BTN Madness - POY related
Watching BT and Beyond on BTN, and they are talking about Pettaway as POY. I don't deny he's had a special season, but the idea that, if the season ended tonight, Pettaway could be considered over Stauskas is insanity, in my opinion.
We have a long way to go, but if we finish this job and Nik continues to perform, he's the POY.
I also think the Nebraska story is nice and all, but every time these clowns start waxing about how great they are, I want to scream at the TV, "Do you remember that Michigan was up FORTY on Nebraska? FORTY FREAKING POINTS."
We swept the season series from them, and the game at Crisler was like Varsity vs. Girls' JV. The final score had a ton of window dressing. I think we were up 75-34 before we called off the dogs.
Admittedly, I get shirty about just about everything, but this seems like another example of the BTN not giving us proper respect.
It also bugs me that before today OSU was only four spots below us. We punked them on their court. Come on.
February 23rd, 2014 at 10:11 PM ^
Too clever by half. Look at the standings and figure out why the teams are where they are.
Marble at 41% from the field and 70% from the line? No thank you.
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:06 PM ^
His ORating is 111.7 which is great and uses over 27% of possessions and shots. He is a playmaker as evidenced by his assist rate of 21.7% and took care of the ball with 13.3% of TO Rate. He is good at taking the ball away from other players with a 3.6% steal rate. Marble is very good at drawing fouls and getting into the line very often.
Can't just look at FG%.
February 24th, 2014 at 2:17 AM ^
I agree that you can't just look at FG%, of course. Nik's ORating is higher, though, and come on - 41%? That's glaring. That's an ugly number. And 70% from the line, for a guy you need to be strong at the line because of the role he plays on your team - that number counts.
Yes, look at newer statistics, but people who dismiss the older stats out of hand are misguided. They have their own relevance.
February 23rd, 2014 at 9:05 PM ^
Stauskus:
top 5 in ppg
top 10 if fg%
top 10 in assists
top 10 in ft%
top 5 in 3pt%
top 10 asts/to
top 5 in mpg
his stats are there. his come up big in big moments (see: today).
we're a young team that could have had a year similar to our football team's year. i think the difference, in part, is stauskus' swag. might be too abstract for the voters or it might be a factor.
4 games left and 3 are against defenses ranked in the bottom 5 of the conference. hopefully he can pad his stats a little.
February 23rd, 2014 at 9:23 PM ^
I'm fine with Petteway getting the nod, honestly. I type this partially because my view on Stauskas is that he's disappeared too many times this year. G. Harris? No, same reasoning as Nik. Marble? Not really my vote, though I might put him above Stauskas and Harris and could see him challenge for it.
February 23rd, 2014 at 9:47 PM ^
And petteway hasn't dissappeared? He scored 5 points against us. 5. He's good, but he's definitely pulled disappearing acts as well.
February 23rd, 2014 at 9:48 PM ^
Petteway is very good, but not b10 POY. That honor if given today would go to stauskas. If MSU finishes out strong and we lose some and MSU wins or shares the title and harris plays well then he could also win it.
February 23rd, 2014 at 10:12 PM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^
He's even more efficient than Stauskas at 128.5 ORating while using up 23.8% of possession and 25.5% of the shots. He shoots a high% of FG and can shoot 3s. Not only he can score but he can rebound as well. Kaminsky is a very good shot blocker.
It's funny how no one is talking about Kaminsky as a B1G POY candidate and his numbers shows that he should be in the conversation.
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:47 PM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:55 PM ^
shooting up in the draft projections.
February 24th, 2014 at 2:21 AM ^
Interesting point.
He certainly murdered us.
I still think if they're not at the top, he's not your guy, but it appears that he belongs in the conversation.
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:53 PM ^
Petteway is Nebraska's Zack Novak. He is taking them to another level. They have a been a complete joke since they joined the B1G and while they are not final four material they do have to be taken seriously. The game at Crisler was a complete breakdown for them like the one we had in Iowa City. I don't know if Petteway is POY but he is fun to watch and I don't have a problem with his name being tossed around.
