UMGOBLUE.COM Michigan Wolverine Football & Basketball
By Fans…For Fans Since 1999
Phil Callihan and Andy Andersen are joined by UMGoBlue.COM Basketball Editor Drew Montag to discuss team making the Final 4, why we prefer John Beilein to Tom Izzo, and whether Michigan is now officially a basketball school.
Quick Look
The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week as the #3 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, and they won both of them. On Thursday (03/15/2018), they beat the #14 seed, Montana, 61-47, then on Saturday (03/17/2018), they beat the #6 seed, Houston, 64-63. Both games were in Wichita, Kansas. The two wins raise Michigan’s record to 30-7 (13-5 in the Big Ten). More importantly, Michigan now advances to the Sweet 16!
What Happened
Let’s get one thing straight: in the Big Dance, there are no “style points”. It doesn’t matter if you win by one point on a buzzer-beater (more on that to come) or cruise to a 30-point blowout victory, the only thing that matters is “survive and advance”. That said, Michigan played two of their least impressive games of the season last week, but still managed to win them both. They played good defense in both games, but the offense was “out of sync” most of the time. They bricked (and airballed) way too many open 3-point attempts, and they missed difficult-but-makeable layups that they have made all season. If they had played just average games on offense, they would have cruised to a 30-point win over Montana, and not had to rely on a 28-foot buzzer-beater to beat Houston.
By now, I’m sure that everyone reading this has already seen the replay of Jordan Poole‘s incredible 3-pointer to snatch victory from the very jaws of defeat a dozen times, but it’s still almost too amazing to believe. That’s the sort of thing that seems to happen TO Michigan, not FOR Michigan. We have been on the losing end of this script way too many times, it had to be our turn eventually. Was Poole’s shot better than Trey Burke’s buzzer-beater against Kansas in the 2013 NCAA Tournament? I think so. It was certainly more surprising. Burke was the National Player of the Year, and Poole is a lightly-used true freshman. In any case, we’ll never forget Poole or his big shot.
We’d like to forget the Montana game. As the announcers said at the end of it, “burn the tape”. It was a graceless, ugly game. As they have done many times this season, Michigan started out very slowly. With 15:43 left in the 1st half, Montana was up 10-0. Once UM finally got on the board, they played pretty well, and managed to tie the game up 17-17 with 6:40 to go in the half. They tied it again (19-19) at the 5:30 mark, then went ahead for the first time, 22-19 at the 3:59 mark. They got the lead up to 6 points (31-25) with 0:42 left in the half, and led by 3 points (31-28) at halftime. Michigan came out of the locker room with a burst of energy, and pushed the lead up to 14 points (44-30) with 9:53 to go in the game. They kept the lead in the 10-12 point range for the rest of the game, and made their free throws in the closing minutes to win the game. It was an ugly win, but it was a win, and that’s what counts.
The Houston game was almost as ugly as the Montana game. Houston led for most of the game (20:48), while Michigan led for 10:54, and the score was tied for 8:18. There were 17 lead changes, and 12 ties. Neither team ever led by more than 6 points. It was close, and it was a defensive struggle. Once again, it took Michigan a while to get going. Houston led 6-1 with 14:53 to go in the 1st half. Once they got going, Michigan opened up a 6-point lead (17-11) with 10:07 to go, but they couldn’t hold it. Houston tied it up (22-22) with 5:38 to go, then the teams traded baskets, and went to halftime tied 28-28. Houston led for much of the 2nd half, and got their biggest lead (49-43) with 10:52 to go. Michigan tied it up (51-51) at the 5:41 mark with a very rare 5-point play. The teams traded baskets and the lead, and it was still tied up (61-61) with 0:44 left. Houston hit a couple free throws to go up by 2 (63-61) with 0:24 left, but they missed a crucial front-end of a one-and-one with 3.9 seconds left. Michigan got the rebound, called timeout, and set up a desperate last-gasp play with 3.6 seconds left. Isaiah Livers threw a perfect pass to Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman at mid-court. MAAR dribbled a couple times, then found Poole for his now-famous 28-footer for the win as time expired. It was unbelievable. As my friend Tom M. said, and I quote: “Whooooooooooooo-ooooooh !!!!”
