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The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won one and lost the other. On Wednesday (01/26/2022), they beat Northwestern 72-70 in Crisler Arena, then on Saturday (01/29/2022), they lost at (#10) Michigan State 83-67. The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 10-8 (4-4 in Big Ten).
What Happened?
Even though the final score was close in the Northwestern game, Michigan led for almost the whole game. They led by 3-5 points for most of the 1st half, and by 3 at halftime (34-31). They pushed the lead up to 11 points quickly in the 2nd half (48-37 with 17:10 to go), then they just … stopped. In the next 7 minutes, here’s what they did on offense:
At this point, Northwestern had scored 14 more points, so the score was tied 51-51 with 10:06 to go. Once they got back in the game, Northwestern pulled ahead, and got up 7 points (62-55) at the 5:09 mark. Fortunately, Michigan went on a 7-0 run to tie it up, 62-62 with 3:24 left. Northwestern led one last time, 64-62 at the 2:29 mark, then Michigan got the lead back for good. They led by 5 (70-65) with 58 seconds left, and survived a furious Northwestern rally to win by 2 points. It was a close, hard-fought game. It was also a very poorly officiated game, with 46 fouls called in 40 minutes, 24 of them on Michigan. All three of the offensive fouls listed above were … questionable.
It’s tough to win on the road in the Big Ten, it’s tougher to win at Michigan State, and it’s even tougher still to win at Michigan State when you’re Michigan, in a big rivalry game. Michigan managed the tempo, built a decent lead in the 1st half, and kept things under control for the first 18 and a half minutes. With 1:32 left in the 1st half, MSU led by 1 point (36-35), and they added a 3-pointer to make it a 4-point lead at halftime, 39-35. Unfortunately, Michigan couldn’t put the genie back in the bottle, and MSU opened the 2nd half with a 6-0 run in the first 3:10 to go up by 10 points, 45-35. Once they had a double-digit lead, they kept it there for virtually all of the 2nd half, and won by 16 points.
Stats
The stats for the Northwestern game are great. Michigan shot well overall (23-for-41 = 56.1%), they shot 3-pointers really well (8-for-12 = 66.7%), and they shot free throws well enough (18-for-26 = 69.2%). They won the rebounding battle, barely (25-24), but lost the turnover battle (13-9). They won this game with solid overall and 3-point shooting.
The stats for the MSU game are terrible. Michigan shot miserably overall (23-for-62 = 37.1%), they shot 3-pointers horribly (3-for-19 = 15.8%), but they did shoot free throws reasonably well (18-for-25 = 72.0%). They actually won the rebounding battle (36-32), and they tied in the turnover battle (13-13). They lost this game with miserable shooting. It didn’t help that MSU shot 50% (9-for-18) from 3-point range.
Who Started?
The starters for both games were Eli Brooks, Moussa Diabate, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, and DeVante’ Jones.
Who Looked Good?
Houstan was the only player to hit double figures in both games, with 18 points vs. Northwestern and 11 vs. MSU. He shot a very nice percentage (5-for-7 overall, 3-for-5 from deep) vs. Northwestern, and a reasonable percentage (3-for-6 overall, 1-for-3 from deep) vs. MSU.
Dickinson almost hit double figures in both games, with 9 points vs. Northwestern and 25 points vs. MSU. He was limited to 30 minutes in the Northwestern game by the whistle-happy officials. He fouled out with 2:29 left in that game.
Diabate also almost hit double figures in both games, with 8 and 11 points. He was limited to just 22 minutes in the Northwestern game by the whistle-happy officials. He fouled out with 1:51 left in that game.
Jones had one good game (15 points vs. Northwestern) and one mediocre game (6 points vs. MSU). He shot very well vs. Northwestern (4-for-5 overall, 1-for-1 from deep), but not so well vs. MSU (2-for-7 overall, 0-for-3 from deep).
Brooks finally had a good game (12 points) vs. Northwestern, but a mediocre game vs. MSU (8 points). He shot well vs. Northwestern (4-for-7 overall, 3-for-4 from deep), but not so well vs. MSU (3-for-11 overall, 1-for-4 from deep).
