The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Saturday (12/16/2023), they beat Eastern Michigan 83-66 in Crisler Arena. The win raises Michigan’s record to 6-5 (1-1 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

For the first time this season, Michigan played an uneventful game, and they won it.  Part of what made it uneventful was that it was the first game this season with Juwan Howard as head coach, now that he is sufficiently recovered from his heart surgery.  The other part of what made it uneventful was that Michigan played a “typical” game for them.  Not a great game, not a bad game, a typical game.  They were about 17 points better than EMU, and that’s what the scoreboard said at the end.

It may have been an uneventful game, but it was hardly an uneventful week, with all kinds of rumors flying around about a verbal altercation involving Jace Howard, an unidentified student trainer, Jon Sanderson (the strength and conditioning coach), and Juwan Howard.  It resulted in an HR complaint filed by Sanderson, and no disciplinary actions taken by Warde Manuel, the Athletic Director.  The team didn’t appear at all affected by the outside distractions.

Game Flow

Michigan led for almost the entire game.  EMU was up 4-2 early, but UM went up 5-4 at the 18:17 mark, and never trailed again.  They pushed the lead up to 10 points (16-6) with 14:14 to go, and kept the lead in the 7-9 point range for the next 10 minutes.  The lead was still 10 points (37-27) at the 3:46 mark, when Michigan went on a 12-5 run to end the half, up 49-32 at halftime.  Michigan kept the lead in the 14-16 point range for most of the 2^nd half, although EMU did creep closer every now and then.  With 10:00 to go, the lead was down to 10 points (59-49), when a flurry of activity in just 22 seconds put the game back out of reach: EMU missed a 3-pointer (9:33 mark), UM made a 3-pointer (9:27), EMU missed a dunk (9:17), and UM tipped in an alley-oop pass (9:11) to push the lead back up to 15 points.  EMU never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.  It was a solid win against a feisty opponent.

Stats

The game stats were pretty good.  Michigan shot well overall (31-for-57 = 54.4%), they shot 3-pointers very well (12-for-27 = 44.4%), and they shot free throws decently (9-for-15 = 60.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (37-30), but lost the turnover battle (11-5).  They won this game with good shooting and good 3-point defense: EMU shot 2-for-15 from deep, including 0-for-7 by their leading scorer.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Will Tschetter, and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

Nkamhoua was the leading scorer, with 17 points.  He also had 9 rebounds, for an almost-double-double.

Burnett had a good game, with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting (3-for-5 from deep).

Williams continued his recent improved play, with 13 points on decent shooting (4-for-10 overall, 3-for-7 from deep).

McDaniel was limited by foul trouble, but he still managed to score 11 points.

Tarris Reed, Jr. didn’t start this game, for the first time this season.  He played well off the bench, with 13 points, and he did start the 2^nd half.

Tray Jackson played well off the bench, with 7 points.

Tschetter had a decent game, with 5 points and 6 rebounds.

Jaelin Llewellyn played for 15 minutes, and scored 3 points, going 1-for-2 from deep.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

All the mainstream players looked good this week.

Who Else Played?

Ian Burns played, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Harrison Hochberg played, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Youssef Khayat missed his only shot attempt.

Jackson Selvala missed his only shot attempt.

George Washington III played, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Cooper Smith didn’t play.

Jace Howard is still recovering from an injury, and not playing yet.  He’s expected back “later in the season”.

What Does It Mean?

This was a game that Michigan was expected to win, and they took care of business.  If they can continue to play some solid, “typical” basketball, they might stand a shot at a better-than-0.500 record.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Tuesday (12/19/2023, 7:00 p.m., ESPN), they play Florida in Charlotte, NC, as part of the Jumpman Invitational.

Florida is currently 7-3, with impressive wins over Florida State and Pittsburgh, and no embarrassing losses.  They have one noteworthy player: Tyrese Samuel, a transfer from Seton Hall. They also have a lot of height: two 6’10” players, a 6’11” player, and a 7’1” player.  This game will be a big challenge for Michigan, and they will have to play their best game so far this season to win it.

