Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #16 – 02/13/2017 – Back From The Brink

Quick Look

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they won both of them. On Tuesday (02/07/2017), Michigan thrashed Michigan State 86-57 in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (02/12/2017), they beat Indiana 75-63 in Bloomington. The two wins raise Michigan’s record to 16-9 (6-6 in the Big Ten).

What Happened

This is easily the best week that Michigan has had this season, even better than the big wins in the 2K Classic in November. They played two of their biggest rivals, and they beat them both handily. The win over MSU was a total beat-down, with not even a hint of a moral victory for MSU. They were exposed on national TV (ESPN). The win at IU was almost bigger, since Michigan had lost 17 of the last 18 games in Assembly Hall, and hadn’t won a true road game this season. The two wins pull Michigan back from the brink, and put them squarely on the right side of the NCAA bubble. They still need to win 4 of their last 6 games, with all of them either on the road or against the top teams in the Big Ten, but Michigan has momentum now, and they’re finally playing some defense to go with their high-powered offense.

Question: where has this team been up until now?  I’m glad they finally showed up, but it would have been nice if they had shown up a month ago.

Michigan never trailed in either game, which is pretty impressive, and they opened up some nice leads along the way. In the MSU game, the game was close for the first 11 minutes (23-19 with 9:11 left), then UM started to pull away. They started hitting 3-pointers, and grew the lead from 4 to 16 points in less than 3 minutes (35-19 with 6:26 to go in the 1st half). They got the lead up to 20 points (47-27) with 1:49 left, then went on a nice 6-0 run to end the half, up 26 points (55-29). Michigan opened the 2nd half with 2 quick baskets to make it a 30 point lead (59-29) with 18:50 to go, and forced MSU into a timeout just 1:10 into the half. UM held the Feisty Farmers at arm’s length the rest of the game, never letting the lead down below 20 points. The Crisler Arena crowd had a great time chanting “Little Brother!” and “Just Like Football!” It was a great win. MSU’s “pain in the butt” head coach, Tom Izzo, actually sat down and shut up for the last 5 minutes!

Back on 01/26/2017, Michigan throttled Indiana in Crisler Arena, 90-60, so IU was out for revenge. Once again, the game was close in the early going, with UM only up by 3 points (14-11) with 12:09 to go in the 1st half. The 3-pointers started falling, and Michigan stretched the lead to 13 points (33-20) with 4:01 left in the half. UM went cold at that point, and didn’t score again until the 17:40 mark in the 2nd half, almost 6 and a half minutes. Fortunately, IU didn’t score much either, and UM still had an 8-point lead (35-27). Michigan got the lead back up to 13 points again (56-43) with 8:30 left in the game, then again with 4:58 left. They managed the end of the game very well, hitting their free throws, and won by 12. It was a good, solid win.

The stats for the MSU game are very impressive. Michigan shot very well overall (32-for-53 = 60.4%), they shot 3-pointers very well (10-for-21 = 47.6%), and they shot free throws very well (12-for-14 = 85.7%). They lost the rebounding battle (26-22), but they won the turnover battle handily (8-21). Michigan dominated everywhere but on the boards, and crushed MSU.

The stats for the IU game are not nearly as impressive, but they’re good enough for a Michigan victory. Michigan shot fairly well overall (26-for-55 = 47.3%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (8-for-22 = 36.4%), and they shot free throws very well (15-for-19 = 78.9%). They lost the rebounding battle (32-29), but they won the turnover battle (8-15). Those extra 7 possessions really helped.

Who Looked Good

Derrick Walton Jr. continued his recent streak of great games with 2 more. He was the high scorer for Michigan in both games, with 20 and 25 points. He went 9-for-9 from the free throw line vs. IU, to help seal the win.

Moritz Wagner had a great week, with 19 and 11 points. He also had 10 rebounds vs. IU, for his first career double-double. He did foul out of the IU game in the last minute, but by then the result was no longer in doubt. He could have had another 10 points vs. IU if he had dunked the ball instead of laying it up for 5 missed layups.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had a good week, even if he only hit double figures once, in the MSU game. He had 16 big points vs. MSU, and 7 vs. IU.

DJ Wilson had a rough game vs. MSU, with only 6 points in 22 minutes of action, but he bounced back nicely with 13 points and 35 minutes vs. IU.

