Category: Basketball

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they lost it.  On Thursday (03/09/2023), they lost to Rutgers 62-50 in the 2^nd round of the Big Ten Tournament, in Chicago.  The loss drops Michigan’s record to 17-15 (11-9 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

What’s that “popping” sound you hear?  It’s the “NCAA Tournament bubble” that Michigan was maybe, sort of, possibly sitting on going “pop”.  No Big Dance for Michigan this season.  They had their chances.  They just had to win one of the last three games to have a fighting chance, and they lost all three of them.  Sure, the first two were on the road, and Michigan went to overtime in both games, but they were still losses.  Sure, the Rutgers game was looking promising at halftime, but the 2^nd half was a nightmare.  In the end, it was just three losses.

Game Flow

As with so many games this season, Michigan had a decent lead several times in the 1^st half: 7-0, 9-2, 18-11, and 23-17, then they went cold on offense.  The game was all tied up, 25-25, with 56 seconds left in the 1^st half, and Michigan hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lead 28-25.  That was the high point of the game.  The rest was downhill, steeply.  Michigan COULD NOT MAKE A BASKET in the 2^nd half.  They made a few free throws in the early going of the 2^nd half, and they made a 3-pointer at the 15:01 mark to pull within 3 points (37-34).  The rest of the half was just free throws, no baskets until the last minute.  Michigan actually got within one point (40-39) with 11:06 to go, then they let Rutgers pull away.  It got as bad as 16 points (58-42) at the 2:03 mark.  Stop to take a look at that: in 9 minutes, Michigan scored 3 points, all free throws.  With 59 seconds left, Michigan hit their second basket of the half, another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 13 points (58-45).  They went from 15:01 to 0:59, 14 minutes and 2 seconds, between baskets.  Before they made that 3-pointer with 59 seconds left, they were 1-for-17 in the 2^nd half, with 7 turnovers.  Unbelievable.

Stats

The game stats were predictably bad.  Michigan shot horribly overall (16-for-46 = 34.8%), they shot 3-pointers decently (6-for-18 = 33.3%), and they shot free throws decently (12-for-17 = 70.6%).  They lost the rebounding battle (37-30) and the turnover battle (14-9).  They lost this game with poor overall shooting, poor rebounding, and turnovers.

Who Started?

The starters were Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, Dug McDaniel, and Will Tschetter.

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson was basically all of Michigan’s offense, with 24 of their 50 points.  Nobody else hit double figures.

Bufkin got close to double figures, with 9 points.  He was OK.

Joey Baker chipped in 5 points off the bench.

That’s it.  Nobody else looked good.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Jett Howard was ineffective, with 6 points on 2-for-8 shooting.

McDaniel ran the offense pretty well, but only scored 2 points, both free throws.

Tschetter was worthless, with 0 points.

Terrance Williams II scored 3 points, and didn’t contribute much.

Tarris Reed, Jr. was ineffective, scoring 1 point.

Who Else Played?

Jace Howard played for 2 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Gregg Glenn III, and Youssef Khayat were the scholarship players who didn’t get to play.

Ian Burns, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith were the practice squad players who didn’t get to play.

What Does It Mean?

As mentioned above, Michigan had to win at least one game in the Big Ten Tournament to stand a chance of a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  They blew it, and now they’re in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) instead.  They had their chances, and they blew them.  They get another chance, but it’s for a much lesser prize.  It will be interesting to see if they take this last chance with a positive attitude, or if they pout about not making it to the Big Dance.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays in the NIT as a #3 seed.  They were originally listed as a 2-seed, which would make a big difference for whether or not they get a second home game if they advance, but they were mysteriously changed to a 3-seed overnight.  On Tuesday (03/14/2023, 7:00 p.m., ESPN2), they play Toledo in Crisler Arena.  If they win that game, they would play the winner of the Vanderbilt/Yale game on Saturday (03/18/2023), location, time, and TV to be announced.  The complete NIT bracket is here.

