Wisconsin 71, Michigan 60
The season may very well be over, and that might be for the best. This Michigan squad squeezed every last bit of talent and effort out of an undersized, overmatched, and exceedingly young group over the last couple months, to the point that I'm not sure they have much left to prove this year. This team battled harder than anyone expected after the losses of Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton, and there's little doubt they're going to be dangerous as all hell next year.
For the first 15 minutes of today's matchup against the Goliaths of Wisconsin, Michigan looked to be on their way to a stunning upset. Eventually, though, the mismatches up front caught up to the Wolverines, who started the game with Zak Irvin guarding Frank Kaminsky and Max Bielfeldt on Nigel Hayes. The Badgers closed the first half on an 18-4 run and kept Michigan at bay, though not by much, through the second half.
The Badgers won by virtue of size, talent, and experience. Aubrey Dawkins looked the part of a freshman against Sam Dekker, who led Wisconsin with 17 points and pulled down four offensive rebounds. Hayes managed nine points and three offensive boards of his own. Kaminsky talled 16 and 12 against a wave of double-teams. Fittingly, a Hayes putback after Kaminsky drew in M's interior defenders proved to be the final nail in the coffin.
But man, did Michigan fight. Irvin once again raised expectations for next year with a tremendous all-around performance. He scored 21 points on 9/18 shooting, hitting an array of NBA-level midrange shots, knocking down three of his seven triples, and finding his way to the basket. Tasked with cleaning the glass against Wisconsin's huge front line, he recorded 11 rebounds, all on defense, which was one off a career high. For good measure, he added three assists and three steals; a baseline dish to Ricky Doyle looked like it was ripped straight from Spike Albrecht's highlight reel.
Doyle, who's been quiet of late, gamely battled Kaminsky in the post, and got the better of the Big Ten Player of the Year his fair share of times: Doyle hit all six of his shots from the field to tally 12 points. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had a couple great takes to the hoop on his way to eight points on 4/7 shooting. Albrecht added ten, highlighted by a couple deep threes.
So, yes, Michigan lost, but the positive indicators for next season were everywhere: a pivoting Doyle finish against Kaminsky, Albrecht dribbling through defenders like Steph Curry before pulling up for a jumper, Dawkins throwing down an Irvin miss on the break, Rahk blowing by the defense for a layup, Kam Chatman tossing an inch-perfect entry pass to Doyle for a layup.
The Wolverines didn't have quite enough juice to overcome one of the best teams in the country. Suddenly, though, the big question for next year is this: how is John Beilein going to find playing time for all these promising young guys? After a season replete with real problems, that's one heck of a good problem.
I agree that in general there's really not much left to prove, but I honestly think this team could win the NIT. Would be nice to have a banner for a fourth straight year.
Agreed, this team is getting really exciting to watch and I for one am hoping to continue watching them win the NIT.
Opportunity to improve is much more important to me than proving something. I'd like them to get in just to keep practicing, get some tourney experience and keep riding their energy and willingness to compete and develop.
and may actually allow walton now that he is (hopefully) better to practice with these guys a bit before the end of the year
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
That's all.
This season isn't over yet.
Also, Irvin set two Michigan B1G Tournament single game records.
He had 11 defensive rebounds breaking the 5-man jam-
He also had 3 steals which puts him on this massive list.
...it would have been reasonable to expect. Three of today's starters (Spike, Rahk, Dawkins) had one non-Michigan D1 scholarship offer between them. And yet they still hung in there today and ran a bubble team out of the gym yesterday.
It was a pleasure once again to watch a John Beilein team. I look forward to next year (though I'm not assuming the NIT is out of the question).
far more than one D1 offer
Spike-- App State
Rahk--George Mason, Bucknell and Harvard
Dawkins--Dayton, Northeastern and College of Charleston, among others
Mostly smaller, but all D1 in basketball.
I thought it was a Dayton offer for Dawkins and none for Spike or Rahk.
these are the certain offers. The Spike "only App State offer" has been a favorite talking point for announcers since he arrived. And anyone getting a Dayton offer is certainly getting offers from smaller programs as well. Dayton is just who we beat out for Aubrey.
Yeah that didnt sound right. Both MAAR and Dawkins had multiple D1 offers. Maybe he meant Power 5 conference offers.
November is a long ways away. I hope they get into the NIT so we can keep watching them. I'm not ready to subsist on Softball games and Football rumors yet.
Where to find minutes for all the quality players returning next year? For once, I'm so happy that's the problem.
two team system. One starts and the other is the reinforcements. It would keep everyone engaged and competing.
Can't ask more from this offense - shot 52% overall and 40% from 3. You expect to win with those data points. But then you get outrebounded by 15. Including 12 offensive rebounds. Coupled with Wiscy's 49% shooting and there you have it.
Donnal 1 minute played. Kam 7 minutes played 0-1, 1 rebound.
Irvin had 11 of the 19 rebounds. We simply need better out of the 4 and 5.
