Category: Basketball

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won both of them.  On Thursday (02/02/2023), they won at Northwestern 68-51, then on Sunday (02/05/2023), they beat Ohio State 77-69 in Crisler Arena.  The two wins raise Michigan’s record to 13-10 (7-5 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

Michigan finally won two games in the same week, after weeks of going either 1-1 or 0-2.  Even more encouraging – both opponents were pretty good, and Michigan was obviously better.  It was also great that Michigan finally won another Big Ten road game.  All in all, it was a very good week.

Game Flow

The Northwestern game was close for the entire 1^st half, with several ties and lead changes, and neither team getting ahead by more than 5 points.  It was all tied up 22-22 with 1:30 left in the half, and Michigan led by one point at halftime, 26-25.  Northwestern went back in front at the start of the 2^nd half, and they were up by 3 points (29-26) at the 19:13 mark.  That’s when Michigan went on a nice 18-2 run to give them a lead they would never surrender, 44-31, with 13:09 to go.  Northwestern got within 11 points once, but UM pushed their lead as high as 19 points, cruising to a 17-point win.  It was a dominating performance against a solid Northwestern team, for a season sweep.

Michigan led OSU from wire-to-wire.  OSU hung around for the whole game, getting within one point several times, but they never got ahead or even tied the score.  UM led by as many as 11 points in the 1^st half, by 5 at halftime (41-36), and by as many as 13 points in the 2^nd half.  UM kept their lead in the 10-12 point range for most of the 2^nd half, and won by 8.  It was another dominating performance against a solid OSU team.

Stats

The game stats for the Northwestern game were decent.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (24-for-58 = 41.4%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (7-for-20 = 35.0%), and they shot free throws well (13-for-16 = 81.3%).  They won the rebounding battle (41-33) and the turnover battle (7-9).  They won this game with rebounding and 3-point shooting.

The game stats for the OSU game were pretty good.  Michigan shot well overall (28-for-57 = 49.1%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (8-for-23 = 34.8%), and they shot free throws well (13-for-18 = 72.2%).  They barely lost the rebounding battle (36-34) and the turnover battle (9-6).  They won this game with overall shooting and defense.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson was the leading scorer for Michigan in both games, with 19 and 26 points.  He only had 3 rebounds vs. Northwestern, but he hauled down 11 rebounds vs. OSU, for another double-double.  On top of his scoring and rebounding, he played excellent post defense in both games.  He dominated the opposing centers, holding each team to just 6 points from that position (Northwestern: Nicholson 4, Beran 2 and OSU: Key 6, Okpara 0).  Dickinson dominated all 4 of them, offensively and defensively.

Bufkin was the only other Wolverine to hit double figures in both games, with 15 and 13 points.  He also rebounded very well, with 12 and 8, giving him his first career double-double in the Northwestern game.

Jett Howard had one good game and one decent game, with 8 and 16 points.  He didn’t shoot very well in either game: 2-for-8 overall (2-for-7 from deep) vs. Northwestern, and 5-for-12 overall (2-for-7 from deep) vs. OSU.

McDaniel had a decent game against OSU (8 points), but a lousy game against Northwestern (2 points, on 1-for-7 shooting).  He ran the offense pretty well.

Williams had a decent week: 7 and 6 points.  He also had 10 rebounds vs. Northwestern.

Joey Baker had a good week, with 14 points vs. Northwestern and 8 points vs. OSU.  He was deadly in the Northwestern game (5-for-6 overall, 3-for-4 from deep) and pretty efficient vs. OSU (3-for-5 overall, 2-for-4 from deep).  This is exactly the kind of contribution Michigan needs from him.

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 1 and 0 points.

Youssef Khayat played in the Northwestern game, but didn’t score.

Tarris Reed, Jr. did a mediocre job backing up Dickinson.  He scored 2 and 0 points, but he did play solid, rugged defense.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Gregg Glenn III, and Will Tschetter and 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?

Did Michigan inch their way a little closer to the bubble for the Big Dance?  Maybe, but they’re still a long way from actually being on the bubble.  Still, if they can keep playing at this level, they might sneak into the tournament.  However, they STILL have to beat a ranked team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Wednesday (02/08/2023, 6:30 p.m., BTN), they play Nebraska, then on Saturday (02/11/2023, 6:00 p.m., ESPN), they play (#21) Indiana.  Both games are in Crisler Arena.

Nebraska is currently 11-13 (4-9 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over Florida State, Boston College, (#7) Creighton, Iowa, Ohio State, and Penn State, and unimpressive losses to Colorado, St. John’s, Oklahoma, and Kansas State.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 6’10” guy, a 6’11” guy, and a 7-footer.  They may be near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, but they’ve beaten some good teams and lost some close games to other good teams.  This will not be an easy game.

