Category: Basketball

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Saturday (12/17/2022), they beat Lipscomb 83-75 in Crisler Arena.  The win raises Michigan’s record to 7-3 (1-0 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

This was a game that Michigan was expected to win, and they won it.  That’s the good news.  The not-so-good news is that Michigan didn’t look very good winning it.  It turns out that Lipscomb was better than expected, and they played a good game while Michigan was playing a less-than-inspired game.  That made the contest a lot closer than expected, closer than the final score would indicate.  Still, Michigan took care of business in the end.

Game Flow

The first 7 minutes were back-and-forth, with Michigan going ahead 18-17 at the 13:21 mark.  They pushed their lead to as high as 13 points (34-21) with 6:32 to go in the half, then they let Lipscomb get as close as 7 points (46-39) with 1:04 left.  Michigan led by 8 points (49-41) at halftime, but they let Lipscomb get within 5 points (49-44) early in the 2^nd half.  Michigan pushed the lead up to 12 points (56-44) with 16:38 to go, and it looked like they would cruise to a comfortable victory.  Wrong.  Lipscomb kept chipping away at Michigan’s lead, and finally got back on top, 63-62, at the 8:17 mark.  For the next 4 minutes, the teams traded baskets, and the game was close.  With 4:27 left, Lipscomb had a 4-point lead (73-69), and things looked gloomy for Michigan.  That’s when Michigan finally woke up and ended the game on a 14-2 run to win by 8.  It was discouraging to see Michigan play so poorly for most of the 2^nd half, but encouraging to see them play so well in “crunch time”.

Stats

The game stats were mediocre.  Michigan shot well overall (31-for-62 = 50.0%), they shot 3-pointers decently (7-for-19 = 36.8%), and they shot free throws poorly (14-for-23 = 60.9%).  They won the rebounding battle (38-36) and the turnover battle (10-12).  They won this game with overall shooting.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

Bufkin was the hero of this game, with a career-high 22 points, on brilliant shooting: 8-for-9 overall, 4-for-5 from deep.  He stepped up and carried the team on his back when they were drifting aimlessly on offense.

Jett Howard also had a good game, scoring 19 points, along with 4 assists.  He shot pretty well: 8-for-16 overall, but only 1-for-6 from 3-point range.

Dickinson wasn’t as effective as usual, scoring only 15 points.  He shot well though: 6-for-9 overall, 1-for-1 from deep.  He also grabbed 7 rebounds.

Williams chipped in 11 points, along with 6 rebounds.  The best part: 0 turnovers and 0 fouls.

McDaniel played well in only his 2^nd start, scoring 7 points.  He didn’t shoot very well (2-for-8 overall, 0-for-1 from deep), but he was the leading rebounder with 8 boards.  He also had 3 assists against only 1 turnover.  Not bad for a true freshman point guard.  He may have only scored 7 points, but they were all in the last 3:32, when Michigan needed them the most.

Tarris Reed, Jr. did pretty well backing up Dickinson, with 4 points on 2-for-2 shooting, and 4 rebounds.  On the downside, he was 0-for-5 from the free throw line.  Oops.

Jace Howard scored 3 points, on his only 3-point attempt.  As usual, he played rock-solid defense.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Joey Baker didn’t do much, scoring 2 points (on 1-for-4 shooting) in 12 minutes.

Who Else Played?

Isaiah Barnes played 5 minutes, and failed to score.

Youssef Khayat played 5 minutes, and failed to score.

Who Didn’t Play?

Gregg Glenn III  and Will Tschetter were the scholarship players who didn’t play.

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

What Does It Mean?

This was a game that Michigan was expected to win, and they did.  It sure doesn’t help their post-season resume much.  They still haven’t proven that they can beat a ranked team, which they will need to do several times to get to the Big Dance.  At this point, they still look a lot like an NIT team, not an NCAA Tournament team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays just one game.  On Wednesday (12/21/2022, 7:00 p.m., ESPN), they play North Carolina in Charlotte, NC.  Technically, this is a “neutral site” game, but Charlotte is a lot closer to Chapel Hill (137 miles) than Ann Arbor (611 miles).  You can be sure that it will feel like a road game.