February 24th, 2014 at 2:19 AM ^
February 24th, 2014 at 7:29 AM ^
sorry but we we drinking the kool-aid here. Stauskas is not even the most important player on his team (Levert). When things go to hell we give Levert the ball. Levert actually tries to play D and rebounds and still runs the show on offense. He will win MVP at the banquet, book it.
The BIG10 player of the year doesn't sit in the corner for about 5 games and get taken out of games. sorry. If Stauskas can somehow get back to leading the league in scoring he might win it bc lets face it the guys is all offense. He needs the scoring stats bc thats all there is. Nobody wins POT awards based on FG%...
Its OK if UM doesn't have a POY winner, if all goes well we will have the Banner.
IMO, Marble, Petteway, G. Harris could all win it. Should win it. Stauskas is dinged bc he plays zero defense, we have depth offensively and play as a team. You know reasons why we will hopefully win the league.
February 24th, 2014 at 9:34 AM ^
February 24th, 2014 at 9:37 AM ^
I think you're overlooking that this team rises and falls on Nik's mojo. And the team has risen way more times than it's fallen so far this season.
Caris probably will win the team banquet mvp, but then team banquet mvp awards are different animals than the awards handed out by conference media or coaches. They tend to focus more on who is a "team guy" than the question of "who really made this all go or not." Different criteria, and I think both have validity.
I will say that there have been many, many times this season where I've thought Caris is all over the place and that quality of being all over the place has hurt the offense, but in the last few games, I'm finally coming around to seeing him as a developing situation. He is playing really well, and it's not just a matter of points. He's playing an intelligent, timely game - understanding game situation and team need and playing with the ability to meet those moments.
Just getting himself set up on the wing, seeing the opportunity that the corner three presented in game situation terms and then having the confidence to nail it and run back up court - he's competing to seize control of the game - not just hoping he does well from possession to possession. For those who have played, this difference will not sound meaningless. There's a moment where you can both execute within a possession and have a greater sense of the game as a whole, the score, the situation, what is required to win - it's different from just running up and down the court and hoping to do more things well than badly.
February 24th, 2014 at 10:13 AM ^
Stauskas is great and All B10 but to me its hard to be POY when you are not the clear POY on your own team...UM is lucky to have this problem and has full control of the Big Ten Tile outright bc of it. Credit to Belien for taking these parts and making it work. We should focus on the team goals and not this type of hardware anyways. Instead people are acting like its a sign of disrespect that Stauskas is getting the award... Stauskas is NOT this years Burke for UM.
I think you are over looking the things Levert does bc it doesn't go with the Stauskas "is not just a shooter" meme. Watch Stauskas play defense. For evey bucket he has made this season, every single one, he has costs UM one. Luckily we have a great team with several weapons that we have overcome this woeful deficiency all season.
And the team rises and falls on Nik bc yeah we need him to score 15+ points to make up for the 15+ he is giving up.
Keep in mind we need Levert to score, run the break, get steals, rebound, get other players involved, guard the best player, play on top of the 131, run the half court O, get into the lane when nobody else can...etc etc. Levert is literally the best on the team in all of those facets of the game (sands Rebs). Stauskas is the best a shooting 3s, getting crazy sports center assists, and TOs. Note Stauskas has more TOs than Levert despite not being asked to create as much. Note, TOs are a frequent grip of people on here about Levert....
Stauskas is a great shooter who is crafty with the ball. Levert is a great all around player. Niether deserve POY recognition. Belien deserves COY for hopefully winning an outright title with a great shooter, great playmaker, and getting all the other pieces to work together.
February 24th, 2014 at 2:51 PM ^
I agree that Nik is always a defensive lapse waiting to happen - more often than not, when you see a wide open three go down against us, he's the culprit. And you wish the NBA cared about that sort of thing, because that's one part of his game that could surely use another year of seasoning, but they don't. I do think you are grossly exaggerating by suggesting that his defense cancels out his offense. That's a little silly.
