Michigan 74, UNLV 61
This will be a very short recap because it's 3:13 AM in your author's time zone.
Michigan Basketball defeated UNLV 74-61 tonight in the first game of the Roman Main Event in Las Vegas, NV. The Wolverines again rode the sterling play of their two returning starters Eli Brooks and Hunter Dickinson, this time to victory in their first outing after Tuesday's loss to Seton Hall. Brooks and Dickinson combined for 35 points on 12-20 shooting, also notching a combined 10 rebounds and 4 assists. The other story on the evening was the continued solid play from Moussa Diabate, who chipped in 14 points, as well as 7 rebounds on 6-7 from the field, while providing stellar defense, which is quickly becoming a theme for the French freshman.
Outside of those three performers, the box score was pretty quiet. DeVante' Jones chipped in 9 points, and Brandon Johns added 7 on a couple nice finishes. It was another tough night for freshman Caleb Houstan, who scored just 5 points on 1-9 from the field, while the rest of the bench beyond Diabate added just 4 points. Only three bench pieces, Diabate, Terrance Williams II, and Kobe Bufkin, entered the game at any point. The bench remains pretty tight right now and the depth will need to flourish later on in the season.
It's Moussa's world and we're all just living in it [MG Campredon]
The two teams were deadlocked at 15 nearing the midway point of the first quarter when Michigan began to put together a run and seemed to be in command of the first half. The Maize & Blue led by a score of 35-23 with just under three minutes to go in the half but did not score again. The Runnin' Rebels closed out the half with nine unanswered and trimmed the Michigan lead to 35-32. The score sat at just 47-45 with 14:34 to go before Michigan pushed it close to 10, which was whittled down to 6 with 3:06 remaining. The final punch came from the "road" team, a 9-2 run to close it out and in the end, the margin barely deviated from the KenPom projection, though you wouldn't have felt it for much of the contest. Michigan shot 51% from the field while holding UNLV to under 40%, though 31.6% shooting from three and 12 turnovers are areas to improve for the Wolverines moving forward.
With the win, Michigan now sits at 3-1. The Wolverines will play Arizona Sunday night at 9:30 PM EST, also in Las Vegas. The Wildcats are 4-0 and now 28th in KenPom after defeating Wichita State in OT tonight. That game will be on ESPN.
There is no content after the jump, again because it is 3:13 AM in your author's time zone.
November 20th, 2021 at 3:27 AM ^
Here are my 1225am PST in person takeaways.
tons of Michigan fans at the game.
Moussa is a physical specimen.
there was a ~5 minute stretch where it seemed the officials had $ on UNLV late in the game.
one friend had under 135.5 and another had Michigan -12.5. When Moussa hit those last two FTs the arena went nuts. Gotta love Vegas.
go blue
November 20th, 2021 at 3:35 AM ^
Haha, down below I said the loudest reaction was Moussa’s dunk, but you are right, the place went crazy for the bet beating FTs at the end!
November 20th, 2021 at 3:58 AM ^
Hello SDCran from SDMick!
A much better game tonight, especially against what looked like an athletic unlv team, but there are a few things that need to improve:
Jones has to stop making stupid fouls and TO's but I noticed he did a way better job of getting the ball across midcourt.
John's played a bit better but Diabate needs to start from now on, Johns should only play 10-15 minutes a game like he did tonight unless he's playing really well.
Houstan is not doing a good job of getting open, seems a bit too passive on offense, he has a nice shot so hopefully he keeps improving because we need him to light it up.
I like Bufkin, he's gonna be a key piece moving forward.
We need another player or 2 off the bench eventually to be impactful guys in some games, not every game but a few here and there.
November 20th, 2021 at 3:31 AM ^
Thanks for the late night work on this article!
Also of note was Moussa’s end to end drive with a posterizing dunk! (Is that the photo above? I think so. ) Loudest reaction from the crowd all night
November 20th, 2021 at 3:37 AM ^
The Arizona game is Sunday not Saturday to my understanding.
November 20th, 2021 at 3:44 AM ^
Yep, Sunday at 9:30 EST
November 20th, 2021 at 9:31 AM ^
No, actually Monday morning at 12:30 am EST, I believe.
November 20th, 2021 at 9:47 AM ^
9:30 Eastern/6:30 Pacific Sunday night. The championship game is played before the consolation game.
