Author: Drew Montag

Drew Montag, Basketball Editor
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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #05 – 11/26/2012 – NIT Season Tip-Off Champions!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. The basketball team sure did.

The (#4) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this week in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament, both in Madison Square Garden in New York City, and they won both of them. On Wednesday (11/21/2012), UM beat Pittsburgh 67-62, then on Friday (11/23/2012), they beat Kansas State 71-57. The two wins raise UM’s record to 5-0, but more importantly, they give Michigan the NIT Season Tip-Off championship. This is the first preseason tournament that Michigan has won since 1997.

After playing “cupcakes” in their first 3 games, UM played 2 tough, aggressive, talented teams in NYC. The first 3 games didn’t tell us much about this season’s team, but these 2 games sure did. First of all, they told us that Michigan has a scrappy team that doesn’t give up. They also told us that Michigan has a lot of weapons, and that Coach Beilein isn’t afraid to use them. But most importantly, these 2 games showed us that UM can “win ugly”. In the first 3 games, the 3-pointers fell like rain, and Michigan looked great. In the 2 games in NYC, the 3-pointers did not fall, and Michigan looked vulnerable. However, once it became apparent that the 3-pointers weren’t going to fall, Michigan switched to an inside game, and that worked just fine. It’s nice to have so many options.

We didn’t learn too much from the stats from the first 3 games, but we can learn a lot from the stats from these games. First, let’s look at the stats for the Pittsburgh game. Michigan shot pretty well overall (23-for-50 = 46.0%), but they were terrible from 3-point range (3-for-17 = 17.6%). They did fine from the line (18-for-22 = 81.8%), and they out-rebounded Pitt (37-26) and had few turnovers (9). They won the game at the free-throw line, where they scored 18 points to Pitt’s 6.

The stats from the KSU game are a little different. UM shot better overall (29-for-56 = 51.8%), and they shot a little better from 3-point range (4-for-12 = 33.3%), but they didn’t shoot as well from the free-throw line (9-for-13 = 69.2%). They still won the rebounding battle (42-30), and they still had low turnovers (9). In this game, they won with rebounding and defense, holding KSU to 36.7% (22-for-60) overall shooting.

Looking at the individual stats, three players hit double figures in both games:

  • Trey Burke (17 vs. Pitt and 10 vs. KSU). Trey made the All-Tournament team.
  • Tim Hardaway Jr. (16 and 23). Tim was the tournament MVP, despite shooting a combined 2-for-10 from 3-point range.
  • Nik Stauskas (15 and 10). Why isn’t Nik starting?

One player came close to double figures in both games:

  • Glenn Robinson III (13 and 9). GRIII had 12 rebounds vs. KSU, but also shot poorly from 3-point range (1-for-5 combined).

The other 2 starters didn’t do much:

  • Jordan Morgan (4 and 0). Jordan did have 8 rebounds in the Pitt game.
  • Matt Vogrich (0 and 2). Why is Matt still starting? He’s a great kid, a nice guy, a good leader, but he’s just not doing much when he’s on the floor.

Besides Stauskas, some of the other bench players chipped in some points:

  • Mitch McGary (2 and 6). Mitch provided some much-needed heft underneath in both games.
  • Spike Albrecht (0 and 3). Spike did OK running the point in relief of Trey.
  • Eso Akunne (0 and 2). Eso showed some flashes of brilliance out there, but most of the time he just ran up and down the floor.
  • Jon Horford (0 and 6). Jon looked a little lost out there.

 

Max Bielfeldt didn’t play in the Pitt game, and played but didn’t score in the KSU game. Blake McLimans and Corey Person didn’t play in either game, and neither did Josh Bartelstein, but Josh didn’t play due to an ankle injury he suffered in the regular season opener vs. Slippery Rock.

This Week

Michigan has two games this week, one at home and one on the road. On Tuesday (11/27/2012, 7:30 p.m., ESPN), Michigan plays (#16) North Carolina State in Crisler Arena, as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, then on Saturday (12/01/2012, 4:00 p.m. EST, No TV), they play at Bradley, in beautiful Peoria, IL.

