DJ need to gobble the Lions share of the minutes at the 5. Run Zak and Kam at the 4 and let's go win some games with our athletes. Doyle showed promise as a freshman...but the development has been non existent.

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BigBlue02

December 24th, 2015 at 1:54 PM ^

True freshman Doyle last year had similar stats to junior Costello. So Davis probably wouldn't be starting for us right now as he is sitting behind Costello. Unless you are saying Tom Izzo doesn't know how use his big men because his true freshman big man isn't starting?

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MichiganMan14

December 24th, 2015 at 2:03 PM ^

First of all. Deyonta is NBA bound and not comparable to Doyle in any way shape or form. Costello is a former player of the year and is better than Doyle. Second of all...Izzo delays the development of his guys on purpose. He doesn't lose kids to the NBA for this reason. If he starts Deyonta from Day 1 and allows him to gain hype...Deyonta may see his draft stock rise quicker than Tom would like. Izzo also preaches and teaches a physical brand of ball and you need to be physically ready for that. Costello is and Deyonta is getting there. At Michigan...Deyonta would be head and shoulders our best big and a sure shot starter. But we don't land kids like him.

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Stringer Bell

December 24th, 2015 at 2:06 PM ^

Well, if you wanna ignore the whole defense and rebounding thing, then sure freshman Doyle was comparable to junior Costello.  Either way, the better comparison would be senior Costello to sophomore Doyle, as senior Costello is having the best season of his career and sophomore Doyle has regressed.  So yeah, I think Davis would start and would easily be our best big man this year.  Hell, Bielfeldt would be our best big man this year if Beilein hadn't told him to look elsewhere for some inexplicable reason.

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Stringer Bell

December 24th, 2015 at 2:53 PM ^

I'm not really sure I understand any of your arguments.  Senior Costello is much better than sophomore Doyle.  Would that not explain why Deyonta Davis comes off the bench at MSU but would start at Michigan?  Considering, you know, he can't go back in time and play in college last year.

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funkywolve

December 24th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^

the sentiments by most of the other posters.  I think a few people are reading too much into these blow outs of awful teams.  UM's first 5 games in conference play are:

@ Illinois

PSU

@ Purdue

Maryland

@ Iowa

That's a good mix of what appears to be two top teams (Purdue and Maryland), one probably bad Big Ten team (PSU) and two teams in between (Illinois and Iowa).  That should be a pretty good mix of teams that will tell us a lot more about this team.

 

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ST3

December 24th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^

+1 Insightful (because I was going to make the same comment.)

If we can get through the first 5 games at 2-3 or better, we have a shot at 20 wins and a tourney bid. 1-4 is a pretty big hole to dig out of and it will take some Beilein magic to get the team to beileive again.

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alum96

December 24th, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^

Iowa is a high quality team. 3 losses like UM but they were to #4 ISU by 1 pt, and #17 ND by 6.  They weren't blown off the court like we were vs quality opponents..  

They beat 9-2 Marquette (a decent team who beat Wisconsin).... by 20+. 

 

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funkywolve

December 24th, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^

Can't disagree too much with what you're saying, but Iowa the last few years seems to be a team that comes into Big Ten play looking pretty good and like a challenger for the the conference title.  Then, for whatever reason they seem to stumble in conference play.  Not awful stumbles but enough so that they end up middle of the pack and on the bubble.  Waiting for them to prove me wrong before I'm a solid buy with them.

Joined: 10/08/2008

MGoPoints: 20265

alum96

December 24th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^

Well outside the record you have to look at size for a UM team that will struggle with big men / athletic players off the dribble.

Jarrod Uthoff is a B10 POY candidate ave 18 ppg and 6 pg...he is 6'9.  Jok is a long (6'6) guard who is going to have a field day dribble driving on us - I can see a lot of easy layups for him off penetration.   Woodbury is 7'1 - 245.  These 3 are type of playevs we really struggle with.

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funkywolve

December 24th, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^

Agree they are appear to be a match up problem for UM.  