Terrance Williams II didn’t score many points this week (3 and 2), but he played a crucial role in the Northwestern game. With Dickinson and Diabate limited by phantom fouls, he was called on to play power forward for 11 minutes, even though he’s about 3 inches too short for a Big Ten power forward. He only hit one shot, but it was a huge 3-pointer with 2:08 left in the game that put Michigan back in the lead. Even more importantly, he played solid defense against bigger, taller players. He didn’t do much in the MSU game.
Jaron Faulds only played in the Northwestern game, he didn’t attempt a shot, and he missed 2 free throws with 8 seconds left, but he was still an important part of the win. He played for 5 minutes at center, including the last 1:51 when both Dickinson and Diabate were fouled out, and he held the fort. He and Williams played tough, solid defense against the Northwestern big men, and managed to bottle them up just enough to save the win.
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Kobe Bufkin had a tough week, with 2 and 3 points.
Frankie Collins had a tough week, with 2 and 1 points.
Brandon Johns, Jr. had a tough week, with 3 and 0 points.
Who Else Played?
Jace Howard only played in the Northwestern game. He didn’t attempt a shot.
Who Didn’t Play?
Isaiah Barnes, Zeb Jackson, Adrien Nuñez, and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play.
Ian Burns and Brandon Wade are the scout team players who didn’t play.
What Does It Mean?
Michigan was expected to win the Northwestern game and lose the MSU game, and that’s what they did. These results don’t change Michigan’s chances for post-season play. They’re still a little ways from “on the bubble” for the NCAA Tournament. They need to spring a few upsets to solidify their chances. The MSU game was one such opportunity, but Michigan didn’t take advantage of it.
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan is scheduled to play two games. On Tuesday (02/01/2022, 9:00 p.m., BTN) they are scheduled to play Nebraska in Crisler Arena, then on Saturday (02/05/2022, 2:30 p.m., FOX) they are scheduled to play at (#6) Purdue.
Nebraska is currently 6-15 (0-10 in Big Ten). They have no impressive wins, and a few unimpressive losses: Western Illinois, Creighton, and Rutgers (twice). Michigan has already played them once, in Lincoln, and they whomped them 102-67. In that game, one of their players (Alonzo Verge) scored 31 points against Michigan, but he didn’t have much help. Their big men were no match for Dickinson and Diabate. If Michigan can beat them by 35 points on the road, they can certainly handle them at home.
Purdue is currently 18-3 (7-3 in Big Ten). They have several impressive wins: (#18) North Carolina, (#5) Villanova, Iowa (twice), NC State, (#17) Illinois, and (#16) Ohio State. 2 of their 3 losses have been puzzling: Rutgers and Indiana. They have several noteworthy players (Zach Edey, Jaden Ivey, Sasha Stefanovic, and Trevion Williams), and great height (a couple 6’10” guys, and a 7’4” monster). Edey is the tallest player in the Big Ten, and while he’s not as powerful or physical as Kofi Cockburn of Illinois (no one is as powerful as Cockburn), he’ll be a tall challenge (pun intended) for Dickinson. Even more, Williams is strong and physical, and he’ll be an even bigger challenge for Diabate. Michigan is used to having an advantage down low, but they’ll be the underdogs in this matchup. Mackey Arena is a tough place to play, and Michigan hasn’t had much luck there lately. This will be a major upset if Michigan can pull it off, but a blowout loss is much more likely.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!
The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won both of them. On Tuesday (01/18/2022), they beat Maryland 83-64 in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (01/23/2022), they won at Indiana 80-62. The two wins raise Michigan’s record to 9-7 (3-3 in Big Ten).
What Happened?
