Michigan 91, Nebraska 85
Derrick Walton, who called a players-only meeting last night, led M's late charge to close out a much-needed win. [Marc-Gregor Campredon]
If Michigan's players think John Beilein is the problem, they aren't showing it. Last night, in preparation for today's must-win game against Nebraska, Derrick Walton called a players-only meeting at the team hotel.
"The coaches don't need to say so much," said Walton. "We talked about this last night as a team at the players meeting last night. They make the calls. They make the adjustments. They make the subs. It's on us to make the plays out there."
"As Coach [Beilein] says, there's a point where he can only say so much. It's up to us to make plays and get stops."
The defense may have remained abominable, but with the offense hitting on all cylinders and the team's two seniors coming up big down the stretch, Michigan made just enough plays and got just enough stops to get their second Big Ten win.
Both teams showed little ability to stop the other. Moe Wagner exploited Nebraska's nonexistent pick-and-pop defense to score a career-high 23 points, making four-of-six three-point attempts. When the Huskers finally adjusted to the pick-and-pop, Derrick Walton took over, hitting three second-half three-pointers from virtually the same spot on the floor before icing the game on the line on his way to 20 points. On the other end, Michigan had no answer for Tai Webster, who scored a game-high 28 points on 12-for-20 shooting, operating off the high screen.
Defense: optional. [Campredon]
While the Wolverines never trailed, it was a tight game throughout. Michigan's lone double-digit lead, after a Wagner triple early in the second half, lasted all of one possession. Each time they threatened to blow the game open, Nebraska hit back, usually with a drive from Webster. After a quiet first half, Husker guard Glynn Watson Jr. kept them within striking distance late, scoring 20 of his 22 points in the second half. With his best half of play since the SMU game, however, Walton—with some help from fellow senior Zak Irvin, who made all seven of his second-half free throws—kept the Huskers at bay.
"That consistency is what we're both trying to get for [Walton]," said Beilein. "That's what he's capable of."
DJ Wilson was the fourth Wolverine in double-figures, needing only seven shots to get his 11 points, and Duncan Robinson came off the bench to hit a couple critical shots. As usual, Michigan took excellent care of the ball, and they forced some timely turnovers that proved to be the difference.
"Going forward, I think, a meeting like that, where you see guys so passionate about wanting to win—[we] really did it justice tonight," said Walton.
"There's only so many games left."
January 14th, 2017 at 5:34 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 5:52 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 6:10 PM ^
Even at Rich Rod's and Hoke's lowest moments I wanted them to win the game.
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January 14th, 2017 at 6:31 PM ^
In Rich Rod's game against Miss State when we ALL knew the program couldn't sink any lower, I sure as hell wasn't pumping my fist for the team. Sometimes you need things to wake up a program. Getting blown out by Miss State started the things in motion to land the coach we had today.
I'm not sitting here rooting AGAINST Michigan basketball. But something needs to change NOW because this program is sinking further and further to the bottom of the B10 depths.
Spare me the distinguished stuff. It's possible to be a good guy and a winner as well.
January 14th, 2017 at 6:40 PM ^
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January 14th, 2017 at 6:47 PM ^
Right up over the head.
I'm not rooting for or against them in this current state. When they prove to me they can start being a real program again, they can have my fandom. Just like the Lions. I'm incredibly indifferent to the state of the program. If they win and things turn around, fine. If they lose and that wakes up the AD that something needs to change, also fine.
Beating a bad Nebraska team by a few points and requiring you to be firing on all cylinders does nothing for me. I'm sick and damn tired of watching a program that was elite for a few years suddenly become a shell of itself because the coach refused to adapt to the conference style.
January 14th, 2017 at 9:39 PM ^
I get where you are coming from, but you do realize what you said is the exact definition of a fair weather fan? They (UM) can only have your fandom when they are winning?
I root for a win every game, but if they lose, and lose, and if, because of that, we need to replace the coach, I'm all for it.
January 14th, 2017 at 9:53 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 10:06 PM ^
yea, I think we agree that its likely time for JB to ride off into the sunset; let's send him out with our support. if he loses, he is gone, and if he wins a little more this year, let's enjoy the chance of one more tourny run with JB. then its time to move on.
January 14th, 2017 at 10:55 PM ^
January 15th, 2017 at 8:54 AM ^
January 15th, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
just looked it up, his contract goes through 2020-2021 season, so you're right, he probably won't leave after a deep tourney run. but if he has a deep run, then I'm all for giving him another year. I think I'd rather go to the S16/E8 than win the B1G - for college bball, success in the post season means more for me.
January 15th, 2017 at 2:23 PM ^
January 15th, 2017 at 12:25 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 6:45 PM ^
You rooting for or against Michigan REALLY doesn't affect the game. It's okay to support the team, you aren't going to make them play better or worse by supporting them. Unless you are one of the 'Powers that be' you're influence is rather small.
January 14th, 2017 at 8:30 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 9:01 PM ^
Brandon and Harbaugh wouldn't have been able to coexist. IF Jim would have agreed to come here then, he probably left for the NFL by now.
