Tag: Trey Burke

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #11 – 01/07/2013 – A Great Start To Conference Play

The (#2) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they won them both handily. On Thursday (01/03/2013), they beat Northwestern 94-66 in Evanston, then on Sunday (01/06/2013), they beat Iowa 95-67 in Crisler Arena. The wins raise UM’s record to 15-0, and their conference mark to 2-0. It’s a great way to start Big Ten play.

Even though the two scores (94-66 and 95-67) may look very similar, the games were very different. In the Northwestern game, UM jumped out to an early 20-4 lead and never looked back, but in the Iowa game, Michigan trailed 7-0 after 2 minutes, and still trailed by 4 (23-19) with 6:00 left in the half. The game was tied (29-29) with 3:30 left, then UM went on a very impressive 17-6 run to end the half with an 11-point lead (46-35). Iowa never got any closer in the 2nd half, and UM won going away. UM looked lethargic for much of the 1st half, but once they started their run, they were unstoppable.

The Iowa game was a very important lesson for this young Michigan team, and their fans. UM has had things pretty easy so far this season, leading from start to finish in many games, and winning all 15 of them by an average of about 23 points. They have seen very little hardship, and they haven’t had to play from behind for very long. Iowa gave them a reminder of what it’s like to be in a tense, competitive game, at least for 16:30 of the 1st half. There are plenty of tougher opponents coming up, and soon, and we’ll find out just what this Michigan team is made of, and how well they handle pressure and adversity. So far, they’ve been up to every test, but the tests are going to get a lot harder.

The stats for both games are very nice. Against Northwestern, UM shot really well overall (34-for-57 = 59.6%), and really well from 3-point range (13-for-22 = 59.1%). They shot OK from the free-throw line (13-for-19 = 68.4%), and they crushed NW on the boards (41-25). They tied in the turnover battle (12-12). They shot almost as well overall in the Iowa game (36-for-62 = 58.1%), but not as well from 3-point range (10-for-22 = 45.5%). They shot exactly the same from the free-throw line (13-for-19 = 68.4%). They crushed Iowa on the boards, by almost the same margin as NW (41-26), and they barely won the turnover battle (6-7).

Individually, 4 players hit double figures in both games, which is very impressive:

  • Trey Burke – 23 points vs. NW, and 19 vs. Iowa. Trey also had a career-high 12 assists vs. Iowa, for another double-double. One of these assists came on a great play: the Iowa defender was guarding him closely near center court, and he actually managed to poke the ball away from Trey and tried to grab the loose ball. Trey controlled it, and he was mad! He blew past the Iowa defender, drove towards the basket, drew a defender, and passed to Glenn Robinson III for a slam. The look he gave the Iowa defender after that play was classic.
  • Glenn Robinson III – 10 and 20 points. Glenn also had 10 rebounds against Iowa, for his first career double-double.
  • Nik Stauskas – 10 and 13 points. Nik had a poor week shooting 3-pointers, for him. He “only” shot 2-for-7 at Northwestern, and 3-for-6 vs. Iowa. He’s still shooting 53.7% (44-for-82) for the season.
  • Tim Hardaway Jr. – 21 and 19 points. Tim came back from his minor ankle injury strong, after only missing one game.

The only starter who didn’t hit double figures in both games was Jordan Morgan, with 12 points at NW, and 4 points vs. Iowa. However, he did have 13 rebounds in the Northwestern game, for another double-double.

