Category: Basketball

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

What Happened?

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

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

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

Stats

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

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

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

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

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

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

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

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

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

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

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

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

Who Else Played?

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

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

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

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

Who Didn’t Play?

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

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

What Does It Mean?

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

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

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

What’s Next?

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

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

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

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

Go Blue!

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

What Happened?

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

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

Stats

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

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

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

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

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

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

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

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

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

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

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

Who Else Played?

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

Who Didn’t Play?

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

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

What Does It Mean?

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

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

What’s Next?

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

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

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

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

Go Blue!

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

What Happened?

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

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

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

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

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

Stats

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

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

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

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

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

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

Who Else Played?

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

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

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

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

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

Who Didn’t Play?

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

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

What Does It Mean?

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

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

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

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

What’s Next?

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

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

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

Go Blue!

The (#6) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won them both.  On Wednesday (11/10/2021), they beat Buffalo 88-76 in Crisler Arena, then on Saturday (11/13/2021), they beat Prairie View A&M 77-49 in Washington, DC.  The two wins start Michigan off with a record of 2-0.

What Happened?

Michigan was expected to win both of these games, and they did.  In fact, they started strong in both games, and never trailed in either game.  In the Buffalo game, Michigan opened up a double-digit lead (19-9) at the 14:07 mark, and kept the lead in the 10-13 point range for the next few minutes.  They finally started to pull further away at the 8:48 mark (33-19), and got the lead up to 20 points (39-19) with 6:22 left in the half.  The lead was still 20 points (51-31) with 0:53 left in the half, when Buffalo scored the last 5 points of the half to cut the halftime lead to 15 points, 51-36.  The second half did not start well, and Buffalo crept to within 7 points (56-49) with 15:41 left in the game.  Michigan pushed the lead back up to 13 points (64-51) with 13:38 to go, but Buffalo hung around, getting to within 5 points (72-67) at the 6:00 mark.  Fortunately, that was as close as they got.  Michigan closed out the game with a 16-9 run, to win by 12 points, 88-76.

This was a chippy, choppy game.  The refs were “whistle-happy”, and called 46 fouls in 40 minutes of play, 23 against each team.   Because of all the whistles, there was no flow to the game.  There were several scuffles, which resulted in 6 technical fouls called, 3 on each team.  It was not a thing of beauty, but it was a solid win.

The PVAMU game was much smoother.  Once again, Michigan opened up a double-digit lead pretty quickly: 19-7 with 13:19 to go in the 1^st half.  Once again, they built the lead up to almost 20 points: 28-9 with 8:57 left.  They got the lead as high as 26 points (42-16) at the 3:30 mark, then let PVAMU score the last 7 points of the half, to make it a 19-point lead (42-23) at halftime.  PVAMU scored first in the 2^nd half, to get within 16 points (42-26), and that was it for them.  UM went on a 9-0 run to push the lead back up to 25 points (51-26) with 16:05 to go, and never let the lead get under 22 points the rest of the way.  Coach Howard put in some subs in the final minutes, and Michigan coasted to the victory.

Stats

The game stats for the Buffalo game were pretty good, with one exception.  Michigan shot well overall (32-for-59 = 54.2%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (6-for-15 = 40.0%), but they shot free throws poorly (18-for-30 = 60.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (39-37), but they lost the turnover battle (10-9).  They won this game with good overall shooting, but they almost lost it with poor free throw shooting.

The game stats for the PVAMU game were actually worse than the Buffalo stats.  Michigan shot decently overall (25-for-55 = 45.5%), they shot 3-pointers decently (10-for-29 = 34.5%), and they shot free throws horribly (17-for-32 = 53.1%).  They crushed PVAMU on the boards (52-32), but lost the turnover battle again (20-16).  They won this game with defense, holding PVAMU to 27.0% shooting (17-for-63).  Once again, terrible free throw shooting hurt them.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson was the star this week, with a team-high 27 points vs. Buffalo, and 11 points vs. PVAMU.  He also had 10 rebounds in the PVAMU game, for his first double-double of the season.  Even better, he hit the first 3-pointer of his Michigan career in the PVAMU game, after going 0-for-4 from deep last season.

Brooks hit double figures in both games, with 11 points vs. Buffalo, and a team-high 15 points vs. PVAMU.  So far, he’s shooting a nice percentage from 3-point range: 1-for-2 vs. Buffalo, and 3-for-5 vs. PVAMU, for a combined 4-for-7.

Houstan also hit double figures in both games, with 11 and 13, respectively.  He isn’t shooting a great percentage from 3-point range (2-for-4 and 3-for-8 = 5-for-12), but his five 3-pointers lead the team.

Jones hit double figures in the PVAMU game (10 points), but only had 7 points vs. Buffalo.  He did a nice job running the offense, with 5 assists (and only 1 turnover) in each game.

