Author: Drew Montag

Drew Montag, Basketball Editor
Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #08 – 12/20/2021 – A Welcome Cupcake

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Saturday (12/18/2021), they beat Southern Utah 87-50 in Crisler Arena.  The win raises Michigan’s record to 7-4 (1-1 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

Michigan had a light schedule this week, since the players are taking finals.  They only played one game, at home, against a lesser opponent.  SUU is a pretty good team with lots of experience, but not much height, and UM took advantage of the height differential.  The game was expected to be pretty close and competitive, but Michigan made SUU look helpless out there.  It was a fun, easy, stress-free game.

Michigan never trailed, but after an early tie (2-2), they only led by 1 point (11-10) at the 14:30 mark.  Over the next 4:35, Michigan went on a 14-0 run to push the lead up to 15 points (25-10) with 9:55 left in the half.  The lead was still 15 points (31-16) at the 8:11 mark, when UM went on another 14-0 run, to take the lead up to 29 points (45-16) with 2:12 to go.  It was still 29 points (49-20) at halftime.  At that point, the game was essentially over, and Michigan used the 2nd half as a glorified scrimmage, with lots of playing time for the lesser-used players.  UM kept the lead in the 30-34 point range for most of the half, although SUU did creep within “only” 28 points (69-41) at the 6:08 mark.  Michigan finished strong, and won by 37 points.  It was a solid, impressive performance.

Stats

The game stats are solid, but not too flashy.  Michigan shot well overall (36-for-64 = 56.3%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (7-for-18 = 38.9%), and they shot free throws well enough (8-for-12 = 66.7%).  They won the rebounding battle handily (44-27), and they won the turnover battle barely (11-12).  They won this game with overall shooting and good defense, holding SUU to 32.8% overall shooting (19-for-58) and 17.4% shooting from 3-point range (4-for-23).

Who Started?

The starters were Eli Brooks, Moussa Diabate, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, and DeVante’ Jones.

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson was the star of this game, with 22 points and 10 rebounds, for another double-double.  He also had 2 blocked shots, and held the two SUU centers to a combined 5 points.

Jones had the best game of his Michigan career, with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting (3-for-3 from 3-point range).  He also dished out 6 assists against 1 turnover, all in only 22 minutes.  The young point guards got to play the other 18 minutes.

Houstan almost hit double figures, with 9 points.  He looked solid and comfortable out there.

Diabate also almost hit double figures, with 8 points, including two highlight-reel dunks.  He also had 8 rebounds, and helped Dickinson shut down the SUU centers.  On the negative side, he committed 4 fouls, and had 3 turnovers.

Kobe Bufkin had the best game of his young Michigan career, with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting.  If only he could have hit a couple 3-pointers (0-for-3)…

Zeb Jackson had his best game of the season, with 8 points on 3-for-4 shooting (2-for-2 from 3-point range).  He did a nice job at point guard.

Frankie Collins didn’t score a lot of points (5), but he had a good game running the offense, with 3 assists vs. 0 turnovers.  He also had 4 rebounds.

Terrance Williams II also didn’t score many points (3), but he contributed in other ways, with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

For the first time this season, Brooks looked “not-so-good”.  He ended up with only 2 points, on 1-for-4 shooting, and had 2 turnovers against 3 assists.  He had hit double figures in every game up until this one.

Brandon Johns, Jr. had a lousy game, with 2 points on 2-for-3 free throw shooting, and no field goal attempts, in 12 minutes of “action”.

Who Else Played?

Jaron Faulds played for 2 minutes, and scored 2 points.

Jace Howard played for 7 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Adrien Nuñez played for 4 minutes, and scored 2 points.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play.

Ian Burns and Brandon Wade are the scout team players who didn’t play.

What Does It Mean?

This was a game that Michigan was expected to win, and they took care of business.  They opened up a big lead at halftime, so they were able to get some valuable game experience for some of the lesser-used players.  That will help when the grind of the Big Ten schedule starts in the new year.