The win over Houston was particularly gratifying because of all the pre-game hype about Houston and their point guard, Rob Gray. Now, don’t get me wrong, Gray is a very good player, and he seems like a nice enough guy, but the CBS/TBS pre-game “Tournament Central” and game announcing crew could not stop talking about him. If you listened to the pre-game “analysis”, you would have to wonder why Michigan even bothered showing up. They hardly even mentioned Michigan. It was “Gray this” and “Gray that”. They loved his “man bun”. To listen to them, he was the greatest player ever in college basketball, another Steph Curry and Michael Jordan combined. He played a pretty good game against Michigan (23 points on 22 shots), but every time he touched the ball, the announcers were just giddy speculating about what incredible thing he was going to do next. Every time he made a 3-pointer (he was 4-for-8 from 3-point range), they went wild. What a story! Look at his man bun! Go Houston! Sweet Sixteen! Final Four! National Championship! What a story! It was ridiculous. I’m just glad Michigan won to shut them up.
Stats
The stats for the Montana game are pretty weak. Michigan shot decently overall (21-for-47 = 44.7%), they shot 3-pointers pretty poorly (5-for-16 = 31.3%), and they shot free throws pretty poorly (14-for-22 = 63.6%). They won the rebounding battle (36-33), but they lost the turnover battle (14-12). They won this game with defense, holding Montana to 32.1% shooting, including a 10-minute scoreless stretch in the 2nd half.
The stats for the Houston game are even worse than the Montana stats. Michigan shot very poorly overall (21-for-59 = 35.6%), they shot 3-pointers very poorly (8-for-30 = 26.7%), but they shot free throws reasonably well (14-for-20 = 70.0%). They lost the rebounding battle (41-38), but they won the turnover battle (7-10). Looking at the stats, I don’t know how UM won this game, they just did.
Who Looked Good
The starters were Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Isaiah Livers, Charles Matthews, Zavier Simpson, and Moritz Wagner for both games.
Matthews and MAAR were the only two Michigan players to hit double figures in both games. Matthews was the undisputed star of the Montana game, with 20 points and 11 rebounds (for a double-double), and he scored 11 points vs. Houston. Without Matthews, Michigan would have lost the Montana game.
MAAR had 11 and 12 points this week, but he was “off” offensively. He kept jacking up 3-pointers, but he only hit one; he was 1-for-6 vs. Montana, and 0-for-6 vs. Houston.
Wagner was the only other starter to hit double figures in one game, with 12 points vs. Houston. He had a miserable game (5 points in 32 minutes) vs. Montana.
The only other Michigan player to hit double figures in one game was Duncan Robinson, with 11 points off the bench vs. Houston. He also had 7 points vs. Montana, and he played good defense in both games.
Even though he didn’t score many points (3 and 8), Poole was the star of the Houston game, based solely on his amazing final 3-pointer. It was a shot for the ages.
Simpson did a great job on defense, especially against Man Bun (Rob Gray) for Houston. He didn’t score many points (5 and 4), but he did a nice job running the offense.
Jon Teske also didn’t score many points (2 and 6), but he was instrumental in both wins. He came in for Wagner when he needed a rest or had foul trouble, and he hit 6-for-8 free throws in the Houston game.
Jaaron Simmons played in both games, and scored 6 and 0 points. He hit 3 key baskets in the Montana game, and he was calm and steady out there when he came in for Simpson.
Who Looked Not-So-Good
Livers played in both games, and missed all 3 of his shots. He did have the crucial pin-point pass to MAAR to win the Houston game, but that was his only significant contribution.
Who Else Played
Eli Brooks played for 5 minutes in the Montana game, and made a basket!
Ibi Watson played for 3 minutes in the Houston game, but failed to score.