Toledo is currently 27-7 (16-2 in the MAC).  They were the regular season MAC champions, but they lost in the championship game of the MAC tournament.  They have no impressive wins, and unimpressive losses to Kansas City, East Carolina, George Mason, Marshall, Ball State, and Kent State (twice).  Of course, they did beat Central Michigan twice, which is much better than Michigan did against CMU.  They have one noteworthy player, RayJ Dennis, but they don’t have much height, one 6’10” guy.  This is a game that Michigan can and should win, but it won’t be easy.  Toledo is only 40 miles down US-23, and they’ll bring a large and loud crowd into Crisler.  It will feel more like an away game or a neutral site game.  I was there in 1981 when Michigan hosted Toledo for an NIT game, and it was raucous.  The crowd was about 65% Michigan and 35% Toledo, and the crowd carried the Michigan team past Toledo 80-68.

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

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they lost both of them.  On Thursday (03/02/2023), they lost at Illinois 91-87 in double overtime, then on Sunday (03/05/2023), they lost at (#15) Indiana 75-73 in overtime.  The two losses lower Michigan’s record to 17-14 (11-9 in Big Ten).  They finished the regular season tied for 5^th place in the Big Ten.

What Happened?

Michigan had a chance to win both of these games, but they just couldn’t get it done.  They had nice leads late in both games, but they couldn’t hold them.  They had a chance to finish in 2^nd place in the Big Ten, but they couldn’t win a game.  It was very frustrating.

Game Flow

The Illinois game was close the whole way.  Michigan led for most of the 1^st half, but only by 2-4 points.  It was all tied it up (31-31) with 40 seconds left in the half, and Illinois led by 2 at halftime, 33-31.  Illinois led for most of the 2^nd half, keeping the lead in the 7-9 point range.  Michigan fought back, and got the lead (57-56) at the 7:47 mark.  Illinois went right back on top, and led by 4-6 points for most of the rest of regulation.  With 2:35 to go in regulation, Illinois led by 7 points, 70-63.  Michigan went on a 7-0 run to tie it up, 70-70, with 47 seconds to go.  They got the stop they needed, and held the ball for the last shot.  They missed it, and went to overtime.

The 1^st overtime looked very promising.  Michigan pulled out to a 7-point lead (81-74) with 1:49 to go, then they went cold.  Illinois scored the last 7 points to tie it up (81-81) with 24 seconds left.  Michigan had the ball for the last shot again, and they missed it again.  On to overtime #2.

The 2^nd overtime was miserable.  Illinois went ahead right away, and never trailed.  They led by as many as 5 points (88-83 with 3:07 to go), but Michigan managed to get within a point, 88-87, with 41 seconds left.  Michigan was forced to foul, Illinois made their free throws, and that was the game.  It was a real shame to lose the game after leading by 7 points with 1:49 to go in the first overtime.

The IU game was just as frustrating.  After brief 3-0 and 4-2 leads by Michigan, IU led for almost all of the 1^st half, by as many as 14 points.  They were up 27-13 with 4:32 to go in the 1^st half when Michigan went on a 14-2 run to end the half, down by only 2 points, 29-27.  The 2^nd half started out great, with Michigan finally getting a decent lead.  They were up by 12 points (54-42) with 12:26 left in regulation when IU started coming back.  IU finally got the lead back (66-65) with 2:49 to go in regulation, but Michigan went back ahead, 69-66, at the 1:15 mark.  IU tied it up (69-69) with 59 seconds to go, and Michigan had the ball for the last shot, again, and they missed it, again.  On to overtime, for the third game in a row.

The overtime period was miserable.  Michigan never led, although they had several chances to tie it up or go ahead.  They just couldn’t get the stops they needed on defense or make the shots they needed to on offense.  It was another game that was a shame to lose.

Stats

The game stats for the Illinois game were decent.  Michigan shot OK overall (31-for-70 = 44.3%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (8-for-21 = 38.1%), and they shot free throws acceptably (17-for-24 = 70.8%).  They won the rebounding battle (46-45), but lost the turnover battle (12-7).  They lost this game at the free throw line.  Illinois drove to the basket on almost every possession, and they went to the free throw line a lot (34 attempts) and made most of them (26 made).

The game stats for the Indiana game were weak.  Michigan shot poorly overall (26-for-63 = 41.3%), they shot 3-pointers decently (9-for-26 = 34.6%), and they shot free throws poorly (12-for-19 = 63.2%).  They won the rebounding battle (45-36), but lost the turnover battle (13-8).  They lost this game with turnovers and poor overall shooting.

Who Started?