Indiana is currently 16-7 (7-5 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over (#18) North Carolina, (#18) Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State, and (#1) Purdue, and unimpressive losses to Rutgers, Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, and Maryland.  They have a few noteworthy players (Tracye Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, and Miller Kopp), but they don’t have much height: one 6’10” guy.  IU has an impressive resume, some star players, and a ton of confidence after beating (#1) Purdue.  This will be an extremely challenging game.  Michigan can win, but they will need to play their “A+” game.

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 (01/26/2023), they lost to (#1) Purdue 75-70 in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (01/29/2023), they lost at Penn State 83-61.  The two losses lower Michigan’s record to 11-10 (5-5 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

Both games were close, until the other guys had a big run to make it “not close”.  In the Purdue game, Michigan was up 28-26 with 8:02 to go in the 1^st half when Purdue went on a long, grinding 15-0 run to go up 41-28 with 3:06 left in the half.  Michigan never led again.  In the PSU game, Michigan was only down one point (31-30) with 4:34 to go in the 1^st half when PSU went on a long, grinding 18-0 run to go up 49-30 with 31 seconds left in the half.  Michigan never got close again.  In that 18-0 run, PSU hit five 3-pointers in a row without a miss, then a short jumper, while Michigan missed four 3-pointers and a jumper.  Michigan couldn’t buy a basket.

Game Flow

As mentioned above, both games were close in the early going, with Michigan leading in both.  In the Purdue game, UM led by as many as 6 points, and still led by 2 points when Purdue went on their 15-0 run.  Michigan managed to get close by halftime, pulling to within 6 points (41-35).  Unfortunately, Purdue started the 2^nd half hot, Michigan was cold, and Purdue quickly pushed their lead back up to double digits, 48-37, with 17:27 to go.  They kept the lead in the 8-10 point range until the final minute, when Michigan got as close as 3 points (73-70) before losing by 5.  It was a noble effort against an obviously better team.

In the PSU game, Michigan only led once, 6-4, with 17:45 to go in the 1^st half.  They kept the game close for most of the half, trailing by just one point when PSU went on their 18-0 run.  Michigan trailed by 17 points (49-32) at halftime, and never got closer than 20 points in the 2^nd half.  PSU pushed their lead up as high as 32, and won by 22.  It was a miserable effort against a team that isn’t any better than Michigan.

Stats

The game stats for the Purdue game were decent.  Michigan shot reasonably well overall (26-for-59 = 44.1%), they shot 3-pointers fairly well (9-for-25 = 36.0%), and they shot free throws just OK (9-for-14 = 64.3%).  They lost the rebounding battle badly (34-26), but won the turnover battle handily (6-12).  They lost this game with rebounding and fouls: Purdue was 16-for-20 at the free throw line.

The game stats for the PSU game were sad.  Michigan shot OK overall (25-for-59 = 42.4%), they shot 3-pointers poorly (6-for-22 = 27.3%), and they shot free throws fairly well, just not often enough (5-for-8 = 62.5%).  They lost the rebounding battle badly (36-27), but won the turnover battle (8-9).  They lost this game with rebounding and 3-point defense: PSU was 13-for-30 from 3-point range.

Who Started?

The starters for the Purdue game were Joey Baker, Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Dug McDaniel, and Terrance Williams II.  Baker started in place of Jett Howard, who injured his ankle in the Minnesota game last week.  He missed the Purdue game, but was back in the starting lineup for the PSU game.

Who Looked Good?

Jett Howard looked good in his only game this week, scoring 21 points on good shooting: 8-for-13 overall, 5-for-7 from 3-point range.  He was Michigan’s whole offense in the early going, while the game was still close.

Dickinson had one good game and one mediocre game, scoring 21 points vs. Purdue and 6 points vs. PSU.  He actually outscored Purdue’s monster center (7’4” Zach Edey, with 19 points), and played him about even.  He was pathetic against PSU.

Bufkin had one good game and one decent game, scoring 16 points vs. Purdue and 8 points vs. PSU.

Baker had one good game and one lousy game, scoring 11 points in his start against Purdue, but only 2 points (on 1-for-5 shooting) vs. PSU.

McDaniel had a decent game against Purdue (9 points), but a lousy game against PSU (4 points, on 1-for-7 shooting).  He ran the offense pretty well.

Williams had a decent week: 4 and 7 points.

Tarris Reed, Jr. did a decent job backing up Dickinson.  He scored 2 and 3 points, and played solid, rugged defense.

Will Tschetter chipped in 3 and 4 points, and played solid defense.