Who Didn’t Play
Austin Davis and the practice squad players (C.J. Baird, Brent Hibbitts, Naji Ozeir, Rico Ozuna-Harrison, and Luke Wilson) didn’t get into either of the games.
The Big Picture
Making it to the Sweet Sixteen is a Big Deal. Making it two years in a row is a bigger deal. Ask our Little Brothers in East Lansing: they’ve missed the Sweet Sixteen for 3 years in a row now, and they’ve gone 1-1 in their last 4 tournaments (2017 Big Ten Tournament, 2017 NCAA Tournament, 2018 Big Ten Tournament, and 2018 NCAA Tournament). Now who’s the better team? Michigan has now won 11 games in a row. State? They’re 2-2 in their last 4 games, including a loss in their virtual home game vs. Syracuse on Sunday. I’m sure glad Miles Bridges came back to win a National Championship! That Tom Izzo is indeed the best coach in college basketball!
Ahem. Back to the Big Picture. Even though Michigan is in the Sweet Sixteen, they’re kind of lucky to be there. They didn’t play particularly well in either game last week, and if they play like that in any of the remaining games, they’ll be done for the season. They need to get back to the level of play that won them the Big Ten Tournament. They’re running the offense correctly, and getting the open 3-pointers and difficult-but-makeable layups that have gotten them this far, they just missed the shots that they made regularly during the previous games.
What’s Next
This week, Michigan will play in the Sweet Sixteen in Los Angeles, California, in the West Regional. They will play the #7 seed, Texas A&M, on Thursday (03/22/2018, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TBS) in the Staples Center. If they win that one, they’ll move on to the Elite Eight, and face the winner of the game between the #4 seed (Gonzaga) and the #9 seed (Florida State) on Saturday (03/24/2018).
Texas A&M is currently 22-12, with some pretty impressive wins (West Virginia, USC, Buffalo, Missouri, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Alabama, and North Carolina), and some surprising losses (Texas [exhibition], LSU [twice], and Mississippi State). They crushed (#2 seed) North Carolina (86-65) to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, so they’re for real. They don’t have any players taller than 6′ 10″, but they’ve got 4 of them, and 3 more at 6′ 9″. Michigan can certainly beat them, but they’ll have to get back to the high level of play they showed in the last 3 games of the Big Ten Tournament. The way they played against Montana and Houston won’t cut it.
Check back next week to see what happened, and why.
Go Blue!
Phil Callihan and Andy Andersen talk about how the coaching changes will impact the offense, Michigan basketball making the Sweet 16, Michigan State basketball heading back to East Lansing, and whether Harbaugh is winning this offseason.
The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team didn’t play any games last week, after winning the Big Ten Tournament the week before. They finished the regular season with a record of 28-7 (13-5 in the Big Ten).
They spent the week off resting, practicing, and waiting for their matchup in the NCAA Tournament. They got it: they are the #3 seed in the West Region, and they will play the #14 seed, Montana, in Wichita, Kansas on Thursday (03/15/2018), at 9:50 p.m. EDT, on TBS.
Montana finished their regular season with a record of 26-7 (16-2 in the Big Sky). They won their conference regular season and tournament championships. They have no impressive wins, and a few surprising losses (Penn State, UC Santa Barbara, Stanford, Washington, Eastern Washington, and Idaho). They have a couple big guys (6’10” and 7’0″), but they’re both freshmen. The 7-footer has scored 13 points this season and averages 1.8 minutes per game, and the 6’10” guy is apparently being redshirted. So, Moritz Wagner and Jon Teske should control the lane, which is a key to Michigan’s success. This is a team that Michigan can handle, but they have to play the way they have in the last nine games: under control, and with poise.
If Michigan can get by Montana, they will face the winner of the #6 seed (Houston) vs. the #11 seed (San Diego State) game on Saturday (03/17/2018), for a trip to the Sweet 16.
Check back next week for all the details.
Go Blue!