The starters for both games were Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, Dug McDaniel, and Will Tschetter.  Tschetter started in place of Terrance Williams II, who is slowed down with a bruised knee.  Williams played in both games, but he didn’t start in either of them.

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson was the leading scorer for Michigan in both games, with 31 and 24 points.  He also had 16 and 14 rebounds, for two more double-doubles.  On top of all that, he had 3 and 5 blocked shots.  He was amazing.  He just wasn’t enough.

Bufkin also had a great week, with 23 and 19 points.  The only downside?  He had a miserable shooting day vs. IU: 1-for-7 from 3-point range.

Jett Howard hit double figures in both games, with 15 and 16 points.

McDaniel almost hit double figures in both games, with 9 and 10 points.  He’s doing a great job running the offense, and he’s scoring a lot more than he did earlier in the season.

Tarris Reed, Jr. didn’t score very many points this week (3 and 2), but he played solid, rugged defense, taking some of the pressure off Dickinson.  He also grabbed 6 and 9 rebounds.

Williams had a decent week, scoring 6 and 0 points.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Tschetter had a lousy week, scoring 0 and 2 points.  He had 4 fouls in each game.  He didn’t contribute much.

Joey Baker had a lousy week as well, with 0 points in each game.  He shot 0-for-5 vs. Illinois and 0-for-1 vs. IU.  He missed one of the “last shots” that could have won the Illinois game.

Who Else Played?

Jace Howard played in both games, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Gregg Glenn III, and Youssef Khayat were the scholarship players who didn’t get to play this week.

Ian Burns, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith were the practice squad players who didn’t get to play this week.

What Does It Mean?

It was all right there: Michigan just had to win one game this week to finish in 2^nd place in the Big Ten and grab a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  They had decent leads with not much time left in both games.  They had the last shot either at the end of regulation or in overtime to win the game.  They blew it every single time.  Now, they are on the outside looking in.  They probably blew their chance to get to the Big Dance.  They still might snag an invitation if they have a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament, but they’re certainly looking like an NIT team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays in the Big Ten Tournament, in Chicago.  Even though Michigan finished the regular season tied for 5^th place, they are the #8 seed in the tournament, due to the tiebreakers.  As the #8 seed, they play the #9 seed (Rutgers) on Thursday (03/09/2023) at noon EST, televised on BTN.  If they win that game, they are scheduled to play the #1 seed (Purdue) on Friday (03/10/2023) at noon EST, televised on BTN.  If they can win that one, they play in the semifinals on Saturday (03/11/2023) at 1:00 p.m. EST, televised on CBS.  If they make it to the championship game, it’s scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST on Sunday (03/12/2023), televised on CBS.  Here’s the complete bracket.

Michigan played Rutgers once this season, back on 02/23/2023, on the road, and UM won handily, 58-45.  They should be able to get by them on a neutral court.  Michigan also only played Purdue once this season, on 01/26/2023 in Ann Arbor, and they almost beat them, losing 75-70.  Purdue has stumbled often in the second half of the season, and they are beatable.  Actually, Michigan has either beaten or almost beaten every team in the Big Ten this season, and they can beat any and all of them in the tournament.  They can also lose to any of them, so it should be an interesting tournament.

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

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won both of them.  On Thursday (02/23/2023), they beat Rutgers 58-45 in Piscataway (NJ), then on Sunday (02/26/2023), they beat Wisconsin 87-79 in overtime in Crisler Arena.  The two wins raise Michigan’s record to 17-12 (11-7 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

Wow, what a great week!  Two big wins against two solid teams, one of them on the road.  They were both hard-fought, exciting games, but the end of the Wisconsin game was amazing.  Read on for more details.

Oh yeah, the Wisconsin game was Senior Day, but it was a low-key affair.  The only player honored was Joey Baker.