November 20th, 2021 at 4:00 AM ^
We definitely aren't a top 5 team (will drop anyway with the Tuesday loss).
This team pulls away and proceeds to let the opponent back in it. Been the theme in Game 1, Game 2, and Game 4.
Closed out 2 of those.
FT shooting outside of Diabate has improved.
What's with this scheduling too? Where are the cupcakes?
Arizona is a Top 30 team. Seton Hall 35.
Buffalo. 90.
UNLV 130.
North Carolina 50
Central Florida 59.
November 20th, 2021 at 4:12 AM ^
Fair point, but last year after the Oakland game I don't think any of us expected Michigan would win the B1G regular season outright and be within a bucket of making the Final Four without Isiah Livers for the whole tournament.
Not suggesting this season will play out exactly like last, just that we'll have to wait and see what unfolds. This team has enough talent to be a tough out once they put it all together. Last year's squad had a lot more veteran leadership than this one does, so I would anticipate we may stumble through a few frustrating losses before we hit our stride. This squad definitely needs to develop their chemistry and figure out what the right rotation is. I'm still optimistic this could firmly be a top 10 team. Just keep getting better.
November 20th, 2021 at 5:40 AM ^
Hostess is monopolizing the cupcakes this season. They finish at home vs. Southeastern Kentucky Welding which is the icing on the cake.
November 20th, 2021 at 9:31 AM ^
Honestly not too concerned. Watched the replay of the game this morning. Yes, Houstan seems to lack confidence with his shooting and defense (although his passing has been strong). Yes, Jones is pressing and making mental errors.
But you also have to remember we're replacing three starters in Livers, Wagner, and Smith. We also have a VERY young team. The players who will be getting playing time with more than 1 season in the program include Brooks and Johns Jr . Everyone else is a sophomore (Dickinson, TWII, Zeb) or a freshman (Diabate, Houstan, Bufkin, Collins, Barnes).
We're relying on a ton of freshman and sophomores, Coach Howard is still experimenting with lineups in the early going, with the ultimate regular season goal of winning the Big Ten. If we drop a game or two in non-con play so we can figure things out for the conference and post-seasons, I'm good with it.
November 20th, 2021 at 4:34 AM ^
I just woke up to the Michigan mgoblue app telling me they lost:
”Michigan 61 - UNLV 74”
freaked me out a bit. A guess it’s a late night for everyone
November 20th, 2021 at 7:18 AM ^
Exact same! I opened the site this morning after doing a quick glance at the phone overnight thinking we lost and did a double take.
November 20th, 2021 at 9:52 AM ^
Mgoblue app just sent a correction notification. Ha!
November 20th, 2021 at 4:45 AM ^
They spent a lot of time tonight talking about all the UNLV transfers in and how they're still figuring out how to play together as a team.
M kind of has the same problem really with one transfer in, three freshmen, and all the guys to replace. I get the sense Juwan is still figuring out what he's got by trying out all the different combinations. Three guards with Dickinson and Diabate at one point. Interesting one.
Diabate man. Breakout game felt like.
November 20th, 2021 at 5:41 AM ^
Houstan we have a problem…
November 20th, 2021 at 10:47 AM ^
My bigger problem is Juwan, after watching how he played the other night, thought he should get another 30-minute plus run in the lineup (33 minutes, to be precise).
He's clearly not a "ready for the jump" freshman. Juwan needs to reduce his minutes to be in the low 20s, at least for the foreseeable future, and give others (e.g., Diabete, who only got 21 minutes, and much less than that against Seton Hall) more time.
November 20th, 2021 at 10:47 AM ^
My bigger problem is Juwan, after watching how he played the other night, thought he should get another 30-minute plus run in the lineup (33 minutes, to be precise).
He's clearly not a "ready for the jump" freshman. Juwan needs to reduce his minutes to be in the low 20s, at least for the foreseeable future, and give others (e.g., Diabete, who only got 21 minutes, and much less than that against Seton Hall) more time.
November 20th, 2021 at 6:41 AM ^
French freshman or fresh Frenchman? Yes.
November 20th, 2021 at 7:27 AM ^
Though an apparently small play on words, it's a really good one.
I suspect it will be used again this season, so I'd like to give respect that you did it today. Maybe the first but not the last.