Jace Howard chipped in 2 and 6 points, and played solid defense.  He was the only other Michigan player to hit a 3-pointer vs. PSU, along with his younger brother Jett.  Jett was 5-for-7 shooting 3-pointers, and Jace was 1-for-3, for a combined 6-for-10 for the Howard brothers.  The rest of the team was 0-for-12.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

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

Who Else Played?

Isaiah Barnes played in both games, scoring 2 and 0 points.

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

Who Didn’t Play?

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

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

What Does It Mean?

I’m afraid this is looking like a lost season for Michigan.  Barring a miracle run in February or the Big Ten Tournament, they probably aren’t going to a post-season tournament.  It looks highly unlikely that they’ll make the NCAA Tournament, and they probably won’t finish at or above 0.500 and qualify for the NIT.

At this point, they are playing for pride, along with getting some quality playing time for the younger players.  They can still upset some teams in the race for 2^nd place, since Purdue has got the title firmly in their grasp.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Thursday (02/02/2023, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2), they play at Northwestern, then on Sunday (02/05/2023, 1:00 p.m., CBS), they play Ohio State in Crisler Arena.

Northwestern is currently 15-5 (6-3 in Big Ten).  Michigan beat them in Crisler a couple weeks ago (01/15/2023) 85-78, and since then Northwestern has won 3 games in a row, over lower-division teams (Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota).  Michigan had a tough time putting them away in Crisler, and Michigan has played worse against teams they beat the first time around (Minnesota, Maryland, and Penn State), so this looks to be a very challenging game.

Ohio State is currently 11-10 (3-7 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over Cincinnati, (#21) Texas Tech, and Rutgers, and unimpressive losses to Minnesota and Nebraska.  They have one noteworthy player (super freshman Brice Sensabaugh) and one tall guy (6’11”).  OSU started the season hot, and they were ranked for 3 weeks, as high as #23, before they lost 7 out of their last 8 games.  This is a game that Michigan can win, and in a dismal season, they need to grab every win they can.

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 Thursday (01/19/2023), they lost at Maryland 64-58, then on Sunday (01/22/2023), they beat Minnesota 60-56 in Crisler Arena.  The loss and the win leave Michigan with a record of 11-8 (5-3 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

Another week, another split.  Once again, Michigan lost on the road and won at home.  In this case, they played two teams that they had already played (and beaten) earlier this season.  I was hoping that they could steal a win on the road against Maryland, since they had beaten them by 35 points in Ann Arbor, but it wasn’t to be.  I was also hoping that Michigan would have an easy time against Minnesota, since they beat them by 15 points on the road, but it also wasn’t to be.  The loss and the win leave Michigan right where they were last week (and the week before that, and the week before that): on the wrong side of the bubble for the Big Dance.  They need to win both games in a week, and win on the road, and beat a ranked team.  They’ve had a tough time with all of those things.

Game Flow

In both games, Michigan got off to a very slow start, and they played most of both games behind, often by 10 points or so.  This was especially true in the Maryland game, where they had a miserable start, falling behind by 11 points (17-6) at the 10:29 mark.  Maryland pushed the lead up to 13 points (28-15) with 6:32 to go, before Michigan finally woke up and ended the half on a 17-6 run to only trail by 2 points at halftime, 34-32.  After fighting so hard to get back in the game, Michigan started the 2^nd half with another slow start, quickly falling behind by 6 points (40-34) at the 15:51 mark.  Michigan fought back again, and actually tied the game (42-42) with 12:26 left, but they never led.  The game was still tied (44-44) at the 11:09 mark, when Maryland went ahead for good.  They pushed the lead up to 10 points (59-49) with 4:30 to go, and never let Michigan get closer than 4 points the rest of the way.  It was a dreary, disheartening loss to a team that Michigan should have beaten, even on the road.

The start of the Minnesota game was almost as bad.  Michigan was quickly down 8-0 in the first 2:00, and down 10 points (20-10) with 10:16 to go.  They clawed their way back with an 8-0 run, and were only down 2 points (20-18) at the 5:18 mark.  With a chance to tie or even take the lead, Michigan did the following on their next 5 possessions:

• Missed 3-pointer, no rebound
• Missed jumper, offensive rebound, missed jumper, foul
• Missed jumper, no rebound
• Turnover
• Turnover

Fortunately, Minnesota wasn’t scoring either, and Michigan managed to tie the score up (23-23) at halftime.  After Minnesota went up by 3 early in the 2^nd half, Michigan finally got their first lead, 27-26, at the 18:13 mark.  They pushed the lead up to 5 points (31-26) with 16:19 to go, but Minnesota tied it up again (31-31) at the 14:55 mark.  It was still tied up (33-33) with 13:42 to go, when Michigan went ahead for good.  They pushed the lead as high as 8 points, and kept it in the 4-6 point range the rest of the game.  It was a decent 2^nd half, following a miserable 1^st half.