NC State (3-1) is a very good team, and this will be a great test for Michigan. On the other hand, Bradley isn’t very good, but it’s tough to win on the road against anyone. Still, I expect Michigan to win both of these games.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why.

Go Blue!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #04 – 11/19/2012 – NIT Season Tip-Off Regional Action

The (#5) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this week in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament, both in Crisler Arena, and they won both of them easily. On Monday (11/12/2012), UM beat IUPUI 91-54, then on Tuesday (11/13/2012), they beat Cleveland State 77-47. The two wins raise UM’s record to 3-0, but more importantly, they send Michigan to Madison Square Garden in New York City next week for the championship round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Michigan had an easy time in both games, and Coach Beilein got to play lots of players and try lots of combinations. One thing is becoming clear: Michigan has a lot of weapons this season. When one player is having an “off” night or getting in foul trouble, there are a couple good subs available on the bench. This is a big improvement on past seasons. The first challenge, of course, is figuring out if a given player is just having a momentary problem, or if he should be replaced. The next challenge is figuring out who should replace him, if there are several choices. The final challenge is figuring out which combinations of players work the best together.

Since both games were blowouts, I’m not going to dive very deeply into the team stats. If you want to check them out, they’re here: IUPUI and CSU. Let’s just say that UM shot well overall (around 60%) in both games, shot very well from 3-point range in the IUPUI game (61.9%) and OK in the CSU game (37.5%), owned the boards (42 and 45 rebounds), and kept their turnovers down to a reasonable level (13 and 10).

The interesting stats are the individual stats. Several players had good games scoring, and not just the starters. Three players hit double figures in both games:

Two players came close to double figures in both games:

The lone starter who didn’t have a good week scoring was Matt Vogrich, with 0 and 2. At this rate, Stauskas could soon replace Vogrich in the starting lineup.

Besides Stauskas, the other bench players all chipped in some points (28 and 29 points total):

Only Josh Bartelstein (0 and DNP) was shut out.

The last few seasons, Michigan has often been out-rebounded, but not this season. No one player had more than 7 rebounds last week, but many players had more than one in each game:

  • Robinson (6 and 7)
  • Morgan (5 and 2)
  • Burke (3 and 3)
  • Hardaway (7 and 6)
  • Vogrich (2 and 3)
  • McGary (5 and 9)
  • Stauskas (2 and 6)
  • Bielfeldt (6 and 5)

Pay attention to that last name: Bielfeldt had 6 rebounds in 4 minutes in the IUPUI game, and 5 rebounds in 7 minutes in the CSU game. That’s impressive.

This Week

Michigan has two games this week, both part of the NIT Season Tip-Off in Madison Square Garden (NYC). On Wednesday (11/21/2012, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2), Michigan plays one of the semifinal games vs. Pittsburgh, then on Friday (11/23/2012, TBD, ESPN), they play either the consolation game (2:30 p.m.) or the championship game (4:30 p.m.) vs. the winner/loser of the other semifinal game between Kansas State and Delaware. Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Kansas State all hosted “regionals”, and they were expected to get to the championship round in NYC, but the 4th regional host (Virginia) lost to Delaware!

Michigan is the only ranked team in the tournament, and they’re the #1 seed, so they are expected to win both games and the championship. The way UM has been playing so far, they should be able to handle Pittsburgh and Kansas State/Delaware.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why.

Go Blue!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #03 – 11/12/2012 – A Couple Of Cupcakes

The (#5) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this week. They played their second (of two) exhibition games, then they played their first “real” game. On Monday (11/05/2012) evening, UM beat Saginaw Valley State 76-48 in an exhibition game, then on Friday (11/09/2012), they beat Slippery Rock 100-62. Both games were in Crisler Arena. The win in their first regular season game gives UM a record of 1-0.

Both games were against “cupcakes”, and Michigan took care of business and beat two teams that they should beat easily. SVSU was only a little bit better than Northern Michigan, with some good 3-point shooters, but they were no match for Michigan. Even though Slippery Rock is a Division II school, they were pretty talented and dangerous. They played UM even for the first 9 minutes, trailing by only 3 points (20-17), before UM started pulling away. Once Michigan opened a decent lead, they never looked back, extending the lead to as many as 42 points.

