Michigan 81, Nebraska 68
Game ... blouses
Derrick Walton capped the victory in appropriate fashion, drilling a long three as the shot clock expired on Michigan's final possession.
After a poor shooting night nearly cost the Wolverines what should've been an easy win over Minnesota, a 10/21 performance from beyond the arc keyed a hard-fought road triumph over a hot Nebraska squad. In a game of runs, Michigan's significant advantage in outside shooting—especially to open each half—ultimately made the difference, even when they tried to hand that edge right back with ill-advised turnovers.
Walton had arguably his best game of the season running the offense with Caris LeVert still sidelined, posting a 19-12-6 line and making 4/6 three-pointers. His ability to dart into the lane and work off the high screen opened up opportunities for Michigan's two other leading scorers on the day; Mark Donnal (14 points, 4/8 FG) benefited when Walton looked to the paint, while Duncan Robinson (21, 6/12) found more room than usual on the perimeter, especially in transition.
Walton had a hand in eight of Michigan's first 12 points as they ran out to an early eight-point lead, then the Huskers clawed their way back, taking advantage of a defensive lapse by Walton to cut the halftime lead to three with a buzzer-beating triple by Glynn Watson. The second half played out in much the same fashion; M quickly pushed the lead up to 18 points, but turnovers and shoddy zone defense allowed Nebraska to get as close as two points with 3:11 left.
This time, however, Michigan closed the half strong. Walton knocked down a pair of free throws, then Muhammad-Ali Adbur-Rahkman found Robinson on a backcut with a beautiful no-look pass for an authoritative finish to get the lead back to six. Shavon Shields, who was hounded into a 4/11 shooting night by Zak Irvin, responded with a layup, but Michigan made a comeback impossible by subsequently knocking down eight straight free throws.
It certainly wasn't a pretty win. Michigan coughed up the rock 14 times, including several skip passes that didn't have a prayer of reaching their intended target; on the other end, the non-Irvin defenders had trouble keeping Nebraska's drivers in front of them, even while mostly playing zone. Road wins should never be discounted, however, and by the power of the three, Michigan emerged victorious in a difficult place to play.
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:36 PM ^
Thanks to the maize in the crowd for making our guys feel at home.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:13 PM ^
I know those shirts were made to honor the kid with cancer, but why were they maize?
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:42 PM ^
Corn I guess. I wasn't paying close enough attention to realize they had to do with a kid with cancer.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:34 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 9:39 PM ^
Looks like Zak is fully recovered from his back surgery and is getting back to form. Walton is emerging as a leader, Donnal and Robinson are progressing, the bench is coming together.
The team overall is improving. Now Caris has to get healthy and merge back in. We could all be peaking at the right time for the B1G tourney run.
January 24th, 2016 at 9:56 AM ^
you could tell he would be. Agree with everything else.
January 24th, 2016 at 4:56 PM ^
he looked like he could be a leader, but Stauskas was the offensive leader and alpha dog that year. Caris was early last year and Zak filled the role towards the end of last year. Walton appears to be just now growing into that "I-wanna-be-the-guy" role this year. It's been nice because it allows Zak to focus on defending the oppositions best forward while not needing to carry the offensive load.
January 24th, 2016 at 12:03 PM ^
didn't have the horses to get 'better'. They got better with experience obviously but you couldn't say that got better to the point that having Caris back would be icing on the cake. This year the team has done that; the team is trending up and if Caris did not come back I would still expect this team to make some noise come Tournament time. When Caris comes back it will be icing; if they can get a good rhythm going with him in the lineup, look out.
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:38 PM ^
Michigan has never lost to Nebraska since Nebraska joined the B1G. 6-0.
And the only B1G team to have a 2-0 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Would be the only perfect B1G team there but Maryland won there last year.
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:48 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:39 PM ^
I'm hoping we can get a meaningful update on Levert's injury sometime soon. The longer he goes without playing, the more frustrating the lack of info becomes.
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:42 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:46 PM ^
was a new low, even for this board.
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:49 PM ^
I must have missed Rich Rod's national championship appearance and two Big Ten titles.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:15 PM ^
And a finger roll away from a third Big Ten title.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:22 PM ^
Assuming you're talking about me, I compared their first 3 years which are very similar as a way to show that Michigan fans are a lot more lenient when it comes to basketball than football. Lay off the green stuff Wooderson, it's affecting your brain.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:32 PM ^
Whatever the context, it's a bad comparison. Beilein inherited a program that hadn't been to the tournament in a decade, and he made it there in his second year. RichRod had no similar accomplishment.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:36 PM ^
I'm not gonna get into this argument. Wooderson up there said something false so I corrected him. Record through first 3 years and style of coaching are the comparisons I made. I didn't compare where the basketball team is in Beilein's 7th and 8th years to where the football team was under Rich Rod because that's a silly comparison to make.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:54 PM ^
I'm not misunderstanding you. I get completely that you were comparing their first three years here. And it's a dumb comparison, for the reasons I cited above.
January 23rd, 2016 at 6:24 PM ^
Rich Rod and Beilein are nothing alike as coaches. Beilein is a down to earth guy who cares about his players and took a crap program to an elite level. Rich Rod is a fake, Callipari of a coach in Football who cares nothing for his players and took a great football program and made it crap. Bad comparison. Admit it.
