SB Nation - Laval Lucas-Perry

The TDG Big Ten Basketball Preview

GopherNation — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:45:15 -0000

I have intentionally held off with a Big Ten basketball preview, waiting until we could see a few games and get a feeling for how teams are adjusting to the key gains and losses from a year ago. Gopher Nation has plenty to look forward to this season. As we all know everything is returning with some key additions added. An NCAA tournament bid and likely a win or two is expected. But what about the road before the NCAA Tournament. The long and difficult Big Ten season comes first and this team has a chance to really be a factor in the B10 title race. Let's take a brief look at each team in my expected order of finish.

1 - Purdue (NCAA) - Were it not for Purdue having injury issues a year ago they could very likely be defending a Big Ten title this year. Robbie Hummel was last year's preseason B10 POY and he should not be fully healthy to lead the rest of a very talented roster. The bulk of the talent lies in the junior class for the Boilermakers and this team is athletic and deep. Injuries and other uncontrollables aside, what may be the difference between a Big Ten title and a top 2 finish could come down to coaching. Matt Painter is an excellent coach but who knows if he'll be capable of steering his team accurately to win a Big Ten regular season title. Guys like Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Bruce Weber and Tubby Smith have the resume of winning multiple titles. I think after this year Matt Painter adds a Big Ten regular season title to his resume.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - E'Twaun Moore
SG - Chris Kramer
SF - Keaton Grant
PF - Robbie Hummel
C - JJ Dawson

2 - Michigan State (NCAA) - I know that Michigan State is the consensus title team and for very good reason. Tom Izzo is a great coach, his team is coming off a national runner-up season and he returns the vast majority of his roster. But my gut tells me they have a great season but one that ends the regular season looking up one spot in the B10 standings. It is really hard not to like Michigan State. They too are deep, very athletic, play great defense and as I mentioned they are very well coached. But I think the one key loss will be the loss that makes the difference. Goran Suton meant a lot to the Spartans a year ago and while this team still has very talented players like Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen and Durrell Summers (with guys like Raymar Morgan and Delvin Roe off the bench); Suton will be missed. Freshman Garrick Sherman may be very good but he's not the same thing. From year to year team's take on different personalities and even the loss of just one player can change the dynamic of a team. Michigan State will be great, they'll be extremely dangerous in the NCAA Tournament but I think they fall a game or two short of Purdue this year.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Kalin Lucas
G - Chris Allen
G - Durrel Summers
PF - Draymond Green
C - Garrick Sherman

3 - Ohio State (NCAA) - In this early season the Buckeyes have looked fairly strong. And leading their early season charge is the outstanding play of Evan Turner, who looks like the early favorite for Big Ten POY (very early, I know). Turner has notched a double-double in all four games averaging 21.7 ppg and 14.7 rpg. OSU has a lot of very nice pieces outside of Turner, which isn't surprising considering the recent string of very highly ranked recruiting classes in the Thad Matta era. OSU has some offensive weapons but they are lacking in a couple key areas. First of all they are not an overly deep team. Jon Diebler is a lights out shooter and Turner might be the best player in the conference but they can only carry them so far. Matta has been going with an eight man rotation so far this year with heavy minutes for the starting five. Secondly this team is not overly strong in the paint. Their perimeter is as good as anybody's in the conference but Kyle Madsen and Dallas Lauderdale will not strike fear into the hearts of the conference's coaches.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - William Buford
SG - Jon Diebler
SF - Evan Turner
PF - David Lighty
C - Kyle Madsen

4 - Minnesota (NCAA) - There was a time when my maroon goggles would have had me rank the Gophers one spot higher. The potential (probable?) losses of Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe greatly lessened my optimism. But then the impressive play of Rodney Williams to start the year has me thinking big things again, just not as grand as before. As we all know the Gophers are deep and defend very well. I think the improvement of the sophomores and the athleticism that Williams brings to the table makes this team dangerous. Over the course of a long season I don't think we have what it takes to finish in the top 2 but this team is good enough to beat anybody on their schedule.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Al Nolen
SG - Lawrence Westbrook
SF - Rodney Williams
PF - Damian Johnson
C - Ralph Sampson III

5 - Illinois (NCAA) - this might be the team I know the least about but I do know enough to know that this team is well balanced and has the roster make-up that is well suited for Bruce Weber. Demitri McCarney, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale are known quantities around the Big Ten. These guys averaged a combined 33 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game last year. They compliment each other well and this year they add a couple dynamic freshmen to the backcourt in DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul. In the early goings these kids have 11.3 and 16.7 respectively, although they have yet to play any team of substance. Overall this will be a very good team that will only get better as the season goes along.