Stats

The game stats for the Maryland game were sad.  Michigan shot pretty poorly overall (23-for-55 = 41.8%), they shot 3-pointers poorly (8-for-28 = 28.6%), and they shot free throws terribly, and not very often (4-for-8 = 50.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (36-35), but lost the turnover battle badly (12-6).  They lost this game with turnovers and fouls; Maryland was 13-for-17 from the free-throw line.

The game stats for the Minnesota game were miserable.  Michigan shot poorly overall (22-for-60 = 35.7%), they shot 3-pointers incredibly poorly (2-for-14 = 14.3%), but they did shoot free throws pretty well (14-for-18 = 77.8%).  They won the rebounding battle (37-36)      and the turnover battle (10-15).  They won this game with free throw shooting and taking better care of the ball.  They were lucky that Minnesota isn’t very good.  14% shooting from 3-point range will lose most games.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson usually saves his best games for Maryland, and he was Michigan’s high scorer, but he wasn’t nearly as dominant as he usually is against Maryland.  He scored 19 points, and had 10 rebounds, for a double-double, but it wasn’t quite enough.  He did shoot 3-for-5 from 3-point range vs. Maryland.  He had a better game against Minnesota, with 23 points and 9 rebounds.  He shot 9-for-9 from the free throw line vs. Minnesota!

Jett Howard had an up-and-down week.  He was the only other Michigan player in double figures vs. Maryland, with 13 points, but he was scoreless in 15 minutes of action against Minnesota before he injured his ankle and missed the entire 2^nd half.  At this point, it isn’t clear how serious this injury is.  Even though he had 13 points vs. Maryland, it wasn’t one of his better games, with 4-for-14 shooting, 3-for-12 from 3-point range.  He also had 4 fouls and 4 turnovers.

Bufkin also had an up-and-down week.  He only had 2 points vs. Maryland, on lousy (1-for-6) shooting, but he had 12 points vs. Minnesota.  He had a terrible week shooting 3-pointers: 0-for-2 vs. Maryland and 0-for-4 vs. Minnesota.

McDaniel was yet another player with an up-and-down week.  He had a rough time vs. Maryland (4 points, on 2-for-10 shooting, 0-for-4 from deep), but bounced back nicely vs. Minnesota (10 points, on 4-for-10 shooting, 2-for-3 from deep).  His assist-to-turnover ratio was pretty good: 7 assists/3 turnovers vs. Maryland, and 3 assists/0 turnovers vs. Minnesota.

Williams had a better week than usual.  He almost hit double figures vs. Maryland (9 points), and he had his normal 5 points vs. Minnesota.  He was Michigan’s leading rebounder vs. Maryland, with 13.

Tarris Reed, Jr. did a nice job backing up Dickinson.  He scored 4 points in each game, and played solid, rugged defense.

Will Tschetter chipped in 2 and 4 points, and played solid defense.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Joey Baker had a decent game vs. Maryland (5 points), but he was horrible vs. Minnesota.  He scored 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting, and he missed a breakaway layup, with Michigan clinging to a narrow lead in a tight game.  It was embarrassing.

Who Else Played?

Isaiah Barnes played in both games, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Gregg Glenn III, Jace Howard, and Youssef Khayat were the scholarship players who didn’t get to play this week.  Jace missed both games with a concussion.

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

What Does It Mean?

Time is running out for Michigan.  They can’t afford to keep playing 0.500 ball.  They need to string a couple wins together, including a couple on the road and a couple against ranked teams.  There’s still time, but it’s getting late.

They still look a lot like an NIT team, not an NCAA Tournament team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Thursday (01/26/2023, 9:00 p.m., FS1), they play (#3) Purdue in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (01/29/2023, 12:00 p.m., BTN), they play at Penn State.

Purdue is currently 19-1 (8-1 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over (#6) Gonzaga, (#8) Duke, (#24) Ohio State, and Michigan State, and one bizarre loss to Rutgers.  They have a couple noteworthy players (Fletcher Loyer and Zach Edey) and a lot of height: a 6’10” guy, a 7’2” guy, and Edey, who is 7’4”.  Edey is the biggest problem (literally), since he’s 3 inches taller than Dickinson, but Loyer (younger brother of Foster Loyer, who was at Michigan State for a couple seasons) is a great outside shooter.  It’s a lethal combination, and Michigan will have to play their “A+” game to stand a chance of pulling off the upset in this one.