November 20th, 2021 at 10:25 AM ^
French Frosh
November 20th, 2021 at 7:17 AM ^
Having Alex on the MgoTeam has been a net positive. His FFFF for football have been informative and well written.
November 20th, 2021 at 7:22 AM ^
Thanks, Alex. I appreciate you writing this up at 3:13 AM in your time zone, letting (some of) the rest of us sleep.
November 20th, 2021 at 7:24 AM ^
Diabate, Dickinson, and Brooks were all stellar. Other guys made contributions. There is a ton of talent on this team that should hopefully continue to develop as the season plays out. Bufkin is also popping. Although frustrating at times Jones makes some plays. If this team makes the Tourney they could become a tough out but it may be a route more like UCLA last year where it’s bumpy some points but the team starts playing its best basketball when it most matters in March. Clearly we’re not dominantly handling teams yet although we’ve faced a couple of high level opponents, to this point, in Seton Hall and UNLV. Arizona will hopefully be a good game although it will be difficult to win that at this time.
November 20th, 2021 at 2:55 PM ^
"If this team makes the tourney"
Seriously?
November 20th, 2021 at 8:02 AM ^
Very nice bounce back win, especially playing so late. The late tip was an advantage for UNLV, but Michigan powered through beautifully.
November 20th, 2021 at 9:01 AM ^
It’s not like a bunch of dudes in college aren’t used to staying up late. I’m guessing it was way past Martelli’s bedtime though.
November 20th, 2021 at 2:54 PM ^
Yeah we should all be sympathetic to Alex and the coaches (and staff) but as for the players, when I was in college, staying up late was something I did on a whim.
November 20th, 2021 at 9:25 AM ^
Just finished watching the game. An uneducated viewer's thoughts...
*Thought it was hilarious when the crowd went wild after Michigan covered the spread.
*Eli and Hunter are both playing almost error-free basketball
*Moussa needs to be in the starting line-up
*Johns needs to just shoot the ball; his issues with confidence are crippling his game
*If Houstan can't hit shots, he's a liability; I tend to think the shooting will come around
*I don't get the negativity for Jones; it's clear he has talent. Needs to clean up a few things and get in the flow with the team...but I still think he'll be a plus for the team
*Bufkin looks like he'll be a great part of a three-guard tandem...or maybe some time at the three
Go Blue!
November 20th, 2021 at 9:56 AM ^
It’s human nature regarding Jones we hate the negative more than we like the positive. If he can play a little more under control and limit some of the mistakes I think he’s a huge plus. Case in point he doesn’t need to gamble for a steal leaving a shooter open to take a three. I also think he needs to get other people involved more but he does have game just has to let it come to him.
November 20th, 2021 at 11:23 AM ^
To be fair, some of the negative stuff Jone does is pretty bad: he struggles with full court pressure- plodding his way up the court with heavy use of his off arm. In this game he turned it over in response to single man pressure, meaning it was just him and his defender with a whole half of the court, no trapping/help defenders. That’s really bad unless the defender is a Xavier Simpson/Gary Peyton type. I also thought he picked up two offensive fouls in the first half, although the box score has him with just 2 fouls total and could swear he had a third so that might be unfair criticism.
I think the volume of the criticism is more a function of the position and his role. A super senior PG is supposed to steady the team; an 8:5 assist to TO isn’t that. He’s gambling on a defense that understandably struggles with help and recovery because of the young players. It’s just not good decision making. He’s not all awful, but he’s way to high variance for the position. You could play one of the freshmen if you were ok with high variance. You recruited this guy to avoid that.
But he does have time and early season Mike Smith wasn’t exactly John Stockton so there is precedent.
November 20th, 2021 at 12:37 PM ^
Not speaking as a basketball expert here ...
What I can't square about Jones: He participated in some sort of pre-NBA draft camp last year and, by all accounts, did well against what you'd assume are generally better players than he's been facing lately. So, what's the issue? Or, what are the issues?
November 20th, 2021 at 10:47 AM ^
Jones had 9 pts, 7 boards, and 8 assists. That's near triple-double territory. It's easier to reign him in than to teach him the skills he already has. He'll get there.
November 20th, 2021 at 1:12 PM ^
Maybe rein him in so he can reign as a leader.
November 20th, 2021 at 10:39 AM ^
I can't find the game on ESPN tonight. It looks like it's actually on tomorrow evening.