Game Flow

The Rutgers game started terribly, but ended well.  Rutgers jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but Michigan hit a 3-pointer to make it 4-3.  Rutgers then went on a 9-0 run to lead by 10 (13-3) at the 14:00 mark.  Michigan finally scored again with 11:37 to go in the half to make it 13-5, but during that scoring drought they missed 10 shots in a row, along with two turnovers.  Michigan kept chipping away at the deficit, and got within one point (13-12) at the 9:13 mark.  Rutgers stretched the lead to 7 points (19-12) with 6:18 to go, but Michigan answered.  They finally got the lead, 22-21, with 2:37 left in the half, and led by 3 points (26-23) at halftime.  Rutgers scored the first basket of the 2^nd half to pull within one point (26-25), but Michigan started pulling away.  UM led by 8 points (36-28) at the 14:59 mark, and kept the lead in the 4-6 point range until the 6:57 mark, when it was 44-38.  That’s when Michigan pulled away for good, getting the lead as high as 15 points and winning by 13.  It was a very impressive win against a good Rutgers team that hasn’t lost many games at home this season.

The Wisconsin game also started slowly for Michigan, although not as slowly as the Rutgers game.  Wisconsin led by 2-4 points early, with Michigan getting a momentary lead (9-8) at the 16:34 mark.  Wisconsin got the lead back, and started pulling away.  They led 17-9 with 12:24 left in the half, but Michigan came back.  UM got within one point (17-16) with 9:09 to go, tied it up (20-20) at the 6:12 mark, and pulled ahead by 7-9 points for the rest of the half, leading by 8 points (35-27) at halftime.  Michigan kept the lead in the 7-9 point range for the first 4 minutes of the 2^nd half, up by 7 points (48-41) at the 12:59 mark.  Wisconsin cut into the lead, and it was only in the 2-4 point range for the next 6 minutes.  The Badgers went back ahead, 53-52, with 7:30 to go, and the lead went back and forth for the rest of the half.  Things looked pretty dismal when Wisconsin went up by 3 points (68-65) with 8.1 seconds left, but Hunter Dickinson hit an amazing desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, 68-68.  The lead went back and forth in the first 2 minutes of overtime, with the score tied 75-75 at the 2:14 mark.  That’s when Michigan went ahead for good, pushing the lead up into the 6-8 point range, and winning by 8 points.  It was a glorious, exciting win.

Stats

The game stats for the Rutgers game were pretty weak.  Michigan shot poorly overall (22-for-54 = 40.7%), they shot 3-pointers poorly (7-for-25 = 28.0%), and they shot free throws decently (7-for-11 = 63.6%).  They won the rebounding battle (37-31) and the turnover battle (11-13).  They won this game with rebounding and defense.  It helped that Rutgers was terrible from the free-throw line: 5-for-16 = 31.3%.

The game stats for the Wisconsin game were pretty good.  Michigan shot well overall (29-for-59 = 49.2%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (7-for-21 = 33.3%), and they shot free throws well (22-for-26 = 84.6%).  They won the rebounding battle (39-33), but lost the turnover battle (12-8).  They won this game with rebounding and free throws.  UM made twice as many free throws as Wisconsin (22-11)

Who Started?

The starters for both games were Joey Baker, Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Dug McDaniel, and Will Tschetter.  Baker started in place of Jett Howard, who is out with an ankle injury.  Jett didn’t dress for the Rutgers game, but he was dressed and available for the Wisconsin game, although he didn’t play.  Tschetter started in place of Terrance Williams II, who is slowed down with a bruised knee.  Williams played in both games, but he didn’t start in either of them.

Who Looked Good?

Bufkin was the star this week, with 14 points against Rutgers and a new career-high 28 points vs. Wisconsin. He also had 3 assists and 3 steals in the Rutgers game, and 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals vs. Wisconsin.

Dickinson was the star in the Wisconsin game, even though he wasn’t the high scorer, due to his deep, desperation, buzzer-beater 3-pointer at the end of regulation.  It was very exciting.  He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in that game, for another double-double.  He also had a double-double in the Rutgers game, with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

McDaniel continues to improve and impress, with a team-high 16 points vs. Rutgers and another new career high of 20 points vs. Wisconsin.  The only downside: not many assists (2 vs. Rutgers, 0 vs. Wisconsin).  Still, he’s doing a great job running the offense, and he’s scoring a lot more than he did earlier in the season.

Baker had one decent game (9 points vs. Wisconsin) and one miserable game (6 points vs. Rutgers).  6 points doesn’t sound so bad, but when you dig a little deeper, you see why it was a miserable game: 2-for-11 shooting, 2-for-9 from deep.  Ugh.

Tarris Reed, Jr. didn’t score very many points this week (2 and 5), but he played solid, rugged defense, taking some of the pressure off Dickinson.