Penn State is currently 13-6 (4-4 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over (#17) Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, and unimpressive losses to Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Wisconsin.  Michigan played PSU pretty recently (01/04/2023), and beat them by 10 points (79-69) in Crisler Arena.  That was a close game, and it’ll be even tougher on the road.

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 Thursday (01/12/2023), they lost at Iowa 93-84 (overtime), then on Sunday (01/15/2023), they beat Northwestern 85-78 in Crisler Arena.  The loss and the win leave Michigan with a record of 10-7 (4-2 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

The last couple weeks Michigan has been holding even, winning two games at home and losing two games on the road.  It’s a shame that they lost the Iowa game, since they had a decent lead with not much time left in regulation, but they played pretty poorly down the stretch, and were flat in overtime.  It would have been great to steal a win on the road in the Big Ten, but Michigan just couldn’t seal the deal.  They looked like they were fixing to give away the home Northwestern game, but they woke up and played solid ball in the closing minutes, avoiding the upset.  Still, Michigan needs to do better than just holding even.  They need to string together a few wins, and beat a ranked team or two.

Game Flow

The Iowa game was close and competitive the whole way, although Michigan led for most of the game.  In the first half, Michigan was either tied or ahead except for:

• 26 seconds from the 13:50 mark to the 13:24 mark, when Iowa led by 1 point (14-13)
• 29 seconds from the 13:07 mark to the 12:38 mark, when Iowa led by 1 point (16-15)
• 30 seconds from the 2:37 mark to the 2:07 mark, when Iowa led by 1 point (40-39)

Other than that, Michigan led by 3-5 points most of the time, including a 3-point lead at halftime, 43-40.  The second half was more of the same, with Michigan either tied or leading the whole way, except for:

• 20 seconds from the 14:44 mark to the 14:24 mark, when Iowa led by 1 point (53-52)

Michigan pushed the lead as high as 10 points (65-55) with 10:56 to go, and still led by 7 points (77-70) with 2:18 left.  UM was up 4 points (79-75) with 29 seconds left, but they allowed a 4-point play by Iowa with 20 seconds left, and couldn’t score in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime.  They immediately fell behind in overtime, and never stood a chance.

I don’t often second guess Coach Howard, but with 20 seconds left in regulation and a 4-point lead, I would have intentionally fouled someone who wasn’t shooting, giving Iowa a maximum of 2 points.  Letting them get off a 3-pointer was bad enough, but fouling the shooter is inexcusable.  Of course, looking at the replay, it was a very questionable foul call, but still.  An intentional foul was the smart play.  Sigh.

Michigan led for most of the 1^st half against Northwestern, by as many as 12 points (20-8 with 10:11 to go), but they went cold, and NU snuck back into the game.  It was all tied up (29-29) with 3:49 left, when NU went ahead.  Northwestern led by as many as 6 points (39-33 at the 1:15 mark), and by 2 points at halftime, 39-37.  The lead seesawed back and forth in the first 10 minutes of the 2^nd half, and NU was up by 1 point (59-58) with 10:17 to go.  That’s when Michigan finally got organized, and went up by 9 points, 68-59, at the 6:56 mark.  They kept the lead in the 5-7 range for the rest of the game, winning by 7 points.  It was a nice, solid win against a dangerous Northwestern team.

Stats

The game stats for the Iowa game were surprisingly good.  Michigan shot well overall (33-for-67 = 49.3%), they shot 3-pointers very well (14-for-31 = 45.2%), and they shot free throws acceptably, just not very often (4-for-6 = 66.7%).  They lost the rebounding battle (40-37) and the turnover battle (13-6).  They lost this game with silly turnovers and fouls.  Iowa was 17-for-22 from the free throw line.

The game stats for the Northwestern game were also good.  Michigan shot very well overall (29-for-56 = 51.8%), they shot 3-pointers very well (10-for-22 = 45.5%), and they shot free throws pretty well (17-for-24 = 70.8%).  They won the rebounding battle handily (41-29), but lost the turnover battle badly (18-8).  They won this game with hot shooting and solid rebounding.  They almost lost it with all those turnovers and poor hustle.  NU seemed to get all the 50-50 balls.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

What a week for Jett Howard!  He was on fire in the Iowa game, with 34 points (a career high) on decent shooting (12-for-22 overall, 7-for-13 from deep).  It’s a real shame that such a brilliant performance was wasted in a loss.  He also had 16 points vs. Northwestern.

Dickinson wasn’t much of a force offensively in either game, although he did hit double figures in both games: 12 and 10 points.  His bigger contribution this week was rebounding: 13 and 15, for a pair of double-doubles.