Quick Look
The (#15) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played four games last week in the Big Ten Tournament, and they won all four of them. On Thursday (03/01/2018), they beat the #12 seed, Iowa, 77-71 (in overtime), on Friday (03/02/2018), they beat the #4 seed, Nebraska, 77-58, on Saturday (03/03/2018), they beat the #1 seed, (#2) Michigan State, 75-64, and on Sunday (03/04/2018), they beat the #3 seed, (#8) Purdue, 75-66. All four games were in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The four wins raise Michigan’s record to 28-7 (13-5 in the Big Ten). More importantly, Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament, and the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
What Happened
This is a very big deal. For the second year in a row, Michigan won four games in four days to win the Big Ten Tournament, and they looked great doing it. They almost let the first game, on Thursday vs. Iowa, get away in the last minute of regulation, but they played well in the overtime period to win that one, and they looked great in the other three games. They dominated the #1, #3, and #4 seeds. Talk about offensive consistency, look at those scores: Michigan scored 77, 77, 75, and 75 points. Talk about defensive pressure, Michigan allowed 71, 58, 64, and 66 points. Other than a shaky end to regulation vs. Iowa, Michigan played great basketball.
Besides the obvious story (winning the Big Ten Tournament), there were a few other sub-plots:
The Iowa game was close for most of the game. Michigan led by 6 (30-24) with 5:11 to go in the 1st half, when Iowa went on a 16-5 run to end the half, leading 40-35. Michigan came out of the locker room hot, and went on a quick 11-0 run to get the lead back, 46-40, with 17:43 to go in the 2nd half. They held the lead for the rest of the half, but they could never really pull away. The lead got as high as 8 points (59-51, with 7:46 left), but was usually in the 4-6 point range. Michigan led by 6 (67-61) with 2:09 to go, and let Iowa go on a 6-0 run to tie the game, and send it into overtime. Iowa led for the first half of the overtime period, with a 1-point lead (70-69) at the 2:33 mark. From that point on, Michigan outscored them 8-1 to win the game. It wasn’t a very encouraging performance by Michigan, but the motto was “survive and advance”. This was another Big Ten game ruined by a lousy Big Ten officiating crew. They called 46 fouls (24 against Michigan, 22 against Iowa), and three players fouled out, including Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Moritz Wagner for Michigan. Fortunately, the other three games that Michigan played had decent officiating.
The Nebraska game started out tight, with Nebraska leading 9-8 with 15:03 left in the 1st half. Michigan hit a 3-pointer to go ahead, and they never trailed again. They got the lead up to double digits (23-12, with 7:33 to go), and kept it there the rest of the half, leading by 10 at halftime (34-24). The teams traded baskets to start the 2nd half, and the lead was still 10 points (45-35) with 12:57 to go. That’s when Michigan went on a nice 16-7 run to put the game away. That pushed the lead up to 19 points (61-42) with 6:02 left. Nebraska managed to get the lead back down to 12 points a couple times (61-49 and 63-51), but it was too little, too late. Michigan pushed the lead back up to 19 points, and cruised to an easy win.
The MSU game was very tense, and very emotional. Both teams really wanted it. In fact, MSU’s Nick Ward got a little too emotional, and picked up an early technical foul that cost his team. Michigan jumped out to a quick early lead, 14-3 with 16:30 to go in the 1st half. MSU battled back, and tied it up (14-14) with 12:46 left. The teams traded baskets, and it was still tied (20-20) at the 9:50 mark, when Michigan went ahead. Michigan led for most of the rest of the 1st half, but MSU closed out the half with a 5-0 run to lead at halftime, 29-26. Michigan opened the 2nd half with a gorgeous 10-2 run to take the lead for good, 36-31, with 15:42 to go. MSU kept it close, and they were only down 3 points (50-47) with 8:28 to go. That’s as close as they would get. Michigan pushed the lead up to the 7-9 point range, and kept it there, winning by 11. It was a gutty, hard-fought victory. This should have been the championship game, but that’s not how the bracket was laid out.