Likely Starting lineup
G - Brandon Paul
G - DJ Richardson
G - Demitri McCamey
PF - Mike Davis
C - Mike Tisdale

6 - Michigan (NCAA) - Manny Harris is such a great player who can win a game on his own and probably has the best pro potential in the conference. A lot of people would put the Wolverines as high as third on their prediction list based mostly on the talent of Harris and DeShawn Sims. But I'm not 100% sold on the rest of the team. John Beilein is a great coach and in year three he should really have his guys and his system working well. But once again I'm not sold on the rest of the roster and in this year's Big Ten a guy like Manny Harris will win you a few but on the nights when teams slow him down Michigan will be rather vulnerable. Decent depth, great scoring and not great interior size. A sixth place finish may seem very low but the difference between the 4th through 7th place teams could really only be a couple games.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Darius Morris
G - Manny Harris
G - Laval Lucas-Perry
F - Zack Novak
F - DeShawn Sims

7 - Wisconsin (NCAA) - Rule #1 in Big Ten basketball, never underestimate Bo Ryan and the Badgers. This isn't a great Badger team but there is some talent here with Trevon Hughes, Jason Bohannon and even Jon Leuer is having a pretty good season thus far. It may be easy for Gopher fans to overlook Wisconsin since we did sweep them last year (that was fun to write), but this team is capable of not only beating the Gophers but finishing at least a few spots higher than this. Maybe this is wishful thinking or maybe I'm not sold that the talent is there, not even for Bo Ryan.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Trevon Hughes
SG - Jason Bohannon
SF - Tim Jarmusz
PF - Jon Leuer
C - Keaton Nankivil

8 - Penn State (NIT) - The Talor Battle show will be a lot of fun to watch in Happy Valley. Penn State is perfectly demonstrates why I wanted to wait a couple weeks before I started my B10 preview. I once would have put PSU a spot or two higher, but after losses to UNC-Wilmington, Tulane and a 2-pnt win over Davidson (Steph Curry is no longer there folks) I am thinking that 7th might be too high. This team will go as far as Taylor Battle will lead them but the development of freshman Tim Frazier at PG and how well their interior rebounds is what could be the difference between another NIT run and the NCAA Tournament. Their Big Dance resume is already in bad shape, they'll will have to finish a lot higher in the conference standings to avoid the NIT again.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Tim Frazier
SG - Talor Battle
SF - David Jackson
PF - Jeff Brooks
C - Andrew Jones

9 - Indiana (NIT) - Great recruiting class and I am a huge Tom Crean fan, but this year will be tough for a young Hoosier squad to make much noise in the Big Ten. The conference is the deepest and most talented that it has been in a very long time. Other years a hot, young team like Indiana could make a run into the top 5, but not this year. This will be the sheik team next year and this year you'll likely seen them stun a few top 4 teams along the way. But learning to play at the Big Ten level is not an easy adjustment no matter how talented you are. I wouldn't be completely shocked to see them finish higher, but not likely this year.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Verdell Jones III
G - Jeremiah Rivers
G - Maurice Creek
PF - Tom Pritchard
C - Christian Watford

10 - Northwestern - This may have been the year for the Wildcats to make the tournament, but the loss of Kevin Coble effectively ended that dream. This is a surprisingly talented NU roster and with the way they defend and execute their precision offense they should never be taken lightly. But with Coble out for the season they'll rely on Michael Thompson and John Shurna. There are a couple intriguing freshmen to go along with Thompson and Shurna

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Michael Thompson
SG - Jeremy Nash
SF - Drew Crawford
PF - John Shurna
C - Luka Mirkovic

11 - Iowa - The outlook for the Hawkeye season is so bleak that they cannot help but surpass expectations this year. Scoring has been the problem this year for Iowa. There will be games when they are hot from behind the arc and maybe they'll get a few conference wins. But for the most part you can expect a lot of losses for Iowa (that too was fun to type).

