Virginia 70, Michigan 68
The unranked Michigan Wolverines hosted the #3 Virginia Cavaliers at Crisler Center tonight in search of a marquee win for their NCAA Tournament resume amid a choppy set of non-conference performances. At halftime, things looked strong for the Wolverines. Even at the halfway point of the second half, Michigan held a six point lead. They were even up with a minute to go, but two disastrous possessions with under 40 seconds to play doomed the home team to a frustrating 70-68 loss against the Cavaliers. A moral victory for a team that got thumped by Arizona State just two weeks ago, sure, but one you would've liked to have as a real victory.
Virginia started the game hot from the field, scoring 13 points in the first six minutes on 6/8 shooting from the field, leading Michigan by three at the under-16 minute media timeout. Five quick points for big man Kadin Shedrick got things going for the Cavs and Michigan had trouble slowing down their opponents, while a succession of made threes for the Wolverines portended a good shooting night from beyond the arc. Out of the media timeout, Michigan got Hunter Dickinson going, scoring a couple buckets for the Wolverines in between scores from Jett Howard as Michigan surged on an 8-0 run to grab control of the first half. They led 23-15 at the run's conclusion, and were able to do so with some of the bench pieces on the floor.
Still, UVA clawed back, with Dickinson's lack of lateral agility being put on display as Virginia was able to regularly attack Michigan inside the paint for deuces at the rim. Guard Reece Beekman was the primary beneficiary of this, scoring 15 points for Virginia in the first half on a sizzling 6/7 from the floor- 5/6 from two. The lead was cut to 33-28 for the Wolverines at the under four media timeout, with each team shooting a similar mark for the game but Michigan making a few more three pointers to hold the edge. Over those final few minutes, Michigan was able to close in style. Terrance Williams II hit a sweet fadeaway, Jett Howard knocked down a three, and then a Williams offensive rebound set up a Jaelin Llewellyn triple. By the time Kobe Bufkin stripped Reece Beekman with six seconds remaining, Michigan was already in command and Bufkin's layup was the cherry on top. The home team led 45-34 at the break.
[Campredon]
The second half's first four minutes were close to a worst-case-scenario for Michigan in their aims to keep momentum going from a strong opening 20 minutes. Both teams traded threes to get it going, Kihei Clark for UVA and Williams for Michigan, but then the Cavaliers went on an 11-2 run that nearly erased the entirety of the Michigan advantage. They continued to get penetration with ease and improved ball movement gave Michigan fits. After UVA made it 52-50 with 14:53 remaining, Michigan's defensive effort picked up and began to lock in. They held Virginia scoreless for nearly three minutes, stretching the lead up to six, and had all the momentum and the ball when Dickinson got tangled up with Shedrick in the paint. Dickinson was whistled for a hook-and-hold, which gave Virginia possession and two free throws, both of which knocked down by Clark.
That felt like somewhat of a turning point, as it began a 10-2 run for the Cavaliers, stretching several minutes and culminating in Virginia's first lead in what seemed like forever. Juwan Howard subbed in his second unit for a prolonged stretch and it corresponded to a long Michigan offensive dry-spell, nearly four minutes without points. The starters returned and helped tie it up at 60 before Ben Vander Plas hit a couple of shots, one being a layup and the other a three, to give UVA a five point edge with five minutes to go. Michigan responded by playing some of their best defense of the night and using the free throw line to claw back. Williams went 1/2 at the line, Dickinson made a pair, and then Dickinson made a second-chance layup to tie the game at 65 with 3:27 remaining.
[Campredon]
Both teams got stops over the next 90 seconds and Michigan finally took the lead back after Dickinson went 1/2 at the free throw line. The Wolverines forced a miss from Jayden Gardner and seemed in position to grab control of the game when a Dickinson hook shot was off the mark. Gardner got his revenge with a long two, capitalizing on soft drop-coverage, and that put Virginia back ahead 67-66 with 40 seconds remaining. Michigan's next possession was one of two crucial disasters that swung the game: the men in maize passed the ball around the perimeter as the precious seconds drained away, with no real plan of action. Cornered on the sideline, Jaelin Llewellyn attempted a desperate pass that was easily intercepted by Beekman, who was fouled by Jett Howard. The nature of the foul meant that Beekman got a pair of free throws and Virginia got the ball. Beekman went 1/2 but Clark was then fouled after the in-bounds pass and he went 2/2. The result? A 70-66 Virginia lead with 14 seconds left.