Agreed. As much as I've loved watching the beautiful basketball that Beilein has brought us (yay, alliteration), even our best teams have struggled against size. Even the 2013 team needed a miracle comeback to get past Jeff Withey and Kansas.
It will be really nice if, one of these days, we can turn out a team with a true center and a stretch power forward who can defend down low and rebound, so that we're not always playing David v. Goliath against the Kentuckys and Wisconsins of the world. We had a shot at that in 2013, before Mitch was injured. Oh, what might have been.
Can you imagine a typically-skilled Beilein team, with rebounding and free-throw advantages thrown in? That would be amazing. Hopefully Moritz is a step in that direction.
Troy Williams from Indiana would be such a perfect 4 for us. I have only watched 4-5 Indiana games but he is always in the sky, getting rebounds, altering shots (he doesnt block many but makes his opponent think). He does so many things that dont show up on a stat sheet and UM simply lacks that player that makes other players think about how to attack our defense. He is only 6'7, 206 per ESPN but plays like he is 6'9, 220+.
I just wish we could land this sort of guy or Beilein targets this sort of guy - I am pretty confident we'll always have a nice offense as long as we don't throw out 5 freshman in a 7 man rotation. But when you shoot this well you should be winning. The lack of defense, rebounding, rim protection is frustrating and feels repetative. I am praying DJ Wilson can be a poor man's Williams - he seems to be the only guy in that range on the roster at the 4s/5s. Dawkins with another 20 lbs on him maybe can be.
Okay, I'll say it---we become the first team to get into the NIT with a .500 record. I'd like to say "bank it', but I have absolutely no basis to do so.
Our resume at this point is better than Minnesota and arguably Illinois--both with winning records. Plus Michigan has pretty strong ties to NYC-- in reputation, numbers of alums in the area and affluence/influence.
.500 teams used to get in all the time. The year before the Fab Five (1990-91), we were 14-14 in the regular season and got an NIT invite.
I know nobody here are "experts" or "analysts" and we all have a bias anyway so I will take any answers with a grain of salt but here goes my question.
Having the vague knowledge that I have about the NIT selection process, what are the more savvy MGoUsers predictions as a percentage on Michigan's chances at an NIT bid?
My assumption is that we have to sit and watch a lot of other dominoes fall before we know, but what do all of ye predict? This articl makes it sound like a long shot, but some of these previous posts seem to think otherwise. Any insight you all may have on this process is definitely appreciated!
The conference tournaments end on Sunday so we should know soon thereafter.
The last few posts I've seen on this board with the NIT bracketology I want to say UM isn't projected to make the NIT.
was really an alley oop. He did that intentionally. Watch where he looks as soon as he releases the ball. He turns his head right to where Aubrey catches it and slams it home. It was a great play by Irvin and not a miss.
disagree
Ace, how do you not mention the fouls in this recap? Incredible high road taken. Kudos to you sir. I would have wrote: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. If Beilien is getting technicals you know it's a hose job.
The refs were horrible, as they usually are. Wisconsin got away with a travel, offensive foul, and then an over the back in consecutive possessions all in the first half. They also got away with murder on a good percentage of their offensive rebounds. And that technical foul was an absolute joke, it's a shame that refs try to bully a good guy like Beilein yet succumb to the wills of an asshole like Bo Ryan.
And Wisconsin's weasel of a coach had the balls to cry for an intentional foul when we slapped at the ball on a drive down the lane. F U Bo.
Yeah, the narrative will be "Wisconsin doesn't foul" but the reality is "Wisconsin doesn't get called for fouls". Oh, and Beilein gets called for a technical when he, rightfully, questions why he didn't get a call to go his way, yet Bo Ryan can scream at the refs until his face turns purple and gets called for nothing. Disappointing, because the teams really were pretty even.
It might have been even worse than the statistics indicated. I know Ace likes to stay above it but I had to check the comments to make sure I was not the only one. Michigan was up on Wisky in the first half and I was still very angry and Wisky was keeping it close only as a result of the calls. Very disappointing. I will say that I don't blame the players - Wisconsin players seem to be a good group. Now about that Ryan guy...
Ryan clearly influenced the refs when they changed an ob call on the baseline near the Wisconsin bench. The replay shows the ball going off a Badgers thigh. The ref was in perfect position.
The end of the first half was key. That run was our doom. Credit to the kids though for never giving up. This was a fun year to watch.
Yes sir Mr. Ryan swallowing my whistle for ya!
Not only no foul there but the refs awarded the ball to the Badgers.
pisses me off.
From the NCAA championship game (the call on an "all ball") to this... Whatever happened to the recommendation that refs be professionalized, paid, and thus be able to be held to account?
Such bullshit.
Also, why does that dreadful uniform design work for Wisky but not for us?
Hmph. Maybe colored laces would've helped.
But I doubt it...
just more proof of the plot to demoralize us outta our rightful claim to fame. ;o
Lineup for next year
Knowns (6)
- Walton / Spike
- MAAR
- Irvin
- Dawkins
- Doyle
Unknowns (4)
- Donnal - does he really have a position? He is a tweener right now -not physical enough for the 5, not mobile/"handle-y" enough for the 4. Maybe another year in conditioning helps get some strength but really tailed off in Big 10 play. You hope he can be Max 2.0 with a few extra inches of height.