Since both games were under control with 4 minutes left, Coach Beilein played every healthy player on the bench. They had mixed success scoring:

  • Eso Akunne – 0 and 0 points.
  • Spike Albrecht – 0 and 0 points.
  • Max Bielfeldt – 4 and 1 points.
  • Caris LeVert – 6 and 9 points. Caris is looking more and more comfortable out there, and he’s in the regular mix of players. He’s played some point guard, and he’s done just fine.
  • Blake McLimans – 0 and 2 points.
  • Mitch McGary – 4 and 5 points. Mitch also had 8 rebounds vs. NW and 11 rebounds vs. Iowa. However, that doesn’t tell the story. Mitch sparked the run that turned the Iowa game around with one of the sweetest blocked shots I’ve ever seen at any level of basketball. An Iowa player was flying to the hoop for a big dunk, when Mitch went up with him and slammed it away to a Michigan player for a fast-break dunk on the other end. It really got the crowd going. Mitch also got a defensive rebound with 3 seconds left in the 1st half, dribbled it to mid-court, and found Glenn Robinson III for a lay-in at the buzzer. This also got the crowd going.
  • Corey Person – 4 and 0 points.
  • Matt Vogrich – 0 and 3 points.

Jon Horford and Josh Bartelstein are both still injured and not playing. They should both be back in action soon.

This Week

The Big Ten season marches on, and Michigan has two games this week. On Wednesday (01/09/2013, 7:00 p.m., BTN), Michigan plays Nebraska in Crisler Arena, then on Sunday (01/13/2013, 1:30 p.m., CBS), they play at Ohio State. Nebraska is not very good, and I expect Michigan to beat them easily, but the OSU game will be Michigan’s toughest game so far this season. It’s really hard to beat OSU in Columbus, but we still don’t know how good this Michigan team really is. We’ll find out on Sunday.

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

Go Blue!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #10 – 12/31/2012 – A Perfect Non-Conference Season, Mid-Term Grades, And Big Ten Preview

Happy New Year (tomorrow

The (#2) University of Michigan men’s basketball team only played one game last week, and they won it handily. On Saturday (12/29/2012), they beat Central Michigan 88-73 in Crisler Arena. The win raises UM’s record to 13-0, and since this is their final non-conference game, they ended up with a perfect record. They also beat all four of the in-state “directional” schools: Northern Michigan (exhibition – 11/01/2012), Western Michigan (12/04/2012), Eastern Michigan (12/20/2012), and Central Michigan (12/29/2012).

The good news is that Michigan won the game, and kept their perfect record intact. The bad news is that they looked shaky on defense against a mediocre CMU team. Those 73 points are the most any team has scored against UM this season, and that includes games against Top-25 teams like (#23) North Carolina State (scored 72 points), (#24) Pittsburgh (scored 62 points), and (#25) Kansas State (scored 57 points). They held Bradley to 66 points, Arkansas to 67 points and West Virginia to 66 points. It was very discouraging to see CMU run and gun so easily against Michigan.

So, how did CMU do it? With rebounding: they out-rebounded Michigan decisively (38-29) including 11 offensive rebounds. Up until this game, UM has done a good job of keeping their opponents off the glass on defense, but not this time. The rest of the stats: UM shot pretty well overall (35-for-68 = 51.5%), but not so well from 3-point range (11-for-29 = 37.9%). However, most of those missed 3-pointers were shot by the scrubs in the closing minutes of the game; if you take those shots out, UM really shot 50.0% (11-for-22) from beyond the arc. Michigan shot free throws just OK (7-for-11 = 63.6%), but they won the turnover battle handily (3-15).

Individually, 3 players hit double figures:

That’s 3 of the 5 starters. The other 2 starters were Jordan Morgan, with 8 points, and Caris LeVert, with 9 points, another career-high. LeVert started in place of Tim Hardaway Jr., who missed the first game of his career with a minor ankle injury. At this point, it isn’t clear how long Tim will be out. The other injured player is Jon Horford, who is still recovering from a minor knee injury. He should be back in action in another week or two.

Since the game wasn’t very close most of the time, Coach Beilein played every healthy player on the bench. They didn’t chip in much scoring:

Mid-Term Grades

It’s not quite the middle of the season, with 13 non-conference games played and 18 conference games left to go, but it’s close enough for Mid-Term Grades:

Freshman Eligibility

Spike Albrecht – B

Spike does a pretty good job of giving Trey Burke a rest for 6-8 minutes per game, but he’s just a “placeholder”. He doesn’t have the athletic ability to create his own shots and drive to the basket with authority like Trey does. Still, he doesn’t panic when he’s out there, and he tosses in a 3-pointer every now and then.