The game wasn't over, though. Michigan sprinted up the court, found Dickinson inside, and Virginia conceded the points. Michigan got a quick foul on Armaan Franklin and he missed the first free throw. Juwan Howard took a timeout to draw up a play. Franklin went back to the line and missed the second. Terrance Williams II grabbed the rebound and got it up the court, but the entire team lacked urgency. Trapped way outside, Williams handed it off to Jett Howard with only a couple seconds remaining and he was in no position to get a quality look away. Two Virginia defenders trapped him, he pulled up, and while there may have been contact, it is unclear if the hypothetical foul even occurred with time on the clock. No shot got anywhere close to the rim, and time expired without Michigan even attempting a game-tying or game-winning shot. Final score, 70-68.
[Campredon]
In the abstract, a two point loss to the #3 team is nothing to be devastated about. On the other hand, Michigan had the chance for a real resume-building win to get their season back on track and couldn't get it despite being ahead most of the game. They had the ball up one with under 90 seconds to go, but couldn't pull it out. The execution on two of the last three possessions of the game, the one ending in the Llewellyn turnover and the last one, was beyond dreadful. The five players on the court seemed to have no sense of direction, no plan of what to do or where to go with the ball to get the big bucket. Those late game plays are going to sit with the team as they make their trip to London.
Dickinson led the team with 23 points on 9/17 from the field. Howard added 15 and Bufkin 11, but no other Michigan player was a consistent threat and they got five total points from the bench. Michigan shot 53% from the floor and 42% from three, good marks overall, but scored just 10 points in the final 10:43 of the game, bogging down against UVA's excellent defense as the Cavaliers pressured the ball more and tested Michigan's lack of agility on the perimeter. Virginia shot 51% from the floor and 50% from three, but only attempted eight threes in total, a sign of how easily they were able to get inside against Michigan's perimeter defense.
The Wolverines are now 5-2 on the season and head to London to take on Kentucky on Sunday. That game is scheduled for 1:00 pm EST and will be broadcast on ABC. The box score is after the jump.
[HIT THE JUMP FOR THE BOX SCORE]
November 30th, 2022 at 2:32 AM ^
That sucked. But still euphoric off Osu win!!!
November 30th, 2022 at 6:44 AM ^
:)
:(
(me during this game)
November 30th, 2022 at 8:50 AM ^
Yeah, tale of two halves that was the flip side of Saturday's football game.
Unlike the football team, this basketball team hasn't yet coalesced around an identity. And, unlike the football team, when opposing teams adjust to take away what Michigan does best, this basketball team hasn't yet figured out what their counterpunch looks like.
The season's young, like this team. We knew there were going to be growing pains. That first half was a sign of what could yet be. But, coulda woulda shoulda. Let's hope it's true that one learns more from a loss.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:08 AM ^
Well, that was less a statement on the two halves and more about the duality of man. Or at least the duality of fanhood. Enjoyable game but the outcome is both good and bad.
November 30th, 2022 at 6:45 AM ^
A rough game to watch. The issue remains that they still haven't figured out the PG spot and as a result the entire offense scuttles for long stretches. At some point Llewellyn will shoot better than 20% from 3 and have a negative assist/TO margin and they'll be okay but it's tiring to see games be set on fire in November and December because of it. And it's not necessarily because Howard doesn't recruit for the spot, only they just never stick around for another year for weird reasons.
One positive is that Bufkin is playing a bit better and they desperately need him to become a third scoring option for when they set Howard and Dickinson.
I continue to believe this team is probably undefeated and in the top 10 of Terrence Shannon was allowed to transfer in from Texas Tech. That's absolutely not in Howard or the team but on draconian transfer credit rules by the admissions. College basketball in 2022 is such that every team has to patch holes with the transfer portal and for him to be at Illinois averaging 20 ppg is infuriating.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:21 AM ^
I'd like to add that autocomplete on my phone was drunk this morning and decided the usage of o and I were interchangeable
November 30th, 2022 at 9:05 AM ^
Thumbs up with a caveat that IMHO, the team has to work with what it's got and there's no sense fretting over players that aren't on the squad. There's still plenty of talent and potential on this roster--for proof, they were within one possession (really, three poor possessions) of beating the #3 team in the country.