At this point, Michigan is solidly “on the bubble” for the Big Dance.  They have plenty of opportunities to win big games in the Big Ten part of the schedule, but they don’t have a very big margin for error.  They need to get the youngsters ready to go, and hope for the best.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Tuesday (12/21/2021, 7:00 p.m., BTN) they play Purdue-Fort Wayne in Crisler Arena.

Purdue-Fort Wayne is currently 5-5 (1-1 in the Horizon League).  They have no impressive wins, and embarrassing losses to Western Michigan, Florida Gulf Coast, Wright State, and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have any height (one 6’9” player).  This is a game that Michigan should win easily.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #07 – 12/13/2021 – The Lowering Of Raised Expectations

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won one and lost the other.  On Tuesday (12/07/2021), they beat Nebraska 102-57 in Lincoln (NE), then on Saturday (12/11/2021), they lost to Minnesota 75-65 in Crisler Arena.  The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 6-4 (1-1 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

The Nebraska win was impressive and encouraging, but the Minnesota loss showed the ugly truth: this Michigan team is a long way from the promise they showed in preseason predictions.  It’s time to (significantly) lower the high expectations from the beginning of the season.  Sorry.

The Nebraska game was very smooth and low-stress.  Michigan never trailed, and once they broke the tie at 13-13 with 13:56 to go in the 1st half, they led the rest of the way.  In the 1st half, they pushed the lead up into the 18-20 point range, and kept it there, leading by 19 points (51-32) at halftime.  The beginning of the 2nd half was more of the same, with the lead still in the 18-20 point range until the 11:22 mark, when Michigan pushed it up into the 20s and 30s for the rest of the game.  Coach Howard emptied the bench for the final 5:00, and the subs did a nice job of keeping the lead in the 30s.

The Minnesota game was miserable.  Minnesota was picked universally as the sure-thing last place team in the Big Ten this season, and they made Michigan look silly out there.  The game was close and tight for the entire first half, with neither team getting ahead by more than 6 points.  It was all tied up (30-30) with 2:03 to go in the half, when Michigan went on a nice 6-2 run to end the half, up by 4 (36-32).  The 2nd half was a disaster.  Minnesota scored 7 straight points to go up by 3 (39-36) at the 17:29 mark, and they never trailed again.  Michigan did get within 1 point (41-40) with 15:23 to go, but then Minnesota pulled off a 6-point possession on a foul off the ball during a made 3-pointer, which gave them the ball for a second 3-pointer.  That was the deciding play of the game.  It gave Minnesota all the momentum they would need to hold off Michigan.  Minnesota had hot shooting in the 2nd half (16-for-25 = 64.0%) and Michigan was cold (11-for-26 = 42.3%).  It was miserable.

Stats

The game stats for the Nebraska game are very nice.  Michigan shot well overall (39-for-76 = 51.3%), they shot 3-pointers very well (15-for-32 = 46.9%), and they shot free throws well enough (9-for-12 = 75.0%).  They won the rebounding battle decisively (54-38), but they lost the turnover battle (12-9).  They won this game with 3-point shooting.  They’ll win just about every game where they make 15 3-pointers on less than 40 attempts.

The game stats for the Minnesota game are terrible.  Michigan shot poorly overall (26-for-55 = 47.3%), they shot 3-pointers very poorly (3-for-18 = 16.7%), and they shot free throws poorly (10-for-16 = 62.5%).  They won the rebounding battle (34-28), but they lost the turnover battle (8-4).  They lost the game with poor 3-point shooting.  They’ll lose just about every game where they make less than five 3-pointers.

Who Started?

The starters for the Nebraska game were Eli Brooks, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, Brandon Johns, Jr., and DeVante’ Jones.  Johns started in place of Moussa Diabate, who was out with the flu.  He was back as a starter for the Minnesota game.

