The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won one and lost the other. On Tuesday (02/01/2022), they beat Nebraska 85-79 in Crisler Arena, then on Saturday (02/05/2022), they lost at (#4) Purdue 82-76. The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 11-9 (5-5 in Big Ten).
What Happened?
The win over Nebraska was embarrassingly close, and felt like a loss, and the loss at Purdue was closer than expected, and felt like a win. After the way Michigan crushed Nebraska in Lincoln back in December, 102-67, it was reasonable to expect them to win by at least that much in Crisler, but no. Instead, Michigan played a miserable game and Nebraska played with fire and determination. The lead bounced back and forth in the early going, with neither team able to get a lead bigger than 4 points. It was all tied up, 20-20, with 10:21 left in the 1st half when Nebraska started pulling away. They got the lead up to 10 points (36-26) with 4:57 to go, let Michigan creep to within 3 points (36-33) with 2:40 left, built it back to 10 points (43-33) at the 1:17 mark, and led by 7 points (44-37) at halftime. Michigan came roaring back out of the halftime break, ripping off a 20-3 run to lead by 10 points (57-47) with 13:57 to go. Just when it looked like Nebraska was going to fold and give up, they went on a 19-3 run of their own, to reclaim the lead, 66-60, with 8:51 to play. They pushed the lead up to 7 points (73-66) with 6:08 to go, when the biggest play of the game turned the tide. Keisei Tominaga of Nebraska had come in off the bench and scored 5 big points, including a huge 3-pointer at the 6:08 mark, and he was all fired up. He was all over the court, hustling and diving and playing good defense. He got a little too much of Hunter Dickinson’s arm when he tried to block his shot, and he got called for the foul. He lost his mind, and ran around the court yelling and waving his arms. It was the most out-of-control reaction I’ve seen since Bobby Knight threw a chair back in the 70’s. Well, he certainly deserved a technical foul, and he got it. Michigan made all 4 free throws, which cut the lead to 3 points (73-70), and Nebraska never recovered. Michigan finally went ahead for good, 77-75, with 2:27 left, although Nebraska did tie it up, 79-79, with 1:20 to go. Michigan scored the last 6 points of the game to win by 6. It shouldn’t have been that close. Thank goodness for Tominaga losing his cool at a crucial moment. He cost his team the game.
So much of supporting a team depends on expectations. Michigan was expected to blow out Nebraska, and they just squeaked by, so it felt like a loss. Michigan was expected to get clobbered by big, bad Purdue on the road, and they only lost by 6 points, so it felt like a win. Purdue jumped out to a decent lead early, 20-8 with 12:33 left in the 1st half. They kept the lead in the 8-10 point range for much of the half, but Michigan clawed their way back to within 1 point (32-31) at the 4:31 mark. Purdue pushed it back up to 6 points at halftime, 39-33, but Michigan cut it back to 1 point (41-40) with 18:24 left in the game. The teams traded baskets, and it was still a 1-point game (45-44) at the 16:47 mark. This was the turning point in the game. Twice during this stretch, Michigan was down 1 point with the ball, made a basket that would have finally given them the lead, only to see it waved off as an offensive foul. Twice in two minutes. It really felt like Michigan could have pulled off the big upset if they could have gotten the lead, even just by 1 point, but the two offensive fouls killed any chance of that. Both calls were highly questionable, and Purdue got the benefit of “home cooking”. After the second offensive foul, Purdue pulled away, pushed the lead up into the 9-11 point range, and kept it there for most of the rest of the game. Michigan did manage to get within 4 points (76-72) with 2:19 left, and they got the ball back, but they turned the ball over and that was the game.
Stats
The stats for the Nebraska game are just so-so. Michigan shot decently overall (28-for-60 = 46.7%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (2-for-15 = 13.3%), and they shot free throws well enough (27-for-33 = 81.8%). They won the rebounding battle handily (39-24), and tied in the turnover battle (11-11). They won this game with decent overall shooting and good rebounding.
The stats for the Purdue game are deceptive. Michigan shot well overall (29-for-52 = 55.8%), they shot 3-pointers well (8-for-18 = 44.4%), and they shot free throws well (10-for-12 = 83.3%). They lost the rebounding battle badly (32-22), and they lost the turnover battle as well (11-7). They lost this game at the foul line. Even though Michigan shot free throws well, Purdue shot them a lot more: 17-for-21. That 7-point difference is just about the difference in the final score.