North Carolina is currently 8-4 (1-1 in ACC).  They started the season ranked #1, and they won their first 5 games against lesser opponents.  Then they lost 4 in a row, 3 of them by 8 points or more, and they dropped out of the Top 25.  Their only impressive win was against (#23) Ohio State, and their losses were to Iowa State, (#18) Alabama, (#10) Indiana, and Virginia Tech.  They have several noteworthy players, especially Armando Bacat, but also including RJ Davis, Caleb Love, and Pete Nance (transfer from Northwestern).  Bacat and Nance are both 6’11”, and UNC has a couple 6’10” players as well.  Bacat will be quite a challenge for Dickinson.  This is a game that Michigan can win, but only if they play their best game so far this season.  They played well enough to almost beat Virginia and Kentucky, and they’ll need to play that well, and a little better, to beat UNC on an almost-home floor.

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

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Thursday (12/08/2022), they beat Minnesota 90-75 in Minneapolis.  The win raises Michigan’s record to 6-3 (1-0 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

On the one hand, any Big Ten win is a good win, especially on the road.  On the other hand, Minnesota isn’t very good, so we shouldn’t get too excited.  It was encouraging to see Michigan handle Minnesota so easily, and it was nice to see so many Michigan players get in the game and score.

Game Flow

No “slow start” in this one.  Michigan came out firing, and hit their first five 3-pointers in a row.  Just like that, Michigan was up 24-9 at the 12:36 mark, and they never looked back.  They got up by as many as 24 points in the 1^st half (37-13 with 7:42 to go in the half), and led by 16 (47-31) at the half.  They got the lead up around 20 points early in the 2^nd half, and kept it there until the 10:18 mark, when they started to pull further ahead.  They got the lead as high as 32 points (81-49) with 8:24 to go, then they took their foot off the gas, emptied the bench, and coasted to a 15-point win.

Stats

The game stats were pretty good.  Michigan shot well overall (33-for-63 = 52.4%), they shot 3-pointers very well (10-for-18 = 55.6%), and they shot free throws decently (14-for-22 = 63.6%).  They lost the rebounding battle (36-33), but they won the turnover battle (9-16).  They won this game with hot shooting.

Who Started?

The starters were Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, Dug McDaniel, and Terrance Williams II.  McDaniel started in place of Jaelin Llewellyn, who injured his knee in the Kentucky game in London last week.  Llewellyn needs surgery on his knee, and he is done for the season.  This is a real shame for Jaelin, and a significant loss for the team.  McDaniel is the only pure point guard left on the team, although a couple other guards can back him up.

Who Looked Good?

As usual, Dickinson was the leading scorer, with 19 points.  He even hit his only 3-point attempt.

McDaniel was the real star of this game, in his first start.  He had 15 points on fabulous shooting: 5-for-6 overall, 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.  He also had 3 steals, and 7 assists against only 2 turnovers.  He ran the offense very well, and he had a great all-around game.  If he can keep up this level of play, the team might survive the loss of their original starting point guard.

Bufkin also had 15 points, and he also shot very well: 7-for-11 overall, 1-for-1 from deep.  He had 3 steals, and 4 assists against only 1 turnover.  He played some point guard when McDaniel was resting, and he did a nice job.

Jett Howard was the only other Michigan player to hit double figures, with 14 points.  He didn’t shoot particularly well: 4-for-9 overall, 2-for-5 from deep, and 4-for-7 from the free throw line.

Williams only scored 4 points, on lousy shooting (2-for-7), but he was the leading rebounder with 8.

Tarris Reed, Jr. did pretty well backing up Dickinson, with 6 points on 3-for-6 shooting, and 6 rebounds.

Will Tschetter finally got to play a decent amount of time (12 minutes), and he made the most of the opportunity, scoring 6 points on 2-for-4 shooting, 1-for-3 from deep.

Youssef Khayat had his best game so far, scoring 6 points on 2-for-3 shooting, all from 3-point range.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Joey Baker didn’t do much, scoring 3 points (all free throws) in 14 minutes.

Jace Howard played for 7 minutes, and scored 2 points.

Who Else Played?

Isaiah Barnes only played 3 minutes, and failed to score.

Ian Burns only played 3 minutes, and failed to score.

Gregg Glenn III only played 3 minutes, and failed to score.

Jackson Selvala only played 2 minutes, and failed to score.

Who Didn’t Play?

Cooper Smith was the only player who didn’t get into the game.