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson played well in both games, scoring 15 and 19 points.  He also had 12 and 10 rebounds, for two double-doubles.  He even hit another 3-pointer, against Nebraska.  He did his part.

Brooks continues to be the most consistent player on the team.  He hit double figures in both games, with 10 points vs. Nebraska, and 12 points vs. Minnesota.  He didn’t shoot a very good percentage (3-for-10 vs. Nebraska, and 5-for-14 vs. Minnesota).

Houstan actually had a pretty good week, with 16 points vs. Nebraska and 8 points vs. Minnesota.  He shot well in the Nebraska game (6-for-9), but not so much in the Minnesota game (2-for-7).

Diabate played pretty well in his one game this week, with 7 points and (a career-high) 13 rebounds.

Johns had a real Jekyll-and-Hyde week, with 20 points (tying his career high) vs. Nebraska and 0 points on 0 shots in 13 minutes vs. Minnesota.  He was brilliant in the Nebraska game, and lousy in the Minnesota game.

Terrance Williams II also had a Jekyll-and-Hyde week, with 22 points (a career high) vs. Nebraska and 0 points vs. Minnesota.  Just like Johns.

Jones was yet another player who had a Jekyll-and-Hyde week, but with a twist: he had a lousy game scoring (3 points on 1-for-5 shooting) vs. Nebraska, and a good game scoring (14 points on 6-for-12 shooting) vs. Minnesota.  On the positive side, he had 11 assists for the week (8 vs. Nebraska, 3 vs. Minnesota), against 0 turnovers.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Frankie Collins had a mediocre week, with 2 and 5 points.

Who Else Played?

Kobe Bufkin played for 11 minutes in the Nebraska game, and scored 5 points.

Ian Burns played for 1 minute in the Nebraska game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Jaron Faulds played for 7 minutes in the Nebraska game, and scored 4 points.

Zeb Jackson played for 15 minutes in the Nebraska game, and scored 5 points.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Jace Howard, Adrien Nuñez, and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play in either game.

Brandon Wade also didn’t play in either game.  He’s on the scout team, so he’s a lower priority for minutes.

What Does It Mean?

The Minnesota loss is devastating, but it’s still only one loss.  The important thing is to not let it turn into a losing attitude.  This is a young, fragile team.  When they’re up, they look pretty good, but they have yet to handle any true adversity.  If they play the way they did vs. Nebraska, they’ll do fine vs. any team left on their schedule.  If they play the way they did vs. Minnesota, they could lose to anyone.  If the young players on the team continue to grow and improve, by the end of the season this could be a scary-good tournament team that no one wants to face.  Or, they could pack it in by mid-February and just play out the string.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Saturday (12/18/2021, 7:00 p.m., BTN) they play Southern Utah in Crisler Arena.

Southern Utah is currently 7-3 (2-0 in the Big Sky).  They have no impressive wins, and embarrassing losses to Dixie State University and St. Mary’s College of California.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have a 6’11” center.  This is a game that Michigan should be able to win, if they stay focused.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #06 – 12/06/2021 – A Tale Of Two Hunters

The (#24) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won one and lost one.  On Wednesday (12/01/2021), they lost at North Carolina 72-51, then on Saturday (12/04/2021), they beat San Diego State 72-58 in Crisler Arena.  The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 5-3.

What Happened?

This is Hunter Dickinson’s team.  If he has a lousy game, the  team is not going to stand a very good chance of winning, especially against a very good team like North Carolina on the road.  Hunter looked slow, sluggish, and disinterested in the UNC game, and the team followed him down the drain.  Fortunately, he woke up and played a solid, aggressive game against SDSU, and the team rallied around him.

The UNC game was very close for the whole 1st half, with Michigan actually leading for much of the half.  With 2:52 left in the half, Michigan had their biggest lead of the half, 27-22.  Unfortunately, they let UNC go on a 7-0 run to end the half, so UNC led by 2 at halftime, 29-27.  Michigan tied the game in the opening seconds of the 2nd half, then they fell apart.  UNC just kept increasing their lead, pushing it up to 25 points before cruising to a 21-point win.  Michigan never really challenged UNC in the last 10 minutes.  It was sad.