Duncan Robinson had a good week, with 10 and 8 points. His defense was also improved.

Xavier Simpson finally figured things out in the MSU game, and played his best game so far. He finally took a few shots, and made most of them, for 7 points on 3-for-4 shooting. He also had a rebound and 2 assists. It was great to see him contribute. He scored 2 more points, and had 2 more assists, in the IU game.

Who Looked Not-So-Good

Zak Irvin is almost completely worthless out there anymore. He is in a major slump, but he keeps on shooting, and missing. In his last 4 games, here’s how he has shot:

  • At Michigan State: 0-for-8 (0-for-2 from 3-point range)
  • Ohio State: 2-for-10 (1-for-6)
  • Michigan State: 1-for-5 (1-for-2)
  • At Indiana: 1-for-8 (0-for-5)

That adds up to 4-for-31 (12.9%) overall, 2-for-15 (13.3%) from 3-point range.

Mark Donnal had a quiet week, with 3 and 4 points.

Who Else Played

Brent Hibbitts, Sean Lonergan, Jon Teske, Ibi Watson, and Fred Wright-Jones all played in the MSU blowout, and Wright-Jones actually scored (2 free throws). Lonergan, Teske, and Watson played in the last minute of the IU game, but didn’t score.

Who Didn’t Play

Everyone got to play in (at least) the MSU massacre.

The Big Picture

Remember what I said last week about the NIT instead of the NCAA Tournament? Not so fast! Michigan still has some tough games to win, but they control their own destiny. If they keep playing like they did last week, they stand a fighting chance in all 6 of their remaining regular season games.

What’s Next

This week Michigan plays two games again, one in Crisler and one on the road. On Thursday (02/16/2017, 7:00 p.m., ESPN), they play (#7) Wisconsin in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (02/19/2017, 7:00 p.m. EST, BTN), they play at Minnesota.

Michigan played at Wisconsin about a month ago (01/17/2017), and they put up a good fight in an extremely hostile environment. Wisconsin won 68-64, but Michigan was up by 6 points (49-43) with 6:29 left in the game, before they fell apart at the end. Michigan can beat them in Crisler Arena, but they need to play the way they did against IU twice and MSU once, not the way they played against Ohio State. This will be a tough game, but it’s winnable.

This is the only time Michigan plays Minnesota this season. Minnesota is 18-7 overall, 6-6 in the Big Ten, with only one impressive win (Purdue), and a couple not-so-hot losses (Penn State and Ohio State). They’re pretty tough at home (13-3), but not unbeatable. This will also be a tough game.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

2017 Michigan Football Signing Day– The Recruits Stole the Show

The signing day festivities may have been missing those familiar faces of Derek Jeter and Tom Brady, due to his preparation for his 5th Super Bowl victory, but the amount of future star power that was there in attendance had the second annual Signing of the Stars event looking more star-studded than what most are expressing.

Last years event consisted of an all-around celebrity list including Ric Flair, Jim Leyland and even the popular Rap group, Migos. The university went all out for its first annual event. Jim Harbaugh wanted to do something different and amazing that no one was doing and simply just wow the new recruits, in other words to have celebration for their new future student athletes on furthering their education.

This years’ Signing of the Stars event was very much different from the previous. Harbaugh wanted to get away from those big name celebrities and put the spotlight truly on recruits and bring the community of the university together. After he was announced on to the stage by the Sklar brothers, he didn’t hold back about what could be his favorite word in the dictionary, family.

 “Probably no better word in the English language.. to me, than family. ‘Cause we are tied at the hip, we are tied at the hip here at the University of Michigan. We are a family.”

It nearly took me a week just to process this event and how awesome it really was. There were so many factors that played into this event that made it simply special, entertaining, and downright hopeful for another great year of Michigan Football.

The Sklar Brother Tandem

Former Michigan Alum and masters of ceremony, Randy and Jason Sklar had everybody rolling as soon as they stepped onto the stage. Randy had the pleasure of hosting last years’ event but decided to bring his brother Jason along because he was “almost” as big as a Michigan fan as he was. Next thing you know, Jason reminisce when they slept outside Crisler Center for a Michigan vs Duke basketball game when a 2-year-old Grayson Allen decided to trip him on the way in. They even managed to get the crowd fired up with a reference of a certain Ohio referee thinking that joke came up 6 inches short. The two kept the show moving flawlessly and had everyone enjoying themselves till the very end. Hopefully, we can count on these guys being the host for years to come.