Max Bielfeldt – B-

Max has had minor injury problems so far this season, and has only played in 7 of the 13 games. When he’s been in, he’s looked solid, if unspectacular. He’s a strong kid, and he knows where the ball is going, so he gets a fair share of the rebounds while he’s on the floor. He’s not much of a scoring threat, but he’s turning into a pretty good post defender.

Caris LeVert – B

For the first 6 games of the season, it looked like Caris was going to be redshirted, then he played in the Bradley game, and every game since. He even started the CMU game, in place of the injured Tim Hardaway, Jr. He has a nice 3-point stroke, he’s fast, he’s athletic, and he has good “court vision”. He could still stand to put on a few pounds of solid muscle, but that’s going to have to wait for summer.

Mitch McGary – B

Mitch has been the 6th man all season, and he brings a lot of energy to the game when he comes in. He’s pretty good at using his size and bulk underneath, and he runs the floor pretty well. He’s getting better at defense every game, and he’s going to be an important player in Big Ten play, against some of the taller/bigger centers.

Glenn Robinson III – A-

Glenn has played very well so far, although many of his points are “quiet points” that sneak up on you. As advertised out of high school, he is VERY athletic, with great speed and leaping ability. He has also shown a better-than-expected touch from 3-point range, and he’s turning into a solid defender.

Nik Stauskas – A

Nik is the star of the class so far. In fact, he is one of the best 3-point shooters in all of college basketball. But, he has done much more than stand beyond the arc and rain in 3-pointers. He has 45 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 blocked shots, and 7 steals. He has helped bring the ball up court against pressure, he has driven to the basket with authority, and he has played pretty good defense. In short, he’s much more of a complete player than we expected. After being the co-6th man (with Mitch McGary) for the first 6 games, he replaced Matt Vogrich in the starting lineup, and he hasn’t looked back. He has scored in double figures in every game except the opener (vs. Slippery Rock), and he’s been the leading scorer a few times. His only bad habit is when he tries to get too fancy with some of his behind-the-back or no-look passes.

Sophomore Eligibility

Trey Burke – A+

Trey has been awesome so far this season. Just awesome. He has shown a mature NBA game in just about every facet. He leads the team in scoring (by 41 points), assists (by 65), minutes (by 27), and steals (by 6). He is shooting a great percentage, both overall and from 3-point range, he’s running the offense well, he’s playing great defense, and he’s being a true leader.

Jon Horford – B

Jon has only missed 3 games due to injury, but it seems like much more. When he’s been in, he’s played well. He has a spring/bounce to his step that few other players have. He’s shown a real talent for blocking shots and playing tough defense. His offensive game is a little behind.

Junior Eligibility

Tim Hardaway Jr. – A-

When Tim is good, he’s very good, but when he’s having an “off” game, he disappears. He’s had a couple small shooting slumps, especially from 3-point range, but he still manages to score, usually by driving to the basket. He’s great in transition.

Blake McLimans – C-

I like Blake, and I really want to see him succeed, but when he’s in the game, he just doesn’t deliver. He’s supposed to be a great 3-point shooter, but he hasn’t really shown it. He plays way shorter than 6’10”, and he tends to hang out around the 3-point line instead of under the basket. He only gets in during “garbage time” these days, which is a shame.

Jordan Morgan – B+

Jordan doesn’t have flashy stats, but he knows his role and delivers. He’s a good rebounder, and a good defender.

Senior Eligibility

Eso Akunne – C

Eso hasn’t played much, mostly in “garbage time”, but when he’s in there, he has a tendency to fire up 3-pointers every chance he gets.

Josh Bartelstein – Inc.

Josh has only played in 2 games so far, and hasn’t scored yet. He injured his ankle, and is still working back into playing form. He is the captain of the team, and his leadership skills are fine, but he’s not having much of a senior season on the floor.