Llewelyn's play so far has been rough--but so was Devante Jones's at this point in the season. Bufkin isn't starting the season with Eli Brooks's experience and knowledge, but Bufkin seems to be maturing in a hurry and seems to be growing literally right before our eyes.
That third shooting option will develop in time. Maybe it'll be like last season and it'll only click in time for the tournament. Hopefully, it comes sooner.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:25 AM ^
Yeah, the only concerning thing with Llewellyn compared to Jones was that Jones at least had a base level of competency that showed up even when he struggled. In Jones's first 7 games he shot 43% from the field and 38% from three (admittedly on low volume) and while he turned the ball over a bunch he also picked up a lot of rebounds, steals, and assists. Llewellyn is shooting 32% overall and 20% from 3 while not really initiating much offense for anyone else. I think he'll get to being competent but the shooting was the one thing we heard could and should translate and it's just not there and this was mostly the easy part of the schedule. You can't play an average of 26 minutes a game and be that level of a black hole when the big thing you were supposed to bring is shooting. And defensively he's been rough, in part because it feels like he doesn't quite have a handle on the athletes at this level. Jones didn't either but he had this weird old-man /YMCA strength thing going where he could bop guys around a bit. Feels like Llewellyn just gets pushed around.
I wouldn't mind seeing Dug get more run here not because I think he'll be a major upgrade but because it might shake up whatever funky Llewellyn is in and with Dickinson and Jett I don't think this team needs an offense initiator as much as they have in the past and at least Dug is fast and a defensive pest.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^
I thought Dug should have been out there for the final play of the game - best hope for making something positive happen in <5 seconds. No guarantee he would have gotten the ball in his hands (where were the guards for Williams to pass to?), but a much better bet than Llewellyn in that situation and maybe even just as likely (not very) to hit a runner or a desperation 3.
In the end, Michigan played one good half of basketball and really struggled in the other. Didn't deserve to win. Hopefully, they'll learn something from it.
November 30th, 2022 at 10:18 AM ^
They need to take the ball out of Llewellyn's hands. He can bring the ball up but they should immediately run a set to get Kobe the ball at the top of the key and have Llewellyn go to the corner. I think he should be fine as a spot-up shooter who occasionally slashes and if he isn't then we can look at other options.
But Kobe, Jett, and Hunter are too talented a trio to let possessions go to waste letting Llewellyn and T-Will dribble away precious seconds trying to do stuff.
November 30th, 2022 at 6:57 AM ^
Unfortunately, it appears that we are back to Tommy Amaker era. Juwan does not seem to be a better coach than Tommy. We are stuck with him for while.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:29 AM ^
I really wish people stopped comparing everything they don't like to the Amaker era. I lived through the Amaker era - those teams were bad and poorly coached at times but they weren't train wrecks. If you want to see a true shitshow look at Louisville this year or the end of the Ellerbe era. Those teams are gawd awful.
Michigan will improve this year; they're 247th in the country in experience coming into the year and most of that is Dickinson. It just sucks to have to watch it happen every fall and early winter.
November 30th, 2022 at 10:09 AM ^
I did not say those teams were trainwrecks. Tommy came on after I had left UM but watched most of their games. We never made the NCAA, and I am afraid that we will not make it back to NCAA in the absence of a few 5 stars on the team. People don't like to hear this, but we have not been a well-coached team for the last 2 years. Yes, we made it past the second weekend of the NCAA, but it was mostly due to our talent. I hope I am wrong because I like Juwan (I was visiting UM during F5), but there are some worrying signs.
November 30th, 2022 at 3:54 PM ^
You're probably one of our genius fans who was also calling for Beilein's head when we were 14-9 midway through the 16-17 season. An elite eight and two sweet 16s and we're comparing Juwan to Tommy Amaker? No acknowledgement of Juwan taking an unranked team and immediately vaulting them into the top 5 his first year? That was all talent, no coaching involved? The next year taking a barely top 25 preseason team and vaulting them to a 1 seed? All talent, no coaching? It's been seven games, relax. God some of our fans are so miserable.