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Cully Payne
SG - Anthony Tucker
SF - Matt Gatens
PF - Jarryd Cole
C - Brennan Cougill

I know that people hate preseason polls and predictions but at the conference level this is a lot of fun. Everyone has much hope and optimism for the season, except Iowa fans. There are eight teams capable of making a run to the NCAA Tournament (although Penn State is already on life support). The Big Ten should be a blast to watch this year.

Since I'm taking a wild stab at the standings here is my best guess at some post season individual awards.

All Big Ten First Team

PG - Kalin Lucas
SG - Manny Harris
SF - Evan Turner
PF - Robbie Hummel
F - DeShawn Sims

All Big Ten Second Team

G - Taylor Battle
G - Demetri McCamey
F - Jon Diebler
F - Damian johnson
C - JJ Dawson

Big Ten All Freshman Team

G - Brandon Paul - Ill
G - D.J. Richardson - Ill
F - Rodney Williams - Minn
F - Christian Watford - Ind
F - Garrick Sherman - MSU

NCAA Basketball Tournament Roundtable - Big Ten Bloggers Style

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:02:25 -0000

Michigan is in the Tournament. And so is more than half the Big Ten. Michigan State, Minnesota, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio State are all dancing this year. What's even more impressive is that nine of eleven Big Ten schools are in post season play when you count in Penn State and Northwestern's NIT invites. That leaves two words to be said:

Damn, son.

To tip off Tournament Week the right way, our homies over at Hammer and Rails, SBN's outstanding and freshly minted Purdue blog, have posed a Tournament Blog Roundtable. My thanks and congrats to TMill for the Rountable and to his Boilermakers for raising another Big Ten Tournament Banner with a win over Ohio State. Here's hoping for a deep run for the Boilers and Wolverines over then next few weeks.

Now on to the Questions:

1. For those in the tournament, what was your signature win that made sure you were dancing? For those out, what was that one loss that prevented you from going?

One signature win? Michigan had a couple. But there were a trio of wins that put Michigan in the tournament. The first was the November 20, 2008 win over then No. 4 UCLA. That win gave Michigan hope. Hope that this team could do something special. The second was the December 6, 2008 win over then No. 4 Duke. That win gave Michigan credibility. Finally, after a mini-slump, Michigan's final win at Minnesota sealed the deal. That showed Michigan could win on the road. If there's one thing the selection committee made clear this year, your whole season determines your invite. So along those lines, I've gotta point to Three Key Wins that locked Michigan's first bid in more than a decade.

via photos.mlive.com

2. The conference jumped from four bids to seven this year, and it could have been nine with the right breaks. What is the biggest factor in this jump?

Coaching. People can babble on about the ACC or the Big East, but the best coaching in the country can be found in the Big Ten. How in God's name is Northwestern even in the conversation? Coaching. How is Penn State a breath away from an invite? Coaching. Go from the top of the standings down, you're going to find outstanding coaches at every rung on the ladder. Hell, I'm more afraid of the coaches at the bottom of the pile than I am of some of the coaches in the middle! Tom Crean is an amazing coach who, mark my words, will bring Indiana back to prominence. And at Iowa, I actively campaigned for Licklieter at Michigan. Izzo, Smith, Ryan, Webber, Beilein, Painter, etc... This conference got better because the coaching got better.

Anyone else have an explanation for Michigan's turn around?

3. Talk about your first round opponent for a moment. What advantages/disadvantages do you see in facing them (Penn State and Northwestern fans may talk NIT here).

At first glance, this looks like it's going to be one of the better first round matchups in the tournament. Clemson started hot going 16-0, before cooling off to a 7-8 finish (1-4 to close the season!). You wouldn't know that this team only lost 8 games this year if you read their sports blogs. But this is a talented team. three scorers in double figures, two really good guards, and Trevor Booker, a forward/center who is a DeShawn Sims clone and a monster on the boards. Clemson could be a good match up for Michigan because they don't have a traditional (big man) center. Michigan struggled against teams with 7 footers. Clemson doesn't have that luxury, at least not in their starting lineup. I need to do a little more research, but at first glance this is going to be a "cut and shoot" kind of game that's going to be very exciting to watch.