The championship game vs. Purdue was almost an anti-climax, after the big, emotional win over MSU. Michigan played two of their best games of the regular season against Purdue, but they still lost them both, one on a ridiculous out-of-bounds call by the incompetent Big Ten refs. Still, it looked like Purdue had the advantage over Michigan, with two centers well over 7 feet tall (7’2″ and 7’3″) and the best 3-point shooting offense in the nation. The game was very tense and close, especially at the beginning. It was all tied up (7-7) with 16:38 to go in the 1st half, when Michigan went on a 9-2 run to get a little breathing room (16-9) with 13:52 left in the half. Michigan never trailed again. The lead was around 5-7 for most of the 1st half, and Michigan led by 5 (38-33) at halftime. Once again, Michigan opened the 2nd half with a nice run (10-4) to get the lead up to double digits (48-37) with 15:52 left in the game. They kept the lead in double digits for most of the rest of the game, getting it as high as 18 points (66-48) with 6:02 to go. At that point, Michigan started “playing to not lose”, as opposed to “playing to win”, and Purdue snuck back into the game. They closed to within 7 points (73-66) with 0:50 left, but Michigan made their free throws to win by 9 points. It was a very impressive win over a very good team.
Stats
The stats for the Iowa game are pretty shaky. Michigan shot decently overall (28-for-62 = 45.2%), but they shot 3-pointers terribly (3-for-19 = 15.8%), and they shot free throws terribly (18-for-32 = 56.3%). They lost the rebounding battle (44-42), but they did win the turnover battle (9-14). Even though they shot a lousy percentage, they won this game at the free throw line, where they outscored Iowa 18-10.
The stats for the Nebraska game are much better. Michigan shot decently again overall (27-for-61 = 44.2%), but they shot 3-pointers very well (11-for-23 = 47.8%), and they shot free throws very well (12-for-15 = 80.0%). They won the rebounding battle convincingly (41-34), and they (barely) won the turnover battle (9-10). As I’ve said many times this season, when Michigan is hitting their 3-pointers, they look awesome.
The stats for the MSU game are pretty good. Once again, Michigan shot decently overall (21-for-47 = 44.7%), they shot 3-pointers fairly well (9-for-25 = 36.0%), and they shot free throws pretty well (24-for-33 = 72.7%). Very surprisingly, they won the rebounding battle (36-33), but they (barely) lost the turnover battle (9-8). Once again, Michigan won this game at the free throw line, where they outscored MSU 24-9. This is very surprising, since MSU usually plays “bully ball” and gets to the line a lot, with their coach, Tom Izzo, crying and whining about every call.
Finally, the stats for the Purdue game are just OK. Michigan shot pretty well overall (26-for-52 = 50.0%), they shot 3-pointers decently (8-for-23 = 34.8%), and they shot free throws pretty poorly (15-for-25 = 60.0%). They got hammered on the boards (38-26), but they won the turnover battle handily, 5-11. Michigan won this game with 3-point defense, holding Purdue to just 4-for-17 (23.5%) shooting from long range. Remember, Purdue came into this game as the #1 3-point shooting team in America.
Who Looked Good
The starters were Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Isaiah Livers, Charles Matthews, Zavier Simpson, and Moritz Wagner for all four games.
Wagner was the undisputed star of this tournament, and he was named Most Outstanding Player. He hit double figures in all four games: 11, 20, 15, and 17. He also pulled down a lot of rebounds: 3, 13, 8, and 2, which means he had a double-double in the Nebraska game. He was the emotional leader of the team, getting them (and the large pro-Michigan crowd) fired up repeatedly. He was dominant.
As much as Wagner was the star of the tournament, MAAR was the “glue” that kept Michigan together when the going got tough. He scored a lot of points (9, 21, 15, and 15), he grabbed some rebounds (5, 4, 3, and 2), and he hit his free throws, especially in “crunch time”. He was Michigan’s leading scorer in the Nebraska game, where he was 5-for-5 shooting 3-pointers. He’s not as loud and emotional as Wagner (few players are), but he is a great “quiet leader”. He lends calm and stability to this team, and he showed it again in this tournament.