What Does It Mean?

It’s great that Michigan started the Big Ten portion of their season with a solid win, but we have to keep in mind that Minnesota will probably finish 13^th or 14^th in the league this year.  Still, the win has got to be good for Michigan’s confidence, especially for the younger players who finally got to play a little more.

Looking at the big picture, Michigan is still looking for a signature win to point to in March.  They only have 3 non-conference games left before the main part of the Big Ten schedule starts up, and they still have lots to work on.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays just one game.  On Saturday (12/17/2022, 4:00 p.m., B1G+), they play Lipscomb in Crisler Arena.

Lipscomb is currently 6-4, with no noteworthy wins or losses.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have a couple 6’10” players.  This is a team that Michigan should handle pretty easily, but they’ll have to stay focused.

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 Tuesday (11/29/2022), they lost to (#3) Virginia 70-68 in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (12/04/2022), they lost to (#19) Kentucky 73-69 in London, England.  The two losses drop Michigan’s record to 5-3.

Incidentally, the UVa game was part of the final ACC/Big Ten Challenge.  Since the Big Ten is parting ways with ESPN after this season, ESPN decided to cancel future ACC/Big Ten Challenges.  It’s a shame; it was a good series.

What Happened?

Michigan hung in there with the big boys, even if they didn’t get either win.  In the UVa game, Michigan was actually up by one point (66-65) with 1:42 left in the game, with the ball.  In the UK game, UM was within 2 points (68-66) with 1:40 left in the game.  Michigan could have won either of those games.  Michigan just has to play tougher in the clutch, but they did hang in there for most of both games.

Game Flow

Michigan had yet another slow start in the UVa game.  UVa led for the first 7:14, by as many as 7 points, but UM finally got ahead 15-13 at the 12:46 mark.  They led for the rest of the half, usually by 4-6 points, but they had a flurry in the last 44 seconds to lead by 11 at halftime, 45-34.  They were still up by 11 points (48-37) with 18:40 to go, when UVa started their slow, methodical comeback.  They cut the UM lead down to the 3-5 point range, and got within 1-2 points a couple times, but UM still led.  They finally tied the game up (58-58) with 8:09 left, and led for most of the rest of the game.  Michigan tied it up a couple times, and actually had the one-point lead mentioned above, but UVa played better in the last 100 seconds and won.  It was a shame, because Michigan played well enough to win, but just made a couple dumb mistakes in key situations.

The UK game wasn’t as close as the UVa game.  Michigan led for a decent portion of the 1^st half, but never by more than 6 points.  The game was all tied up (36-36) with 1:06 left in the half, and UK led by one (37-36) at halftime.  UK pushed their lead up into the 4-6 point range for the first 7 minutes of the 2^nd half, but Michigan fought back, and took the lead (50-49) at the 12:42 mark.  That was the last time they led.  UK went up by 1-3 points, then by 6 points (60-54 with 9:09 to go), and Michigan got within 2 points (60-58 with 7:53 to go), but that was it until they got within 2 points (68-66) with 1:40 to go.  Once again, Michigan was outplayed in the last 100 seconds, and let a golden opportunity for an upset slip away.

Stats

The game stats for the UVa game were surprisingly good.  Michigan shot well overall (26-for-49 = 53.1%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (8-for-19 = 42.1%), and they shot free throws very well (8-for-10 = 80.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (29-25), but lost the turnover battle (12-7).  They lost this game because of turnovers, especially in key situations.

The game stats for the UK game aren’t quite as good.  Michigan shot pretty poorly overall (25-for-64 = 39.1%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (8-for-20 = 40.0%), and they shot free throws pretty poorly (11-for-17 = 64.7%).  They lost the rebounding battle badly (46-33), but they won the turnover battle handily (7-14).  They lost this game with mediocre shooting and poor 3-point defense (UK shot 9-for-15 from 3-point range).

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson was the leading scorer in both games, with 23 points each game.  He also had 7 and 9 rebounds and 5 and 3 blocked shots.  On the downside, he didn’t shoot particularly well: 9-for-17 vs. UVa and 10-for-22 vs. UK.  He could have scored a lot more points if he would just DUNK THE $^%& BALL!  In all the games this season he has passed up several dunk opportunities for short (2-3 foot) jumpers, which he hasn’t hit consistently.  He often plays like he’s bored or disinterested.  Maybe it’s just a good “game face”, but when he drives and dunks, he fires up the Michigan crowd and his teammates.