4. What are your realistic postseason expectations?

With Oklahoma waiting for them in the second round? Going 1-1 in the tournament is more than acceptable. Additionally, Michigan has really, really struggled in back to back games. This is a jump shooting team, and when the legs aren't there, they're chances of winning go down the toilet. I'll happily take a single win, and anything after that is gravy. And frankly, after 11 years out of the tournamet, at this point anything is gravy.

5. How will your team get back to/make the step forward to the NCAA Tournament next year? this is officially known as the Iowa and Indiana question.

Michigan's road back is going to be a little harder than people think. With Sims and Harris returning, Lucas-Perry having another year under his belt, and the hontastic trio of Novak-Douglass-Gibson all back, Michigan will be able to score and play a little defense. The glaring weakness is going to be one-on-one defense and crunch time ball handling. CJ Lee's graduation along with Merritt's, will hurt this team early in 2009-2010. They provided a steady leadership that hasn't quite been replaced by Harris or Sims. However, easing the loss, Michigan will have two new big men (Ben Cronin and Eric Puls [who hopefully will add a little weight to his 6'11 125 pound frame]) to ease some of the defensive burden on Sims. They'll also have a bona-fide sniper coming in Matt Vogrich. Michigan's season next year will come down to guard play. Will Kelvin Grady finally be ready to be the point man for this offense? If he can, Michigan could have a sweet 16 kind of team. If not, next year could be one-and-done (in the 2010 NCAAs - Ed.).

Unlikely Heroes

Beauford — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:33:29 -0000

About halfway through the liveblog during Michigan's victory against Minnesota this weekend, a Minnesota commenter asked "How happy have Michigan fans been with LLP?" Commenter Jeepnut replied "We're happy with his potential," which was really all that could be said of the Arizona transfer. The responses from the other fans mirrored the sentiment. LLP had been, to the casual observer, in a shooting slump that had him clanging 3's every time Michigan needed a big one.

Until last game.

Nobody thought Michigan had a prayer down 12 with 13 minutes to go. Minnesota's defense had frustrated the Wolverines all afternoon, and with shots clanging off the rim or, in one specific case missing everything completely, it didn't look good for a comeback. After an entire season of riding the bubble, countless fans, including myself, began plotting just how we were going to win the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan had come too far for a 1 seed in the NIT. We'd done too much, dissected stats too much, beat two and half giants, just TOO MUCH to not get into the NCAA's, and yes, I'm using "we" because dammit, I feel for this team just about as much as any team I've watched, so yes, it's a "we" effort now despite my lack of playing time.

In my preview of this game, I wrote:

...in some way, shape, or form, they [Michigan] are going to have to be a better team than what their statistics bear out in order to win on Saturday, which I suppose is the exact situation that any team as firmly "on the bubble" as Michigan is should find themselves in.

This did come to pass. Michigan shot 40.9% from behind the arc (8 points better than average), and Michigan forced 17 turnovers (3 more than average). Michigan, as a team, played better than their statistics said they would. But the source of inspiration wasn't Harris, Sims, Novak, or Douglass. The individual player responsible for the team playing statistically better basketball was Laval Lucas-Perry, who took the "Michigan is going to have to be a better team than they are" mantra to heart.

Player	FG %	3-PT %	PPG	REB PG	Minutes
Laval Lucas Perry	.348	.325	6.8	1.6	19.6

This is a snap-shot of LLP's season prior to the Minnesota game. Leading up to this game, Perry had averaged just under 7 points per game in 19 minutes. For a kid who was heralded as a complimentary scorer next to Manny, 7 points/game is underwhelming.

Player	FG %	3-PT %	Points	Rebounds	Minutes
Laval Lucas Perry	.857	.75	19	2	21

Above is LLP's line for Minnesota. On Saturday at a weird gym with a raised court and the ugliest band you can imagine, LLP decided it was time to start scoring again. Down 12 with 13 to play, LLP launched a 3 that went through the hoop with that noise that makes it sound like the net's about to catch fire, straight out of NBA Jam or something. The whole game, we had all been saying "uh-oh you don't want [Player-X] getting hot." With LLP though, everyone just kind of took it in stride. The kid hit a 3. I guess he was bound to eventually. Then he came down, caught a pass, and launched another that ripped the net. LLP was heating up. After a nifty defensive effort, LLP came down the court again, spotted up, and drained his 3rd three in a row. Michigan, all of the sudden, was down 2. He finished his night with a few neat drives, and was 4-4 from the line to round out the game you see above. In 21 Minutes, LLP had straight up willed the team to be better. A player seemingly destined to be a "we're excited about his potential" guy just went to "tournament savior."