January 14th, 2017 at 9:45 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 6:35 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 6:46 PM ^
You don't have to be John Wooden to know that you need to rebound and play D in order to win basketball games. This program is underachieving in a big way and a vast majority of us are done giving Beilein a pass because he's a nice man
January 15th, 2017 at 10:25 AM ^
what poll did you conduct? You, or you and your friends, don't qualify as a majority let alone a vast one.
January 15th, 2017 at 3:10 PM ^
Stay delusional...it's cool
January 14th, 2017 at 8:20 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 9:25 PM ^
I generally agree with your sentiment, although not to that extreme. The issue has been no PG and lack of development (more specifically) growth of Irvin and Walton. Levert was a great guard (and was drafted in the 1st round). Issue was he couldn't stay healthy enough. This talent (and I agree with your point, it's a guard heavy system) deficit is the fact that the seniors haven't improved (I would argue they have regressed) and Beilein's recruiting the last two years has not been good (for guards). Prior to that, he had a good track record - Morris, Burke, Hardaway, Staukas were or are all in the league. That's a pretty good track record. It has been recent misses that has led us to this current situation.
I'm more frustrated in lack of defense and stupid decision making by our senior guards. The offense is top 20 this year.
January 15th, 2017 at 5:01 PM ^
So it makes sense to you that a guy who runs an offense that is completely guard reliant, hasn't recruited an above average guard in four years?
Once again I'm mystified as to why MGoBlog commentators constantly fret about the offensive end of the court.
January 15th, 2017 at 7:38 PM ^
January 16th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^
Then what are you saying? That our players can't run the offense? That doesn't make any more sense. Our offense is doing well this season. Our problems are on the other end of the court.
January 16th, 2017 at 1:52 PM ^
Talent, this team lacks it. Everything else is just hand waving. RichRod had good offensive numbers too.
January 14th, 2017 at 7:02 PM ^
January 15th, 2017 at 12:37 AM ^
... you're the one saying it, not us.
Whatever happened to supporting through thick & thin? I really don't understand all these over-invested fair weather fans.
I was just hoping for some good basketball & a better performance to turn the spiral back 'round.
If Penn State could do it in football last fall, so can we.
And I would love to see Beilein weather this spell of failure & come back strong -- though that may be hard to do within the season itself. But it's happened before; there's no reason it can't again, now.
January 15th, 2017 at 2:38 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 9:17 PM ^
Sports fans don't root for coaches to be "distinguished."
January 14th, 2017 at 6:47 PM ^
John Beilein turns 64 in a few weeks. He's most likely nearing the end of his tenure regardless of how we perform. May as well hope for the best.
January 14th, 2017 at 9:17 PM ^
Then why'd he tell Hackett last year that he needed a long-term contract to recruit better?
January 15th, 2017 at 11:21 AM ^
I got that way with Hoke and Rich Rod flat out. Its disgusting that it would ever have to come to that, buit sometimes it is the only way out for the long term health of the program when chance has to be made.
I have not felt that way with Beilein because even though it appears 2012-2014 was the exception and flash in the pan rather than the norm, Beilein 2012-2014 run was by far more successful than anything Hoke ever did even though it was not quite elite nationally. but still very good nationally and flat out elite in the Big Ten. But since then, it has been an epic fall from grace to not evne close tyhe NCAAs to barley making the last four in to being down 87-57 against MSU at home which gave me Ellerbe flashbacks.
Something does have to change because it is clearly not working. I do not expect to be elite, but I expect to be good in the big Ten and solidly in the NCAAs every year.
Now in football, I expect to be elite and win a national title and be in a plethora of Final Fours with lots of 0-2 loss seasons. I would have been estatic with Lloyd Carr level success for our basketball program, but for football, we can and should do better than Lloyd Carr's seasons outside of 1997.
January 14th, 2017 at 5:36 PM ^
O: good
D: bad
those are also the faces I make during games.
January 14th, 2017 at 5:57 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 6:00 PM ^
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January 14th, 2017 at 6:01 PM ^
does it describe many of the games this year. They scored 90 freaking points. You're just throwing around some tired language.
January 14th, 2017 at 8:00 PM ^
I'm baffled as to why posters here seem to criticize Beilein's offenses more than his defenses, even though the former have mostly been good over his tenure while the latter have ranged from mediocre to horrendous.
We entered today ranked 17th offensively per KenPom and 152nd defensively. (After the game we're now 14th and 180th, respectively.)
January 14th, 2017 at 6:52 PM ^
Dribble dribble dribble, sloppy pass, hoist up a bad look at the shot clock buzzer (if even).
That sounds more like Amaker's teams. Scoring points isn't our problem now, or really for most of Beilein's tenure. Our problem is that we play no defense.
January 14th, 2017 at 7:09 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 8:01 PM ^
Entering today's game we were 17th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, out of 351 teams. We're now 14th.
January 14th, 2017 at 8:18 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 9:03 PM ^
While your anecdotal argument is interesting, I'm going to stick with KenPom's formula.
January 14th, 2017 at 9:28 PM ^
January 15th, 2017 at 9:04 AM ^
January 15th, 2017 at 6:04 PM ^
January 14th, 2017 at 5:39 PM ^
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