Jett Howard hit double figures in both games, with 15 and 16 points.  He also didn’t shoot particularly well: 6-for-11 vs. UVa and 5-for-12 vs. UK.

Bufkin was the only other Wolverine to hit double figures this week, with 11 points each game.  He also didn’t shoot particularly well: 4-for-8 vs. UVa and 3-for-10 vs. UK.

Williams didn’t hit double figures in either game, with 8 and 3 points, but he did grab some key rebounds, with 4 and 7.

Llewellyn chipped in some offense (6 and 4 points) and ran the offense pretty well.

Isaiah Barnes didn’t play in the UVa game, but he provided instant offense in the UK game, with 6 points on 2-for-2 shooting (both 3-pointers).

Dug McDaniel continues to improve.  He didn’t do much vs. UVa (0 points), but he had 5 points vs. UK.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

No one looked not-so-good.

Who Else Played?

Joey Baker didn’t do much, scoring 3 and 0 points.

Jace Howard played in both games, but didn’t score.

Tarris Reed, Jr. didn’t do much, scoring 2 and 1 points.

Will Tschetter played in the UK game, but failed to score.

Who Didn’t Play?

Gregg Glenn III and Youssef Khayat were the scholarship players who didn’t play in either game.

Ian Burns, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith were the practice squad players who didn’t play in either game.

What Does It Mean?

While it was encouraging that Michigan managed to hang with the big boys this week, they need to find a way to start winning those kind of games.  They still have one more non-conference game against a ranked team (North Carolina), and many of the teams in the Big Ten will be as tough to beat as Virginia and Kentucky.  If Michigan wants to go to the Big Dance, they’ll need to figure out how to win the last 100 seconds of a close game against a good team.

At this point, UM is looking a lot like an NIT team, not an NCAA team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays just one game.  On Thursday (12/08/2022, 9:00 p.m. EST, BTN) they play at Minnesota.

Minnesota is currently 4-4 (0-1 in Big Ten).  They have no impressive wins, and unimpressive losses to DePaul, UNLV, and Virginia Tech.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: 6’10”, 6’11”, and a 7-footer.  Minnesota is picked for near the bottom of the Big Ten this season, and if Michigan can’t beat them, even in Williams Arena (The Barn), they are looking at a very gloomy year.

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

Go Blue!

How about that UM football team?  Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Wednesday (11/23/2022), they beat Jackson State 78-68 in Crisler Arena.  The win raises Michigan’s record to 5-1.

What Happened?

Is Michigan any good this season?  It’s still a mystery.  On the one hand, they looked good against Purdue-Fort Wayne and Pittsburgh, but on the other hand, they looked terrible against Arizona State, and mediocre against Eastern Michigan, Ohio, and Jackson State.  Other than the Arizona State game, Michigan has had stretches of good and lousy play in every game.  They appear to have enough talent to beat good teams, but they sure haven’t developed much chemistry yet.

Game Flow

The JSU game was yet another slow start for Michigan.  JSU led for much of the 1^st half, but only by 2-4 points.  Michigan would occasionally take a 2-4 point lead, then JSU would take the lead back.  It was all tied up (22-22) with 6:08 left in the half, when Michigan finally went ahead for good.  They finished the half on a 15-5 run, and led 37-27 at halftime.  In the 2^nd half, Michigan slowly began to pull away, pushing their lead up to 19 points (60-41) at the 9:59 mark.  It was still 17 points (72-55) with only 2:21 to go, when Michigan fell asleep and JSU caught fire.  They got as close as 6 points (74-68) with 22 seconds left, but UM made their free throws and escaped with the 10-point win.  It shouldn’t have been that close.

Stats

The game stats were OK, but not great.  Michigan shot poorly overall (25-for-59 = 42.4%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (12-for-30 = 40.0%), and they shot free throws very well (16-for-19 = 84.2%).  They lost the rebounding battle (44-38), and tied the turnover battle (11-11).  The most interesting stat is one I don’t usually mention, but this was significant: Michigan blocked 13 shots, including 4 by Hunter Dickinson, and 3 each by Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard.  Michigan won this game because of those blocked shots, along with great free throw shooting and good 3-point shooting.