- Robinson - what is he? what can he do? I have him as the backup 2/3 for now - spelling Irvin and MAAR. [Although I expect Spike+Walton on the floor together 5-7 minutes a game next year]
- Wilson - what is he? what can he do? He looked very overwhelmed against non Big 10 types very early. Seemed very raw. Hopefully he can be a backup 4/5. 4-5 rebounds a game, 5-6 pts per game would be nice.
- Chatman - unlike some here I did not see a lot of improvement late, I saw him do well vs an awful Rutgers team then follow that up with 0-5 in 2 games vs Illinois/Wisconsin. You just hope the light goes on for him. For now he is the backup to Dawkins at 4.
Beilein usually goes with a 8-9 man rotation and there are 10 above.
- I assume the 9th v 10th will be the winner of Donnal v Wilson who seem to be destined for a similar role.
- Also depending on what Robinson can bring you - he probably is a bit of a backup 3 and a bit of a backup 2. But assuming Irvin plays 36ish a night next year I don't see much time at 3. And depending on how often Beilein plays Spike and Walton together (which he was not shy about doing) he might not have much time behind MAAR either. Will have to earn his time.
- If you want to give Spike 20 minutes a game - which he has earned, and Walton is plaing 31-32, and MAAR 23-25 there is not a lot of minutes left over for Robinson.
Really unknown unknowns:
- Max - does he get 1 more year? I would not be against unless dude from Germany is all that.
- Caris- I assume he is gone. Obviously a return would be huge. And your depth is immense in the backcourt.
- The other 2015 recruit - it wouldbe foolish to call that recruit a throwaway seeing what our 2 "throwaways" of 2015 (Dawkins, MAAR) did.
Even with Caris gone I think the 1, 2, and 3 is in very good hangs with your combo of Irvin/MAAR/Walton/Spike + Robinson in mop up duty. 4 and 5 are again the questions although I am ready to give Dawkins 30 minutes a night at 4 at this point until someone proves otherwise. Dawkins with more strength should be a better rebounder and he gives up an inch to Chatman - with a superior game at this point.
you pretty much nailed it. i really hope wilson gains some muscle this summer. he could be that defensive force in the paint that we need, especially when we get burned on the perimeter D.
i see walton and spike playing together a bit against smaller teams.
i don't see robinson playing much next year. i see only 5-10 minutes out of him through Dec. if his shot is as good as we hope, maybe a few more minutes in BIG play.
maybe a 25-15 min split between dawkins and chatman.
i don't see much time for donnal at all next year unless he can nail the 3 at a near 40% clip. that way, he may see some time at the 4.
this all assumes levert jumps to the nba. if he stays, robinson gets almost no minutes and maar loses most of his minutes too.
played out. But we have a great coach and he proved that no matter what happens to his roster, he will find a way to make his team compete and perform as one that we can all be proud of.
This team is poised for immense success going forward. Regardless of LeVert's status next year, Michigan is a team to be reckoned with for the immediate future, three years at least. We should be proud of this team's effort and achievement under the circumstances. Today was another learning experience.
I love the way this team competes.
come on down, everyone stays, you play "hero" with a silently loaded team, final four run and we're out 2-3 more first round draft picks
My problem with the way JB coached that game is that if the refs are letting everything go - YOU have to take advantage of it just like the other team.
When the refs are letting players maul each other, you have to stop being a finesse team and play the hand your dealt. Horses for courses. Start mauling back.
Sounds like Bo Ryan has years of bullying and/or paying off the refs going into this. You don't just develop that kind of favoratism overnight. Something downright nasty's got to be going on behind the scene (& not in a good way). Blech.
Has to be exposed.
doesn't need to succeed going forward. In truth, Spike Albrecht's graduation will hurt more than any other on Michigan's roster. He is the glue in moving this team forward until another leader emerges. Whether you are successful based on talent, it takes leadership to advance your program. Spike is the man. Caris is a nice piece. A complementary talent with great skill, but he doesn't move the needle for this team like Spike does.
The problem for Michigan is having a guy like Caris as the primary option. Michigan is better when it features everyone and not one guy. And LeVert even though he is totally unselfish creates a problem for the offense that his absence accentuates as a positive. It creates the opportunity for others to fill the void of his production.
Eh, you look at last year and our team was successful because of Stauskas. Guys like Levert, Robinson, Morgan, Walton etc. were successful because Nik was relied upon to be the primary shooter, scorer, and passer. Of course that was Burke 2 years ago. Irvin has shown he can be that guy, but getting Levert back would just give us another NBA caliber shooter and playmaker.
the last 5-6 games. It was awful those first 5-6 games after Caris and Walton were out. Every game we were in during that stretch were ugly games--we were getting our opponents to play to our level. Now we play like a real Beilein team.
Comments