Williams had a decent week, scoring 4 and 2 points, mostly on free throws.  He did play some pretty good defense, and he grabbed 9 and 7 rebounds.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Tschetter had a lousy week, scoring 0 points in both games, on one shot attempt (vs. Rutgers).

Who Else Played?

Jace Howard played in both games, and scored 3 and 0 points.  He hit his only shot attempt, a 3-pointer vs. Rutgers.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Gregg Glenn III, and Youssef Khayat were the scholarship players who didn’t get to play this week.

Ian Burns, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith were the practice squad players who didn’t get to play this week.

What Does It Mean?

These two wins mean that Michigan is now getting close to being “on the bubble” for the NCAA Tournament.  They’re not there yet, but they’re at least part of the discussion.  With only 2 regular season games left, Michigan probably has to win at least one of them, along with one win in the Big Ten Tournament, to stand a chance.  They still haven’t beaten a ranked team, and they’ve only beaten two good teams on the road (Northwestern and Rutgers).  They have a chance to get on the bubble this week.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Thursday (03/02/2023, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN), they play at Illinois, then on Sunday (03/05/2023, 4:30 p.m., CBS), they play at (#17) Indiana.

Illinois is currently 19-10 (10-8 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over (#8) UCLA, (#2) Texas, (#14) Wisconsin (twice), Michigan State, (#24) Rutgers, and (#21) Northwestern, and unimpressive losses to Penn State (twice), Missouri, and Ohio State.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 6’10” guy and a 7-footer.  There is a lot of bad blood between Michigan and Illinois, going back to their delusional arguments about winning the Big Ten over Michigan in the 2020-2021 season, and this game could get nasty.

Indiana is currently 20-9 (11-7 in Big Ten).  Michigan played IU in Crisler a couple weeks ago (02/11/2023), and lost a heartbreaker, 62-61.  This will probably be another close, exciting game, but Michigan will have to play their best to pull off the upset.

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

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they lost one and won the other.  On Tuesday (02/14/2023), they lost at Wisconsin 64-59, then on Saturday (02/18/2023), they beat Michigan State 84-72 in Crisler Arena.  The loss and the win leave Michigan with a record of 15-12 (9-7 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

Another week, another split, predictably with the loss being on the road and the win at home.  As has happened so often this season, both games came down to the final minutes: the endgame.  In the Wisconsin game, Michigan couldn’t get a basket when they needed it, but they were magnificent in the endgame vs. MSU.  In fact, the last 2 minutes of the MSU game were the best 2 minutes Michigan has played so far this season.

As an aside, I’m full of sorrow about the shooting incident at Michigan State this past week, and I’m impressed with the way the UM community showed their support to MSU, but I’m still glad Michigan beat Michigan State on the basketball court.

Game Flow

The Wisconsin game was close early, with the teams exchanging the lead a few times in the first 11 minutes.  With 8:38 to go, Michigan had a one-point lead (20-19), when Wisconsin went on an 8-0 run to go up by 7 (27-20).  Michigan fought back, and made a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left in the half to lead by one point at halftime, 32-31.  That lead lasted for all of 2 minutes in the 2^nd half.  Wisconsin went ahead 35-34 at the 18:13 mark, and pushed the lead as high as 12 points (54-42) with 10:27 to go.  Michigan went on a nice 12-1 run to get within a point (55-54) at the 4:10 mark, and they were only down 2 points (59-57) with 24 seconds to go, but they couldn’t get the stops or the baskets they needed to win.  Michigan held Wisconsin without a made field goal (on 15 attempts) for the last 10:45 of the game, but the Badgers made 12 free throws (on 14 attempts) down the stretch to win the game.  The game was there for Michigan to win, but they couldn’t make the clutch shots.

