Michigan vs. VCU Postgame (snowflakes) Thread

I want to expand on thse thoughts cause I'm so damn excited!

First, let's be honest, we haven't played well in over a month.

I said this after the SDSU game. The last great game we played was @ IU without J-Mo. Yes, we lost that game, but in that atmosphere, against that team, College Gameday, we held our own.

We played a 2nd half at home vs. Iowa (Game, Stauskas) and @ Northwestern where we executed on this level. Obviously during the non-conference we were playing at a pretty high level.

But this is different. This is in the NCAA Tournament and vs. one of the better teams in the country. What we did, wow, I've been watching basketball awhile and that was amazing.

AND DON'T COMPARE THIS TO THE TENNESSEE GAME! That Tennessee team was terrible. This VCU team is much better.

Now, "moar thoughts."

Coach B - I said it above, this may have been his best coached game at Michigan. Both in preparation and "in-game." Just how we got the ball in bounds vs. the press...have THJ pass it in and immediately pass it back to THJ and let him bring the ball up the floor. That wrinkle was HUGE early on and really got us in rhythm.

Then in-game. Our subs were amazing. We rode the starters, then when the game got tight early on we put LeVert in and he was out of control, nothing against him, just played like a freshman. We went about 4 minutes of a mini drought and the VCU pressure was picking up steam. Just as I think "we've got to get Spike in." I see him run to the scorer's table. We do this, it settles things down and we go on a huge run. The McGary-Horford subs were PERFECT. The usage of the longer media timeouts was PERFECT.

Beilein had this team prepare and he and his staff put on a CLINIC in game with their playcalls (we got great looks on in-bounds plays late in the shot clock, that's coaching).

Burke - He had that stretch early in the 2nd half where I thought he was WAY too lazy and careless, but I also wonder if his back tightened up at halftime. Other than that first 4 minutes of the 2nd half...he led this team like the Trey Burke of old. I think he's regained confidence in his teammates and he's passing the ball better than he has all year.

THJ - I said back when we beat WVU that he may be the best all-around guard in the country and I got laughed at. Hardaway shoots, he drives, he defends, he leads, he does everything you want/need. I stand by that statement. I'm not saying he's the best player or even the best guard or best SG. I just think THJ is REALLY good at a lot of things, I don't see any holes in his game.

Stauskas - His shot still isn't falling, but his defense is literally 100x better than it was 3 months ago and he spaces the floor as good as anyone. He also has improved as a ball-handler and he attacks the rim.

GRIII - I said in the pre-game thread he needed to have a great game getting behind the defense when we break the press. He did just that. He's got a new look on his face, a confidence. He's waving his hands and showing energy now too. He's so freaking talented...when he plays with energy, it's easy to see why people think he's the top NBA prospect (he's still a year away, but you can see it).

McGary - You all saw it, no need to comment.

Horford - I thought he calmed down after his first few minutes. He was disappointed in how he played when he first got in and I was happy to see him slam his towel on the ground. He came back and gave us very good minutes when McGary was gettting a breather.

Albrecht - Was that Bob Cousy? For a second, I wanted to say "Derrick Walton, who?!" But I quickly calmed myself. That said, he played one HELL of a game. He doesn't back down from ANYONE and I love his aggressiveness. He also has that ball on a string. What a great pickup by Beilein. That Burke/Albrecht lineup vs. pressure is exactly what we needed and Spike delivered.

All in all, this was just a total team effort. I have absolutely NOTHING to even nitpick at...and I love to nitpick. I just hope we bring that level of energy for every game. You can control effort, hustle and energy even if the ball isn't going through the net. You can execute and get good looks even if the shot is off. Our guys just need to do that and Coach B will get the right guys on the floor to score. Execution is always key, today we executed in all facets.