The most pleasant surprise this week was the emergence of McDaniel on the offensive end.  He has done a nice job running the point, but there were many games when he seemed scared or reluctant to shoot when he was open.  Not this week: he scored 12 points at Iowa (a career high), then topped it vs. Northwestern with 17 points.  He also had 7 and 5 assists, against only 1 and 3 turnovers.

Bufkin only hit double figures in one game, but he was the leading scorer, with 20 points vs. Northwestern.  He had 9 points at Iowa.  He was very efficient vs. Northwestern: 9-for-11 overall, 2-for-3 from 3-point range.

Tarris Reed, Jr. has become a key defensive player.  He has drawn the toughest assignments, and done a nice job.  Coach Howard has played both Reed and Dickinson at the same time for several stretches lately, and it’s worked out pretty well.  Reed doesn’t always score many points (2 and 6 this week), but he plays solid defense and grabs some rebounds.  He’s getting better every game.

Joey Baker chipped in 3 and 7 points this week, including a couple timely 3-pointers.

Will Tschetter is getting to play more, and he’s delivering.  He plays good, solid defense, and he even chips in some points: 7 and 4.  The only downside?  He gets out of control occasionally with cheap fouls.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Williams plays decent defense, and gets the occasional rebound, but he is next to worthless offensively.  He only had 5 points in each game.  Michigan needs more scoring from him.

Who Else Played?

Jace Howard played in the Northwestern game, 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?

Once again, Michigan just held even this week.  They were expected to lose at Iowa and beat Northwestern, and that’s what they did.  They are still looking for a win against a good, ranked team.

They still look a lot like an NIT team, not an NCAA Tournament team.

Mid-Term Grades

With 17 games down, and at least 15 left to go, it’s time for mid-term grades.

Freshman Eligibility

• Gregg Glenn III (C) – Gregg hasn’t played much (4 games, 11 minutes), and he hasn’t scored much (6 points).  He hasn’t looked very comfortable out there in his limited action.

• Jett Howard (A-) – Jett has started every game, and he’s looked good-to-great out there.  He is 2^nd on the team in scoring average (15.5 points/game), and is 1^st on the team by a lot in made 3-pointers (47).  He’s shooting a nice percentage overall (45.1%) and from deep (40.2%).  He’s fast, he’s strong, and he’s supremely confident.

• Youssef Khayat (C+) – Youssef has played in 6 games, for a total of 31 minutes, and he’s scored 9 points.  He is 3-for-5 shooting 3-pointers.  He plays hard and fast, but not always under control.

• Dug McDaniel (B+) – Dug went from a luxury to a necessity overnight when the main point guard (Jaelin Llewellyn) went down with a season-ending knee injury in Game #8 (see below).  He hadn’t done much up until that point, but since he’s been starting, he’s gotten better every game.  He’s 4^th on the team in scoring average (7.1 points/game), and 1^st on the team in assists (58).  Unfortunately, he’s 2^nd on the team in turnovers (30).  He’s the fastest player on the team, and he’s fearless out there.

• Tarris Reed, Jr. (B) – Tarris has become a defensive specialist who occasionally chips in some points.  He has played in all 17 games, has scored 57 points, and has grabbed 59 rebounds.  He’s another player who is improving every game.

• Jackson Selvala (Inc.) – Jackson was a team manager who walked on as a player.  He is part of the practice squad.  He has played in 3 games for a total of 6 minutes, and he hasn’t scored yet.

• Will Tschetter (B-) – Will was voluntarily redshirted last season, so he has freshman eligibility.  He’s played in 12 games, and scored 32 points.  He plays solid defense when he’s in.

Sophomore Eligibility

• Isaiah Barnes (B-) – Isaiah has played in 11 games, and scored 14 points.  He’s looked pretty good when he’s out there, but he seems to be pretty far down the bench right now.

• Kobe Bufkin (A-) – Kobe has started every game, and is 3^rd on the team in scoring (12.6 points/game).  He acts as point guard when McDaniel isn’t out there, and he’s done a good job.

• Ian Burns (Inc.) – Ian is on the practice squad, and has only played 3 games for 8 minutes, and hasn’t scored yet.

• Cooper Smith (Inc.) – Cooper is on the practice squad, and has only played 2 games for 4 minutes, and hasn’t scored yet.