November 20th, 2021 at 10:44 AM ^
I saw some comments about the refs during the game thread. The boxscore shows UNLV with 19 fouls to Michigan’s 11. If we had those refs against Seton Hall, we win comfortably. That game was the reverse, 18 fouls on us, 12 on the Hall. Why do we get home court refs 2000 miles from home? Anyway, I had no complaints about them except for they called a weak push off on Jones and then ignored 3 push offs from UNLV in the next 5 minutes. Consistency is all I ask for.
November 20th, 2021 at 11:59 AM ^
I watched the recording this morning and to my highly biased eye it looked like the refs were in our favor for much of this game.
November 20th, 2021 at 10:49 AM ^
Watched the game it was entertaining and it does look like Juan is still experimenting but the Frenchman will definitely see minutes going up likely taken from Johns pt. I hope they keep Johns engaged at 15-20 minutes as in tough matchups he will be important with his experience and ability near the hoop. Have not watched other games as coverage in Canada to date is poor but given the small amount of rotation time for the other freshmen will be interesting to see who breaks out? They have lots of tuneup games before B1G and I expect 1 or2 other guys will emerge.
as for Jones I predict the team will go or not depending on his floor general capability. Brooks looks to be set up as the shooting guard and is capable at a 1 in a pinch but he can be Livers if Jones is effective at the 1. That will be huge for this team on the nights the freshman talent plays like freshmen talent.
who are the top 8/9 go to guys? Well so far they have 5 and I would include Johns - it will be interesting to see who the other 3/4 and if Johns and T Williams stayin that group. They have another 3/4 weeks to get the rotation established. Expect a different game plan against a more physical Arizona team Sunday. It will be fun to watch the team evolve.
November 20th, 2021 at 10:49 AM ^
sorry double post
Watched the game it was entertaining and it does look like Juan is still experimenting but the Frenchman will definitely see minutes going up likely taken from Johns pt. I hope they keep Johns engaged at 15-20 minutes as in tough matchups he will be important with his experience and ability near the hoop. Have not watched other games as coverage in Canada to date is poor but given the small amount of rotation time for the other freshmen will be interesting to see who breaks out? They have lots of tuneup games before B1G and I expect 1 or2 other guys will emerge.
as for Jones I predict the team will go or not depending on his floor general capability. Brooks looks to be set up as the shooting guard and is capable at a 1 in a pinch but he can be Livers if Jones is effective at the 1. That will be huge for this team on the nights the freshman talent plays like freshmen talent.
who are the top 8/9 go to guys? Well so far they have 5 and I would include Johns - it will be interesting to see who the other 3/4 and if Johns and T Williams stayin that group. They have another 3/4 weeks to get the rotation established. Expect a different game plan against a more physical Arizona team Sunday. It will be fun to watch the team evolve.
November 20th, 2021 at 11:14 AM ^
We have found our third "dude." Moussa was sensational, blocking shots, anticipated a pass for a steal, a spectacular dunk, making post moves, hitting a jumper. Only weakness may be free throw shooting. Reminds me of a freshman at Houston named Olajuwon. Should be on the floor for 30 minutes a game from here on out.
Eli was his usual superb self. Hunter D is an All America. So that is three guys who deserve 30+ minutes per game.
Who will round out the rotation? Not sold yet on DeVante. Clearly a useful rotation piece, but is he a point guard? What is his elite skill...shooting floaters? Rebounding? As a ballhandler, he relies on his bulk to shield the ball, not particularly quick. Shooting is iffy. Passing...just seems ok. Turns it over too much, does not always make smart decisions. He is getting more minutes currently than he deserves.
Houstan--another rough shooting night, when will Juwaan set aside his preconceived notions and give more of these minutes to someone else? Gonna be a real good player some day, just not ready yet.
Maybe Bufkin? Would love to see more.
TW5? Needs to prove himself as a shooter, but more to offer in other areas than Houstan, who shows flashes but has not proven himself at this level as a shooter either.
November 20th, 2021 at 11:47 AM ^
I'll have to do a rewatch to see if my eyes in real time were failing me, but I felt like the refs let UNLV get away with massive amounts of physical play, to the point where they were barely even playing basketball.
I like rewarding good defense in all sports, but man. Did anyone else feel like they were watching football or at least LAX on one side and basketball on the other?