Who Started?

The starters were Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, Jaelin Llewellyn, and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

Jett Howard was the leading scorer for Michigan, with 19 points.  He shot pretty well: 6-for-10 overall, 4-7 from 3-point range.

Williams hit double figures, with 11 points.  He didn’t shoot as well as Howard: 4-for-11 overall, 1-for-3 from deep.

Bufkin was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 10 points, on decent shooting: 3-for-7 overall, 2-for-5 from deep.

Dickinson didn’t quite hit double figures (9 points), but he did have 12 rebounds.

Llewellyn also just missed double figures (9 points), but he hit several important free throws in the last 2 minutes.  In fact, his points came from one 3-pointer (on 5 attempts, yuck) and 6 free throws (on 6 attempts, yay).

Dug McDaniel had his best game yet, with 9 points on 4-for-8 shooting (1-for-3 from 3-point range).

Joey Baker came out firing, and hit a couple 3-pointers in a row, then missed everything else.  He ended up with 6 points on 2-for-8 shooting (2-for-5 from deep).

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

No one looked not-so-good.

Who Else Played?

Jace Howard scored 3 points on 1-for-1 shooting, a 3-pointer.

Youssef Khayat played for 5 minutes and didn’t record a single statistic.

Tarris Reed, Jr. scored 2 points backing up Dickinson.

Who Didn’t Play?

Isaiah Barnes, Gregg Glenn III, and Will Tschetter were the scholarship players who didn’t play.

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

What Does It Mean?

This was a game that Michigan should have won easily, but didn’t.  After a shaky 1^st half, with 10:00 minutes to go in the 2^nd half they led by 19 points and were cruising.  They should have pulled away and emptied the bench, but instead they were in a dogfight.  Is Michigan as good as they looked in building the 19-point lead, or are they as bad as they looked giving it up?

At this point, UM is looking a lot like an NIT team, not an NCAA team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games, and they’re both big ones.  On Tuesday (11/29/2022, 9:30 p.m., ESPN) they play (#5) Virginia in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (12/04/2022, 1:00 p.m. EST, ABC) they play (#15) Kentucky in London, England.  The game against UVa is part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Virginia is 5-0 this season, with impressive wins over (#5) Baylor and (#19) Illinois.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have decent height: a 6’11” player and a 7’1” player.  This will be Michigan’s toughest test to date.  They need to control the pace, and not let UVa run away with it like Arizona State did earlier this month.

Kentucky is 4-2 this season, with no impressive wins, and losses to Michigan State (in double overtime) and (#2) Gonzaga.  They have a couple noteworthy players (CJ Fredrick and Oscar Tshiebwe), but they don’t have much height, just one 6’11” guy.  Kentucky started the season ranked #4, but the two losses have dropped them down a bit.  Still, this is another stiff test for Michigan.  Once again, they need to stay close to Kentucky and hope for good things in the final minutes.  They can’t let them run away with the game.

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

Go Blue!

The (#20) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played three games this past week, and they won two and lost one.  On Wednesday (11/16/2022), they beat Pittsburgh 91-60 in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, NY, on Thursday (11/17/2022), they lost to Arizona State 87-62 in the Legends Classic, then on Sunday (11/20/2022), they beat Ohio 70-66 (overtime) in Crisler Arena.  The two wins and one loss leave Michigan with a record of 4-1.

What Happened?

As good as Michigan looked in the Pittsburgh game, they looked that bad in the ASU and Ohio games.  Arizona State played a nearly flawless game, and could have beaten any team in the nation that night.  Michigan played their worst game in several seasons vs. ASU, and could have lost to any team in the nation that night.  That’s not a good combination.  They followed it up with another lousy game vs. Ohio, but they managed to escape that one with a win.

It sure looks like it’s time to recalibrate my expectations for this team.  A few of the “should win” games now look like “toss up” games, and a few of the “toss up” games look like “should lose” games.  Here are my old and new lists of expectations:

Old Expectations

• Should Win (15) – Purdue-Fort Wayne, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Jackson State, Lipscomb, Central Michigan, Nebraska, Rutgers, Minnesota (twice), Maryland (home), Penn State (twice), Northwestern (twice).
• Should Lose (6) – Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan State (away), Wisconsin (away), Illinois (away), Indiana (away).
• Toss Up (10) – Pittsburgh, Arizona State/VCU, Virginia, Iowa, Maryland (away), Purdue, Ohio State, Indiana (home), Michigan State (home), Wisconsin (home).