So, what can we learn from 2 blowouts against overmatched opponents? We can see which combinations of players seem to play the best together, we can look for individual improvements from last season, and we can get a good first look at the freshmen. So far, everything looks good, but we’ll learn a lot more when the level of competition gets cranked up.

You want stats? I’ve got stats. As a team, Michigan shot very well overall in both games, especially from 3-point range. In the SVSU game, UM shot 56.9% (29-for-51) overall, and 40.7% (11-for-27) from distance. They did even better in the Slippery Rock game: 57.6% (38-for-66) overall, and 63.2% (12-for-19) from 3-point range. 63.2% is the highest percentage I can ever remember seeing by either Michigan or an opponent. Let’s just ignore free-throw shooting, OK? It was miserable: 50.0% (7-for-14) vs. SVSU, and 63.2% (12-for-19) vs. Slippery Rock. Yeah, UM hit the same percentage from 3-point range as they did from the free-throw line. Ugh.

Individually, only 2 players hit double figures in both games: Trey Burke (16 and 21 points) and Glenn Robinson III (17 and 10). Tim Hardaway Jr. had a monster game (25 points and 10 rebounds, for a double-double) vs. Slippery Rock, but he only had 5 points in the SVSU game. The other 2 starters (Jordan Morgan and Matt Vogrich) chipped in some points: Morgan had 7 and 4, and Vogrich had 8 in both games.

Since both games were blowouts, Coach Beilein got to clear his bench, and everyone got to play. Actually, 2 players only played in one of the games each. After missing both exhibition games with a minor knee injury, Jon Horford saw his first action of the season in the Slippery Rock game, and he looked good. He had 4 points in only 8 minutes of action, but he also had an assist, a blocked shot, and a rebound. The other player who only played in one game was Caris LeVert. He played 12 minutes in the SVSU game, but didn’t score. He didn’t play in the Slippery Rock game, because he is probably going to be redshirted this season. Given the depth on this season’s team, he probably wouldn’t have gotten to play very much, so a redshirt season is a good idea.

Even though Coach Beilein got to play everyone, it is pretty obvious which bench players are going to be part of the regular rotation, and which ones are only going to play in “garbage time”. The first 2 players off the bench in all 3 games have been Nik Stauskas and Mitch McGary, with Spike Albrecht spelling Trey Burke. It also looks like Jon Horford and Blake McLimans will be part of the regular mix. That’s 10 deep, which is a little more bench support than Beilein is used to using. That leaves 4 “garbage time” players: Max Bielfeldt, Josh Bartelstein, Eso Akunne, and Corey Person. So, how did these guys do this week? Not bad, overall. For the “mainstream” subs, Stauskas had 8 and 7 points, McGary had 6 and 9, Albrecht had 2 and 2, Horford had 4 points (he didn’t play in the SVSU game), and McLimans had 3 and 3. For the “garbage time” subs, Bielfeldt had 0 and 2 (but his tip-in got UM to 100), Bartelstein had 0 and 0, Akunne had 2 and 5, and Person had 2 and 0. In total, UM got 23 bench points vs. SVSU and 32 bench points vs. Slippery Rock, which is very encouraging.

This Week

Michigan has two games this week, both at home. On Monday (11/12/2012, 9:00 p.m., ESPNU), Michigan plays their first round game in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament, against IUPUI (Indiana University – Purdue University – Indianapolis), then on Tuesday (11/13/2012, 8:00 p.m., ESPN2), they play the second round game, against either the winner or the loser of the game (in Crisler) on Monday night between Cleveland State and Bowling Green. As I mentioned in my Season Preview, the NIT Season Tip-Off is different from most (all?) other preseason “destination” tournaments since the “host” teams aren’t guaranteed a spot in the championship game. The winner of each of the 4 “regionals” goes on to New York City during Thanksgiving week. So, UM needs to win both games this week to advance.

Come on down to the newly renovated Crisler Arena to check out this season’s edition of Michigan Basketball, and stop by sections 209/210 to say hi to the friendly usher.

