Quick Look
The (#25) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game last week, and they lost it. On Thursday (01/25/2018), they lost at (#3) Purdue 92-88. The loss lowers Michigan’s record to 17-6 (6-4 in the Big Ten).
What Happened
This one was a shootout, and Purdue had more offensive firepower than Michigan. It was like a videogame (NCAA Jam 2K18?), with lots of 3-pointers and monster dunks, and not a lot of defense. Purdue led for most of the 1st half, including halftime (41-36). The lead changed hands a lot in the 2nd half, until Purdue went ahead for good at the 8:35 mark. Michigan hung around, and the Purdue lead was only 3 points (85-82) with 0:31 to go, but that was as close as UM could get.
Stats
The stats for the game are amazing. Michigan shot very well overall (35-for-58 = 60.3%), they shot 3-pointers very well (13-for-23 = 56.5%), but they didn’t shoot free throws very well (5-for-9 = 55.6%). They (surprisingly) won the rebounding battle (25-21), but lost the turnover battle (11-10). Purdue won the game at the free throw line: they got there often, and made their free throws (19-for-23 = 82.6%).
Who Looked Good
The starters were Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Isaiah Livers, Charles Matthews, Zavier Simpson, and Moritz Wagner. Four of them hit double figures (all but Livers). MAAR was Michigan’s high scorer with 26 points, Simpson had 16, Wagner had 15, and Matthews had 10.
Jon Teske did his best trying to slow down Purdue’s twin monsters (7’2″ and 7’3″), and he even scored 8 points along the way.
Jordan Poole and Duncan Robinson each had 5 points.
Who Looked Not-So-Good
Livers only scored 3 points. He played decent defense.
Jaaron Simmons played for 3 minutes and didn’t attempt a shot.
Who Else Played
No one else played.
Who Didn’t Play
Eli Brooks, Austin Davis, Ibi Watson, and the practice squad players (C.J. Baird, Brent Hibbitts, Naji Ozeir, Rico Ozuna-Harrison, and Luke Wilson) didn’t get into the game.
The Big Picture
This was a game that Michigan stood very little chance of winning, but they gave it a good shot. Those kind of shooting numbers will win most games, even on the road, but Purdue is red-hot right now. There’s no need to be upset, disappointed, or worried about this result.
Predicted Win Total
The Purdue game was a “Should Lose” game, and Michigan lost it. No change to the Predicted Win Total.
This week’s Predicted Win Total is: 20
Here’s a chart of the Predicted Win Totals for each week:
Week | Date | Predicted Win Total |
1 | 10/30/2017 | 19 |
3 | 11/13/2017 | 19 |
4 | 11/20/2017 | 16 |
5 | 11/27/2017 | 16 |
6 | 12/04/2017 | 16 |
7 | 12/11/2017 | 16 |
8 | 12/18/2017 | 18 |
9 | 12/25/2017 | 18 |
10 | 01/01/2018 | 18 |
11 | 01/08/2018 | 19 |
12 | 01/15/2018 | 20 |
13 | 01/22/2018 | 20 |
14 | 01/29/2018 | 20 |
What’s Next
After playing three games 2 weeks ago, and only one game last week, this week Michigan is back to their regular schedule of playing 2 games. On Monday (01/29/2018, 7:00 p.m., FS1), Michigan plays Northwestern, then on Saturday (02/03/2018, 2:30 p.m., FOX), they play Minnesota. Both games are in Crisler Arena.
Northwestern is currently 13-9 (4-5 in the Big Ten), with no impressive wins, and no embarrassing losses. They have really underperformed so far this season. A lot was expected of them. Michigan should be able to beat them, but they’ll have to play a solid game. No coasting.
Minnesota is currently 14-9 (3-7 in the Big Ten), with no impressive wins, and no embarrassing losses. They have also really underperformed so far this season, including 2 losses to Northwestern. Just like the Northwestern game, Michigan should be able to beat them, but they have to play well.
Check back next week to see what happened, and why.
Go Blue!
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #22 – 03/25/2024 – Season Wrap-Up, Final Grades, And Looking Ahead - March 25, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #21 – 03/18/2024 – Big Changes - March 18, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #20 – 03/11/2024 – The Merciful End To The Regular Season - March 11, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #19 – 03/04/2024 – Two More Blowout Losses - March 4, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #18 – 02/26/2024 – Two More Predictable Losses - February 26, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #17 – 02/19/2024 – Another Lost Week In A Lost Season - February 19, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #16 – 02/12/2024 – One Step Forward… - February 12, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #15 – 02/05/2024 – Rock Bottom - February 5, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #14 – 01/29/2024 – A Truly Lousy Week - January 29, 2024
- Nothing But ‘Net – Week #13 – 01/22/2024 – Check It Out: Another Win! - January 22, 2024