Junior Eligibility

• Hunter Dickinson (A-) – Hunter is an enigma.  When he gets fired up, he’s the best player on the court, but he seems to just drift through the game much of the time.  Maybe it’s just his “game face”, but he often looks and acts disinterested or bored out there.  Still, he leads the team in scoring (17.8 points/game), shooting percentage (57.2%), rebounding (151), and blocked shots (29).  If only we could get him to play “fired up” more often…

• Jace Howard (C) – Jace has found a role as a defensive specialist.  He’s played in 15 games, but only scored 20 points.  He occasionally tosses in 3-pointer; he’s 4-for-7 from deep this season.

• Terrance Williams II (C-) – Terrance is the weak link on the team this season.  He’s started every game, and he’s a good defender and rebounder, but he’s not helping much on the offensive end: 7.0 points/game.

Senior Eligibility

• Joey Baker (B-) – Joey has played in all 17 games, but he’s only averaging 4.6 points/game.  His role is “3 and D”, and he’s done pretty well shooting 3’s: 2^nd on the team in made 3-pointers (19), shooting 38.3% from deep.

• Jaelin Llewellyn (B-) – Jaelin did pretty well in the 8 games that he played before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.  He averaged 7.0 points/game, and had 22 assists against only 9 turnovers.  It’s a shame about his injury.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Thursday (01/19/2023, 7:00 p.m., ESPN), they play at Maryland, then on Sunday (01/22/2023, 1:00 p.m., BTN), they play Minnesota in Crisler Arena.

Maryland is currently 11-6 (2-4 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over (#16) Illinois and (#24) Ohio State, and unimpressive losses to Wisconsin and Rutgers.  Michigan has already played Maryland this season, beating them soundly in Crisler Arena on New Year’s Day, 81-46.  None of the Maryland players looked very good in that game, but Donta Scott is their best player.  You can expect Maryland to be pretty fired up for this game, since Michigan embarrassed them last time.  It’s always tough to win on the road, and I expect this to be a tough game.

Minnesota is currently 7-8 (1-4 in Big Ten), with an impressive win over Ohio State, and unimpressive losses to DePaul, UNLV, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, and Nebraska.  This is another team that Michigan has already played this season.  Michigan’s lone Big Ten game in early December (12/12/2022) was at Minnesota, and Michigan beat them easily, 90-75.  The final score was deceptive, since Michigan could have won by 25-30 points if they had wanted to.  If Michigan can trounce them on the road, they should be able to handle them at home.

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 (01/04/2023), they beat Penn State 79-69  in Crisler Arena, then on Saturday (01/07/2023), they lost at Michigan State 59-53. 

The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 9-6 (3-1 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

Michigan played a pretty good game against a pretty good PSU team, but they played a pretty poor game against MSU.  If they had played in the MSU game the way they played in the PSU game, they probably would have won.  It’s tough to win on the road, especially in the Big Ten, and it’s even harder in a rivalry game.  That’s why it’s such a shame that Michigan didn’t take advantage of a mediocre game by MSU.

Game Flow

The PSU game was a game of runs.  It was a seesaw affair for the first 4 minutes, with PSU getting their last lead, 8-7, at the 15:49 mark.  At that point, Michigan went on a 13-2 run to go up 20-10 with 12:17 to go in the half.  Note the difference there: 11 points.  That number will show up a lot in the rest of the game flow.  Michigan kept the lead in the 8-10 point range for the rest of the half, pushing it up to 11 points a few times (there’s that number again).  It looked like UM was going to lead by 11 points at halftime, but PSU hit a half-court buzzer-beater to cut it to 8 points, 42-34.  Early in the 2^nd half, Michigan pushed the lead back up to 11 points a couple times, the most significant of which was 47-36 at the 18:51 mark.  Over the next 4 minutes, PSU went on a grinding 11-0 run to tie the game up (47-47) with 15:06 left.  It was very frustrating, watching all the “dry” Michigan possessions in a row.  UM finally woke up, and pushed the lead back up to 11 points (58-47) with 12:57 to go.  In fact, they got the lead as high as 14 points (61-47) at the 11:20 mark.  They still led by 14 points (68-54) with 8:25 to go, when PSU went on another 11-0 run, to cut the lead to 3 points (68-65) at the 4:28 mark.  The Michigan lead was still only 3 points (72-69) with 2:17 left, when Michigan closed out the game with a 7-0 run to win by 10.  It was a good, solid win against a good, solid Big Ten team.