Go Blue!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #02 – 11/05/2012 – Exhibition Win, Part 1

This season, the University of Michigan men’s basketball team is playing two exhibition games, instead of the normal single game. On Thursday (11/01/2012) evening, they played the first exhibition game, and crushed Northern Michigan 83-47. It was a typical exhibition game against an overmatched opponent: everyone got to play, Coach Beilein got to try a bunch of different lineup combinations, there were some highlight-reel shots and dunks, and all the UM fans went home entertained and happy.

However, it was more than your typical first game; it was time for The Big Reveal of the newly-renovated Crisler Center. It is gorgeous. Just stunning. I know you’ve heard it before from other writers, but it’s true; it looks like a brand new building, not a renovation of the old Crisler Arena. The outer concourse is much cleaner, brighter, and more spacious. The concession stands, bathrooms, and M-Den stores are beautiful. The grand entrance (NE corner) with the escalators and waterfalls is stunning. The architects and builders did a wonderful job, and now it’s up to the teams that play in Crisler Center to do their part.

As a team, Michigan did fine. They shot a decent percentage (42.9%) overall, a good percent from 3-point range (41.9%), and a mediocre percentage (61.5%) from the free-throw line. They got 50 rebounds, which is a big improvement on the last few seasons, and they only had 8 turnovers. They also had 17 assists on 27 made field goals, which is great.

Here are all the stats, if you want to see the details.

So, who looked good in the NMU game? Well, the biggest surprise was Spike Albrecht. He started in place of Trey Burke, who served a one-game suspension for “a violation of team standards”. Spike started out strong, with a 3-pointer, an assist on a 3-pointer, a 2-point basket “and one”, and an assist on another 3-pointer. This was all part of a 17-0 run to start the game. Spike ended up with 16 points on 4-for-7 shooting (3-for-6 from 3-point range).

Spike wasn’t the only freshman who looked good: Nik Stauskas was the leading scorer in the game, with 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting (4-for-6 from 3-point range). He and Mitch McGary were the first two subs off the bench, and Nik caught and fired the inbounds pass for a 3-pointer one second after he entered the game! The reports from practice say “if Nik is open, he doesn’t miss a 3-pointer”, and it looks like they weren’t exaggerating. If he can get open in the regular season games and keep hitting his 3-pointers, he’ll be a valuable weapon.

All five of the true freshmen (“The Fresh Five”) played, including all five of them on the court at the same time, and they all scored. Besides Spike and Nik, Glenn Robinson III played well. He was every bit as athletic as advertised, and he shot the ball well: 5-for-8 (2-for-3), for 13 points. He had a couple thunderous dunks, and he looked solid and confident out there. Mitch played pretty well, but didn’t have many points: 5 points on 2-for-4 shooting. He did have 9 rebounds, including 6 offensive boards. The final true freshman, Caris LeVert, played the fewest minutes of the freshman, and scored the fewest points. He had 3 points on 1-for-5 shooting (1-for-2), and he looked OK out there, but not as good as the rest of the freshmen.

UM had 4 players in double figures, and the 4th one was Tim Hardaway Jr., with 13 points on below-average shooting: 3-for-9 (2-for-5). He had a pretty good game, but definitely not mid-season form.

Jordan Morgan looked good in the NMU game, but he just missed hitting double figures, with 9 points on 4-for-8 shooting. He did have a team-high 12 rebounds (5 offensive), so he just missed a double-double.

The starting lineup was: Robinson, Morgan, Albrecht, Hardaway, and Matt Vogrich. Matt had a rough night shooting 3-pointers (0-for-4), but he shot 2-for-3 from 2-point range, for 4 points. He looked OK out there, but not great.

As I mentioned above, everyone played; well, everyone except for Trey Burke (one-game suspension) and Jon Horford (minor knee injury). The only other player to score was Eso Akunne, who scored 3 points on 1-for-2 shooting, all from 3-point range. Max Bielfeldt got in early in the 1st half, and played pretty well, but didn’t score. I want Blake McLimans to succeed, but he just didn’t play very well during his 8 minutes on the floor, shooting 0-for-3 (0-for-2). The last 2 players (Josh Bartelstein and Corey Person) played the final 3 minutes of “garbage time”, and didn’t take a shot, although Josh did get to shoot (and miss) 2 free throws.