Michigan really needed a win going into the Maryland game, and they got it, comfortably. They led from start to finish, built a solid lead, and held off every Maryland rally. Michigan scored in the first 14 seconds off the opening tip, Maryland tied it 2-2, then Michigan hit a 3-pointer to go ahead for good. They pushed the lead up to double figures (20-9) with 10:59 left in the half, then pushed it up over 20 (35-14) with 3:14 to go. The lead was 20 points (39-19) at halftime, and Michigan kept it in the 18-22 point range for most of the 2nd half. At one point, Maryland crept within 13 points (57-44) with 11:12 left in the game, but Michigan pushed the lead back up to 19 points (63-44) with 9:03 to go, and that was the last gasp for Maryland. Coach Howard put in the subs for the last 3:00, and they did a fine job protecting the lead.
The win at IU was the most impressive win of the season so far for Michigan. IU was coming off an exciting home victory over (#4) Purdue, and they were undefeated at home. They were fired up, and the game was broadcast nationally on CBS. It didn’t look promising for Michigan, but they played their best game of the season, and won convincingly. Michigan trailed 2-0 and 4-2, then they went ahead 6-4 with 16:27 left, and never trailed again. They quickly pushed the lead up to 9 points (14-5) at the 14:38 mark, then up to 16 points (29-13) with 7:16 to go in the half. They let IU whittle the lead down to 8 points (38-30) at halftime, but they pushed it back into double figures (44-34) at the 18:23 mark, and kept it in the 10-12 point range for the rest of the game. IU got within 9 points once (52-43) with 14:14 to go, but that was as close as they got, and Michigan pulled away in the final two minutes to win by 18 points.
Stats
The stats for the Maryland game are very nice. Michigan shot well overall (35-for-60 = 58.3%), they shot well from 3-point range (8-for-20 = 40.0%), and they were perfect shooting free throws (5-for-5 = 100.0%). They won the rebounding battle handily (32-20), and they won the turnover battle (8-13). They won this game with solid overall and 3-point shooting.
The stats for the IU game are wonderful. Michigan shot very well overall (29-for-51 = 56.9%), they shot fabulously from 3-point range (11-for-17 = 64.7%), and they shot free throws well enough (11-for-14 = 78.6%). They crushed IU on the boards (36-26), but they did lose the turnover battle (14-8). They won this game with great overall and 3-point shooting.
Who Started?
The starters for both games were Eli Brooks, Moussa Diabate, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, and DeVante’ Jones.
Who Looked Good?
Dickinson was the star of both games, with 21 points vs. Maryland and 25 points vs. IU. He not only scored a lot of points, but he did it with great shooting: 10-for-14 overall (1-for-2 from deep) vs. Maryland, and 9-for-12 (3-for-4 from deep) vs. IU. These are his two best games of the season so far.
Houstan had the two best games of the season so far as well. He scored 16 points vs. Maryland and 19 points vs. IU. He also shot well: 6-for-7 overall (3-for-4 from deep) vs. Maryland, and 7-for-12 (5-for-7 from deep) vs. IU.
Diabate also hit double figures in both games, with 14 and 10 points.
Jones almost scored in double figures in both games, with 12 and 7 points. He had 7 assists against 3 turnovers vs. IU.
Terrance Williams II had one good game (10 points vs. IU) and one sad game (0 points vs. Maryland). He shot 4-for-5 (2-for-2 from deep) vs. IU.
Brandon Johns, Jr. returned to the lineup in the IU game after missing 3 games due to COVID-19 issues, and he looked good. He scored 5 points, shooting 2-for-2 overall (1-for-1 from deep).
Frankie Collins also had a decent week, with 6 and 2 points. He’s getting better every game at running the point.
Jace Howard had a nice week, with his best game of the season vs. Maryland (5 points, including a nice 3-pointer), and a minute of mop-up action vs. IU (no shot attempts).
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
What’s up with Brooks? He had a mediocre game vs. Maryland (7 points), and a lousy game vs. IU (2 points). He’s supposed to be a senior leader at shooting guard.
Kobe Bufkin had a tough week, with 0 points in both games.
Who Else Played?
Jaron Faulds played in both games, scoring 2 and 0 points.
Who Didn’t Play?
Isaiah Barnes, Zeb Jackson, Adrien Nuñez, and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play.
Ian Burns and Brandon Wade are the scout team players who didn’t play.
What Does It Mean?