And I still think you are missing what Nik means to this team. He is the heartbeat - he is the one who makes the team tick. Caris has been great - although I think his recent excellent play is skewing perception slightly (there has been a major recent uptick in his play), but it's no coincidence that when Michigan went on the run to erase the deficit and then establish a solid lead - that sequence was all Nik.
In the biggest wins of the year, he's made the most meaningful plays. That's how the year end awards are chosen - not by looking at advanced statistics - and, tbh, I don't have a problem with that. It's about who makes the winning plays at winning time. Caris is coming on strong, but Nik still sets the course for this team.
February 24th, 2014 at 2:52 PM ^
about how these awards are chosen - see who was named Player of the Week. Hint: it wasn't Caris. You can find that unfair, but it's not surprising in the slightest.
February 24th, 2014 at 10:08 AM ^
Point me to those five games. I'll buy you a Coke.
February 24th, 2014 at 9:21 AM ^
Prime time player. When the lights come on, so does Stauskas. He relishes the big moments (@State, @Ohio, VS State, @Wisconsin,). That's what POY candidates are supposed to do. Cool, he disappeared against Indiana. I'll take his big moments over Sparty, Bucky, Sparty II, Wisconsin, and Minnesota any day.
February 24th, 2014 at 10:38 AM ^
to B1G games, 25 min/game and greater then 20% usage then you get these top 10 offensive ratings:
| team | player | ort | usg |
| WIS | Frank Kaminsky | 130.8 | 24.2 |
| MICH | Nik Stauskas | 125.0 | 23.4 |
| IN | Yogi Ferrell | 117.1 | 27.9 |
| WIS | Sam Dekker | 116.6 | 22.8 |
| IA | Mike Gesell | 114.7 | 20.4 |
| MIN | Andre Hollins | 113.8 | 24.1 |
| OSU | LaQuinton Ross | 113.6 | 28.0 |
| IA | Roy Devyn Marble | 113.3 | 29.1 |
| MSU | Gary Harris | 112.7 | 28.1 |
| MICH | Caris LeVert | 112.6 | 23.0 |
This should probably be two seperate tables with Yogi, Ross, Marble and Harris as the high usage guys and Kaminsky, Stauskas, Dekker, Gesell, Hollins and LaVert as the less than high usage guys. Right now, if you are looking at high usage guys, it's Yogi Ferrell. If you are looking for most efficient, it's Kaminsky.
February 24th, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
It's a crime what Wisconsin did to Minnesota's season by injuring Andre Hollins on what was essentially a deliberate play.
February 24th, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
February 24th, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
"it's no coincidence that when Michigan went on the run to erase the deficit and then establish a solid lead - that sequence was all Nik. "
Really? I thought Caris was the one who basically erased the deficit...
I agree Nik is the man this year but next year? I doubt it.
February 24th, 2014 at 4:09 PM ^
I'm sorry, but this is just incorrect: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/gametracker/playbyplay/NCAAB_20140223_MICHST@MICH
From down 48-43 to up 59-52, it was all Nik Stauskas.
Caris did score the next 5 on the scramble offensive rebound great pass by Spike to Caris wide open for the right side of the top of the key 3 and then on the dunk on the fast break where GRIII fed him for the wing 3 and Gary Harris strangely went to cover Nik at the 3 line, leaving Caris a wide open path to the basket.
February 24th, 2014 at 4:29 PM ^
I was thinking more about when we were down 21- 11 or something like that and ended up 36-34 at the half. Factor in that Caris was chasing Gary Harris while Nik was a net negative on defense and well....
February 24th, 2014 at 4:52 PM ^
There's no question Caris kept us in the game in the first half. And none of this is a knock on Caris - he was tremendous, and he has had some thoroughly outstanding games recently.
But the game was turned on its head and seized irreversibly during that 43-48 to 59-52 stretch.
That's the stretch voters remember, that's where the game was won, and that's why Nik was named Player of the Week.
The game might not have been there to be won if not for Caris, but that's not how the voting ever works.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:18 PM ^