The MSU game was very frustrating.  The game was right there for Michigan to win.  MSU didn’t play very well, but Michigan played even worse.  MSU’s defense didn’t stop Michigan, Michigan stopped themselves.  The first 15 minutes (yes, 15 minutes) were ragged and choppy.  Neither team was shooting well, and the score was tied 14-14 with 5:08 left in the half.  You read that right: each team had 14 points in 15 minutes.  Lots of missed shots and turnovers.  It was ugly.  Unfortunately, MSU finally got on track offensively in the last 5 minutes of the half, and finished the half on a 13-4 run to lead 27-18.  MSU kept it going in the 2^nd half, and kept the lead in the 10-12 point range.  It was still 10 points (47-37) with 6:02 to go when Michigan made their push to get back in the game.  They got as close at 4 points (47-43) at the 3:55 mark, but MSU kept the lead in the 5-7 point range for the rest of the game.  UM did get back within 4 points (57-53) with 13 seconds to go, but that was as close as they could get.  MSU hit a pair of meaningless free throws with 0:00 left to make it a 6-point game.

Stats

The game stats for the PSU game were decent.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (27-for-58 = 46.6%), they shot 3-pointers well (8-for-19 = 42.1%), and they shot free throws decently (17-for-25 = 68.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (37-35) and the turnover battle (3-8).  They won this game with good shooting and very low turnovers.

The game stats for the MSU game were miserable.  Michigan shot very poorly overall (19-for-55 = 34.5%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (3-for-20 = 15.0%), and they shot free throws well (12-for-16 = 75.0%).  They lost the rebounding battle (38-34), but won the turnover battle (10-12).  They lost this game with absolutely terrible 3-point shooting.  3-for-20 is ridiculous, especially since most of the shots were wide open and not contested.  If Michigan had hit anywhere near their season average from 3-point range, they would have won easily.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson was the high scorer for Michigan in both games, with 17 and 18 points.  He shot pretty well (6-for-10 and 8-for-16), he grabbed 6 and 7 rebounds, and he even hit another 3-pointer.

Bufkin also hit double figures in both games, with 14 and 15 points.  He didn’t shoot particularly well: 5-for-12 overall (1-for-4 from deep) vs. PSU, and 4-for-11 (0-for-3 from deep) vs. MSU.

Jett Howard was the third player to hit double figures in both games, with 14 and 10 points.  He was one of the main problems with 3-point shooting vs. MSU.  He was open, and he kept firing away, but he only made 2 shots on 6 attempts.  Michigan needed him to be hot.

McDaniel had one good game (12 points vs. PSU), and one horrible game (0 points vs. MSU).  He’s another player who could have won the MSU game with a decent game, but he was 0-for-4 shooting.

Williams had a decent game vs. PSU (8 points), but a lousy game vs. MSU (3 points).  He was the leading rebounder in the PSU game (9 rebounds), and he got 4 more vs. MSU, but he was worthless offensively in the MSU game.

Tarris Reed, Jr. is getting better and better backing up Dickinson, scoring 5 points in each game.  He is playing with more confidence each game.

Joey Baker had one good game (9 points vs. PSU), and one miserable game (0 points vs. MSU).  He was another key offender in the “bad 3-point shooting vs. MSU” category, going 0-for-3, all good looks.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

No one looked “not-so-good” this week, although several players had weak games in one of the two games.

Who Else Played?

Isaiah Barnes played in both games, but failed to score.

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

Will Tschetter played in the MSU game, and scored 2 points.

Who Didn’t Play?

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?

After getting closer to being a “bubble team” for the Big Dance by beating Maryland last week, Michigan just held even this week.  They were expected to beat PSU and lose to MSU, and that’s what they did.  The win over PSU will help their chances a little, and the loss to MSU will hurt their chances a little, so it’s a “push”.

They still look a lot like an NIT team, not an NCAA Tournament team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games.  On Thursday (01/12/2023, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2), they play at Iowa, then on Sunday (01/15/2023, TBA, BTN), they play Northwestern in Crisler Arena.

Iowa is currently 10-6 (2-3 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over Seton Hall, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, (#15) Indiana, and Rutgers, and unimpressive losses to TCU, Eastern Illinois, Nebraska, and Penn State.  They have one noteworthy player (Kris Murray) and some height (a 6’10” guy and a 6’11” guy).  This is another team that Michigan needs to be able to beat if they want to go to the NCAA Tournament.  Michigan has always had a tough time in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, so this will be a challenging game.  Michigan can win if they play like they did vs. Maryland and PSU, but not if they play like they did vs. MSU.

Northwestern is currently 12-3 (3-1 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over (#20) Michigan State, Illinois, and (#15) Indiana, and unimpressive losses to Pittsburgh and Ohio State.  They have a couple noteworthy players (Boo Buie and Chase Audige), and some height (a 6’10” guy and a 7-footer).  Northwestern is MUCH better than predicted for this season, with three impressive wins in the Big Ten.  This game looked like a pretty sure win when the preseason predictions came out, but now it looks quite challenging.  Michigan needs to play their “A” game to win this one.

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

Go Blue!