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 lost one and won the other.  On Tuesday (12/05/2023), they lost to Indiana 78-75 in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (12/10/2023), they won at Iowa 90-80.  Both games were in the Big Ten.  The loss and win leave Michigan with a record of 5-5 (1-1 in Big Ten).

What Happened?

These were two games that Michigan could have easily lost, so winning one of them is a bonus.  Winning a road game in the Big Ten is no easy feat, and Michigan has had a tough time winning at Iowa, so this win is doubly surprising, and doubly sweet.  The Indiana game was close and exciting, and Michigan could have won that one as well.

Game Flow

The Indiana game was close for the whole game, with neither team leading by more than 7 points.  IU led for most of the 1^st half, but Michigan kept it close.  With 1:12 left in the half, it was all tied up (37-37).  Michigan scored with 43 seconds to go, and led by 2 points at halftime, 39-37.  The 2^nd half was more of the same, except that Michigan led for most of the time.  With 8:59 to go, Michigan led by 6 points, 59-53.  IU went ahead, 60-59, and then the lead went back and forth, with several ties (60-60, 62-62, 64-64, 66-66, 69-69, 71-71, and 73-73).  It was 73-73 with 1:23 to go, when IU went ahead by 2, and Michigan never quite caught up.  As in the Oregon game last week, Michigan missed some key free throws and had some silly turnovers in the last couple minutes.  If they can clean that up, they might win one of the close ones.

The Iowa game was also close for the first 22 minutes, with neither team leading by more than 5 points.  Michigan led for most of the 1^st half, but Iowa kept it close.  It was all tied up, 33-33, with 1:52 left in the half, and Michigan made 2 free throws with 22 seconds left to lead by 2 points (35-33) at halftime.  Iowa opened the 2^nd half with a quick 4-0 run, for their last lead of the game, 37-35, with 19:13 to go.  Michigan went on an 11-0 run to get a 9-point lead that they never surrendered, 46-37, with 16:38 left.  Michigan pushed their lead to 11 points (53-42) at the 13:36 mark, and then they put the game away with a brilliant 9-0 run over the next 71 seconds.  With 12:25 left, Michigan led by 20 points (62-42), and the game was over.  Before Michigan emptied the bench and let the Scout Team play, Iowa never got closer than 14 points.  The Scout Team played for the last 90 seconds, and they let Iowa make the score look more respectable, but that was a 20-point victory masquerading as a 10-point victory.

Stats

The game stats for the Indiana game were mediocre.  Michigan shot decently overall (26-for-55 = 47.3%), they shot 3-pointers poorly (4-for-17 = 23.5%), and they shot free throws pretty well (19-for-24 = 79.2%).  They tied in the rebounding battle (30-30), and barely lost the turnover battle (14-13).  They lost this game with poor 3-point shooting.

The game stats for the Iowa game were only a little better.  Michigan shot decently overall (29-for-60 = 48.3%), they shot 3-points fairly well (9-for-24 = 37.5%), and they shot free throws          well (23-for-28 = 82.1%).  They won the rebounding battle (41-32), but lost the turnover battle (13-10).  They won this game with shooting and rebounding.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Tarris Reed, Jr., and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

Nkamhoua was the leading scorer vs. Indiana (18 points), and he had 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. Iowa, for another double-double.

McDaniel hit double figures in both games (13 and 11 points), but he had a terrible week shooting: 3-for-14 overall (0-for-4 from deep) vs. Indiana, and 4-for-12 overall (1-for-5 from deep) vs. Iowa.  After his brilliant shooting in the Oregon game, it was painful to watch him shoot and miss so much this week.

Williams was the only other starter to hit double figures in both games, with 10 points vs. Indiana and 13 points vs. Iowa.  He had a pretty good week shooting 3-pointers: 2-for-5 vs. Indiana and 3-for-6 vs. Iowa.  He’s been playing the best basketball of his career lately, and I hope he keeps it up.