If UM can win all 15 of the “Should Win” games, and half (5) of the 10 “Toss Up” games, that would give them a record of 20-11 (12-8 in the Big Ten).  That should be good enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament with a decent seed.  They’ll need to win more like 7 of the 10 “Toss Up” games and 2 of the “Should Lose” games to contend for the Big Ten title.

New Expectations

• Should Win (13) – Purdue-Fort Wayne, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Jackson State, Lipscomb, Central Michigan, Nebraska, Rutgers, Minnesota (home), Penn State (twice), Northwestern (twice).
• Should Lose (10) – Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan State (both), Wisconsin (away), Illinois (away), Indiana (both), Maryland (away).
• Toss Up (8) – Pittsburgh, Arizona State/VCU, Iowa, Minnesota (away), Maryland (home), Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin (home).

If UM can win all 13 of the “Should Win” games, and half (4) of the 8 “Toss Up” games, that would give them a record of 17-14 (10-10 in the Big Ten).  That sounds like an NIT record.

Game Flow

The Pittsburgh game didn’t start out looking very promising.  Pitt jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first 2:28, and held the lead until the 11:17 mark, when UM went ahead 18-17.  Pitt went back on top 19-18, then Michigan went ahead for good 20-19 with 10:33 to go in the half.  They pushed the lead as high at 10 points (38-28) at the 3:19 mark, and led by 6 (38-32) at halftime.  Michigan was hot in the second half, and they quickly pushed the lead up to 11 points (50-39) at the 17:20 mark.  The lead just kept growing, through the 20s and into the 30s, topping out at 32 points.  Coach Howard emptied the bench, and Michigan won by 31 points.  It was a fun, exciting win against a solid ACC team.

The ASU game also started out looking not-very-promising, but unlike the Pitt game, Michigan never got going.  ASU led by 10 (15-5) at the 15:04 mark, then 15 (25-10) at the 11:16 mark.  When the lead got up to 23 points (44-21) with 1:22 to go in the half, the situation was pretty grim.  ASU led by 18 points (46-28) at halftime, and UM managed to get within 15 points (52-37) at the 15:33 mark of the 2^nd half, but that was as close as they got.  ASU pushed their lead up into the 20s and 30s before they emptied their bench, coasting to a 25-point win.  It was an ugly loss for Michigan.

The Ohio game was another slow start for Michigan.  After leading 2-0 and 5-4, Michigan let Ohio go on a quick 9-1 run to lead 13-6 with 14:01 to go.  In those first 6 minutes, UM missed four 3-pointers, missed two 2-point attempts, and turned the ball over twice.  It was an ugly slow start.  Ohio led for almost all of the rest of the 1^st half, until Michigan tied it up 30-30 with 22 seconds to go, and went ahead 33-31 with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.  Michigan held the lead for the first 7:12 of the 2^nd half, leading by 6 points (43-37) at the 14:28 mark.  Michigan let Ohio go on another run, this time 18-5, to go up by 7 points (55-48) at the 8:29 mark.  Ohio led for most of the rest of the game, until Michigan tied it up 61-61 with 1:09 left.  Michigan hit 2 free throws with 2.1 seconds left to go up 63-61, and should have won the game in regulation, but they let Ohio score at the buzzer to send the game to overtime, 63-63.  Michigan finally looked like the better team in overtime, leading the whole way, winning by 4 (70-66).  It was exciting, but Michigan shouldn’t be playing exciting games against MAC teams.

Stats

The game stats for the Pitt game were very nice.  Michigan shot very well overall (35-for-60 = 58.3%), they shot 3-pointers well (9-for-20 = 45.0%), and they shot free throws well enough (12-for-18 = 66.7%).  They won the rebounding battle (36-30) and the turnover battle (6-13).  They won this game with good shooting and solid rebounding.

The game stats for the ASU game were miserable.  Michigan shot very poorly overall (21-for-62 = 33.9%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (4-for-22 = 18.2%), and they shot free throws acceptably (16-for-24 = 66.7%).  They lost the rebounding battle (35-31), but won the turnover battle (8-12).  They lost this game with terrible shooting, combined with “lights out” shooting by ASU: 32-for-53 (60.4%) overall, 11-for-19 (57.9%) from deep.