So, overall we didn’t learn too much from the NMU game, but we seldom do in these exhibition romps against overmatched Division II teams. Michigan looked pretty sharp and pretty smooth out there, even with lots of different player combinations, but Northern didn’t present much of a challenge.

This Week

Michigan has two games this week, both at home. On Monday (11/05/2012, 7:00 p.m., No TV), Michigan plays their second and final exhibition game vs. Saginaw Valley State, then on Friday (11/09/2012, 8:30 p.m., No TV), they play their first regular season game vs. Slippery Rock. UM should win both games handily, so look at them as controlled scrimmages.

Come on down to the newly renovated Crisler Arena to check out this season’s edition of Michigan Basketball, and stop by sections 209/210 to say hi to the friendly usher.

Go Blue!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #01 – 10/29/2012 – Season Preview

Welcome back for another season of Nothing But ‘Net, your best source for a unique usher-based point-of-view of University of Michigan men’s basketball.  I know what you’re thinking: “why would I want to know what an usher thinks about the basketball team?”  Good question!  Easy answer: I’m more than just an usher, I’m a (2-time) alumnus (LSA 1978 and School of Information 2004), and I’ve been a UM basketball fan since 1974.  How’s that?  Still want more?  I’ve been writing this column weekly (during the season) since 1999, longer than any of the other Web-based writers.  Sure, there are other writers out there, and I read their stuff, but they don’t bring you the fan-based viewpoint that you get at UMGoBlue.com.  Check back every Monday morning from now until the end of the season (hopefully after the National Championship game) for a quick review of what happened last week, and what to expect during the upcoming week, all in one easy-to-read article.

 

You want easy-to-read?  OK, let’s get right to the big question:

 

How good is the 2012-2013 team going to be?  The easy answer: really good.

 

In general, preseason polls aren’t worth the electrons they’re made up of, but they do give a decent guess at what to expect, and most of the polls have UM in the Top 10, averaging around 6.  Michigan has a strong group of returning players, and an excellent group of incoming freshmen.  UM won a share of the Big Ten championship last season, and expectations are high.  Keep reading for more details.

 

Last Season

 

Michigan ended the season with a record of 24-10 (13-5 in the Big Ten).  This is on the upper end of what most of the experts predicted.  UM also won a share of the Big Ten regular season title, along with Michigan State and Ohio State.  That was definitely the highlight of the season.  The bad news was how poorly they played in the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.  They barely won their 1st game in the Big Ten Tournament vs. Minnesota, then they got blown out in their next game against Ohio State.  Still, they were awarded a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but that didn’t stop them from losing to a #13 seed, Ohio University.  It was a lousy end to a good season.

 

Even though the season ended with a whimper instead of a bang, things were looking very promising for next season, with most of the key players returning from last season’s team, and a very impressive recruiting class set to come in.  Then the bad news hit, all on the same day: first, three players (Carlton Brundidge, Colton Christian, and Evan Smotrycz) all decided to leave the team at the same time, then the best player on the team (Trey Burke) announced that he was examining his NBA draft options.  None of this was good news, but it might still work out OK.  Losing Smotrycz was a blow, but the incoming recruits should soften that blow somewhat.  The other two players (Brundidge and Christian) didn’t play much, and they won’t be missed.  The big question mark was Burke.  Fortunately, he decided to stay!

 

Players Lost

 

Michigan lost 6 players from last season’s team: 2 graduating seniors and 4 transfers:

 

 

After 4 very productive years, Stu Douglass and Zack Novak finally graduated.  They were true Michigan Men™, and they will be missed, not just for their on-court contributions, but also for their leadership.

 

The other 4 players won’t be missed, except for maybe Smotrycz.  Christian and Brundidge didn’t play much, and didn’t do much when they did play.  Tummala was a preferred walk-on who redshirted last year, and never played.