Barring a Big Ten Tournament disaster combined with some truly freaky bubble-surprises, Michigan will be dancing for the first time in 10 years. The resurrection that began in Madison Square Garden in November is now complete. We may not win a tournament game, but we're there, and after a 10 year drought, and all the bullshit, well, I guess it's just nice to see.

MGo Style Bullets

LLP had a great game, but Sim's 24 sure did help.
The team was 14-15 from the charity stripe. That was huge.
Lawrence Westbrook is really, really good.
Merritt for team statistician?
This game would have been a lot less close if Michigan had capitalized on those early Minnesota turnovers
For those Minnesota fans complaining about the refs: Michigan shot 15 FT's to Minnesota's 19.
The White-kid from Indiana combo of Novak and Douglass was ineffective: 8 points combined. This was most assuredly a Harris/Sims/LLP production.
Why is Gibson handling the ball at the top of the key? For a brief period of time in the first half, Michigan was running without Sims or Harris on the floor. I can't find the exact lineup now, but it was odd, and Minnesota went on a run.
Was that Minnesota player laying with the ball with half his body out of bounds? How did the ref's miss that?
Did Manny really have possession on the ground when that TO was called? I didn't think so, so how did the ref's miss that?
When is the Big Ten officiating going to be overhauled? I know we're the "rough and tumble" physical league, but there were a few times on both sides where dudes were hacked mercilessly only to get a no-call. It's frustrating because the other conferences aren't calling games that way, so when you get a guy like Manny who wants to drive and draw contact, it renders him ineffective, whereas if he played in the ACC he'd be averaging 20 on Free Throws alone.

The Other Shoe: Michigan Pasted By Penn State 58-73

Maize n Brew Dave — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:08:49 -0000

I hate garbage time during a blow out. It seems to drag on forever and you really never get anything out of it. Sure the bench players get some time, a couple of guys who've seen all of ten minutes all year will drain a trey or two, and the opposition will take a nap letting the score get closer and closer, but the outcome is sealed. And no manner of bench points will make a rats ass bit of difference in what just happened. You, and your starters, got blown out. Now you're counting on your subs to make it respectable.

It'd be fun and hopeful to say that Michigan let one get away last night, but that wouldn't be the truth. Michigan trailed by 30 with 8 minutes left in the game and only made it close because of Penn State taking a nap at the end of regulation. Michigan got pounded by a team their size, their skill level and in the same conference position they were in. The only reason Michigan managed to trail by just seven points at the end of the First Half was defense. Michigan harassed Penn State into a litany of turnovers and offensive miscues that kept the Wolverines in the game. It has to be that, because it sure as hell wasn't the Wolverines shooting.

**Michigan First Half Stats**
FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	BLK	PF	PTS
9-30	2-16	2-6	5	14	4	0	6	22
30%	12.5%	33.3%

That's not going to win you a lot of games. Michigan couldn't hit anything. When players would find themselves in prime shooting positions off a well executed play, they've airmail the ball from three. Regretfully, the guiltiest of this was Kelvin Grady, whose shot seems to have completely disappeared over the last two weeks. Similarly, Laval Lucas-Perry's shot has dried up, making him 2 for his last 17 three point attempts according to UMHoops.com. Making matters worse, when the shots didn't fall, Michigan retreated further from the basket to lob up more ill advised three point attempts. This marks the second straight game three point attempts have outnumbered two point attempts, and even in the Illinois game Michigan chucked up 26 threes compared to 33 two point attempts.

The only player who warrants a pat on the back for his effort last night is DeShawn Sims who posted 21 points and 11 boards. The rest of the starting lineup was 5-26 (Harris, LLP, Novak and Grady), including 1-19 from three. Do the math and you'll see the problem, they took only 7 shots inside the arc. The worst thing is, they hit 4 of them but never seemed to return to the basket.