Corey Person – Inc.

Corey has played in 6 games so far, but all of it has been in “garbage time”.

Matt Vogrich – C-

Matt started the season as a starter, and gave it his best effort, but Nik Stauskas was playing too well to keep him on the bench instead of starting him. Since he’s been relegated to the bench, Matt has done less and less with the few minutes he’s managed to get on the floor, and now he’s only playing during “garbage time”. It’s a shame, because he can shoot 3-pointers almost as well as Stauskas, but he seems to have lost his touch.

Big Ten Preview

Here are the current Big Ten standings:

Team

Big Ten

Overall

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent
Michigan

0

0

0.000

13

0

1.000
Illinois

0

0

0.000

13

1

0.929
Indiana

0

0

0.000

12

1

0.923
Minnesota

0

0

0.000

12

1

0.923
Iowa

0

0

0.000

11

2

0.846
Michigan State

0

0

0.000

11

2

0.846
Ohio State

0

0

0.000

10

2

0.833
Nebraska

0

0

0.000

9

4

0.692
Northwestern

0

0

0.000

9

4

0.692
Wisconsin

0

0

0.000

9

4

0.692
Penn State

0

0

0.000

8

4

0.667
Purdue

0

0

0.000

6

6

0.500

However, I don’t expect that order at the end of the season. Here are my predictions:

Team

Big Ten

Overall

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent
Indiana

15

3

0.833

27

4

0.871
Michigan

14

4

0.778

27

4

0.871
Ohio State

13

5

0.722

23

7

0.767
Michigan State

12

6

0.667

23

8

0.742
Wisconsin

11

7

0.611

20

11

0.645
Illinois

10

8

0.556

23

9

0.719
Minnesota

8

10

0.444

20

11

0.645
Northwestern

7

11

0.389

16

15

0.516
Iowa

6

12

0.333

17

14

0.548
Purdue

5

13

0.278

11

20

0.355
Penn State

4

14

0.222

12

18

0.400
Nebraska

3

15

0.167

12

19

0.387

Here’s Michigan’s Big Ten schedule:

Date Opponent Location Time (ET)
01/03/2013 (Thu) Northwestern Evanston, IL 7:00 p.m.
01/06/2013 (Sun) Iowa Ann Arbor, MI 12:00 p.m.
01/09/2013 (Thu) Nebraska Ann Arbor, MI 7:00 p.m.
01/13/2013 (Sun) Ohio State Columbus, OH 1:30/4:30 p.m.
01/17/2013 (Thu) Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 7:00 p.m.
01/24/2013 (Thu) Purdue Ann Arbor, MI 7:00 p.m.
01/27/2013 (Sun) Illinois Champaign, IL 6:00 p.m.
01/30/2013 (Wed) Northwestern Ann Arbor, MI 6:30 p.m.
02/02/2013 (Sat) Indiana Bloomington, IN 9:00 p.m.
02/05/2013 (Tue) Ohio State Ann Arbor, MI 9:00 p.m.
02/09/2013 (Sat) Wisconsin Madison, WI 12:00 p.m.
02/12/2013 (Tue) Michigan State East Lansing, MI 9:00 p.m.
02/17/2013 (Sun) Penn State Ann Arbor, MI 12:00 p.m.
02/24/2013 (Sun) Illinois Ann Arbor, MI 1:00/4:00/6:00 p.m.
02/27/2013 (Wed) Penn State State College, PA 6:30 p.m.
03/02/2013 (Sat)or

03/03/2013 (Sun)

 Michigan State Ann Arbor, MI 5:15 p.m.or

1:00/4:00 p.m.
03/06/2013 (Wed) Purdue West Lafayette, IN 7:00 p.m.
03/10/2013 (Sun) Indiana Ann Arbor, MI 1:00/4:00/6:00 p.m.