A Team Effort by the University

 One of the many reasons I thought what made the event more special than last year was the element of having other coaches from other sports partake as presenters for the former alumni. From Carol Hutchins, the winningest softball coach in the NCAA history and Michigan Athletics to John Paul the head coach for the Mens Lacrosse team. In his 6th season, Paul has helped the club become new members of Division-1 Lacrosse and now is competing in the Big Ten Conference for the first time. The way that this was strategically set up was brilliant and idea of bring others coaches in for the presentation shows just how strong the Michigan community is and willing to cheer on for other athletic departments.

Back to Basics – Big Bodies

 Whether it’s high school, college, or even the NFL, winning at the line of scrimmage is always a key to any football game. Nearly half of the 2017 recruits alone can be found playing on the line of scrimmage. Coach Drevno expressed how they wanted to get more athletic up front and wanted to bring in guys that can immediately compete on the offensive line and all 5 of them fits that bill. Jon Jansen expressed that he enjoys seeing the new recruits already being able to finish their blocks and doesn’t stop till the whistle is blown.

“That’s what I like to see, guys on their back and our guys on top of them.”

Caesar Ruiz, a 5-star Center out of IMG Academy had said that he had known for about two years that he was coming to Michigan after being asked about his popular commitment video and the whole process. Turned out he was just messing and was just saying that for the show purposes.

Graham Glasgow was asked about what kind of advice he could give to these young guys and his answer was perfect.

“Coach Drevno and Coach Harbaugh are always right, if you think you’re right.. you’re wrong.” He chuckled. “Just have faith in these guys and they’ll put theirs back in you.” He mentioned on a serious note.

One of the two biggest steals of the day that Michigan managed to grab was 5-star defensive tackle, Aubrey Solomon out of Georgia. He was a hard one to follow on what he was going to do. First, he committed, then de committed thanks to a miscommunication of a “thank you letter” for attending a BBQ held at the Big House in which he never attended and ultimately rubbed him the wrong way. But at the end of day, Harbaugh and company managed to solidify the defensive line for the next few years alongside with Rashan Gary. Those two together are going to be nasty to see.

The Amount of WR Depth

Detroit Lions Quarterback Jake Rudock mentioned that the offensive line creates the plays which allows the QB to hit those playmakers. We lost three huge offensive weapons in Jake Butt, Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh. But did we ever overachieve at the wide out position. We had known about Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, and Oliver Martin before the event.However, it wasn’t until roughly an hour and a half after the show that we officially went 2-2 on stealing another Alabama recruit right from underneath their nose in Nico Collins. Collins took his first trip when Michigan had played Maryland and It’s pretty damn amazing on why Collins chose Michigan over his second choice of Georgia followed by Alabama.

“It was very amazing,” Collins said. “There were 110,000 fans or something like that. They were live for all four quarters. When I walked in, I could see myself there. Going out under the tunnel under the ‘Go Blue’ sign, I could hear the fans yelling, ‘Nico, Nico!’

“That right there really meant a lot. That showed me they really care about players (yelling Nico). I’m from all the way down south, and they knew about me. That meant a lot.”

We really do have the best fans.

Mind you we still have Grant Perry, Kekoa Crawford, Eddie Mcdoom, Drake Harris and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. I still have goosebumps in thinking what this offense could look like. Pro Style? Spread? Both? I have no idea, but it’s hurting my brain.

Another Signing of the Stars has come and gone and it’s not hard to see and understand how Jim Harbaugh continues to change the environment at Michigan and why these young kids choose Ann Arbor. Three words. Family. Education. Football.

Go Blue!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #15 – 02/06/2017 – Season On The Brink

Quick Look

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team only played one game last week, and they lost it. On Saturday (02/04/2017), Michigan lost to Ohio State 70-66 in Crisler Arena. The loss drops Michigan’s record to 14-9 (4-6 in the Big Ten).