These are two big wins. Sure, Maryland is having a down season, but they came back and beat Illinois handily in the game after they lost big to Michigan. IU is having a good season, and beating them in Bloomington is a big deal.
Is Michigan back “on the bubble” for the NCAA Tournament? Maybe, but they still have a lot of work to do. Was this week just a fluke, or have they turned the corner? We’ll see in the next few games. If they can string together 2 or 3 good weeks, then we can start thinking about post-season play.
Mid-Term Grades
With 16 games down, and at least 13 left to go (depending on rescheduling postponed games), it’s time for (near) mid-term grades.
Freshman Eligibility
Sophomore Eligibility
Junior Eligibility
Senior Eligibility
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan is scheduled to play two games. On Wednesday (01/26/2022, 6:30 p.m., BTN) they are scheduled to play Northwestern in Crisler Arena, then on Saturday (01/29/2022, 12:30 p.m., CBS) they are scheduled to play at (#14) Michigan State.
Northwestern is currently 9-8 (2-6 in Big Ten), with impressive wins over Georgia and (#10) Michigan State, and not-so-impressive losses to Providence, Penn State, and Maryland. They have a couple noteworthy players (Boo Buie and Pete Nance) and some height (two 6’10” guys and a 7-footer). This will be a challenging game, since Northwestern was good enough to beat MSU in East Lansing.
Michigan State is currently 15-3 (6-1 in Big Ten). They have impressive wins over Louisville (ACC/Big Ten Challenge) and (#8) Wisconsin, and 2 of their 3 losses are against (#3) Kansas and (#6) Baylor, with a puzzling loss at home to Northwestern thrown in. They have several noteworthy players (Max Christie, Joey Hauser, Malik Hall, and Gabe Brown), and they have some height (a 7-footer at center). Michigan could get blown out in this one, but they have the talent to hang around and maybe pull off a miracle, they just need to play one of their rare “A” games.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!
The University of Michigan men’s basketball team was supposed to play two games this past week, but they only played one, and lost it. On Tuesday (01/11/2022), they were supposed to play (#3) Purdue in Crisler Arena, but it was postponed due to COVID-19 issues in the UM program, then on Friday (01/14/2022), they lost at Illinois 68-53. The loss lowers Michigan’s record to 7-7 (1-3 in Big Ten).
What Happened?
The postponement of the Purdue game was not too surprising, after Michigan had to postpone their previous game, against Michigan State. Even though Michigan had enough scholarship players to play the Illinois game, they were missing two key players, which made for some crazy lineups and unusual minutes for rarely-used players.
Wait a minute, I thought that Michigan fans didn’t believe in moral victories. Well, maybe in a good season, but this isn’t a good season. Even though the Illinois game ended up being a 15-point loss, it was much closer than that for most of the game, with Illinois pulling away in the last couple minutes. Looking at the lineups that Michigan was forced to cobble together, and the huge size advantage that Illinois had, this game should have been a blowout from the opening tip, with Illinois leading by 30 and 40 points early in the 2nd half. That’s not the way it went. Michigan played gritty, solid defense for the first 35 minutes, and it was only their anemic offense that kept them from pulling ahead and possibly sneaking out a victory.
The game was close for most of the 1st half, although Michigan never led. The score was tied 4 times (2-2, 4-4, 6-6, and 10-10) before Illinois pulled away for good. The Illini pushed the lead up to the 7-9 point range for a while, but Michigan fought back, and were within 2 points (24-22) with 1:54 left in the 1st half. Illinois scored another basket, to make it 26-22 at halftime. Illinois widened their lead in the 2nd half, going up by 8-10 points for most of the half, but never pulling away. Once again, Michigan fought back, pulling to within 1 point (45-44) with 7:27 left. They even had the ball, with a chance to go ahead for the first time, but they missed a layup, and that was the ball game. Illinois quickly pushed the lead back into double digits, and won by 15.
Stats
The game stats are horrible. Michigan shot terribly overall (22-for-60 = 36.7%), they shot miserably from 3-point range (1-for-10 = 10.0%), and they shot free throws poorly (8-for-14 = 57.1%). They lost the rebounding battle (33-32), but won the turnover battle (12-13). They lost the game due to their horrible overall and 3-point shooting.