In terms of what I would catagorize as 'middle of the pack' teams, Iowa is definitely towards the top knocking on the door to being in the top pack (their history is what holds me back from putting them there) whereas Illinois is closer to the bottom when it comes to the 'middle of the pack' teams.  

Joined: 10/08/2008

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Richard75

December 24th, 2015 at 3:15 PM ^

They don't just appear to be a bad matchup—Iowa ran us off the court at Crisler last season.

Obviously we're in better shape on the perimeter now, but we're still more or less the same team inside, assuming Wagner isn't a big factor by then.



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JTrain

December 24th, 2015 at 11:20 AM ^

I love coach B...I just wish the top caliber recruits loved him more. I think because he's not a "one and done" type system hurts him a bit...but I wouldn't trade him for anyone.
It'll be interesting to see how we do in the big ten this year....
Hope our Bigs get better.



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MichiganMan14

December 24th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^

There is something defunct within our recruiting approach. We should absolutely do better. We cannot reel in legit 5 star talent these daya and this is effecting our program trajectory in a negative way. To win at the level we all want to win at, you need 5 star talent. We're trying to coach the hell out of 3 and 4 star talent currently.

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funkywolve

December 24th, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^

is UM made the Final Game and Elite 8 in back to back years with elite perimeter play, and watched as those guys all went on to the NBA and are still in the NBA.  One would think the 2014, 2015 and 2016 recruitng classes should have seen the fruits of those deep NCAA runs when it comes to getting one or two of the top perimeter players in the country to come to AA.

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WindyCityBlue

December 24th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^

So I don't know if I would call them quality loses, as others have mentioned.

Its hard to tell which way this team is trending.  We are probably still a middle of the road big ten, tourney-bubble type team.  I trust JB can improve this team like he does most seasons, but this is probably his worst team in terms of talent and toughness.  Those are tough things to teach-up.  We'll see what happens.

Joined: 07/23/2008

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fukkyt

December 24th, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^

I am still not a buyer of this team until they show that they can defend. Against Bryant, one of the worst offensive team in the nation, they are allowing 0.95 point per possession. They can't rebound, protect the rim and stop penetration. Unless they improve defensively, their ceiling will be a first round ncaa tourney team.

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MotownGoBlue

December 24th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^

We're roughly 40 in the composite computer ratings and roughly the 6th best team in the B1G currently (obviously the latter has yet to be decided). However, the best thing we have going for us are two semi-quality wins and three losses to highly rated opponents. I don't think NC State will finish a top 50ish team (the ACC is loaded) and I'm skeptical of Texas. IMO, we're a fringe team at best and need to finish above .500 in conference play (10 win minimum--excluding the variable B1G Tourney play) including 1, maybe 2 wins against whoever finishes in the top 5 of the conference, and no more than 1 bad loss, in order to go dancing. So, if we finish 20-11, with a win over MSU, MD, Purdue, or IU (for examples) I think we'll be fine. Finishing 22-12, with a third W against a top 30ish rated opponent, in conference, should solidify it. Of course this is all subject to change.

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funkywolve

December 24th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^

Like or not, RPI is a huge component when determining whether a team will make the NCAA tourney with an at large berth.  

Record against teams in the Top 25, Top 50, etc. is based upon the Top 25, Top 50 teams in the RPI.  Rarely does a team outside something like the RPI Top 50 make the tourney with an at large berth.

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Stay.Classy.An…

December 24th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^

This team is what it is...until we can play good defense, we just won't be that good. Fringe tournament team unless that defense gets better. We can't just keep out shooting people in the B1G, the league doesn't play like that.



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hailtothevictors08

December 24th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^

Seriously, like they aren't bad losses sure but quality? Also, UConn isn't that good.

 
NCSU and Texas are decent wins but who know if they will actually be top 50 wins. 
 
The truth is we probably need at least one win over purdue, state, or maryland during the conference season. This is very possible because this team can firebomb someone from three but that seems to be the only way we beat any of them. 

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