December 1st, 2022 at 4:49 PM ^
Good God dude. Are you 12? Im not sure you watched the Amaker days because he couldn't even make the tournament .
November 30th, 2022 at 7:26 AM ^
I blame the late start.
November 30th, 2022 at 7:31 AM ^
The good thing about college hoops is November games and losses aren’t as meaningful February,March games and losses.Time to trust Juwan and let him figure out the rotation.Basketball JH is like football JH.Way more knowledgeable than this whole board on how to run a program.Time to focus on Saturday night.
November 30th, 2022 at 7:38 AM ^
Frustrating game. The biggest positive to me was that they seemed engaged defensively for 40 minutes which is a step forward.
Unfortunately, I'm starting to question some of Howard's coaching.
- Virginia played a HARD hedge on Michigan's ball screens the whole game with their big and quick guys. I didn't see a single slipped screen or any counter to that at all. Consequently Llewellyn was getting pushed way out to half court constantly.
- In the second half, Virginia started to pick up the ball at the opposite three point line. Llewellyn and Dug had to spend a lot of time and energy just getting the ball to half court. This is a double whammy in that it burns a lot of energy and also means you're initiating your offense with 20 seconds on the shot clock every time. I would have liked to have seen more screens or a second guy helping bring the ball up.
- The subbing pattern is maddening. Michigan was up 58-54 with 9:15 to go and Howard pulled Jett, Dickinson, and Bufkin. I get that you want to give them a breather before the final stretch, but there's been enough evidence that your second five can't hang that he needs to not sit them all at the same time.
Hopefully the progress continues, but this was frustrating.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:00 AM ^
That crazy-hard hedge is a long-time staple of Tony's pack-line. It's 201-level stuff - if the team isn't proficient in the requisite rotations, they don't do it, but the system isn't at its best without it and pretty much every UVA game features like 30 or 40 of them. One might say Juwan should've been able to come up with something given that UVA puts it on tape constantly, but I'd go the other way with that - even though UVA does that hedge a thousand times a year, nobody's come up with a good counter yet. UVA leaves the opposing big semi-open temporarily but has someone ready to pounce on all the passing lanes except the harmless ones. I give Juwan a pass on that.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:17 AM ^
Interesting. I was impressed with how committed UVA was to it. From the 16th row, I was immediately impressed with the size and quickness of UVA's players. I feel like the pack line gets kind of crapped on as a gimmick for unathletic teams, but that was not at all what I saw last night.
I'm curious what kind of counters you have seen work? It was so disruptive last night.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:46 AM ^
TBH I literally can't recall a single instance in which someone scored consistently by exploiting a weakness in the hard hedge. As for the pack-line itself, Michigan did a nice job on several possessions in the first half outpassing the rotations. UVA doesn't switch screens, instead they help incessantly, so if you can get good ball motion you can outrace the help and often find an open three. Michigan did so more than once in the first half.
Also, if you can successfully drive the baseline you can always beat the pack-line, because any help on a baseline driver leaves so much else open. If you manage to beat your man baseline, UVA will let you have the layup and hope you miss because it's still a lower-percentage play than the inevitable dunk if a help defender moves over. The baseline is a major weakness and I still remember a player quote from early in Tony's first year, well over a decade ago, who admitted that Tony would "lose his mind" every time someone allowed a baseline dribble. It's very rare to go baseline on UVA but when it happens it's a guaranteed bucket.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:06 AM ^
Yeah I thought the same thing on that second half substitution. I didn't like how Jett and Hunter both went off the court at the same time at that point in the game. Seems like you want to keep at least one of those two in there at all times against the #3 team.
November 30th, 2022 at 7:50 AM ^
While we looked better last night, the loss felt like culmination of all of Juwan’s flaws as a HC. Bad substitutions, inability to develop bench depth, not getting Dickinson touches in the 2nd half, our Ivy League transfer PG continuing to disappoint and turning the ball over in a key moment, and inability to scheme up a shot in key moments. This should’ve been a win but we choked it away
November 30th, 2022 at 10:12 AM ^
Considering it's still November, I dont know if 'inability to develop bench depth' should be a concern or criticism. Come January or February then yeah, hopefully they have a solid 8-10 man rotation.