As you can see, there is a really tough 4-game stretch in the middle of the season, starting with the game at Indiana on 02/02, and ending with the game at Michigan State on 02/12. That’s 4 tough games in 10 days, 3 of them on the road in the 3 toughest arenas in the Big Ten. If Michigan can win 2 of those 4 games, they’ll be in good shape.

Also, every Big Ten team plays 18 conference games, with 7 opponents twice (home and away) and 4 opponents only once. In Michigan’s case, the 4 teams they only play once are: Iowa (home), Minnesota (away), Nebraska (home), and Wisconsin (away). Having to play at Wisconsin is a bad break.

For a complete look at the Big Ten schedule this season, check out my Big Ten Report. The first article for this season has been posted today, and there will be a new article every Monday morning until the last Big Ten team has been eliminated from postseason play. Check it out.

This Week

The Big Ten season starts today, and Michigan has two games this week. On Thursday (01/03/2013, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2), Michigan plays at Northwestern, then on Sunday (01/06/2013, 12:00 p.m., BTN), they play Iowa, in Crisler Arena. These are both games that Michigan should win, but every game is a battle in the Big Ten, and every win is precious.

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

Go Blue!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #09 – 12/24/2012 – Three Down, One To Go

The (#2) University of Michigan men’s basketball team only played one game last week, and they won it handily. On Thursday (12/20/2012), they beat Eastern Michigan 93-54 in Crisler Arena. The win raises UM’s record to 12-0, which is their second best start to a season ever.

So, what does “three down, one to go” mean? It means that for the first time in a long time, Michigan is playing all four of the in-state “directional” schools: Northern Michigan (exhibition – 11/01/2012), Western Michigan (12/04/2012), Eastern Michigan (12/20/2012), and Central Michigan (12/29/2012). They’ve won three of these games, with one left to play. They should win that one as well.

While Michigan has to take every opponent seriously, not all opponents are created equal. EMU doesn’t have the personnel to challenge an elite team like Michigan, but strange things can happen when the game starts. So far, Michigan has played well enough every game to avoid any upsets, and they have played like a Top-5 team against many of the “cupcakes” on their schedule. This game was another example of that. EMU has a decent MAC team, and they did beat Purdue earlier this season, but they don’t have the firepower to stay with Michigan. Eastern opened up an early 6-2 lead, then UM went on a 20-0 run to put the game away before the 12:00 media timeout. The rest of the game was just a controlled scrimmage.

The stats are impressive: UM shot 50.7% (35-for-69) overall, 50.0% (12-for-24) from 3-point range, and 91.7% (11-for-12) from the free-throw line. They crushed EMU on the boards (44-30), and they won the turnover battle (11-18). Those are the numbers you expect to see in a 39-point blowout.

Individually, 5 players hit double figures:

That’s 4 of the 5 starters, and one bench player (McGary). The lone starter who didn’t hit double figures was Jordan Morgan, with 8 points.

Since the game was a blowout, Coach Beilein emptied the bench:

This Week

With finals and the holidays, Michigan has nine days off between games, and only has one game again this week. On Saturday (12/29/2012, 7:00 p.m., BTN), Michigan plays Central Michigan, in Crisler Arena. This is UM’s last non-conference game, and they stand a good chance of being one of the few Michigan men’s basketball teams to go undefeated in non-conference play. CMU is about the same as EMU. Their current record is 6-5, with no impressive wins, and losses to Bradley (who Michigan beat) and two Big Ten schools (Iowa and Nebraska). Once again, I expect this game to be a lot like the WMU and EMU games: tense for a while, then a blowout win for Michigan.

Check back next week to see what happened, and why. Also, it will be time for mid-term grades and a look ahead at the Big Ten season.

