2015-16 iowa
whatever

Iowa 71, Michigan 61 Comment Count

Ace


That about sums it up. [Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog]

As Spike Albrecht thanked the fans in a pre-recorded video, many of them were already headed for the exits.

No seniors played on Senior Night; Albrecht and Caris LeVert, dressed in suits, took their familiar places on the bench after an understated pregame ceremony. The Crisler Center crowd then watched the same old team play the same old game.

Jarrod Uthoff obliterated Michigan's defense to the tune of 29 points, finding his range with ease against the smaller Zak Irvin. The Wolverines struggled to stay in front of their marks, stuggled to hit shots, struggled to do so much as put the ball in play—at one point, a wayward Irvin inbounds pass turned into a perfect outlet for a Mike Gesell breakway dunk. Mike Gesell plays for Iowa.

To be frank, deconstructing this game feels like a waste of time. We've seen this before, against Wisconsin and Ohio State and Michigan State and Indiana and Iowa again. Any one of those games could've given Michigan the final quality win they so desperately needed to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament before the end of the regular season. Instead, the Wolverines fell well short in all of them, and in all likelihood they'll not only need a victory in the 8/9 game of the Big Ten Tournament—against either Northwestern or Penn State—but an upset over top-seeded Indiana to make the field.

If you feel good about that scenario, you're far more optimistic than me, not to mention the steady stream of fans who high-tailed it to the parking lot with a few minutes left on the clock. They'd already seen this before. No need to prolong the inevitable.

Comments

Cr64

March 6th, 2016 at 9:16 AM ^

Comes off a NC game and can only land 2-3* athletes.  I would like to have Michigan hire a coach with at least one foot in the 21st century please.  He even looks pathetic in his press conferences....chewing gum is one of his strongest attributes at this point.  He ain't getting any 4-5* athletes in the near future.  UofM basketball is on a downward spiral for the next 3-5 years because of his incompetence.  Even if we would fire him next year, it will take the next coach 2-4 years to rebuild the mess this guy has created.  Get lost Jim...nice man, polite, kind, but a complete and total wimp.

Joined: 02/06/2016

MGoPoints: -5

gobluefan0505

March 6th, 2016 at 9:39 AM ^

Its time for a change. I've never seen a team miss so many Layups, dunks (if they do dunk) and ridiculous turnovers all the time. For a team that "doesn't turn the ball over" much in games they turn the ball over a lot a crucial points. They can't even throw the ball inbounds half the time. Its sad because this team has players, just no coaching to hold them accountable.

Joined: 04/07/2013

MGoPoints: 97

kzoomgr

March 6th, 2016 at 10:51 AM ^

Given the players they had available, 20-11 seems about right. A few good wins against Texas, Maryland, Purdue. The thing that clearly frustrates us all is the style in which they've lost to better teams. You hope for some pluckiness and coaching juju from Beilein to keep us close or steal one or two more games, but we weren't in the same zip code with better teams this year.



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Jimmyisgod

March 6th, 2016 at 11:10 AM ^

The 20-11, 10-8 record is very deceptive. First of all, we played a D2 team so the committee sees us as 19-11, then in conference we had 8 wins vs the bottom 6 teams and went 2-8 vs the top 7 Big Ten teams. And we're 3-11 vs top 100 teams and Texas is no longer a top 25 team. We beat Purdue and MD at home when they were on short rest. That's an NIT resume and not even a top NIT seed resume.

Joined: 01/24/2012

MGoPoints: 10342

smwilliams

March 6th, 2016 at 12:38 PM ^

Let's be honest. The difference is that Beilein missed on a bunch of recruits. He landed Burke, Stauskas, Hardaway Jr., GR3, Mitch, and Caris in a three year span. Those guys (and Jordan Morgan) were the reason Michigan had three consecutive great years. They were replaced by: Walton, Irvin, Chatman, Donnal, and Dawkins. All six of those guys were or will be NBA Top 40 picks. The next 5 guys? Good luck.

Beilein doesn't recruit like Kentucky or UNC or Duke or Michigan State. If he misses on his big name prospects, they miss the tournament or go to the NIT.

That said, the complete abject failure of his players to play a lick of defense (50% effort, 50% talent) or the inability to successfully complete an OOB play is mind-boggling for somebody who is supposed to be a good coach.

Joined: 08/20/2010

MGoPoints: 9917

Bertello NC

March 7th, 2016 at 2:13 AM ^

I'd be curious to know what Warde Manuel thinks of what's going on with our basketball program. I give JB a little leeway with injuries and the NBA early entry gut job we endured the last few years but man I really have to wonder/question johns philosophy and style of play moving forward. Perfect example(s) last night Donnal hits a three from the elbow(k nice shot) later in the game he has a wiiide open look from the top of the key and it deflects off the lower left hand side of the backboard. Wilson in his limited PT this year has done nothing other than hoist threes that are not even close. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it drives me nuts that John continually brings in these PF/C's who in his mind "stretch the floor" but do not ever become a threat at "stretching the floor". All of them play with a soft and finesse style and cannot or will not embrace the physicality that is the big ten and beyond. Most of them also lack the overall athleticism to compete at this level. My concerns are that with this system and current staff no one seemingly has the ability to coach and develop 4/5's. The low post game is non existent in johns system because he is hoping to recreate Kevin pittsnogle and when that doesn't happen what you see right now is what you're left with.
Next year we should be better with depth at PG and another wing. But for me I think John needs to take a close look at making the low post offense a bigger part of his system. When shots aren't falling you have to have something to fall back on and against quality defensive teams it's not going to come from just handing it off to MAAR and hoping he can beat his man. Or Robinson jacking up threes. There has to be something more. This entire program including the coaches needs to attend a Harbaugh toughness clinic and John needs to borrow some football pads from Jim and let them battle it out on the court because the toughness and fight is at an all time low.



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sleteprehu

March 7th, 2016 at 10:30 AM ^

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Joined: 03/07/2016

MGoPoints: -13

GoBlueGladstone

March 7th, 2016 at 2:50 PM ^

I don't know how to feel about this team outside of the obvious disappointment in where they are at the end of the season. Still, 20 wins; 10-8 in conference without two of your cornerstone players? I hate the record, the play and the strategy but still like the players and the coach?

 

Srsly, confused. But clearly despondent whatever the rationale for this season.

 

Joined: 02/02/2011

MGoPoints: 599