Terrance Williams II was the only sub to hit double figures, with 15 points vs. Buffalo.  He had 8 points vs. PVAMU.  He also snagged 7 and 5 rebounds.  He’s shooting a nice percentage from 3-point range (2-for-3 and 1-for-3 = 3-for-6).  He definitely brings energy to the team when he’s out there, but he’s also still kind of a loose cannon, playing just a little too fast and out of control sometimes.

Moussa Diabate didn’t hit double figures in either game (7 and 6 points), but he did bring lots of energy to the team when he was out there.  He is easily the most athletic player on the team, and his 7’6” wingspan really helps on defense.  He had 5 and 8 rebounds this week.

Kobe Bufkin played in both games, scoring 0 and 8 points.  He only played 4 minutes against Buffalo, but he played 17 minutes in the PVAMU game.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Johns hasn’t had a good game yet.  He played 23 minutes vs. Buffalo and 22 minutes vs. PVAMU, and only scored 5 and 2 points.  He did grab 6 rebounds vs. PVAMU, but the rest of his game has been lacking.

Who Else Played?

Adrien Nuñez played in both games, for 8 and 5 minutes, respectively.  He scored 5 and 1 points.

Frankie Collins returned to action from his injury, and played in both games.  He played 7 and 6 minutes, and scored 0 and 1 points.

Jaron Faulds played for 3 minutes in the PVAMU game, and scored 2 points.

Jace Howard played for 6 minutes in the PVAMU game, but missed all 3 of his shots, all 3-point attempts.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Zeb Jackson, and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play in either game.  Jackson has an unspecified illness.  I don’t know why Barnes and Tschetter didn’t get in

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

What Does It Mean?

Buffalo is a good team, picked to win the MAC this season, with a couple pretty big, pretty good big men.  They were a good warm-up for Michigan.  PVAMU was overmatched, so we can’t learn much from dismantling them.

One thing we learned for sure is that Michigan needs to work on their free throws.  Their poor free throw shooting didn’t hurt them much in the PVAMU game, since they had such a big lead, but they almost lost the Buffalo game due to bad free throw shooting, and they could easily lose a game or two in the Big Ten due to that.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays three games.  On Tuesday (11/16/2021, 9:00 p.m., FS1) they play Seton Hall in Crisler Arena, then on late Friday night/early Saturday morning (11/20/2021, 12:30 a.m. EST, ESPN) they play UNLV in Las Vegas, NV, and finally on Sunday (11/21/2021, 9:30 p.m./12:00 a.m. EST, ESPN/ESPN2) they play either Arizona or Wichita State in Las Vegas, NV.

Seton Hall was 14-13 last season, 10-9 in the Big East.  They lost all their games against ranked opponents, they lost in the 2^nd round of their conference tournament, and they didn’t play in any post-season tournaments.  They are picked to finish 5^th in the Big East this season.  They picked up Bryce  Aiken from Harvard in the transfer portal.  He was one of the players Michigan was interested in before last season.  Other than that, they don’t have any noteworthy players.  They have as much height as Michigan (a 7’2” center, and a couple 6’10” forwards), so Dickinson and Diabate could have their hands full.

This game is part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, essentially the Big East/Big Ten Challenge.  Michigan has a special history with Seton Hall, since Michigan beat Seton Hall 80-79 in overtime to win their first National Championship on 04/03/1989 in Seattle, WA.  The two teams have met only one other time, the next season, when UM beat SHU again, this time 91-86 on 12/23/1989 in Las Vegas, NV.  It should be a very intense game.

UNLV was 12-15 last season, 8-10 in the Mountain West.  They didn’t play any ranked teams, they lost in the 2^nd round of their conference tournament, and they didn’t play in any post-season tournaments.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height (a 7’1” center and a 6’10” forward).  This is a game that Michigan should win handily.

This game is part of the Roman Main Event holiday tournament, held in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.  After not going to a holiday tournament last season, it’s nice that Michigan is going to one this season.

The other two teams in the Roman Main Event are Arizona and Wichita State.  They are both teams with a rich basketball heritage.  As recently as 2017, Arizona was a Sweet Sixteen team, and Wichita State was a Sweet Sixteen team in 2015.  In fact, Wichita State was in Atlanta in 2013 for the Final Four, along with Michigan, Syracuse, and Louisville.

Arizona was 17-9 last season, 11-9 in the Pac-12.  Their only win over a ranked opponent was against USC.  Due to a self-imposed ban on post-season play, they didn’t play in their conference tournament or any other post-season tournaments.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they have plenty of height: a 6’10” forward, a 6’11” forward, a 7’0” center, and a 7’1” center.  Dickinson and Diabate will be very busy if UM plays them.  Arizona isn’t ranked, but they’re in the “Also Received Votes” list.  This could be a very challenging game.

Wichita State was 16-6 last season, 11-2 in the AAC (American Athletic Conference).  Their only win over a ranked opponent was against Houston.  They were a “First Four” team in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Drake.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have much height (a 6’11” forward).  Michigan would prefer to play them instead of Arizona.

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

Go Blue!