Go Blue! (and Merry Christmas)

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #08 – 12/17/2012 – The Kings Of New York City

The (#2) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they won both of them. On Tuesday (12/11/2012), they beat Binghamton 67-39 in Crisler Arena, then on Saturday (12/15/2012), they beat West Virginia 81-66 in the Barclays Center, in New York City, which is the new home of the Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New Jersey Nets) of the NBA. The two wins raise UM’s record to 11-0.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve seen that Michigan’s ranking has slowly but steadily moved up all season. They started the year ranked #5, and as teams ahead of them have lost, they’ve moved up to #4 and #3, and this week to #2. All season long, Indiana has been ranked #1, and for several weeks now, Duke has been #2, with UM at #3. Well, Indiana lost to Butler in overtime on Saturday, so Duke moved up to #1, and Michigan is now #2. This is the highest ranking that Michigan has had in a long time, and the 11-0 start is the best start UM has had since that magical season (1988-1989) when they won the National Championship. These are exciting times.

So, why are the Wolverines “the Kings of New York City”? Well, over Thanksgiving weekend they won the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament in Madison Square Garden, and this weekend they won their game in the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival in Brooklyn. They’re doing pretty well in NYC.

The Binghamton game was just a joke. It was more like a controlled scrimmage. Binghamton stood no chance, and the only interesting aspect was seeing how sharp (or not) Michigan would look against an overmatched opponent. The answer: meh. They took care of business, but didn’t look fabulous. The WVU game was a much better test. Even though West Virginia doesn’t have a very good record this season (now 4-5), they were scrappy and relentless, and they gave Michigan a good run for their money. Even though the final margin of victory (15 points) looks pretty convincing, WVU made the game interesting a couple times in both halves. Michigan had to play hard and well to beat them.

Stats time! First, the Binghamton scrimmage: Michigan didn’t shoot particularly well overall (27-for-61 = 44.3%), and they didn’t very well from 3-point range (10-for-30 = 33.3%). They didn’t get to the free-throw line much, and they didn’t shoot very well when they got there (3-for-5 = 60.0%). They did win the rebounding battle (39-28) and the turnover battle (7-16). They won the game with all those extra possessions.

The stats for the WVU game are a little better: Michigan shot better overall (26-for-50 = 56.0%), and OK from 3-point range (7-for-21 = 33.3%). There were a lot of fouls in the game, and WVU shot a sizzling 83.3% (20-for-24) from the free-throw line, but UM didn’t do quite as well (18-for-27 = 66.7%). Michigan did win the rebounding battle (32-29), but they lost the turnover battle (14-13). They won the game because they held WVU to 38.5% (20-for-52) overall shooting.

Individually, two players hit double figures in both games:

  • Trey Burke (19 vs. Binghamton and 27 vs. WVU). Trey has hit double figures in every game this season. He’s averaging 18.0 points/game.
  • Nik Stauskas (12 and 10). Nik has hit double figures in every game this season except the opener (Slippery Rock). He’s averaging 13.2 points/game.

One other player came close to double figures in both games:

  • Tim Hardaway Jr. (9 and 25). Tim did a lot better shooting from 3-point range this week: 2-for-9 and 4-for-8.

The other two starters did OK this week:

Besides the starters (and McGary), the bench chipped in a little scoring:

A few other bench players played in at least one game last week, but didn’t score:

Josh Bartelstein is still out due to his ankle surgery, and Max Bielfeldt missed both games due to an ankle sprain. Bielfeldt is just about ready to return to action.

This Week

Michigan only has one game this week. On Thursday (12/20/2012, 8:30 p.m., BTN), Michigan plays Eastern Michigan, in Crisler Arena. EMU is currently 6-3 on the season, but their only impressive win is over Purdue. I expect this game to be a lot like the Western Michigan game a few weeks ago: tense for a while, then a blowout win for Michigan.

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

Go Blue!

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Nothing But ‘Net – Week #07 – 12/10/2012 – 4 Minutes Of Mild Discomfort, And WMU Too

The (#3) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week in Crisler Arena, and they won both of them. On Tuesday (12/04/2012), they beat Western Michigan 73-41, then on Saturday (12/08/2012), they beat Arkansas 80-67. The two wins raise UM’s record to 9-0. The Arkansas win also represented win #100 at Michigan for Coach Beilein.