Who Started?
The starters for both games were Eli Brooks, Moussa Diabate, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, and DeVante’ Jones.
Who Looked Good?
Dickinson has been on a tear, starting with the San Diego State game on 12/04/2021. He has been the leading scorer for Michigan in 9 of the last 13 games, with 23, 19, 22, 25, 21, 25, 26, and 28 points in those games. The 28 points vs. Purdue ties his career high. He outplayed and outscored Purdue’s 7’4” monster. He just needed more help.
Jones is the only other player to hit double figures in both games this week, with 18 vs. Nebraska and 13 vs. Purdue. He still isn’t great on his assist/turnover ratio, with 2 assists/2 turnovers vs. Nebraska and 4 assists/3 turnovers vs. Purdue. He was called for the two costly offensive fouls in the 2nd half vs. Purdue, although both calls were shaky.
Brooks almost hit double figures in both games, with 20 points vs. Nebraska and 9 points vs. Purdue. It was nice to see him score some serious points in the Nebraska game.
Houstan had a decent week, with 6 points vs. Nebraska and 11 points vs. Purdue. His 3-point shooting was off this week: 0-for-3 vs. Nebraska and 2-for-6 vs. Purdue.
Diabate had one decent game (6 points vs. Nebraska) and one sad game (2 points vs. Purdue).
Terrance Williams II had one decent game (6 points vs. Purdue) and one sad game (1 point vs. Nebraska).
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Kobe Bufkin had a tough week, with 2 and 3 points.
Frankie Collins had a tough week, with 3 and 0 points.
Brandon Johns, Jr. had a tough week, with 3 and 3 points.
Who Else Played?
Jace Howard only played in the Purdue game. He didn’t attempt a shot, but he did hit a free throw. He plays great defense, and he helped force Purdue into a backcourt violation, and almost helped force a second one.
Who Didn’t Play?
Isaiah Barnes, Adrien Nuñez, and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play.
Zeb Jackson is no longer on the team. He entered the infamous “transfer portal” mid-season, which is kind of unusual. He played a bit last season, but not much this season. We wish him well.
Ian Burns, Jaron Faulds, and Brandon Wade are the scout team players who didn’t play.
What Does It Mean?
Michigan was expected to win the Nebraska game and lose the Purdue game, and that’s what they did. These results don’t change Michigan’s chances for post-season play. They’re still a little ways from “on the bubble” for the NCAA Tournament. They need to spring a few upsets to solidify their chances. The Purdue game was another such opportunity, but Michigan didn’t take advantage of it.
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan is scheduled to play three games. On Tuesday (02/08/2022, 9:00 p.m., ESPN2) they are scheduled to play at Penn State, on Thursday (02/10/2022, 9:00 p.m., ESPN) they are scheduled to play (#4) Purdue in Crisler Arena, then on Saturday (02/12/2022, 6:00 p.m., ESPN) they are scheduled to play (#16) Ohio State in Crisler Arena. The Purdue game on Thursday is the rescheduled game that was postponed on 01/11/2022. This means that Michigan will play Purdue twice in 5 days. It also means that Michigan will play 3 games in 5 days. Yikes!
Penn State is currently 9-10 (4-7 in Big Ten). They have impressive wins over Indiana, Northwestern, Rutgers, and Iowa, and no unimpressive losses. They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have much height (a couple 6’9” forwards). This is a road game that Michigan can win, but they have to be very careful. PSU is better than their record would indicate, and they’re 7-3 at home.
Purdue is currently 20-3 (9-3 in Big Ten). Since they just played (and beat) Michigan this past week, they are easy to scout. Things went pretty much as expected: Purdue had a big advantage down low with 7’4” Zach Edey and 6’10” Trevion Williams. Michigan has a very slim margin for error, but if they play their best game, they could pull off the upset.
Ohio State is currently 14-5 (7-3 in Big Ten). They have impressive wins over (#21) Seton Hall, (#1) Duke, (#22) Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Minnesota, and unimpressive losses to Xavier and Indiana. They have one noteworthy player (E.J. Liddell) and some height (one 6’11” center). Obviously, looking at who they have beaten, this will be a very challenging game. This is a game Michigan can win, but they have to play their “A” game.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!