The SDSU was close for the first 9 minutes, with SDSU clinging to a 1-point lead (13-12) at the 11:16 mark.  At that point, Michigan went on a 14-3 run to open up a 10-point lead (26-16) with 8:36 to go in the half.  Michigan kept the lead in the 7-9 point range for a while, and still led by 9 (30-21) at the 5:36 mark.  That’s when Michigan went cold and SDSU got hot.  The Aztecs went on a 13-3 run, to go up 1 point (34-33) with 0:18 left in the half.  Fortunately, Dickinson hit a 3-pointer (!) with 0:04 to go, and Michigan led at halftime, 36-34.  SDSU tied the game early in the 2nd half, then Michigan took control of the game.  They led by as many as 21 points, before settling for a 14-point win.

Stats

The game stats for the UNC game are sad.  Michigan shot very poorly overall (20-for-57 = 35.1%), they shot 3-pointers pretty poorly (5-for-16 = 31.3%), but they did shoot free throws perfectly (6-for-6 = 100.0%).  They lost the rebounding battle by a little (38-35), but they lost the turnover battle by a lot (13-6).  They lost this game with poor shooting and turnovers.

The game stats for the SDSU game are better.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (28-for-60 = 46.7%), they shot 3-pointers very well (11-for-20 = 55.0%), but they shot free throws pretty poorly (5-for-11 = 45.5%).  They won the rebounding battle (36-33) and the turnover battle (13-16).  They won this game with 3-point shooting.

Who Started?

The starters were Eli Brooks, Moussa Diabate, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, and DeVante’ Jones.  Diabate started in place of Brandon Johns, Jr., who wasn’t contributing much.

Who Looked Good?

Brooks continues to be the most consistent player on the team.  He was the only player to hit double figures in both games, with 11 points vs. UNC, and 10 points vs. SDSU.  He didn’t shoot a very good percentage (5-for-11 vs. UNC, and 3-for-11 vs. SDSU).

Remember when I talked about “a tale of two Hunters”?  Here are his stats: 2-for-5, for 4 points, vs. UNC, and 10-for-16, for 23 points, vs. SDSU.  He also had 14 rebounds vs. SDSU, for another double-double.  Remember when I said that he hit a 3-pointer just before halftime in the SDSU game?  It gets better than that: he actually was 3-for-3 from 3-point range in the SDSU game!  Last season, he was 0-for-4 from 3-point range; this season, he’s shooting 4-for-8.  It’s a great addition to his game.

Houstan is getting more comfortable out there.  He almost hit double figures in both games, with 8 points vs. UNC, and a career-high 17 points vs. SDSU.  He’s starting to hit his 3-pointers: 2-for-4 vs. UNC, and 4-for-5 vs. SDSU.

Diabate was the leading scorer for Michigan vs. UNC, with 13 points, but he was limited to 2 points in only 7 minutes of action against SDSU.  He started the SDSU game, but left the game after only 7 minutes and didn’t return.  Apparently, he felt ill, a non-injury issue.  His status going forward is unknown.

Frankie Collins has been getting more playing time, and may soon replace Jones as the starting point guard.  He scored a few points this week (4 and 8) and he played a lot of minutes (12 and 24).

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Jones had a mediocre week, with 4 points in each game.  He just isn’t working out.

Johns also had a mediocre week, with 5 and 3 points.

Terrance Williams II played in both games, and scored 0 and 5 points.

Who Else Played?

Isaiah Barnes played for 3 minutes in the UNC game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Kobe Bufkin played for 3 minutes in the UNC game, and scored 2 points.

Jaron Faulds played for 3 minutes in the UNC game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Zeb Jackson played for 3 minutes in each game, but didn’t score.