What Happened

This was a “must win” game for Michigan, and they didn’t win it, so their season in now officially “on the brink”. They have 8 games left, and they need to win 6 of them to stand a chance of making the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the OSU game was probably the most winnable of their remaining games, and they couldn’t win it. I’m afraid we’re looking at an NIT bid this season.

Michigan started the OSU game strong, then slowly let the game get away from them. They had an 11-point lead (19-8) with 14:03 left in the 1st half; 90 seconds later, the lead was down for 3 points (19-16). UM managed to push the lead back up to 8 points (30-22) with 5:17 left in the half, then they fell apart. They let OSU go on a 14-5 run to lead by 1 point at halftime, 36-35.

OSU started pulling away in the 2nd half, but Michigan had one last surge left in them. OSU led by 8 (47-39) with 14:46 left in the game, before UM came back to within 2 points (49-47) with 11:41 to go. OSU pushed the lead back up to 8 (58-50) with 7:07 left, then UM got it tied up (60-60) with 4:23 to go. It was tied up again (63-63) with 2:23 left, but OSU made their free throws, and Michigan missed their shots, and Michigan let another winnable game slip away.

The stats are miserable. Michigan shot poorly overall (19-for-51 = 37.3%), they shot 3-pointers poorly (13-for-35 = 37.1%), but they did shoot free throws well (15-for-18 = 83.3%). They were absolutely hammered on the boards (42-24), but they did win the turnover battle (12-16). The main reason they lost was rebounding, especially offensive rebounding. OSU had a whopping 16 offensive rebounds. It was terrible.

Who Looked Good

Derrick Walton Jr. has been on a tear lately, and he was one of the few bright spots in a dismal game. He scored 25 points, including 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. He also had 10 rebounds, for another double-double. He needs more help.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman did his best, and it was pretty good, but it wasn’t enough. He scored 12 points, and had 7 rebounds. He played hard.

DJ Wilson was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 11 points. He had one rebound. Think about that: 2 of Michigan’s guards combined for 17 rebounds, Wilson had one.

Who Looked Not-So-Good

Moritz Wagner couldn’t stay on the floor. He fouled out in only 22 minutes, after scoring 5 points in the 1st half, and 0 points in the 2nd half. He also had exactly one rebound.

Zak Irvin did a little better than his last game (0 points vs. MSU, when he was sick with the flu), but not much. He scored 5 points in the first 5 minutes, then was held scoreless the rest of the game. He shot 2-for-10 (1-for-6 from 3-point range), and had as many turnovers (3) as rebounds (3).

Duncan Robinson almost hit double figures (8 points), on 2-for-6 shooting, all from 3-point range. He had a rough time on defense.

Mark Donnal had to play a lot more than usual, since Wagner was in foul trouble for most of the game. He responded with 0 points and one rebound.

Xavier Simpson played for 4 minutes, didn’t attempt a shot, didn’t get a rebound, but did get 2 steals.

Who Else Played

No one else played.

Who Didn’t Play

Brent Hibbitts, Sean Lonergan, Jon Teske, Ibi Watson, and Fred Wright-Jones didn’t play.

The Big Picture

The bubble has popped. It would take a minor miracle for Michigan to make it to the NCAA Tournament now. They should just worry about staying above 0.500 so they can go to the NIT.

What’s Next

This week Michigan plays two games again, one in Crisler and one on the road. On Tuesday (02/07/2017, 9:00 p.m., ESPN), they play Michigan State in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (02/12/2017, 1:00 p.m., CBS), they play at Indiana.

Michigan just played MSU 2 weeks ago (Sunday 01/29/2017) in East Lansing, and almost pulled off the road upset. This is another “toss up” game, and it is a game that Michigan needs to win if they want to salvage anything from this season.

Michigan also played Indiana 2 weeks ago (Thursday 01/26/2017) in Crisler Arena, and thrashed them soundly. If they could beat IU by 30 points (90-60) at home, they should be able to beat them by at least one point on the road, but Michigan still hasn’t won a true road game this season, so expect another nail-biter.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why.

Go Blue!

Posted on

Nothing But ‘Net – Week #14 – 01/30/2017 – Another Week, Another Split

Quick Look

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they won one and lost the other. On Thursday (01/26/2017), Michigan beat Indiana 90-60 in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (01/29/2017), they lost at Michigan State 70-62. The win and the loss

leave Michigan with a record of 14-8 (4-5 in the Big Ten).