Only two Michigan players hit double figures in all four games: Wagner and Simpson. Simpson had 12, 12, 15, and 10 points, along with 5, 2, 7, and 5 rebounds, and 3, 6, 2, and 5 assists. Even more importantly, he shut down everyone he guarded on defense, including a 6’7″ dude. He had a great tournament.
Duncan Robinson did a great job off the bench, scoring in double figures in three of the four games (11, 16, 13, and 6). He hit his 3-pointers pretty well: 3-for-6, 4-for-7, 1-for-3, and 0-for-4, which works out to 8-for-20 (40.0%). He also played very good defense when he was in.
Matthews is officially out of his slump. He hit double figures in two of the four games (16, 4, 12, and 8 points), he pulled down lots of rebounds (8, 5, 6, and 3), and he played great defense.
Jon Teske had a very good tournament. He was the surprise star of the championship game against Purdue, with 14 points and a lot of great defense against those two 7+footers. He was also instrumental in Michigan’s all-important win vs. Iowa, when Wagner was limited to just 16 minutes with foul trouble. Teske didn’t score much in that game (3 points), but he played awesome defense for 28 minutes. He had quiet games offensively against Nebraska (1 point) and MSU (0 points), but he did a great job giving Wagner a break, keeping him well-rested.
Who Looked Not-So-Good
Livers showed flashes of brilliance, with long stretches of decent defense and no offense. He did score 9 points vs. Iowa, but he had 0, 3, and 2 points the rest of the way. He injured his foot/ankle early in the 2nd half of the Purdue game, and only played 8 minutes. We’ll see if this injury costs him any playing time.
Jordan Poole wanted desperately to help this team. He played hard, and he played fast, but he just couldn’t hit a shot to save his life. He scored 6, 2, 2, and 3 points, but he took a lot of shots to get there: 3-for-7 (0-for-4 from 3-point range), 1-for-9 (0-for-3 from 3-point range), 1-for-2 (0-for-1), and 0-for-1 (0-for-1). That all adds up to 5-for-19 (26.3%), 0-for-9 from 3-point range. Most of those 3-point attempts were wide open. He usually hits them. It was sad.
Who Else Played
Eli Brooks played for one minute in the Nebraska game, but failed to score.
Austin Davis played for one minute in the Nebraska game, and two minutes in the Purdue game, but failed to score.
Jaaron Simmons played in all four games, but failed to score.
Ibi Watson played in the Nebraska game, and scored one point.
Who Didn’t Play
The practice squad players (C.J. Baird, Brent Hibbitts, Naji Ozeir, Rico Ozuna-Harrison, and Luke Wilson) didn’t get into any of the games.
The Big Picture
Since Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament, they get the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but they were going to go as an “at large” team anyway. Just three weeks ago, most bracket predictions had Michigan as a solid pick for the Big Dance, but as an 8 or 9 seed. Since then, Michigan has ripped off nine straight wins, including a couple over highly-regarded teams (MSU and Purdue), and they are now being predicted as a 5, 4, or even a 3 seed. We’ll have to wait a week until Selection Sunday (03/11/2018) to see what seed Michigan is awarded, and who, where, and when they will play.
On the one hand, it was great having the Big Ten Tournament in Madison Square Garden. The games were exciting, the crowds were big and loud, and everyone seemed to have a great time. On the other hand, the price for having the tournament in MSG was having to play it a week earlier than usual, since the Big East already had the arena reserved for this upcoming week, when the Big Ten would normally have their tournament. That meant a “compressed” schedule, with those two weird league games in early December, and no true “bye” weeks. Next year, the Big Ten Tournament returns to the United Center in Chicago, in its regular time slot, but for this year, there are 11-13 days off for the four Big Ten teams expected to be in the NCAA Tournament (Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue). We’ll see if the long layoff is a good or bad thing.
What’s Next
As mentioned above, Michigan has 11-12 days off before they play in the NCAA Tournament, either on Thursday (03/15/2018) or Friday (03/16/2018). We’ll find out on Selection Sunday (03/11/2018) when, where, and who Michigan will play next.
Check back next week for all the details.
Go Blue!