The MSU game was also close early, with the teams exchanging the lead a few times in the first 8 minutes.  With 11:38 to go, Michigan had a one-point lead (18-17), when MSU went ahead for the rest of the half.  They pushed the lead as high as 8 points (33-25 at the 3:59 mark), and led by 3 at halftime, 36-33.  The 2^nd half was more of the same: MSU led by 3-5 points for the first 6 minutes, until Michigan managed to tie it up (46-46) with 14:11 to go.  This was a key moment: as he made the basket to tie the game, Jett Howard landed wrong and re-injured his ankle.  He left the game, and didn’t return.  His status is unknown at this point.  So, even though the game was tied, Michigan had to play the last 14+ minutes without their best shooter.  Yikes!  For the next 9 minutes, the same pattern kept playing out: MSU would get ahead by 1-3 points, and Michigan would tie it up.  The game was tied at 46-46, 50-50, 52-52, 54-54, 63-63, and 65-65.  In between those ties, MSU actually got ahead by 6 points at one point: 63-57, with 8:23 to go.  So, there we were, tied at 65-65 with 5:43 to go.  Now it was Michigan’s turn to have a slim lead in between ties.  UM went up 67-65, then MSU tied it up 67-67.  UM went up 69-67, MSU tied it up 69-69.  UM went up 72-69, MSU tied it up 72-72.  Fortunately, those were the last points MSU scored.  They went the last 2:29 without a point, missing 4 shots.  Michigan scored the last 12 points, to win by 12.  It was awesome!

Stats

The game stats for the Wisconsin game were weak.  Michigan shot pretty poorly overall (24-for-57 = 42.1%), they shot 3-pointers decently (5-for-16 = 31.3%), and they shot free throws poorly (6-for-10 = 60.0%).  They lost the rebounding battle (38-37) and the turnover battle (12-5).  They lost this game with poor shooting, turnovers, and rebounding.  Even though they were only out-rebounded by one, they gave up 15 offensive rebounds to Wisconsin.

The game stats for the MSU game were pretty good.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (29-for-59 = 49.2%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (9-for-26 = 34.6%), and they shot free throws well (17-for-21 = 81.0%).  They crushed MSU on the boards (38-25), but lost the turnover battle (9-8).  They won this game with rebounding.  Michigan had 14 offensive rebounds.

Who Started?

The starters for both games were Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, Dug McDaniel, and Will Tschetter.  Tschetter started in place of Terrance Williams II, who is out with a bruised knee.  I couldn’t find an estimate for when Williams will be available again.

Who Looked Good?

Bufkin was the star this week, with a team-high 21 vs. Wisconsin and 17 vs. MSU.  His 3-pointer with 1:54 left in the MSU game broke the 72-72 tie, and started the 12-0 Michigan run.  It was an off-balance desperation shot that just beat the shot-clock buzzer, and it was the biggest basket of the game.  Bufkin was very efficient this week: 9-for-15 overall (3-for-4 from deep) vs. Wisconsin, and 6-for-9 overall (3-for-5 from deep) vs. MSU.

Dickinson had a good week, with 12 and 14 points.  He also had 12 rebounds in the Wisconsin game, for another double-double.  He hit a 3-pointer in each game, and his 3-pointer vs. MSU was probably the dagger.  It came right after Bufkin had made his big 3-pointer, to push the UM lead up to 6 points.

McDaniel had one great game (18 points vs. MSU) and one decent game (7 points vs. Wisconsin).  He was the high scorer for Michigan in the MSU game, and 18 points is a new career high for him.  He was very impressive in that game, outplaying the MSU point guards.

Jett Howard had a decent week, with 9 and 10 points, but he had a rough time with his shooting: he was 4-for-14 (1-for-6 from deep) vs. Wisconsin, and 3-for-9 (1-for-7 from deep) vs. MSU.

Tschetter had a decent week, scoring 4 and 7 points.  He did hit a 3-pointer vs. MSU.  He still has a tendency to play a little too fast and a little too out-of-control.  Because of it, he gets called for silly fouls or commits silly turnovers.  He needs to slow down and play with more control.

Tarris Reed, Jr. was another star in the MSU game. He had 8 points, which is great for him, but even more importantly, he had 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.  4 of his 10 rebounds were offensive, and he finished through contact a couple times.  He had a decent game vs. Wisconsin, with 6 points (and 7 rebounds).

Joey Baker had one good game (10 points vs. MSU) and one lousy game (0 points vs. Wisconsin).

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

No one looked not-so-good this week, although a couple players had one good game and one mediocre game.

Who Else Played?

Jace Howard played in both games, but failed to score.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Gregg Glenn III, and Youssef Khayat were the scholarship players who didn’t get to play this week.

Ian Burns, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith were the practice squad players who didn’t get to play this week.

What Does It Mean?