What Happened

This is the 5th week in a row where Michigan has won one game and lost the other, but this week included a huge win and a rivalry loss. Look at that score again from the IU game: 90-60. The game wasn’t even that close. Unfortunately, Michigan couldn’t keep the momentum from the IU game going vs. MSU. When UM is hitting their 3-pointers, everything else falls into place, and they look great. When they are cold from 3-point range, everything else falls apart, and they look terrible. That’s what happened this week.

Michigan started hot vs. IU, and never cooled off. The won both halves by 15 points (50-35 and 40-25), and they never let IU even get close for the entire 2nd half. It was very impressive.

On the other hand, Michigan never got hot vs. MSU, and the game was close most of the time. Michigan actually led by one point (40-39) with 14:53 to go in the 2nd half, before MSU went on a 12-2 run to give them a lead they never gave up. Even though they were playing from behind for most of the 2nd half, UM stayed close, and actually got within 4 points (66-62) in the final minute, but could get no closer.

Let’s look at the stats. In the IU game, Michigan shot very well overall (31-for-49 = 63.3%), they shot 3-pointers very well (11-for-20 = 55.0%), and they shot free throws well enough (17-for-24 = 70.8%). They won the rebounding battle (23-20) and the turnover battle (6-16). It was total domination.

The stats for the MSU game aren’t nearly as pretty. Michigan shot very poorly overall (19-for-56 = 33.9%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (7-for-26 = 26.9%), but they did shoot free throws well (17-for-19 = 89.5%). Michigan actually won the rebounding battle, barely (33-32), but they uncharacteristically lost the turnover battle (13-11). All those turnovers, combined with anemic 3-point shooting, cost Michigan the game.

Who Looked Good

Michigan had 6 players, including all 5 starters, in double figures for the IU game, but only 2 players in double figures for the MSU game.

Derrick Walton Jr. was Michigan’s leading scorer in both games, with 21 and 24 points. He hit 14 of 15 free throws vs. MSU, and almost had a double-double, with 9 rebounds (3 offensive). He had a great week.

Moritz Wagner was the only other Michigan player to hit double figures in both games, with 14 and 10. On the downside, he had 4 fouls and 4 bad turnovers vs. MSU.

DJ Wilson had a solid game against IU, with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots, but he had a tougher time against MSU, with only 8 points.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had 12 points vs. IU, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and he played great defense. He had a quiet game (5 points) vs. MSU, and had a tougher time on defense.

Duncan Robinson had 13 and 8 points, and did a decent job on defense for a change.

Who Looked Not-So-Good

Zak Irvin may have had 12 points vs. IU, but he almost single-handedly cost Michigan the MSU game, with 0 points on 0-for-8 shooting. He also had 3 turnovers vs. MSU. Ugh.

Mark Donnal had a quiet week, with 3 and 7 points.

Xavier Simpson played in both games, and scored 2 points (on free throws) vs. IU. He was scoreless vs. MSU. When he’s out there, Michigan is essentially playing 4-on-5 on offense, since he refuses to shoot.

Who Else Played

Jon Teske played in both games, but failed to score.

Ibi Watson played in both games, and scored 2 points (on free throws) vs. IU. He was scoreless vs. MSU. He still looks lost out there.

Fred Wright-Jones played in the MSU game, but failed to score.

Brent Hibbitts played in the IU game, but failed to score.

Sean Lonergan played in the IU game, but failed to score.

Who Didn’t Play

Everyone played in at least one of the games this week.

The Big Picture

Michigan is still “on the bubble” for an NCAA Tournament bid. They need to win 6 of their remaining 9 Big Ten games to stand a decent chance. They need to do better than a split every week.

What’s Next

This week Michigan only plays one game, at home. On Saturday (02/04/2017, 6:00 p.m., ESPN2), Michigan plays Ohio State in Crisler Arena. This is another “toss up” game.

OSU is currently 13-9 overall, 3-6 in the Big Ten. They did beat MSU in Columbus, but they have also lost to Florida Atlantic. The rest of their wins and losses are all predictable.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why.

Go Blue!