Who Started?
The starters were Eli Brooks, Moussa Diabate, Caleb Houstan, and DeVante’ Jones, and Terrance Williams II. Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns, Jr. were out with COVID-19 complications, so Diabate started at center, and Williams started at power forward. It was not an optimal lineup against an Illinois lineup with Kofi Cockburn and several other big, strong players.
Who Looked Good?
Jones was the only Michigan player to hit double figures, with 17 points. He also hit Michigan’s only made 3-pointer.
Diabate gave it a good effort, scoring 9 points, but he only played 20 minutes due to foul trouble. He was no match on either end against Cockburn, giving up 45 pounds. When he was out, Michigan was really at a height disadvantage.
Kobe Bufkin had a solid game off the bench, with 6 points on 3-for-5 shooting.
Frankie Collins also had a solid game off the bench, with 5 points on 2-for-3 shooting.
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Brooks had a lousy game, with 7 points on 3-for-11 shooting.
Houstan also had a lousy game, with 5 points on 2-for-9 shooting.
Williams also had a lousy game, with 2 points in 31 minutes of “action”.
Who Else Played?
Jace Howard scored 2 points in 15 minutes.
Jaron Faulds scored 0 points in 12 minutes. With Dickinson and Johns out, and Diabate in foul trouble, Faulds had to try to contain Cockburn for 12 minutes. He did his best, but that’s a big ask.
Who Didn’t Play?
Isaiah Barnes, Zeb Jackson, Brandon Johns, Jr., Adrien Nuñez, and Will Tschetter are the scholarship players who didn’t play. Jackson stayed in Ann Arbor, for “personal” (non-COVID-19) reasons, but the rest of them were on the bench. At this point, it’s obvious that Barnes and Tschetter are being voluntarily redshirted, and Johns was still recovering from COVID-19. I’m surprised Nuñez didn’t get a few minutes.
Ian Burns and Brandon Wade are the scout team players who didn’t play.
What Does It Mean?
It was encouraging to see Michigan fight back repeatedly against Illinois, and to hang with them for most of the game, especially with the makeshift lineups they were forced to use. If they can get this kind of effort against some of the lower division teams in the Big Ten, they might actually win another couple games. Getting the whole team back from COVID-19 would really help. Hitting some open 3-pointers would also help.
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan is scheduled to play two games. On Tuesday (01/18/2022, 7:00 p.m., ESPN2) they are scheduled to play Maryland in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (01/23/2022, 12:00 p.m., CBS) they are scheduled to play at Indiana.
Maryland is currently 9-8 (1-5 in Big Ten). Their only impressive win was over (#20) Florida, and they have unimpressive losses to George Mason and Rutgers. They have a couple noteworthy players (Eric Ayala and Donta Scott) and decent height (a 6’10” guy and a 6’11” guy). This is one of the few games that Michigan stands a chance of winning, but they’ll have to play their “A” game.
Indiana is currently 12-4 (3-3 in Big Ten). They have impressive wins over Notre Dame and (#12) Ohio State, and less-than-impressive losses to Syracuse, Penn State, and Iowa. They have a few noteworthy players (Rob Phinisee, Miller Kopp, Tracye Jackson-Davis, and Race Thompson), and they have a 7-foot center. This will be a very challenging game for Michigan, especially on the road. UM has a lousy record in Assembly Hall, and this season’s team is not exactly firing on all cylinders.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!
The University of Michigan men’s basketball team was supposed to play two games this past week, but they only played one, and lost it. On Tuesday (01/04/2022), they lost at Rutgers 75-67, while the game scheduled for Saturday (01/08/2022) at home vs. Michigan State was postponed, due to COVID-19 issues in the UM program. The loss lowers Michigan’s record to 7-6 (1-2 in Big Ten).
What Happened?