Who Didn’t Play?

Jace Howard, Adrien Nuñez, and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play.

Ian Burns and Brandon Wade are on the scout team, so they’re a lower priority for minutes.

What Does It Mean?

It’s obvious that Michigan was seriously overrated at the start of the season, and I bought into the hype.  This is not looking like a Big Ten title contender, and not even like an upper division team.  At this point, I’d say the ceiling is 10-10 in the league, and maybe a First Four bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The team has problems at point guard, shooting guard, and center, and they are very young at forward.  Jones is not working out at point guard, and the other options are either young (Bufkin and Collins) or not a true point guard (Brooks and Jackson).  Brooks is OK in his role as shooting guard, but he has no capable backup.  Dickinson is great at center when he’s “on”, but the team is helpless when he’s “off”.  Diabate is very talented at forward, but doesn’t play like a big man when he’s spelling Dickinson at center.  He’s more of a finesse player than a “banger”.  Houstan is steadily improving at forward, but he and Diabate are both very young and inexperienced.  Johns and Williams aren’t contributing much.

I understand that this is a young team, and that they could start getting better as the season progresses.  At this point, they are just looking young.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Tuesday (12/07/2021, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2) they play at Nebraska, then on Saturday (12/11/2021, 6:30 p.m., FS1) they play Minnesota in Crisler Arena.

Nebraska is currently 5-4 overall (0-1 in Big Ten).  They have no impressive wins, and losses to Southern Illinois and Creighton.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 6’10” freshman, a 6’11” freshman, and a 7’0” freshman.  This is a game that Michigan should be able to win, if they stay focused.

Minnesota is currently 7-0 overall (0-0 in Big Ten).  Other than beating Pittsburgh, they don’t have any noteworthy wins.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they only have one tall player, a 6’11” freshman.  This is another game that Michigan should be able to win, especially at home.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #05 – 11/29/2021 – A Pre-Thanksgiving Turkey

The (#20) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Wednesday (11/24/2021), they beat Tarleton State 65-54 in Crisler Arena.  The win raises Michigan’s record to 4-2.

What Happened?

The TSU game was held the night before Thanksgiving, and it was a turkey.  Michigan played down to the competition, and turned what should have been a blowout into a close, competitive game.  Michigan has a much bigger, more talented lineup, but they let TSU set the pace, and they played a sloppy, uneven game because of it.

The early going was sloppy, and the score was still tied (12-12) with 12:43 to go in the 1st half.  Michigan opened up a slim 2-4 point lead for the next few minutes, but only led by 1 point (21-20) at the 5:17 mark.  They closed the half out strong, with a 10-2 run, to lead by 9 points (31-22) at halftime.  TSU cut the lead to 7 points (31-24) to start the 2nd half, but Michigan quickly pushed the lead up into double digits, and led by 16 points (40-24) with 17:21 to go.  TSU chipped away at the lead, but UM still led by 11 points (52-41) at the 8:32 mark.  TSU went on an 8-0 run, to cut the lead to only 3 points (52-49) with 6:06 to go.  That was as close as they got, but they sure did give UM a scare.

Stats

The game stats are respectable.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (21-for-38 = 55.3%), they shot 3-pointers decently (6-for-18 = 33.3%), and they shot free throws well enough (17-for-22 = 77.3%).  They won the rebounding battle (37-21), but lost the turnover battle horribly (21-9).  The main reason this game was so close was all the UM turnovers.  Look at the overall shooting: only 38 shots in a 40-minute game.  They had so many empty trips down the floor where they never even got a shot off.  TSU sped them up, and they responded by throwing the ball away.

Who Started?

The starters were Eli Brooks, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, Brandon Johns, Jr., and DeVante’ Jones.

Who Looked Good?