I guess we’re still talking about Michigan’s chances for the NCAA Tournament?  The win over MSU sure helped, but the loss to Wisconsin sure hurt, so it was another break-even week.  With only 4 regular season games left, Michigan probably has to win at least 2 of them, along with one win in the Big Ten Tournament, to stand a chance.  They still haven’t beaten a ranked team, and they’ve only beaten one good team on the road (Northwestern).  They’re not on the bubble, but they still stand a chance of getting there.  A slim chance, but a chance.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Thursday (02/23/2023, 8:30 p.m., FS1), they play at Rutgers, then on Sunday (02/26/2023, 2:00 p.m., CBS), they play Wisconsin in Crisler Arena.

Rutgers is currently 17-10 (8-7 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over (#8) Indiana, (#1) Purdue, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, and unimpressive losses to Temple, Miami (FL), Seton Hall, and Nebraska.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have decent height: a 6’10” guy and a 6’11” guy.  On the one hand, they’ve beaten several good teams, but on the other hand, they lost to Nebraska by 10 points at home last week.  This is probably the best team that Rutgers has had since they joined the Big Ten, and it should be a challenging game.

Wisconsin is currently 15-11 (7-9 in Big Ten).  Michigan just played them last week and barely lost to them.  Since that game, they lost to Rutgers at home.  This will be another very challenging game for Michigan.  It’s Michigan’s last home game of the season, and it’s Senior Day.

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

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won one and lost the other.  On Wednesday (02/08/2023), they beat Nebraska 93-72, then on Saturday (02/11/2023), they lost to (#18) Indiana 62-61.  Both games were in Crisler Arena.  The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 14-11 (8-6 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

Michigan won the game they were supposed to win (Nebraska), and got so close in the Indiana game, but couldn’t quite pull it off.  UM was dominant vs. Nebraska, and they looked every bit as good as Indiana, but IU managed to be one point better.  It’s a real shame, because Michigan led for most of the IU game, only to go stone cold in the final minutes.

Game Flow

The Nebraska game was close early, with the teams exchanging the lead a few times in the first 6 minutes.  With 14:34 to go, Nebraska had their last lead, 12-11, then Michigan went on a nice 14-0 run to put the game out of reach.  Michigan pushed the lead as high as 24 points (41-17) in the 1^st half, leading by 12 (46-34) at halftime.  Nebraska got within 9 points (48-39) at the 18:01 mark, but that was as close as they got.  Michigan pushed the lead back up to 21 points (68-47) with 11:41 to go, led by 23 a couple times, and coasted to a 21-point win.  It was a dominating performance.

The IU game was close for the first few minutes, with IU ahead by one (6-5) at the 17:16 mark.  Michigan went on a quick 8-0 run to take a small lead, 13-6, with 15:35 to go.  UM kept the lead in the 6-8 point range for the rest of the half, pushing it as high as 11 (32-21) at the 6:27 mark.  Michigan still led by 8 points (37-29) with 2:25 left in the half, but they allowed IU to score the last 4 points of the half, cutting the lead to 4 at halftime, 37-33.  IU kept it going after halftime, and finally caught and passed UM, 40-39, at the 16:34 mark.  Michigan responded, and took the lead back, pushing it up to 7 points a few times.  Michigan was up by 7 points (53-46) with 11:34 to go, when IU made another push.  They grabbed the lead again, 54-53, at the 9:05 mark, but Michigan came right back again.  They led for most of the rest of the game, but only by 1-3 points.  UM was up by 3 points (61-58) at the 5:12 mark when they just fell apart offensively.  IU outscored them 4-0 in the last 5:12 to win by one point.  During that 5:12 drought, Michigan did the following:

• Missed 3-pointer
• Missed 3-pointer
• Missed layup
• Missed short jumper
• Missed jumper
• Turnover
• Missed jumper
• Missed 3-pointer

That’s 7 missed shots and a turnover.  Disgusting.

Stats

The game stats for the Nebraska game were excellent.  Michigan shot very well overall (34-for-59 = 57.6%), they shot 3-pointers very well (14-for-26 = 53.8%), and they shot free throws very well (11-for-13 = 84.6%).  They won the rebounding battle handily (35-23) and the turnover battle (13-15).  They won this game with great shooting and rebounding.