Reed was the undisputed star of the Iowa game, with a career-high 19 points, on 7-for-10 shooting.  He even shot free throws well (for him): 5-for-7.  Add in 6 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, and that’s the kind of game Michigan needs from him consistently.  Unfortunately, he only had 5 points vs. Indiana, which is closer to his average.

Burnett had one mediocre game (4 points vs. Indiana) and one good game (14 points vs. Iowa).  He shot poorly vs. Iowa: 4-for-11 (2-for-8 from deep).

Will Tschetter came in off the bench and played very well in both games, with 17 and 10 points.  He was red-hot vs. Indiana (6-for-7 overall, 1-for-2 from deep), and he shot pretty well vs. Iowa (3-for-6 overall, 1-for-2 from deep).

Tray Jackson played pretty well off the bench, with 5 and 8 points.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

All the mainstream players looked good this week.

Who Else Played?

Ian Burns played in the Iowa game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Youssef Khayat played in the Iowa game, and scored 2 points on free throws.

Jaelin Llewellyn played in the Indiana game, but not the Iowa game.  He hit his only shot attempt vs. IU, a 3-pointer.

Jackson Selvala played in the Iowa game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Cooper Smith played in the Iowa game, but didn’t attempt a shot.

George Washington III played in the Iowa game, and hit one of his two free throws.

Who Didn’t Play?

Harrison Hochberg didn’t play in either game.

Jace Howard is still recovering from an injury, and not playing yet.  He’s expected back “later in the season”.

What Does It Mean?

It’s great that Michigan won one of their two December Big Ten games, especially on the road against one of the teams they’re expected to battle with in the lower half of the Big Ten standings.  It’s a shame that they let the upset bid vs. Indiana slip away.  Still, they’re looking like the 10-21 team I predicted.  They have yet to win a close game, and they’re likely to see many close games the rest of the season.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Saturday (12/16/2023, 2:30 p.m., BTN), they play Eastern Michigan in Crisler Arena.

Eastern Michigan is currently 5-4, with no impressive wins, and a few embarrassing losses: Butler (94-55), (#10) Florida Atlantic (100-57), North Dakota, and Oakland.  They don’t have any noteworthy players (Emoni Bates was there last season, but he’s in the G-League now), but they do have some height: a 6’11” player and a 7-footer.  This is a game that Michigan should win, but so was Long Beach State.  If UM plays a good clean game, they should beat EMU, but if they start turning the ball over and missing free throws, who knows.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they lost it.  On Saturday (12/02/2023), they lost at Oregon 86-83 in overtime.  The loss drops Michigan’s record to 4-4.

What Happened?

The Oregon Ducks are a pretty good basketball team, and they’re tough to beat on their weird home court.  Michigan gave them all they could handle, and lost on a last second 3-pointer in overtime.  It was a frustrating game, since Michigan played so well for some stretches, then looked lost for other stretches.  UM had their chances to win this one, but they let it slip away.

Game Flow

The game was close for the first part of the 1^st half, with the lead going back and forth and never getting over 3 points for either team.  With 8:29 to go in the half, it was tied up 19-19.  Oregon led for the rest of the half, but still couldn’t pull away.  They got ahead by 5 points (30-25) at the 4:16 mark, but Michigan got back within 1 point (36-35) with 1:29 to go.  Oregon made a basket with 1 second left in the half to make it a 3-point lead (38-35) at halftime.  Early in the 2^nd half, Michigan tied it up (41-41), then went ahead.  They led by 5 points (52-47) at the 14:19 mark.  Oregon fought back, and went back ahead by 3 points (55-52) with 12:43 left.  It was UM’s turn for a run, and they went up by 4 points (59-55) with 9:55 to go.  Back and forth they went, with neither team able to pull away.  With 2:04 left in regulation (that’s called “foreshadowing”), Oregon led by 2 points, 71-69.  Michigan hit a 3-pointer to go up by 1, 72-71, with 52 seconds left.  They got the stop they needed, and had the ball with 32 seconds left.  They had a chance to put the game away, but some lousy free throw shooting and a stupid foul allowed Oregon to tie it up, 73-73, and a miserable turnover gave Oregon the last shot, which they missed.  Overtime.