 

Players Returning

 

Michigan has a very talented group of players returning this season.  Here they are, by class year (eligibility):

 

Freshman Eligibility

 

Max Bielfeldt #44 (6’7”, 245 pounds, F) – Max was voluntarily redshirted last year, so he retains freshman eligibility.  He’s a big, strong player, but we’ve never seen him play in a college game.  I suspect he’ll be mostly a scout team player, and only get into the game for “garbage time”.

 

Sophomore Eligibility

 

Trey Burke #3 (6’0”, 190 pounds, G) – Trey was one of the best players on the team last season, and he’s a key component on this season’s team.  He is an elite point guard, with a nice shooting touch and great passing ability.  It was a big deal when he decided to skip the NBA draft after last season and return for his sophomore season.

 

Jon Horford #15 (6’10”, 250 pounds, F) – Jon started last season playing pretty well, certainly much-improved from his freshman season, then he broke a bone in his right foot after just 9 games, and missed  the rest of the season.  He was granted a medical redshirt season, so he has sophomore eligibility.  I’m expecting him to be a steady contributor, although he’s going to have to work hard to earn minutes in the crowded UM front court.

 

Junior Eligibility

 

Tim Hardaway Jr. #10 (6’6”, 205 pounds, G) – Tim was the other “best player on the team” last season, along with Trey Burke, and he’s going to be counted on to be another key component on this season’s team.  He had a fabulous freshman season, but his sophomore season was just a little “off”.  He had several great games, but he would often disappear for an entire first half, then play like a man possessed in the second half.  He’s quick, he’s tough, he can shoot from outside and drive to the basket, he’s got good vision, and he’s got great “basketball smarts”.

 

Blake McLimans #22 (6’10”, 240 pounds, F) – Blake is listed as a senior on the official UM web page, but he voluntarily redshirted during his freshman year, so he has junior eligibility.  He came to Michigan with a reputation as a good 3-point shooter, but he went 1-for-19 during his freshman season.  He did a little better last season, starting off hitting 3 of his first 4 attempts, but ended the season shooting 5-for-12.  He needs to improve on that to see much playing time this season.  For a player his size, he gets remarkably few rebounds (21 last season), and plays a lot shorter than his actual height.

 

Jordan Morgan #52 (6’8”, 250 pounds, F) – Jordan redshirted his freshman year, for various medical reasons, so he has junior eligibility.  He plays taller than his listed height, and he plays hard and tough underneath.  He was Michigan’s only true center last season, once Jon Horford went out with his foot injury, but he’ll have a lot more help this season.

 

Senior Eligibility

 

Eso Akunne #5 (6’2”, 225 pounds, G) – Eso played in 12 games last season, until he injured his foot.  He missed the last 13 games, but doesn’t qualify for a medical redshirt year.  Even when he did play, he didn’t do much.  He did shoot 3-pointers well: 4-for-5.

 

Josh Bartelstein #20 (6’3”, 210 pounds, G) – Josh played in 11 games last season.  He is primarily a practice squad player.  He also writes a very interesting and amusing blog during the season.

 

Corey Person #32 (6’3”, 210 pounds, G) – Corey is listed as a Grad Student, but he has senior eligibility.  He was honored during Senior Night at the end of last season, but he’s back again this season.  Go figure.  He is primarily a practice squad player.

 

Matt Vogrich #13 (6’4”, 200 pounds, G) – Matt is the only mainstream player in the senior class.  He’s a good 3-point shooter, but needs to work on his overall game a bit to get more playing time.

 

New Players

 

Here comes the fun part: a top 5 recruiting class.

 

Michael (“Spike”) Albrecht #2 (5’11”, 170 pounds, G) – When it looked like Trey Burke might leave for the NBA, Coach Beilein went right out and got the best point guard still available, as insurance.  That’s Spike.  He’s a pure “pass first” point guard, with lots of “basketball IQ”, but not a Big Ten body.  We’ll see how he does out there against the big boys.

 

Caris LeVert #23 (6’5”, 170 pounds, G) – Check it out: he’s 6 inches taller than Spike, but he weighs the same.  So, he’s a little on the thin side.  Caris is the “sleeper” of this recruiting class.  He didn’t come in with all the hype that the next 3 guys (Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III, and Nik Stauskas) brought with them, but from everything I’ve been hearing from practice, he can flat-out play.  He’s fast and clever.  He just needs some time in the weight room.