Brooks continues to be the most consistent player on the team.  He was the high scorer for Michigan, with 15 points.  Of course, he took 12 shots to get those 15 points (4-for-12 overall, 3-for-9 from 3-point range).  He also had 5 turnovers, against 3 assists.

Houstan finally contributed, with 14 points and 10 rebounds, for his first career double-double.  He shot a decent percentage: 4-for-7 overall, 2-for-5 from deep.

Dickinson almost had a double-double, with 9 points and 10 rebounds.  He should have had 20+ points against a much smaller TSU lineup, but UM had a terrible time getting the ball into him at the post.  He only took 6 shots.

Moussa Diabate was the star of the game, with 14 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.  He shot 6-for-7, with his only miss on his only 3-point attempt.

Frankie Collins played 15 minutes, and scored 6 points on 2-for-2 shooting, including 1-for-1 from 3-point range, and a free throw.  He did a nice job running the offense when he was in, with 4 assists against 1 turnover.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Jones had a miserable game, with 0 points (on 0 shots) and 5 turnovers against 1 assist.  He was worthless out there.

Johns had a weak game, with 5 points, but 3 turnovers.

Terrance Williams II played for 12 minutes, and scored 2 points, on free throws.

Who Else Played?

Adrien Nuñez played for 3 minutes, and missed his only shot attempt for 0 points.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Kobe Bufkin, Zeb Jackson, Jace Howard, and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play.  Jackson has an unspecified illness.  I don’t know why the others didn’t get in.  I guess the game was too close.

Ian Burns, Jaron Faulds, and Brandon Wade are on the scout team, so they’re a lower priority for minutes.

What Does It Mean?

Michigan continues to look weak and uninspired.  Maybe it was because they took TSU too lightly.  Maybe it was because they were looking ahead to the Thanksgiving break.  Whatever the reason, they need to work out the problems and start playing sharp basketball.  They have the components on the team to do well, they just need to get the chemistry thing worked out.

At this point, I’d say that Michigan is “on the bubble” for making the NCAA Tournament.  The way they’ve been playing, they will be lucky to win even 10 games in the Big Ten.  That won’t get them in the Big Dance.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Wednesday (12/01/2021, 9:15 p.m., ESPN) they play at North Carolina, then on Saturday (12/04/2021, 1:00 p.m., CBS) they play San Diego State in Crisler Arena.  The UNC game is part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

North Carolina is currently 4-2, with no impressive wins, and losses to Purdue and Tennessee.  They have one noteworthy player (center Armando Bacot, Jr.), and some height (Bacot is 6’10”, and another guy is 6’11”), so Michigan’s big men will be busy again.  If this game were in Ann Arbor or at a neutral site, it would be a toss-up, but playing at UNC is tough.  Michigan will have to play their best game of the season so far to win this one.

San Diego State is currently 4-2, with wins over Arizona State and Georgetown, and losses to BYU and USC.  They were very good last season (23-5), and they look pretty good again this season.  For many years, they were coached by our old friend Steve Fisher, and now the head coach is Brian Dutcher, who was an assistant coach at UM for 10 seasons under Fisher.  SDSU doesn’t have any nationally known players, but they do have decent height (a pair of 6’10” guys).  This should be a very challenging non-conference game.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #04 – 11/22/2021 – Overrated

The (#4) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played three games this past week, and they won one and lost two of them.  On Tuesday (11/16/2021), they lost to Seton Hall 67-65 in Crisler Arena, on Saturday (11/20/2021), they beat UNLV 74-61 in Las Vegas, NV, and on Sunday (11/21/2021), they lost to Arizona 80-62 in Las Vegas.  The Seton Hall game was part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, and the two games in Las Vegas were part of the Roman Main Event holiday tournament.  The one win and two losses leave Michigan with a record of 3-2.

What Happened?

Michigan looked weak against Seton Hall, decent against UNLV, and pathetic against Arizona.  They are seriously overrated.  They will certainly drop a long way in the polls, possibly all the way out.  Based on their performance this week, they don’t deserve to be ranked.