So, what does “4 Minutes Of Mild Discomfort” mean? Well, Arkansas plays an aggressive style of basketball, with a nasty full-court press, that they call “40 Minutes Of Hell”. Last season, when Michigan played in Fayetteville, Arkansas hit their first 11 shots and sprinted out to a big early lead. UM played from behind the whole game, and almost won it at the buzzer, but the Arkansas press really flustered Michigan for most of the game. This time around, Michigan controlled the tempo of the game, and didn’t let the Arkansas press bother them. They broke the press consistently, and Arkansas decided not to run it much. My guess is that they ran it for a total of 4 minutes during the 40 minute game, and got maybe 2 turnovers out of it. So, it was more like “4 Minutes Of Mild Discomfort And 36 Minutes Of ‘Press? What Press?'”. It was a great revenge win over a pretty good team.

It wasn’t brought up much, but the game against WMU was also a revenge game. It turns out that Western had won the last two games in the series, back in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. This season’s WMU team was pretty good, with a 6-1 record coming in, and for the first 12 minutes, it was a tight game, with Michigan up 20-15. Then UM went on a nice 15-6 run to end the half, up 35-21. Michigan pushed the lead up to 20 early in the 2nd half, and kept it around there or better for the rest of the game.

So, these were both good wins over pretty good teams, and Michigan looked good winning them. People were starting to get worried after the weak endings in the NC State and Bradley games, but Michigan played well down the stretch in both of these games.

Let’s look at the stats, first for the WMU game: Michigan shot pretty well overall (29-for-58 = 50.0%), but not as well as usual from 3-point range (8-for-21 = 38.1%). They didn’t get to the free-throw line much, and didn’t shoot particularly well there (7-for-11 = 63.6%). They did win the rebounding battle (35-31) and the turnover battle (10-18). The biggest factor was defense, since they held WMU to 28.9% shooting (13-for-45).

The stats for the Arkansas game are pretty similar: UM shot pretty well overall (29-for-62 = 46.8%), decent from 3-point land (7-for-18 = 38.9%), and much better from the free-throw line (15-for-18 = 83.3%). They won the game on the boards, where they dominated (42-26), including an amazing 18 offensive rebounds. They did lose the turnover battle (12-11), but that’s not bad considering the “40 Minutes Of Hell” thing.

Individually, two players hit double figures in both games:

  • Trey Burke (20 vs. WMU and 16 vs. Arkansas).
  • Nik Stauskas (11 and 21). Nik finally had an “off” game shooting 3-pointers vs. Arkansas, going “only” 2-for-5. For the season, he’s now 23-for-38 (60.5%), which is still very good.

Four other players came close to double figures in both games:

 

If you paid attention there, you noticed that all five starters hit double figures in the Arkansas game, which is great scoring balance.

Besides the starters (and McGary), the bench chipped in a little scoring:

A few other bench players played in at least one game last week, but didn’t score:

Josh Bartelstein is still out due to his ankle surgery, and Max Bielfeldt missed both games due to an ankle sprain. Bielfeldt won’t require surgery, and he should be back in action soon.

This Week

Michigan has two games this week, one at home and one on the road. On Tuesday (12/11/2012, 7:00 p.m., BTN), Michigan plays Binghamton, then on Saturday (12/15/2012, 8:00 p.m., ESPN), they play West Virginia, in Brooklyn (NY) in the Barclays Center, which is the new home of the Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New Jersey Nets) of the NBA. This game is part of a tripleheader of college games called the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival. Since Coach Beilein came to Michigan from West Virginia, this game has added significance.

Binghamton is pure “cupcake”, and I expect Michigan to crush them. West Virginia is currently 4-3, with only one impressive win (68-67 over Virginia Tech). Due to the fanfare of the event in an NBA arena, and the history surrounding Coach Beilein, I expect the WVU game to be close and hard-fought, but I expect Michigan to win in the end.

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

Go Blue!