 

Mitch McGary #4 (6’10”, 250 pounds, F) – Mitch is the most-heralded player in this recruiting class, ranked as high as #2 in the country at one point, and I’m hoping that he’ll be the center that Michigan has needed for the last 10 years.  He’s tall, he’s big, he’s strong, and he’s a pretty good all-around player.

 

Glenn Robinson III #1 (6’6”, 210 pounds, F) – If Mitch McGary is the most-heralded recruit in this class, Glenn is a close second.  He wasn’t very highly ranked when he committed to UM, but he climbed in the rankings during his last 2 seasons in high school, and now he’s considered to be a big-time recruit.  He’s quick, smooth, and very athletic, and he’s a great scorer.  I can’t wait to see him play.  Oh yeah, his nickname before he got to UM was “Tre” (or “Trey”), but since UM already has a prominent Trey (Burke), he’s trying to change it to “GIII” or “GRIII”.  You have been warned.

 

Nik Stauskas #11 (6’6”, 190 pounds, F) – Nik could be the elusive “great 3-point shooter” that the Beilein system needs.  He has rung up impressive numbers in practice with his 3-point shooting, but we’ll have to see if he can do it in a real college game.  Also, he needs to work on his all-around game, especially his defense, it he wants to be a mainstream player.

 

All in all, it’s a great recruiting class, with some height (finally), some power, some shooting, and some athleticism.  Now it’s up to Coach Beilein to figure out how to turn all this talent into a coherent team.

 

This Season

 

Let’s take a look at Michigan’s schedule for this season:

 

[styled_table]

DateOpponentLocationTime (ET)

11/01/2012 (Thu) Northern Michigan (exh) Ann Arbor, MI 7:00 p.m.
11/05/2012 (Mon) Saginaw Valley State (exh) Ann Arbor, MI 7:00 p.m.
11/09/2012 (Fri) Slippery Rock Ann Arbor, MI 8:30 p.m.
NIT Season Tip-Off
11/12/2012 (Mon) IUPUI Ann Arbor, MI 9:00 p.m.
11/13/2012 (Tue) Cleveland St./Bowling Green Ann Arbor, MI 8:00 p.m.
11/19/2012 (Mon) Consolation (if necessary) Ann Arbor, MI TBA
11/20/2012 (Tue) Consolation (if necessary) Ann Arbor, MI TBA
11/21/2012 (Wed) Semifinal New York, NY 7:00/9:00 p.m.
11/23/2012 (Fri) Championship New York, NY 2:30/4:30 p.m.
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
11/27/2012 (Tue) North Carolina State Ann Arbor, MI 7:30 p.m.
12/01/2012 (Sat) Bradley Peoria, IL 4:00 p.m.
12/04/2012 (Tue) Western Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 8:30 p.m.
12/08/2012 (Sat) Arkansas Ann Arbor, MI 12:00 p.m.
12/11/2012 (Tue) Binghamton Ann Arbor, MI 7:00 p.m.
12/15/2012 (Sat) West Virginia Brooklyn, NY 8:00 p.m.
12/20/2012 (Thu) Eastern Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 8:30 p.m.
12/29/2012 (Sat) Central Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 7:00 p.m.
01/03/2013 (Thu) Northwestern Evanston, IL 7:00 p.m.
01/06/2013 (Sun) Iowa Ann Arbor, MI TBA
01/09/2013 (Thu) Nebraska Ann Arbor, MI 7:00 p.m.
01/13/2013 (Sun) Ohio State Columbus, OH 1:30/4:30 p.m.
01/17/2013 (Thu) Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 7:00 p.m.
01/24/2013 (Thu) Purdue Ann Arbor, MI 7:00 p.m.
01/27/2013 (Sun) Illinois Champaign, IL 6:00 p.m.
01/30/2013 (Wed) Northwestern Ann Arbor, MI 6:30 p.m.
02/02/2013 (Sat) Indiana Bloomington, IN 9:00 p.m.
02/05/2013 (Tue) Ohio State Ann Arbor, MI 9:00 p.m.
02/09/2013 (Sat) Wisconsin Madison, WI 12:00 p.m.
02/12/2013 (Tue) Michigan State East Lansing, MI 9:00 p.m.
02/17/2013 (Sun) Penn State Ann Arbor, MI 12:00 p.m.
02/24/2013 (Sun) Illinois Ann Arbor, MI 1/4/6 p.m.
02/27/2013 (Wed) Penn State State College, PA 6:30 p.m.
03/02/2013 (Sat)or03/03/2013 (Sun) Michigan State Ann Arbor, MI 5:15 p.m.or1:00/4:00 p.m.
03/06/2013 (Wed) Purdue West Lafayette, IN 7:00 p.m.
03/10/2013 (Sun) Indiana Ann Arbor, MI 1/4/6 p.m.
Big Ten Tournament
03/14/2013 (Thu) 1st Round Chicago, IL TBA
03/15/2013 (Fri) 2nd Round Chicago, IL TBA
03/16/2013 (Sat) Semifinals Chicago, IL 1:40/4:05
03/17/2013 (Sun) Championship Chicago, IL 3:30 p.m.