The postponement of the MSU game was the most obvious COVID-19 issue, but COVID-19 also played a big factor in the Rutgers loss. Five UM players missed the Rutgers game, four of them due to COVID-19. While none of the missing players were starters, several were key bench players, and UM gave unusual minutes to a couple rarely-used players in their absence.
Before the loss this week, Michigan was a perfect 14-0 vs. Rutgers. That streak ended with a thud. Rutgers watched the video of the Michigan/UCF game from last week, and saw that all they had to do was make three 3-pointers in a row against Michigan and the game would be over. UCF waited until midway through the 2nd half to hit their three-in-a-row, but Rutgers hit theirs right out of the gate. They hit their first three 3-point attempts, along with a layup and a free throw, and the score was suddenly 12-4 with 16:00 to go. That was all the lead they needed, winning by 8 points. In between, Michigan never led, and spent most of the game behind by 10-12 points. It was a miserable, depressing performance.
Stats
The game stats are sad. Michigan shot decently overall (27-for-59 = 45.8%), but they shot terribly from 3-point range (3-for-15 = 20.0%). They shot free throws well enough (10-for-13 = 76.9%), but they lost the rebounding battle (37-32) and won the turnover battle (8-10). Once again, they lost the game due to their bad 3-point shooting and above-average 3-point shooting by Rutgers (11-for-23 = 47.8%). They seem to be doing everything right in defending 3-point shots, but their opponents just have their best 3-point shooting performances vs. Michigan. It’s very frustrating.
Who Started?
The starters were Eli Brooks, Moussa Diabate, Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Houstan, and DeVante’ Jones.
Who Looked Good?
Just like the UCF game, 4 of the 5 starters scored in double figures, led by Dickinson (25), Diabate (15), Houstan (12), and Brooks (11). Dickinson in particular did his part, shooting 10-for-16 overall. Diabate also played hard, shooting 6-for-9 overall and grabbing 9 rebounds.
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Jones had a terrible game, scoring 0 points. He shot 0-for-3 from the floor in 31 minutes of “action”.
Kobe Bufkin also had a lousy game, with 2 points on 1-for-5 shooting (0-for-2 from 3-point range) in 15 minutes of playing time.
Who Else Played?
Jace Howard scored 2 points in 9 minutes.
Adrien Nuñez didn’t attempt a shot in 4 minutes.
Who Didn’t Play?
Isaiah Barnes, Frankie Collins, Zeb Jackson, Brandon Johns, Jr., Will Tschetter, and Terrance Williams II are the scholarship players who didn’t play. Collins, Johns, and Williams didn’t travel with the team, due to COVID-19 issues. Jackson also stayed in Ann Arbor, for “personal” (non-COVID-19) reasons.
Ian Burns, Jaron Faulds, and Brandon Wade are the scout team players who didn’t play. Faulds didn’t travel with the team, due to COVID-19 issues.
What Does It Mean?
Losing the Rutgers game is a disaster. If Michigan can’t beat Rutgers, there are few possible wins left on the schedule. They could realistically lose the rest of the games on the schedule, although they might sneak out 2-3 more wins. Regardless, they are almost certainly going to miss the NCAA (and NIT) Tournament this season.
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan was supposed to play two games, but one of them has already been postponed. On Tuesday (01/11/2022) they were scheduled to play (#3) Purdue in Crisler Arena, but that game has been postponed due to continuing COVID-19 issues in the UM program. On Friday (01/14/2022, 9:00 p.m. EST, FS1) they are scheduled to play at Illinois.
Illinois is currently 11-3 (4-0 in Big Ten). They have solid wins against Kansas State, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, and Maryland, and puzzling losses to Marquette and Cincinnati (by 20 points). They have several noteworthy players: Trent Frazier, Alfonso Plummer, and (especially) Kofi Cockburn. I think Cockburn is the most powerful basketball player I’ve ever seen in person, and I’m afraid he’s going to crush Dickinson. Illinois thrashed Michigan in their only game last season, and they’re still upset that Michigan won the Big Ten title over them by winning percentage, not total wins. They’ll be out for blood, playing at home in front of a wild and delusional crowd, and Michigan is hurting, both physically and mentally. This game could be a bloodbath.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!