The game stats for the Ohio game were dreary.  Michigan shot poorly overall (24-for-63 = 38.1%), they shot 3-pointers decently (10-for-32 = 31.3%), and they shot free throws poorly (12-for-20 = 60.0%).  They lost the rebounding battle (49-46) and the turnover battle (11-8).  They (barely) won this game by playing well in overtime.

Who Started?

The starters for all three games were Kobe Bufkin, Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard, Jaelin Llewellyn, and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

Dickinson hit double figures in all 3 games, with 11, 14, and 24 points.  He also had 14 rebounds vs. Ohio, for a nice double-double.  He carried the team in the Ohio game, and played the last 4:22 of regulation and all of the overtime period with 4 fouls.  He also (finally) hit a 3-pointer (2 of them, actually) in the Ohio game after missing his first three 3-point attempts this season.  Even better, one of those 3-pointers was the one that finally put UM ahead at the halftime buzzer.

Jett Howard also hit double figures in all 3 games, with 17, 12, and 13 points.  His 3-point shooting is vital to this team, and he did pretty well this week, shooting 2-for-3, 2-for-7, and 3-for-7, for a total of 7-for-17.

Bufkin hit double figures in one game (14 vs. Pitt), and he came close in the Ohio game, with 9.  He had a lousy game vs. ASU, with 5 points on 1-for-9 shooting.

Llewellyn also hit double figures in one game (10 vs. Ohio), came close in another (8 vs. Pitt), and had a lousy game vs. ASU (5 points on 2-for-6 shooting).  He finally hit a 3-pointer (2 of them, actually) in the Ohio game after missing his first 11 3-point attempts of the season.

Williams had mediocre week, with 7, 4, and 9 points.  He hit a couple timely 3-pointers in the Ohio game.  He also had 8 rebounds in that game, including 3 offensive boards.

Joey Baker was the only other Michigan player to hit double figures in at least one game, with 14 points vs. Pitt, on 5-for-6 shooting (4-for-5 from deep).  He was less successful in the other 2 games, with 2 and 0 points.

Dug McDaniel is getting better with each game.  He didn’t hit double figures in any of the games, but he’s scoring more, getting more assists, and turning the ball over less.  He had 8, 7, and 2 points, and he had 8 assists vs. Pitt.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

No one looked not-so-good.  Everyone had some bad moments, especially in the ASU game, but everyone had some good moments as well.

Who Else Played?

Isaiah Barnes scored 3, 0, and 0 points.

Gregg Glenn III played for 4 minutes in the ASU game, and scored 2 points.

Jace Howard scored 3 points (1-for-1 shooting 3-pointers) vs. Pitt, 1 point vs. ASU, and didn’t play in the Ohio game.

Youssef Khayat finally got to play this week, which means that he’s not being redshirted.  He played in the Pitt game (0 points) and the ASU game (3 points, on 1-for-1 shooting from 3-point range).  He didn’t play in the Ohio game.

Tarris Reed, Jr. scored 4, 5, and 0 points backing up Dickinson.

Will Tschetter scored 2, 2, and 3 points.  He played for 8 minutes in the Ohio game when the game was in doubt (which was the whole game).  He played ferocious defense.

Who Didn’t Play?

Ian Burns, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith didn’t play in any of the games this week.

What Does It Mean?

Well, Michigan proved they aren’t unbeatable.  They proved it in a big way.  They also proved that they can steamroll a Power-5 opponent.  Now they know what they need to work on (3-point shooting, free throws, turnovers, and perimeter defense).  This one loss and one close game against an overmatched opponent don’t ruin the season, but they sure were disheartening.  Michigan needs to put those games behind them and move on to better times.  They have the talent to play much better, they just don’t have the chemistry yet.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Wednesday (11/23/2022, 8:30 p.m., BTN) they play Jackson State in Crisler Arena.

Jackson State was 11-19 (9-9 in the SWAC) last season, and they’re 0-3 so far this season.  Last season, they didn’t have any noteworthy wins or losses, and they lost in the 1^st round of their conference tournament and didn’t play in a post-season tournament.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they only have one tall guy, a 6’11” center.  This is the kind of game that Michigan should win easily, and should use to get some things figured out.

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

Go Blue!