[/styled_table]
Some comments on the schedule:

 

  • Michigan has two exhibition games this season, instead of the typical single game.
  • Michigan is the only ranked team in the NIT Season Tip-Off, but it’s still a good field.  Besides UM, the other “name” teams are Virginia, Kansas State, and Pittsburgh.
  • Unlike all the other “destination” preseason tournaments, the NIT Season Tip-Off is the only one that doesn’t guarantee a spot in the championship rounds to the “host” (favored) teams.  That means that Michigan, Virginia, Kansas State, and Pittsburgh (the host teams) each have to win the 4-team “regionals” that they’re hosting to advance to the championship rounds in Madison Square Garden.  That’s why there are 2 “Consolation” games listed on the schedule, marked as “if necessary”.  If either IUPUI or the winner of the Cleveland State/Bowling Green game upsets Michigan, UM will stay home and play games on 11/19 and 11/20.  I don’t know who they would play.  However, if Michigan wins their “regional”, they will go to NYC for Thanksgiving.
  • Michigan usually plays all their December non-conference games at home, but not this season.  They’re going to Peoria to play Bradley, then to Brooklyn to play West Virginia.
  • There are 2 tough stretches in the schedule:
    • Starting on 02/02: @Indiana, home vs. Ohio State, @Wisconsin, @MSU.  If UM can even go 2-2 in that stretch, they’ll be in great shape.
    • Starting on 03/02: home vs. MSU, @Purdue, home vs. Indiana.  Those are the last 3 games of the regular season, and UM needs to finish strong.
  • Michigan only plays Iowa and Nebraska once (home) and Minnesota and Wisconsin once (away).  This is an unfavorable situation, since Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota are all lower-division teams, and playing at Wisconsin is a nightmare.

 

Expectations

 

I like to divide the games up into 3 categories (“Should Win”, “Should Lose”, and “Toss Up”):

 

  • Should Win (19) – Slippery Rock, IUPUI, Cleveland State/Bowling Green, Bradley, Western Michigan, Arkansas, Binghamton, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Northwestern (twice), Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Purdue (home), Penn State (twice). Illinois (home).
  • Should Lose (4) – @Indiana, @OSU, @Wisconsin, @MSU.
  • Toss Up (8) – Both games in NYC, N.C. State, Purdue (away), Illinois (away), OSU (home), MSU (home), Indiana (home).

 

So, if UM can win all 19 of the “Should Win” games, and half of the 8 “Toss Up” games, that would give them a record of 23-8 (12-6 in the Big Ten).  That probably won’t be good enough to win the Big Ten, but it will get UM a good seed in the NCAA Tournament.

 

This Week

 

As you can see in the schedule above, Michigan’s first (exhibition) game is this Thursday (11/01, 7:00 p.m., No TV) vs. Northern Michigan.  Of course, UM will win handily, and get to try all kinds of combinations of players out there.  Come on down to the newly renovated Crisler Arena to check out this season’s edition of Michigan Basketball, and stop by sections 209/210 to say hi.

 

Go Blue!