Michigan never led in overtime, but they stayed close and tied the game up at 78-78, 81-81, and 83-83.  With 24 seconds left, UM tied it up 83-83, Oregon held for the last shot, and made a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left.  UM missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.  Game.

Stats

The game stats were decent.  Michigan shot fairly well overall (29-for-60 = 48.3%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (13-for-31 = 41.9%), and they shot free throws decently (12-for-18 = 66.7%).  They won the rebounding battle 38-31, but they lost the turnover battle badly, 16-9.  They lost this game with untimely turnovers, missed key free throws, and lousy 3-point defense: Oregon shot 62.5% from 3-point range (10-for-16).

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Dug McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua, Tarris Reed, Jr., and Terrance Williams II.

Who Looked Good?

McDaniel was the undisputed star of the game, with another new career high: 33 points, on 12-for-21 shooting (7-for-12 from deep).  His string of made 3-pointers in the middle of the 2^nd half brought Michigan from behind and got them their biggest lead.  He did everything he could to get a win in this game, but it wasn’t quite enough.  It was a real shame to waste such a gutty performance.

Burnett also had a good game, with 13 points on good shooting: 4-for-8 overall (3-for-5 from deep).

Nkamhoua was the only other UM player in double figures, with 12 points.  Unfortunately, he didn’t shoot very well (4-for-12 overall, 1-for-6 from deep), and his 2 missed free throws in the last minute of regulation cost Michigan a chance to win the game, instead of going to overtime.

Williams had a pretty good game, with 8 points.  Unfortunately, he also shot pretty poorly (2-for-7 overall, 1-for-3 from deep).

Will Tschetter came in off the bench and played pretty well.  He scored 8 points on good shooting (3-for-4 overall, 1-for-1 from deep), and played some solid defense.

Tray Jackson also played pretty well off the bench, with 7 points.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Reed had a terrible game, with 0 points in 21 minutes.  He didn’t attempt a shot, he missed both of his free throw attempts, and he had 3 fouls and 2 turnovers.

Who Else Played?

Jaelin Llewellyn played for the first time this season, off the bench.  He played for 10 minutes, shot 1-for-2 for 2 points, and looked pretty good out there.  Michigan could use another outside shooter, and another point guard to spell McDaniel.

Who Didn’t Play?

Youssef Khayat and George Washington III were the mainstream/scholarship players who didn’t play in this game.

None of the Scout Team players (Ian Burns, Harrison Hochberg, Jackson Selvala, and Cooper Smith) played in this game.

Jace Howard is still recovering from an injury, and not playing yet.  He’s expected back “later in the season”.

What Does It Mean?

After a hot start (3-0), Michigan is now back to 0.500 (4-4).  The frustrating part is, they could have won 3 of the 4 games they lost (Long Beach State, Memphis, and Oregon).  There are much harder games ahead, so Michigan needs to start winning the winnable ones.  At this point, they’re still looking like a 10-21 team.

What’s Next?

This week, Michigan plays two games, both in the Big Ten.  On Tuesday (12/05/2023, 9:00 p.m., Peacock), they play Indiana in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (12/10/2023, 4:30 p.m. EST, BTN), they play at Iowa.

Indiana is currently 6-1 overall (1-0 in Big Ten).  They beat Louisville and Maryland, and lost (by 20) to (#5) UConn.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 6’10” player and a 7-footer.  They aren’t predicted to be in contention for the Big Ten title, but they are predicted to finish ahead of Michigan, so this will probably be a tough game.

Iowa is currently 5-2 overall (0-0 in Big Ten).  They beat Seton Hall, and lost to (#8) Creighton and Oklahoma.  They have one noteworthy player: Patrick McCaffery.  His father is the head coach, and he manages to play way better than he should.  They also have some height: a 6’10” player and a 6’11” player.  Iowa always gives Michigan problems, especially at their place, and Michigan is going to have to play their best game so far to pull off a road upset.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!