November 20th, 2021 at 11:58 AM ^
Solid win, love that we are scheduling teams early in the season that challenge us, and also more fun to watch!
Of course, we don't know what Juwan sees in practice. Would love to see more of the mindset of 'if we started with a blank slate, knew what we know today...would this STILL be my starting line-up?
So, instead of saying 'we got DeVante to be our 5th year point guard' you might say...'maybe I should give Frankie more of a look' (or Zeb, if he gets healthy). Maybe Eli should play point, and open up the 2-guard spot to competition...put Kobe in there?
If Moussa should be playing either the 3 or the 4 spot, who is my next best guy to play the other 3 or 4 spot? Kobe? TW5? Johns? Why is Houstan getting so much deference, while Barnes and Tschetter don't even get a look?
With two and likely three stud pieces in place, how about having an open mind about the other two spots, both in terms of individual talent and chemistry? (FWIW, it seemed that our most effective unit tonight was Hunter, Eli, Diabate, Kobe, and DeVante?)
November 20th, 2021 at 12:02 PM ^
My biggest take away after this game is Caleb Houston needs to become more consistent, if he was Michigan wins by 20 easily…..Also I feel like UNLV had a few baskets that seemed like there was no way the guy was going to make it and did. Also a few too many open 3’s from the defense
Also the lineup with Dickinson and Diabate was amazing
November 20th, 2021 at 12:29 PM ^
I think everyone should accept that the bench isn't tight - this is just it. Most coaches, Juwan among them, like an 8 man rotation and that's what we have with TWill, Diabate, and Bufkin. I think now that Zeb is back to practicing there's at least a chance he (or Frankie) gets an occasional shift if Jones is struggling or in foul trouble, but it wouldn't be much.
Most likely they're going to keep trying to find minutes for Diabate when he's hot like last night and I think they're trying to get Kobe up to speed so he can play some 2 or 3 given that Houstan and Jones have been struggling so far. I'm not worried about either in a general sense as they are doing more good than bad.....but both are performing way below pre-season expectations so far through four games.
Houstan has shown he's more than a shooter.....but he hasn't been shooting well. Jones needs to stop gambling on defense and facilitate a little better - especially to Hunter. What worries me most is that he just doesn't look....smooth (?) breaking a press and as such we're going to get full court pressure all season.
November 20th, 2021 at 1:05 PM ^
Was Diabate just "hot" last night, or is he really that good? Unlikely that he will consistently be as good on offense yet as he was last night, but highly likely that he IS really that good on defense. Even on the basis of just defense, he needs to get starter minutes. He also is a good passer and shows great instincts.
Re: Houstan. He's a college kid, a freshman, very talented, it's early. But...setting aside the recruiting rank, and an occasional nice pass, what has he done so far, actual college results, to indicate that he is more than 'just a shooter' who is not making his shots? Certainly not defense.
November 20th, 2021 at 1:36 PM ^
Recruiting ranking don't always translate. Anyone else remember Jarod Ward? Number one national recruit in 1994, six-foot-nine, known for his long distance shooting. A comparable player coming out of HS today would certainly be widely considered as a "one and done." Had a nice career at Michigan, averaging 9 points, 4 rebounds a game, shot 39% from the field. Undrafted, played a long time in CBA and overseas.
November 20th, 2021 at 2:04 PM ^
I remember Ward very well. A few notes:
* He was the last recruit to commit that year and I'm pretty sure they were the #1 class. That was just three years after the Fab Five.
* His reputation was based on a handful of games he played at some Nike event. Prior to that he was on the map as a recruit (Top 100) but not elite.
* He got injured during his first year at Michigan.
November 20th, 2021 at 2:34 PM ^
Not a great example. Ward blew out both of his ACLs at Michigan (and ACL surgery/rehab wasn’t quite as good back then).
November 20th, 2021 at 1:43 PM ^
Jones was ROUGH. He had a real rough night and for some reason he's a magnet for bad ref calls. He turned the ball over a ton and took some risks that didn't pay off. He's an aggressive player by nature but he's still adjusting and I think that has led to some sloppy play. But, he had an important bucket to break a Michigan dry spell late in the game. I think there's a reason Juwan trusts him and I think he's really going to improve over the next few weeks and months.
Same for Houstan - like Jones, you can see he has a lot of ability but he's not playing well right now. But it's there.
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