November 30th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
It can’t be “it’s just November” every year. Everybody else has to play the first couple months of the season too, and they look better than Michigan.
Maybe you can take that approach if you’re playing a bunch of NBA one and dones a la Calipari, but that’s not what Juwan’s got right now.
November 30th, 2022 at 7:55 AM ^
Should have won, but had expected us to be blown out based upon the performance of previous few games.
Team is getting better, but still much work to do.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:05 AM ^
While an actual victory would have been nice, and was absolutely within their grasp, the team played well most of the night against a legitimate top team. VA’s game against Illinois was a mostly close game throughout with Virginia pulling away at the end. VA’s game against Baylor was a beat down that wasn’t as close as the final score showed. The fact that Michigan had a decent lead at the half and only really gave it away at the very end was a good sign for the team. Clean up a few things in the second half and this could have been a victory. This game should give the team some confidence heading into the game with Kentucky and then into b1g season that they can hang with the very good teams and that the asu game was an extreme outlier.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^
Wanted to watch but when I saw it was at 9:30, meh, I didn't want to stay up until after 11. Checked as soon as I woke up. Bit of a bummer, but it sounds like they looked a lot better than they had been, and in any case, just way too focused on football and the two-game winning streak over Ohio State and the BTCG I'll be attending this weekend and then the Playoff, to get too worked up over a narrow basketball loss to the #3 team in the country in November.
That said, a win over one of the elite teams they're playing over the next few weeks would help a lot for March, so it does suck to lose one so close when who knows if they'll get run off the court against the other two. But again, I simply can't find March on my radar right now, so just really tough to register much emotional reaction to this. Win would have been a cool bonus to an already amazing week, but a loss, whatever.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:13 AM ^
I think this undersells how bad the team was offensively for most of the second half, essentially the entire last 12 minutes - not just the last couple possessions. I think there was a stretch where Michigan only scored 1 field goal in 8 or 9 minutes of game time? And it wasn’t like they were getting good looks that weren’t falling. They were not getting looks, period. Had zero answer for Virginia’s ball pressure, or seemingly any plan on offense at all. Just aimless dribbling around the perimeter and bad passes followed by a hero ball attempt to drive or dump it to a doubled Dickinson and hope to draw a foul.
Does Juwan Howard just hate point guards? It’s been the most consistent weak point of his teams basically since he’s been here and it feels like it’s going downhill. The inability to get and keep a good B1G quality PG who can score on the roster this deep into his tenure is baffling and frustrating.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:26 AM ^
I'd say Howard has been fine recruiting P5 level PGs but for some reason both Collins and DDJ left for weird reasons. Llewellyn mostly seemed like a shooter who could be a PG if you had to buy that wasn't his preferred game. Collins had the inside track to be a starter and yet he went to ASU where's he's a huge usage but inefficient player.
We'll see with Dug. He's got some growing to do as a shooter but he's fast and can defend and pass a bit; he's got potential next year to be a good starter if he hangs around
November 30th, 2022 at 9:15 AM ^
Yeah I think what we really need at this point is for Dug to stay all 4 years. Then for Anderson to stay all 4 years. We need a senior PG who has played at Michigan for 4 years.
November 30th, 2022 at 10:32 AM ^
I'm worried that the best case scenario is Dug grows into a Smith or Simpson - great program guys we love, but let's be honest, not elite or even all B1G point guards especially on the offensive end of the floor. Which this team desperately needs to move to the next level. I don't think the PG needs to be the highest usage guy on the team for Howard, but they need to be a guy that can shoot and pass a lot more than "a bit".
I don't thing Frankie or DDJ were the answers either, although it would have definitely been better to keep them around (and part of the coach's job is to keep guys around).
Just generally disappointed that this far into the tenure of Howard, roster management and recruiting of the guard position is so off pace.
November 30th, 2022 at 11:37 AM ^
I'll take a Simpson all day every day at this point. He was a key piece on 2 sweet 16 teams and a Final Four team, with 2 B1G championships.
November 30th, 2022 at 12:22 PM ^
Trey Burke was in the house last night. It just added emphasis to how much we miss the top flight PG.