No one expected Michigan to go undefeated this season, but it still would have been nice to win a few more games before that first, sad loss.  The Seton Hall game felt like a March Madness game, but the officials weren’t in March Madness form.  With competent officiating, Michigan would have beaten SHU by about 10 points, but the refs on Tuesday had other ideas.

The game was close for the whole 1st half, with neither team able to build up a lead of more than 3 points.  Michigan finally got ahead by 5 points (31-26) with 0:40 left in the half, then SHU cut it to 3 (31-28) before halftime.  The 2nd half was better, and UM pulled out to a 10-point lead (39-29) with 17:18 to go.  They inched the lead up to 11 points (45-34) at the 14:41 mark, and still had it at 9 points (55-46) with 8:46 to go.  SHU kept chipping away at the lead, and tied the game at 57-57 with 4:30 left.  It was still tied (64-64) with 0:32 left, when SHU went ahead for the first time in a long time.  The final seconds were exciting, but Michigan couldn’t make the key baskets or free throws, and lost by 2.  It was a sad display of lousy officiating, especially in the last 3:00.

The UNLV game was much better.  After some early choppiness, the game was tied (15-15) with 11:27 left in the 1st half.  At that point, Michigan went ahead, and never trailed again.  They got the lead as high as 12 points (35-23) with 2:57 to go, then let UNLV go on a 9-0 run to finish the half, with the lead down to 3 points (35-32).  UNLV tied the score early in the 2nd half (35-35, with 19:49 left), and tied it again (40-40) with 17:15 left, but they never got ahead.  After the second tie score, Michigan went ahead and stayed ahead, pushing the lead up to 11 points (58-47) with 9:29 to go.  UNLV did get within 6 points (65-59) with 3:08 left, but that was as close as they got.  Michigan made the winning baskets, stops, and free throws down the stretch.  It was a good, solid win against a capable team playing (essentially) at home.

The Arizona game was very sad.  Arizona pushed Michigan around, and made UM look foolish.  They had way too much height for Michigan, and they used it very effectively, with lots of alley-oop dunks.  The game was actually close for a while, but once Arizona started pulling away, Michigan was powerless to slow them down.  Michigan actually led, 16-12, at the 11:58 mark, and again, 20-19, with 7:57 to go in the 1st half, but once Arizona took the lead, they never looked back.  They led by 8 points (37-29) at halftime, and pushed the lead up into the 15-17 point range for most of the 2nd half.  It was a dominant performance by Arizona.

Stats

The game stats for the SHU game are pretty sad.  Michigan shot poorly overall (26-for-62 = 41.9%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (3-for-15 = 20.0%), but they did shoot free throws well (10-for-12 = 83.3%).  They won the rebounding battle (39-33), and tied in the turnover battle (11-11).  They lost this game with poor 3-point shooting, along with bad officiating.

The game stats for the UNLV game are much better.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (26-for-51 = 51.0%), they shot 3-pointers reasonably well (6-for-19 = 31.6%), and they shot free throws well enough (16-for-21 = 76.2%).  They won the rebounding battle (33-24), but they (barely) lost the turnover battle (12-11).  They won this game with rebounding and defense, holding UNLV to 39.7% shooting (25-for-63).

The game stats for the Arizona game are embarrassing.  Michigan shot poorly overall (23-for-53 = 43.4%), they shot 3-pointers horribly (1-for-14 = 7.1%), and they shot free throws respectably (15-for-22 = 68.2%).  They lost the rebounding battle (34-29) and the turnover battle (15-10).  They lost this game with poor shooting, poor rebounding, and poor defense.

Who Started?

The starters were Eli Brooks, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, Brandon Johns, Jr., and DeVante’ Jones.

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson hit double figures in all 3 games: 18 vs. Seton Hall, 13 vs. UNLV, and 11 vs. Arizona.  He also got some rebounds: 9, 7, and 7, respectively.  He didn’t play like an All-American, but he did OK.