January 23rd, 2016 at 6:41 PM ^
January 24th, 2016 at 1:22 AM ^
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January 23rd, 2016 at 4:50 PM ^
Man, I hate the "uber alles" line. I go to read about a sports team, I have no desire to have positive Hitler references showing up coming from my side, even when they're sort of joking.
Yeah, yeah, I know I'm not going to win this one. It just removes the fun from reading every time I see it.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:03 PM ^
It's a commonly used expression. It wouldnt be if it really was a "positive Hitler reference". The only Hitler reference is yours. pretty dramatic take.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:28 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 9:05 PM ^
The phrase predates WWII, yes. The reason Americans knows it is because of Nazis. As wikipedia points out, Nazis omitted the rest of the national anthem just to focus on the verse with that phrase. That's why it's famous.
It's used here because it was a joke Brian made years ago, actually back when Hoke was popular. He and I had an e-mail exchange about it, and he knew my history was right. He said it was "a parody of sports' tendency to devolve into mindless nationalism." Fair enough, I just pointed out I find it unfunny.
Beyong that, it's not that commonly used elsewhere. Google it - most references are to the Dead Kennedys, who used it as a Nazi reference.
January 23rd, 2016 at 10:37 PM ^
Man. Don't be such a Nazi about policing the blog ;)
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:34 PM ^
"Über alles" long predates Hitler. It's from the first verse of the German national anthem, which was written a century beforehand.
January 24th, 2016 at 10:10 AM ^
There's nothing wrong using them today in the right context. Using them just trying to be cute wouldn't go over well. I know they're not quite the same thing in terms of the intensity of feelings they generate, but the history lesson argument is similarly weak.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:21 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
Originally "Deutschland über alles" meant Germany over all the little principaities and dukedoms that made up 'Germany' before it was united under Bismarck and his wars"--if I remember my German history right, which I may not. Having said this, you are right, it became very sinister.
January 23rd, 2016 at 7:58 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 9:07 PM ^
My understanding is that the first stanza is not actually banned, but it's not commonly sung anymore, as the third stanza is now used for official purposes.
January 24th, 2016 at 1:54 AM ^
Right, and then Hitler corrupted it into meaning Germany over the rest of the world. Kinda like how emperor Hirohito in Japan corrupted the bushido code to turn their soldiers into suicidal, psychotic assholes.
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:43 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:44 PM ^
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January 23rd, 2016 at 4:45 PM ^
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January 23rd, 2016 at 4:49 PM ^
So hard to win on the road, and every one counts. Looking at the remaining schedule, Michigan has a pretty good shot to win the following:
- Rutgers
- PSU
- Minnesota
- Northwestern
Michigan has 4 rough games at home, but if they can split, that'd be great:
- Indiana
- MSU
- Purdue
- Iowa
Michigan has three other games on the road.
- OSU
- Maryland
- Wisconsin
If they can win one, they'd end up with 7 more wins, 4 more losses, for a Big 10 record of 12 - 6, and overall record of 22 - 9. Not too shabby. What say you? Too optimistic?
What especially bodes well is that we've done this without LeVert. Assuming he comes back in a week vs. PSU, he will add a lot, allowing Michigan to end up at 13 - 5. I don't think both Indiana or Iowa will lose 5 games in the remainder of the season. But if we end up at 13 - 5, we'll be seeded well in the Big 10 Tourney, likely ending up winning one, maybe two more games. That would give a pretty good seeding in the NCAA tourney.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:20 PM ^
ESPN projected us as an 8 seed after today's win. Hopefully they can improve on that and get off that 8 line. Don't want to play the #1 seed in the 2nd Rd.
January 24th, 2016 at 7:45 PM ^
it's this year. No dominant teams whatsover. The number 1 team in kenpom has pyth win % less than 0.95 which is the lowest number 1 in the kenpom era (although I can't say whether that was the case at this point in a season). In most years there are several team above that threshold and they end up being 1s.
Doesn't look like there will be much difference between the 1s and 2s and maybe even 3s this year. Buckle up for a wild NCAA tournament.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:31 PM ^
January 24th, 2016 at 7:04 PM ^
12-6 is the expectation according to Kenpom probabilities. I even think 13-5 is an optimistic but entirely reasonable record to hope for if we can get 3/4 of those tough home games or 2/3 of those tough road games while taking care of business in the four should-win games.
January 23rd, 2016 at 4:56 PM ^
Survive, learn from mistakes, and move on.
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January 23rd, 2016 at 5:00 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:15 PM ^
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:05 PM ^
bad we were going to be earlier in the season, including myself. So glad we were all wrong, thanks Beilein. And even without Caris, we're looking great and will be even better when he comes back. Our defense is still struggling but it will be that way for the rest of the season. Our offense is carrying us and Walton is being more consistent each game and Zak's D is getting better. I think we can go at least 2-3 in the five match-ups we have left against ranked teams.
Does anyone else think IU is overrated? Their schedule is so easy! In this 11-0 stretch they haven't played a single ranked team. Michigan plays 10 ranked teams this year...IU plays 6, lame. I'm glad we play harder match-ups, maybe I just hate IU and think we should be ranked over them. Go blue.
January 23rd, 2016 at 6:33 PM ^
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January 23rd, 2016 at 10:25 PM ^
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January 23rd, 2016 at 5:07 PM ^
Irvin actually seems to be a pretty good defender.
January 23rd, 2016 at 5:14 PM ^
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