I would also add that Dug should have been on the floor for the final 6 seconds. No one is faster or has a better handle.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:24 AM ^
I recorded the game. Now I will press delete.
November 30th, 2022 at 12:17 PM ^
Watch the game. The first half was the best UM has played this year. The second half is quite a bit more cringy, but the bottom line is we had a chance at victory against the #3 team in the country in the final two minutes. You might want to skip those . . .
November 30th, 2022 at 8:28 AM ^
Llewellyn is not the answer. He has to get a ton, ton better to even be impacting this team in a positive way.
Terrance Williams shouldn’t be a Big 10 starter. I would love to have seen Houstan or Moussa in that starting spot, even though those 2 were very different players.
Wouldn’t mind seeing Dug and Joey Baker sliding in there as starters.
Jett is so damn good. They were discussing comps for him and nobody brings up… Carmelo Anthony.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:41 AM ^
Kinda agree on the TWill take. He does contribute but is it enough to justify 30 minutes? Why not give Baker more of those minutes?
November 30th, 2022 at 10:14 AM ^
Baker even played well on the defensive glass yesterday. Williams is probably a better defender overall but it's not enough to outweigh the difference in offense.
November 30th, 2022 at 10:15 AM ^
Also, what Williams may give you with his ability to create at times is likely to be a better fit with the bench, while Baker's ability to space the floor should be more valuable in a lineup where the bulk of shots and creation opportunities are going to Hunter, Jett, and Kobe.
November 30th, 2022 at 10:01 AM ^
Jett is so damn good. They were discussing comps for him and nobody brings up… Carmelo Anthony.
Melo has been my comp for a while. Similar size and skillset, and Jett looks to be a better outside shooter than Melo was at the same stage.
Did not get the Donovan Mitchell comp at all...you're comparing him to a 6'1" guard with explosive athleticism?
November 30th, 2022 at 10:13 AM ^
That spin move into the fadeaway he had yesterday was vintage Melo.
November 30th, 2022 at 8:57 AM ^
This team is NIT bound without a point guard. Too many flaws. T-Will and Llewellyn are just not that good.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:10 AM ^
A two hour root canal. Your guards need to direct and win the last 40 seconds.
November 30th, 2022 at 9:16 AM ^
Looking at the box score, I'm struck that Joey Baker got one shot. One shot?
The commentators mentioned during the broadcast that Michigan was running Baker (or Jett) on the same side as Dickinson so that HD would have an open outlet when the double help came down--or, alternatively, to keep the double off of him.
Virginia didn't double HD consistently in the first half, and score reflects the result. But after the half, Virginia started doubling HD--it seemed to me, often from the non-play side?--but Baker wasn't the beneficiary. Hmm.
Seems to me (#NotABasketballGuy) that if teams are going to double HD, Baker and Jett need to be positioned to take more shots. But maybe people with a higher basketball IQ than me (low bar) can explain why that didn't happen?
November 30th, 2022 at 9:32 AM ^
The other thing that strikes me when looking at the box score is the dearth of bench scoring (UVA: 10 from Vander Plass, UM: 3 from Baker on 1/1, 2 from Reed Jr. on 1/1).
It's no surprise from watching the games--the second unit is essentially ineffectual--but it really hit me when looking at that box score. UVA had several guys in foul trouble from trying (and failing) to guard Hunter, but was still able to go to the bench and pull up a guy like Vander Plaas who was good for double-digit scoring.
Right now, Michigan has no reliable depth. None. Yeesh.
Joey Baker, hurry up and transform into Duncan Robinson, please?
November 30th, 2022 at 9:35 AM ^
Michigan has no legit point guard.end of story.The "rotation problem" is actually a no bench problem.Michigan has 2 top tier scorers,a combo guard trying to be a point guard and 2 utility players.This is a 12-15 loss team that will sparkle some nights but baked in limitations will be an ongoing source of frustration.
November 30th, 2022 at 10:12 AM ^
Need the OSU UFR's (it's gonna be better than porn isn't it?) and Purdue Fee Fi Foe Films to push this down the page.