The game stats for the Indiana game were mediocre.  Michigan shot decently overall (23-for-54 = 42.6%), they shot 3-pointers pretty poorly (5-for-20 = 25.0%), and they shot free throws pretty well (10-for-13 = 76.9%).  They lost the rebounding battle (33-31), but won the turnover battle (11-13).  They lost this game with poor 3-point shooting.

Who Started?

The starters for both games were Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, Dug McDaniel, and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson had a good week, with 16 points in each game.  He also had 10 rebounds in the Nebraska game, for another double-double.  The only downside was his defensive performance against IU’s Trayce Jackson-Davis.  Dickinson couldn’t stop him, and could barely slow him down.  TJD scored 28 points, although some them were scored while Dickinson was either on the bench with 2 quick fouls in the 1^st half, or playing very cautiously with those 2 fouls late in the 1^st half.  He did better defensively in the 2^nd half, but he still only slowed TJD down, but couldn’t stop him.

Jett Howard also had a good week, with a team-high 22 points vs. Nebraska, and 12 points vs. IU.  He shot well in the Nebraska game (7-for-17 overall, 6-for-14 from deep), but not so well vs. IU (5-for-14 overall, 2-for-8 from deep).  He had a miserable 2^nd half vs. IU, and he missed two huge 3-pointers in the last 5:12, including the final shot at the buzzer.  He’s Michigan’s best option for a last-second shot, and he bricked it.  Sigh.

Bufkin also had a good week, with 13 and 14 points.  He also had a miserable 2^nd half vs. IU.  If he could have hit just one more basket, UM might have pulled off the upset.

McDaniel had one great game (14 points vs. Nebraska) and one lousy game (5 points vs. IU).  He was very efficient in the Nebraska game, shooting 5-for-7 overall, 2-for-2 from deep, but he was very inefficient in the IU game, shooting 1-for-8 overall, 0-for-4 from deep.  He also missed a key front-end-of-the-one-and-one free throw late in the IU game.

Williams also had one good game (10 points vs. Nebraska) and one lousy game (4 points vs. IU).

Joey Baker was yet another Michigan player with one good game (11 points vs. Nebraska) and one lousy game (2 points vs. IU).

Tarris Reed, Jr. had a pretty good week, with 4 and 8 points.  More important than his scoring was his defense, especially vs. IU.  He had to try to contain Trayce Jackson-Davis when Dickinson was on the bench with 2 quick fouls in the 1^st half, and he did a pretty good job.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

No one looked not-so-good this week, although a couple players had one good game and one mediocre game.

Who Else Played?

Jace Howard played in both games, scoring 3 and 0 points.

Jackson Selvala played in the Nebraska game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Cooper Smith played in the Nebraska game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Will Tschetter played in both games, but didn’t attempt a shot.  He was on the wrong end of two terrible calls in the IU game; first, he was called for a foul that was clearly a charge, then he was called for a charge (wiping out a basket) that was clearly a foul.  The refs were pretty bad in the IU game, and just those two bad calls more than account for the difference.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Gregg Glenn III, and Youssef Khayat were the scholarship players who didn’t get to play this week.

Ian Burns was the only practice squad player who didn’t get to play this week.

What Does It Mean?

After inching their way a little closer to the bubble for the Big Dance, Michigan threw it all away in the IU loss.  Now they need to win 4 of their last 6 regular season games to stand a chance of making the tournament.  Since most of those games are against upper-division teams, and 4 of them are on the road, it doesn’t seem likely.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Tuesday (02/14/2023, 9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2), they play at Wisconsin, then on Saturday (02/18/2023, 8:00 p.m., FOX), they play Michigan State in Crisler Arena.

Wisconsin is currently 14-10 (6-8 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over USC, (#13) Maryland, and Iowa, and unimpressive losses to Wake Forest, Illinois (twice), Northwestern (twice), Maryland, and Nebraska.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they only have one tall guy (a 7-footer).  They were ranked for a few weeks earlier in the season, but a 3-8 stretch knocked them out of the rankings.  Michigan has always had a tough time winning in the Kohl Center, and this will be a very challenging game.

Michigan State is currently 16-9 (8-6 in Big Ten).  They beat Michigan in the Breslin Center back on 01/07/2023, but it was a close game.  This is another game that Michigan can win, but they need to play their “A” game.  They can’t go 5:12 without scoring.

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

Go Blue!