I'd like to say this is a game where you throw out the tape, but it's not. The team is clearly stagnant and failing to execute even the most basic pick and rolls. During yesterday's open thread we noted dozens of times where the Wolverines would stand around waiting for something to happen or the ball to drop into their hands. Two players making the same cut to the top of the key. Over the last three games, offensive execution has gone out the window in favor of the three point shot, and that's a recipe for a losing streak when it's obvious to everyone your shots aren't falling.

Defensively, Michigan is in trouble. Penn State doesn't have a whole lot of size on their squad, save little used Andrew Ott, who at 6-10 is Penn State's biggest player. But he and Jamelle Cornley had a field day inside against Michigan, combining to go 12-14. And all but two of those attempts were within 6 feet of the basket. Right now Michigan has no one that seems to be able to deal with a presence inside, and our alternatives are somewhat limited. UM Hoops addresses the obvious question, "What about playing Gibson and Sims at the same time?"

Michigan is also dealing with more quality big men at the same time that they are trying to move an undersized guy to the power forward position. The issue here is that Beilein just doesn’t have the pieces to fix this problem. There are two guys that can play center on this roster: DeShawn Sims and Zack Gibson. There are three others who can play power forward: Jevohn Shepherd, Zack Novak, and Anthony Wright. Playing Gibson and Sims together sounds nice but if you do that too much there is no one to back up Sims at the center position.

It isn’t like Beilein is leaving Greg Monroe on the bench:

Jevohn Shepherd is a 6-foot-5 wing who isn’t much of an offensive threat and isn’t going to stop a guy like Jamelle Cornley or Marcus Landry.

Zack Gibson is a shooting guard trapped in a 6-foot-10 body; he is a finesse player and he’s not going to turn into a banger over night.

Anthony Wright is a 6-foot-6 forward who made a great backdoor pass against UCLA but has very little athleticism or hustle and is a career 27.4% three point shooter.

Zack Novak is 6-foot-4 but he gets to more loose balls than anyone on the team and despite struggling a bit of late is shooting 39.5% from long range.

Pick your poison.

My response is fairly simple, we're dying anyway right now, what's the worst that can happen. Maybe we can be exposed even worse down low in the future with Gibby and Sims out of the lineup, but the end result is the same if we don't change things up. We need size out there, even if it means playing 6-10 stick figure Eric Puls on a regular basis. I'm not kidding. He can go 1-5 just like Grady, but at least we've got the threat of a shot block in the middle and less of a turnover risk.

Another player worth another look and little more playing time is Air Canada, Jevohn Shepherd. Shepherd was the only guy on Michigan's team that showed any aggression toward the basket, and went 2-2 inside, while bricking a three. He's got the quickness to take the ball off the dribble and the length to make things happen down low. To be fair, he's a lousy defender, but at least he's got the quickness and the balls to go to the basket, and that's what this team needs right now.

Finally, I've gotta give some props to Gibson. Gisbon had a decent game, and if Michigan's going to be able to compete in the Big Ten they're going to need a lot more out of their big man. Keep it coming Gibby.

As for the rest of the group, pray that 4 games in 10 days with limited practice time is truly the cause of Michigan's swoon. Otherwise that clunk you just heard was the other shoe dropping on what was once a promising season.

Stats after the jump...

Final - 1.20.2009	1	2	Total
Michigan Wolverines	22	36	58
Penn St. Nittany Lions	29	44	73

Complete Coverage >

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
DeShawn Sims, F	29	10-14	0-0	1-2	4	11	0	0	0	2	0	21
Zack Novak, G	28	1-4	0-3	4-4	2	2	1	0	0	1	3	6
Manny Harris, G	26	1-9	0-5	2-2	1	3	1	0	0	1	2	4
Laval Lucas-Perry, G	25	2-8	0-6	2-2	0	1	0	0	0	2	3	6
Kelvin Grady, G	23	1-5	1-5	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	3
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Stu Douglass, G	26	3-8	3-8	0-0	0	2	3	2	0	1	0	9
C.J. Lee, G	12	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	1	2	1	0	0	0	0
Anthony Wright, F	3	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
David Merritt, G	7	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
Jevohn Shepherd, F	9	2-3	0-0	0-1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4
Eric Puls, C	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Zack Gibson, F	11	2-3	1-1	0-2	0	3	0	0	1	0	4	5
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		22-56	5-30	9-13	7	24	9	3	1	9	17	58
		39.3%	16.7%	69.2%

