The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it. On Friday (11/15/2024), they beat TCU 76-64 in Crisler Arena. Michigan’s record is now 2-1.
What Happened?
TCU is a good basketball team, and this was an important win. TCU compares very favorably to Wake Forest, and if Michigan had played as well last week vs. Wake Forest as they did vs. TCU, they would have beaten WFU. Oh well…
Game Flow
The TCU game was close throughout, although Michigan led almost the entire game. UM kept their lead in the 6-8 point range most of the game, letting TCU take the lead once, and get within 2 points a few times.
Michigan started the game with a nice 7-0 run in the first 94 seconds, but TCU promptly answered it with their own 7-0 run to tie it up (7-7) at the 16:55 mark. UM went ahead 9-7, then TCU tied it up again (9-9) with 14:55 to go. TCU went ahead for the only time, 10-9, with 14:01 left. Michigan reclaimed the lead, 11-10, at the 13:36 mark, and never trailed again. They got ahead by 5-6 points a couple times, but TCU always got back within 1-2 points. Michigan finally pushed the lead up to 9 points (34-25) at the 3:07 mark, but they let TCU close out the half on a 6-0 run to make it close, 34-31. It was reminiscent of the last 2 minutes of the 1st half of the Wake Forest game, when Michigan let WFU go on a 10-0 run to get close at halftime.
The 2nd half was more of the same. Michigan led the whole way, but they couldn’t pull away until the final minute. TCU stayed within 8-10 points most of the way, with occasional runs to get within 4-6 points. With 6:55 left in the game, TCU got within 2 points (60-58), but that was as close as they would get. Michigan closed the game on a 16-6 run, to win by 12 points, 76-64. It was very encouraging to see UM finish strong, after the weak showing down the stretch vs. Wake Forest.
Stats
The game stats were pretty good. Michigan shot pretty well overall (26-for-52 = 50.0%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (9-for-24 = 37.5%), but they didn’t shoot free throws very well (15-for-23 = 65.2%). They won the rebounding battle handily (41-29), but they lost the turnover battle badly (21-12). They won this game with good shooting and rebounding, but they kept it close with their turnovers.
Who Started?
The starters were Nimari Burnett, Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle Jr., Vladislav Goldin, and Danny Wolf.
Who Looked Good?
Burnett was the leading scorer for Michigan, with 16 points on great shooting: 6-for-7 overall, 3-for-4 from deep. He was a steadying influence out there, with only 1 turnover.
Wolf had a monster game, with 14 points and 14 rebounds, for an impressive double-double. His shooting was good-but-not-great: 6-for-11 overall, 1-for-4 from deep. He also had 4 turnovers. He played a little wild/out of control a few times, but he certainly provided a spark.
Donaldson also had 14 points, on decent shooting: 5-for-9 overall, 2-for-5 from deep. He ran the offense well.
Gayle almost hit double figures, with 8 points on mediocre shooting: 3-for-8 overall, 0-for-2 from deep. He also had 4 turnovers.
Goldin also almost hit double figures, with 8 points on mediocre shooting: 2-for-5. He also had 3 turnovers. He needs to think “dunk” when he gets the ball down low, instead of “soft layup that misses too often”.
Sam Walters was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 10 points on good shooting: 3-for-5 overall, 2-for-4 from deep.
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Phat Phat Brooks played for 4 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.
L.J. Cason played for 5 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot. He did have 4 turnovers in those 4 minutes, which is not good. After a couple impressive games earlier in the season, he seems to be in a slump.
Rubin Jones played 24 minutes, and only scored 2 points, on 2-for-2 free throw shooting. Otherwise, he shot terribly: 0-for-3 overall, 0-for-2 from deep.
Will Tschetter had a weak game, scoring 4 points in 13 minutes.
Who Else Played?
Justin Pippen played for the first time this season, apparently recovered from his injury. He played for 8 minutes, and missed his only shot attempt. He looked poised and confident out there.
Who Didn’t Play?
None of the Scout Team players played: Ian Burns, Howard Eisley Jr., Harrison Hochberg, and Charlie May.
Jace Howard didn’t play. Should he be considered part of the Scout Team this season?
What Does It Mean?
After the unimpressive game against Wake Forest, it was encouraging to see Michigan bounce back with a solid win against a good TCU team. This is a nice entry on Michigan’s postseason tournament resume. The only negative aspect was all the turnovers. As I’ve said before, I understand that Coach May is teaching them to play fast and aggressive, and this can lead to some turnovers, but 21 turnovers is just too many. He’s got to get them to dial it back a little, and slowly inch it up as they get more comfortable playing together. Not all of the turnovers were from playing aggressively; TCU sprung a wicked half-court press on Michigan several times, and it forced a turnover about 40-50% of the time. Michigan definitely needs to work on breaking the press, and it would be nice if they made their opponents pay for trying it with some easy baskets. Something to work on.
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan plays two games. On Monday (11/18/2024, 6:00 p.m., BTN), they play Miami (OH), then on Thursday (11/21/2024, 8:30 p.m., BTN), they play Tarleton State. Both games are in Crisler Arena.
Miami (OH) is currently 2-1, but they haven’t played anyone good yet. Last season, they were 15-17 (9-9 in the MAC). They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have one tall player, a 7’1” center. This game could be a lot like the Oakland (exhibition) or Cleveland State games, but only if Michigan plays well. Note: This game is considered part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament, as Michigan’s “On-Campus Match Up”. Miami will also be playing in Fort Myers over the Thanksgiving week, but they’re in the “Palms Division” with Jacksonville State, Mercer, and Siena, while Michigan is in the “Beach Division” with South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Xavier.
Tarleton State is currently 1-3, with lopsided losses to SMU (96-62), Sam Houston (91-62), and Florida State (72-52). They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have any height (no one over 6’9”). This is definitely a game that Michigan should win convincingly; anything less will be a huge red flag.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!