Brooks also hit double figures in all 3 games: 17, 22, and 14.  He tried his best to keep Michigan in the losing games, but there’s only so much he can do by himself.

Jones hit double figures in one game, came close in another, and did OK in the 3rd game: 11, 9, and 6.  The surprising stat is his rebounding in the Seton Hall game: 12 rebounds, for a double-double.

Johns didn’t hit double figures in any of the 3 games, but he did score a few points: 6, 7, and 7.  He hit Michigan’s only 3-pointer in the Arizona game.  Yay?

Moussa Diabate was the only other player to hit double figures in at least one game.  He had 14 points vs. UNLV.  The other 2 games were weak: 1 point vs. Seton Hall, and 4 points vs. Arizona.  He did grab a few rebounds: 2, 7, and 5.

Kobe Bufkin played in all 3 games, and scored a few points: 4, 2, and 3.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Houstan had a dismal week, with 4, 5, and 6 points.  His shooting has been terrible: 1-for-9 vs. Seton Hall, 1-for-8 vs. UNLV, and 2-for-8 vs. Arizona.  That’s a combined 4-for-25 (16.0%).  His 3-point shooting is even worse: 0-for-4, 1-for-5, and 0-for-5, for a combined 1-for-14 (7.1%).

Terrance Williams II also had a dismal week, with 4, 2, and 5 points.  He also shot terribly this week: 1-for-5, 0-for-3, and 2-for-5, for a combined 3-for-13 (23.0%).

Who Else Played?

Isaiah Barnes played in the Arizona game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Frankie Collins played in the Arizona game, and scored 2 points.

Jaron Faulds played in the Arizona game, and scored 2 points.

Jace Howard played in the Arizona game, and scored 2 points.

Adrien Nuñez played in the Arizona game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Zeb Jackson and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play in any of the games.  Jackson has an unspecified illness.  I don’t know why Tschetter didn’t get in.

Ian Burns and Brandon Wade are on the scout team, so they’re a lower priority for minutes.

What Does It Mean?

The loss to Seton Hall was unfortunate, but the loss to Arizona was a disaster.  UM sure didn’t look like a Final Four team.  They didn’t even look like an NCAA Tournament team.  If they continue to play like they did this week, they are going to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings, and miss the Big Dance.

One thing that is becoming clear is that Michigan needs more production from their wings/forwards.  Among the mainstream players, the big men (Dickinson and Diabate) seem pretty solid, the guards (Brooks, Jones, and Bufkin) seem to be doing pretty well, but the forwards (Houstan and Johns) are struggling.  The other forward (Williams) is up and down.

The other thing that is becoming clear is that Michigan’s vaunted recruiting class is not as strong as expected.  Diabate has been mostly good, and Bufkin has shown flashes of brilliance, but Houstan has been a disappointment.  Collins and Barnes haven’t played much, and Tschetter hasn’t played at all.  Hopefully, the freshmen will start to contribute more in the remaining non-conference games, so that they’ll be ready to chip in some minutes and points during the Big Ten schedule.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: when Michigan hits their 3-pointers, they look good and win.  When they can’t hit their 3-pointers, everything falls apart.  Look at this week: in their one win, they shot reasonably well from deep (6-for-19 = 31.6%), but in the two games they lost, they shot very poorly (3-for-15 = 20.0% and 1-for-14 = 7.1%).  Most of these 3-point attempts were open, they just aren’t going in.  Fix that up, and Michigan will look much better.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Wednesday (11/24/2021, 7:00 p.m., BTN) they play Tarleton State in Crisler Arena.

Tarleton State was 10-10 last season, 5-7 in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).  They didn’t play any ranked teams, and they didn’t play in a conference tournament or any post-season tournaments.  This season, they are 1-3.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have any height (a pair of 6’9” forwards).  This should be an easy win for Michigan.  They need it.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!