The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won both of them. On Monday (11/18/2024), they beat Miami (OH) 94-67, then on Thursday (11/21/2024), they beat Tarleton State 72-49. Both games were in Crisler Arena. Michigan’s record is now 4-1.
What Happened?
A 3-game winning streak! It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the first 3-game winning streak for Michigan since the opening 3 games of last season. Of course, since Michigan only won 8 games total last season, it’s not surprising that they never won more than 3 in a row.
In both games, Michigan had stretches where they were dominant, followed by stretches where they looked lost. Fortunately, the dominant stretches were longer and more fruitful than the lost stretches were damaging. Michigan won both games solidly, but not impressively. They’re still working on that team chemistry thing.
Game Flow
The Miami game was close in the early going. Miami led 7-5 at the 17:07 mark, then Michigan tied it up (7-7) and went ahead 9-7 with 14:48 to go. Michigan pushed the lead as high as 6 points a couple times, but Miami tied it up (20-20) with 8:48 left in the half. Miami went ahead again, 22-20, at the 8:03 mark, then the lead went back and forth for the next few minutes. Miami led for the last time (30-29) with 4:05 to go, then Michigan went on a 15-6 run to end the half, up 8 points (44-36).
Michigan started the 2nd half strong, scoring the first 8 points to go up 52-36 at the 16:05 mark. Michigan kept the lead in the 16-18 point range for a while, and finally pushed it up to 20 points (65-45) with 12:13 to go. At this point, the game was firmly in hand, and Michigan continued to push their lead as high as 31 points, winning by 27 points.
The TSU game started out strong for Michigan, as they led 6-0 at the 18:05 mark and 11-3 with 16:13 to go, but they let TSU back in the game. It was all tied up (11-11) with 12:29 left, then again (13-13) at the 11:19 mark. Michigan started pulling away again, up 23-16 at the 8:27 mark, but TSU refused to go away. They went ahead (24-23) with 6:54 left, but Michigan retook the lead moments later. UM was only up by 1 point (29-28) at the 3:56 mark, when they went on a 11-2 run to end the half, up by 10 points (40-30).
In the 2nd half, Michigan picked up right where they had left off. They held TSU scoreless for the first 4+ minutes of the half, and went on a 10-0 run to push their lead to 20 points (50-30) with 16:21 to go. Michigan never let TSU get any closer than 13 points the rest of the way, and won going away, 72-49. It wasn’t quite the blowout that everyone predicted, but it was a comfortable win.
Stats
The stats for the Miami game were pretty good. Michigan shot well overall (35-for-60 = 58.3%), they shot 3-pointers well (14-for-29 = 48.3%), and they shot free throws decently (10-for-15 = 66.7%). They won the rebounding battle decisively (44-23), but they lost the turnover battle (18-13). They won this game with good shooting and great rebounding, but turnovers were still a problem.
The stats for the TSU game were just OK. Michigan shot decently overall (25-for-56 = 44.6%), they shot 3-pointers pretty poorly (6-for-22 = 27.3%), and they shot free throws decently (16-for-23 = 70.0%). They won the rebounding battle (32-25), and they won the turnover battle by a wide margin (11-24). They won this game with rebounding and improved turnover margin.
Who Started?
The starters for both games were Nimari Burnett, Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle Jr., Vladislav Goldin, and Danny Wolf.
Who Looked Good?
Gayle was the leading scorer for Michigan in the TSU game (16 points), and hit double figures in the Miami game (10 points). He shot very well in both games: 4-for-6 overall, 2-for-3 from deep vs. Miami, and 6-for-7 overall, 1-for-1 from deep vs. TSU.
Donaldson hit double figures in both games, with 16 and 13 points. He also had 4 and 5 assists.
Burnett was the leading scorer for Michigan in the Miami game (18 points), and almost hit double figures in the TSU game (9 points). Once again, he did a great job hanging onto the ball, with 1 and 0 turnovers.
Goldin also had one game in double figures (12 points vs. TSU) and one game close to double figures (8 points vs. Miami). Once again, several of his missed shots were close-in layups that could have been dunks. He needs to think “dunk”, not “layup”.
Wolf had one decent game (9 points vs. Miami) and one weak game (6 points vs. TSU). He shot decently vs. Miami (4-for-8 overall, 0-for-2 from deep), but he was way off vs. TSU (1-for-6 overall, 0-for-3 from deep). He scored 4 of his 6 points vs. TSU from the free throw line. He did have 9 and 6 rebounds.
Sam Walters also had one good game (13 points vs. TSU) and one weak game (5 points vs. Miami).
L.J. Cason had one good game (11 points vs. Miami) and one lousy game (1 point vs. TSU).
Will Tschetter had one decent game (9 points vs. Miami) and one lousy game (0 points vs. TSU).
Rubin Jones had one mediocre game (6 points vs. Miami) and one lousy game (0 points vs. TSU).
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Phat Phat Brooks played in both games, scoring 2 points in the Miami game and 0 vs. TSU.
Justin Pippen played in both games, scoring 0 points in the Miami game and 2 vs. TSU.
Who Else Played?
Jace Howard played in both games, but didn’t attempt a shot in either.
Ian Burns played in the last minute of the Miami game, and missed his only shot attempt.
Harrison Hochberg played in the last minute of the Miami game, and didn’t take a shot.
Charlie May played in the last minute of the Miami game, and didn’t take a shot.
Who Didn’t Play?
Howard Eisley Jr. was the only member of the Scout Team who didn’t play this week.
What Does It Mean?
These were two “shouldn’t lose” games, and Michigan didn’t lose them. They played well in spurts, but they still had the classic “disappearing offense” problems. It was encouraging that they’ve been trending downward in the turnover department. Regardless, it was important that Michigan took care of business and won both games by respectable margins. These games won’t help their post-season tournament resume, but a loss to either Miami or TSU would have really hurt.
What’s Next?
This week, Michigan plays two games, in the Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament. On Monday (11/25/2024, 6:00 p.m., FS1), they play Virginia Tech, then on Wednesday (11/27/2024, 6:00/8:30 p.m., FS1), they play either South Carolina or Xavier. Both games are in Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.
Virginia Tech is currently 3-2, with no impressive wins, and unimpressive losses to Penn State (by 22 points) and Jacksonville (by 10 points). They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have a 7-footer. This is a game that Michigan should win, but they have to play their “low mistake” game.
South Carolina is currently 3-2, with no noteworthy results. They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 6’10” player and a 7-footer. This would be a tough matchup for Michigan, but it’s a team they can beat.
Xavier is currently 5-0, with an impressive win over Wake Forest (who beat Michigan), and no losses. They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 6’10” guy and a 6’11” guy. They are a mild favorite in their game vs. South Carolina, and their win over Wake Forest looks pretty impressive. They will probably be favored over Michigan if the two teams meet. Michigan can beat them, but they will need to play very well.
Check back next week to find out what happened and why.
Go Blue!
