BTT Championship Game Open Thread: Michigan vs Purdue

I have to admit, I find myself enjoying the game of basketball more and more everytime I watch this team play.

wasn't the case in the regular season.

Teske > Haas. Ha

I enjoy Grant Hill but you can tell he isn't as excited about this type of game as he would be with an...ACC game, or maybe even a Kentucky-Florida (when better) game

Feels like a Final Four game. Love the intensity. Do what they did in the first half + make their open shots and they should be okay. Big if, though.

That was an offensive masterpiece. If Mo was hitting his threes, we would be blowing them out.

Great first half - keep it up!

Beilein is doing a great coaching job subbing Teske Davis and Wagner. 

SImpson is playing lights out and Matthews is playing well. 

Just need Wagner to show up. 

One more half the exact same way.

Mo needs to hit some 3s in the second half. Michigan is getting great looks from beyond the arc

Teske for President!   Haha!

No TOs, good shooting percentage, we're gonna need the under the rim stuff to be even.  They're getting the benefit right now (until the last call on Haas).  I'm finding it hard to believe there hasn't been material contact on some of our drives and two of the fast breaks.

JonmuthafuckinTeske

....officiating, pretty good, no?! Yea, some missed stuff as always (mostly to our detriment as always) but...solid enough.

Teske brilliant first half.

We played well, didnt turn the ball over..shot well and Lead...BUT..I feel like we should be 9 or 10 points ahead..we missed a bunch oi wide open 3s...There giving us the 3...If we can make those 2nd half...watch out...Lots of positives in the 1st...

little fatigue showing on both teams.

getting a great look on almost every single possession. think it's fatigue causing us to miss them (and paritially on Purdue's end to give up such good looks). But the fact that we're banging down low with Teske means that we could be fine even if we keep missing in the second half

Or this was a blow out

Playing pretty well, but still leaving some opportunities to be had. Hope they can keep their legs through the finish here. 

Go Blue! 

Adam Coon is about to wrestle Kyle Snyder for BIG title.

once a buckeye...

What an awesome half already! Beilein was wrong in his pregame interview, he DOES have a plan to shut down this team. Unbelievably SMART basketball!

I. LOVE. THIS. TEAM. So much fun!

 

Can't imagine Teske does that again next half. Game might be decided by who simply gets hot from 3. Exciting to watch this team though.

Teske has been playing well, but he needs to look for that shot in the paint just inside the free throw line. He has been getting that entry pass there but was to quick to pass it out. Today he is feeling it and knocking it down.

Gotta open him up for some 3's. He's hitting his. I think everyone else has missed except Mo's 1st.

I counted 30 first half possessions; the box score agrees. That’s a very slow pace, similar to yesterday; I expect closer to 35 in the second half. Purdue is right at 1.1 ppp; Michigan is at 1.27. Michigan is ahead, despite the poor 3-point shooting and defensive rebounding, mostly due to the zero turnovers. Rebounds are a huge problem; Purdue with 7 OREBs in 18 opportunities for a 38.9% rate; that needs to be fixed in the second half (as it was against MSU yesterday). Michigan has 2 OREBs in 15 opportunities for 13.3%. If you figure Purdue’s offense is likely to hit 1.1 ppp again, I think 70 is your minimum winning score, but I’d feel a lot more comfortable at 75 or even 80. You have to figure both Michigan and Purdue are going to hit more of their open looks in the second half, and the officials seem intent to “let them play,” meaning that Haas is unlikely to have to sit due to foul trouble. (He has one). Michigan is absolutely going to have to figure out a way to eliminate the OREBs — which isn’t even Purdue’s game anyway — but I like the starting point. Hit a few more shots, get to a few more loose balls, hang a banner. Go Blue!

Put them away early!! 

and still in a very good place.  Turns out there is something to that whole defense thing.

Really made them pay for deciding to play the "make Teske beat us" when Mo had to sit.  Mo should also have great legs in the second half.

Really cool to see the other conference tournament game endings from the other big conferences... Like the Big South, MEAC, MAAC, Cornbelt, Ohio Valley, MVC (I admit I enjoy this one as a SO to a UNI alum)

The three pointers are going to be even harder to make in the second half when the legs get heavy.

Every now and then and double Haas every now and then

Shooting at the same hoop as the second half yesterday right?

I think that’s gonna lead to good things. Purdue will hit some more 3s, but so will we.

Time to finish it boys. Win the game. Hang the banner.