Lot of improvement but this is a top heavy team that lacks depth, even within the starting lineup. Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, and Kobe Bufkin is a really good top 3 and complement each other well on offense. You can play inside out with Hunter and Jett, and Kobe's improved driving and distribution makes him a good orchestrator (and all three are good passers in general).
But we are getting nothing from T-Will and Llewellyn. Llewellyn needs to move off the ball and basically play the role that younger Eli Brooks played. Off ball, spotting up, slashing from the wing against a rotating defense. It was infuriating to watch him dribble away the penultimate possession while none of Kobe, Howard, or Hunter got a touch. Kobe has to run that possession and it was an inexcusable coaching and execution breakdown.
I have no idea what happened on the last play but I'm pretty sure Juwan didn't tell Terrance Williams to dribble into the corner and play hot potato with Jett Howard.
The team has talent and showed fight but is still way too inconsistent on D. Jett is perhaps emblematic of the struggles. When locked in, he looks like an NBA wing on defense playing against dudes who are not on his level. But he falls asleep way too often off ball. Still, he's improving.
Llewellyn still too frequently gets beat. Williams is very average as a defender, especially for someone who is supposed to be a glue guy. And Dickinson had some monster blocks, but his conditioning and footspeed isn't conducive to great defense when the perimeter guys can't lock up.
At this point I'd strongly look at moving Llewellyn to the bench and moving Baker to the starting lineup. Hide him on the weakest offensive player or play more zone, but it's not like he gives you much less footspeed than Llewellyn and at least he can help juice the offense. Williams should also be on watch.
Lastly, it's discouraging that Isaiah Barnes can't get off the bench on a team that repeatedly gets exposed for a lack of footspeed on the perimeter. I know he's only a sophomore, but his athleticism and size is badly needed. We also just need more contributors from that class.
Juwan's first class was Franz and Cole. Bajema. Both gone. Second class was Hunter, Zeb, T-Will, and Jace. Zeb gone, T-Will and Jace look like just guys right now. Hunter obviously a star.
But last year was the big class. Now, Caleb, Moussa, and Frankie are gone, Tschetter was clearly a multi-year project, and Kobe is the only contributor right now. That's not great, Bob.
It's not all Juwan's fault as early entries and attrition have hurt, going as far back as Franz. The same thing happened to Beilein after Stauskas, McGary and GRIII left. Having entire classes get depleted after one or two years is tough to manage at a team like Michigan.
But this team still has talent. Juwan needs to get them to lock in for 40 minutes on defense. And one of Jett or Dickinson has to be in the game at all times. There's also some opportunity to play some really juiced offensive lineups with Baker at the 4 if he takes it.
I hope Barnes can earn some minutes though. An athletic long wing with a fire lit under his ass to earn his minutes could really help this team
November 30th, 2022 at 12:24 PM ^
With the caveat that I'm Not a Basketball Guy, I tend to agree with this take. I'm not prepared yet to say that Llewelyn is a bust, but if one buys into the idea that he should bring the ball up-court and then immediately get the ball to Bufkin--and I do--well, then, I don't see a compelling reason to have him in the starting lineup. Better to have Baker get those minutes, even though that means running two or three wings instead of two guards at times. (FWIW, I also hope and expect Llewelyn to improve in time.)
I've become a casual Miami Heat fan since D-Rob has been there--and tbh, he's the only reason I watch. The Heat tend to play D-Rob heavy early in the game, then pull him down the stretch for defense. They run sets to get D-Rob early catch-and-shoot opportunities. If he picks up some easy fouls along the way, it's no big deal because they're not planning to have him late anyway. I could see Joey Baker playing that role. If nothing else, it provides both a spark and a legitimate threat that would help to space the floor better.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:56 AM ^
Yup wouldn't mind this at all (or Isaiah Barnes taking Llewellyn's spot either). The only hesitation I have is that I do think Kobe has developed some court operating from the wings and getting the ball on the move, and I do wonder if asking him to deal with ball pressure and initiate from the middle of the floor could disrupt some of that development. If that's the case you can try Dug with the starting lineup.
But yeah, right now Llewellyn isn't bringing much of anything on either side of the court. He can still contribute by upping his intensity on defense and moving without the ball. But he lacks the ballhandling, explosiveness, or vision to create for himself and others with the ball in his hands, especially compared to the Wolverines' top three offensive options.
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