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Jamelle Cornley, F	30	8-10	0-1	1-5	1	11	1	0	0	0	0	17
Jeff Brooks, F	19	1-3	0-2	0-0	1	4	1	0	0	1	2	2
Andrew Jones III, F	22	2-3	0-0	2-2	4	5	2	0	0	1	2	6
Stanley Pringle, G	31	5-12	2-2	0-0	1	6	1	4	0	2	3	12
Talor Battle, G	34	4-10	4-7	3-4	0	2	6	0	0	4	2	15
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Chris Babb, G	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Will Leiner, G	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
David Jackson, F	19	1-3	0-1	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	2
Cammeron Woodyard, G	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Danny Morrissey, G	28	4-5	3-4	0-2	2	6	4	0	0	2	1	11
Andrew Ott, F	10	4-4	0-0	0-3	1	1	2	0	0	0	1	8
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		29-50	9-17	6-16	10	35	18	4	0	13	12	73
		58.0%	52.9%	37.5%

Game #19 Preview: Look ma. No big men! Michigan Wolverines Travel to Happy Valley to Take on Penn State

Maize n Brew Dave — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:28:03 -0000

Matchup: Michigan 13-5, (3-3); Penn State 14-5, (3-3)

TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050)

Tip-off: 9 p.m., Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pa.

Line: Penn State by 2.

Two straight conference losses will take their toll on a team. After getting pounded inside by Illinois and Ohio State in back to back contests, Michigan takes on another surprising and vastly improved Big Ten team in Penn State.

At 14-5 the Lions are light years ahead of where anyone in their right mind thought they'd be this season. During the Big Ten/ACC tournament the Lions knocked off heavily favored Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and they've topped Purdue in Happy Valley. Not too shabby. But the Lions schedule is one of the weakest in the Big Ten, posted a woeful Ken Pomeroy schedule ranking of 222 and a non-conf schedule ranking of 322! By the way, their RPI is 86. Penn State has feasted on the lower end of the D-1 platter, making their most impressive win after Purdue, their victory over Northwestern. So, yeah, there's an opportunity here.

The Matchups

If there's a team in the Big Ten that Michigan actually matches up against, it's Penn State. For the first time in a week, Michigan won't face a 9 foot corn stalk in the middle of the floor. The tallest guy on PSU's team that sees any minutes is Andrew Jones III, a 6-9 forward who is second on the team in rebounding at 5.2 a game, but doesn't have a lot of offensive capability. What Jones does is fill time for Penn State's more dominant post player, 6-5 Jamelle Cornley. Cornley's failed to score in double figures just twice this season, and went for 26 against Michigan State when the Lions almost upset the Spartans a week ago. Despite his height, Cornley's a load under the basket and isn't afraid to take the ball up strong. As a result, he's taken 79 Free Throws this season, but made only 58% of them.

While Cornley is the inside, the outside belongs to Talor Battle and Stanley Pringle. Battle is definitely the more intriguing of the pair, though they're both damn good ball players. Battle is generously listed at 5-10, but it's the same as saying Kelivn Grady is 6-0. It's a lie. What Battle is, however, is aggressive. In the PSU games I've watched Battle has no reservations about putting the ball up from anywhere on the court. He's averaging 13 shots a game with around 7 of those shots being three point attempts. And he's not just content on the perimeter. Battle takes the ball to the rim with some consistency, as witnessed by his 122 FT attempts this season. (For comparison's sake, Manny Harris has taken only 116 FT). Battle's done a fairly good job of filling the bucket, shooting 43% FG and 40% from three. He's scored 19 or more points eleven times this year and has four 20+ point games in his last seven contests. He's short, but he's fast. To be honest, I'm not sure who's matching up with him. (probably LLP).

Pringle's another smallish guard who loves to shoot from the outside. Pringle doesn't attack the basket the same way that Battle does, but he really doesn't have to. Pringle's shooting 50% from three on 78 attempts. Again, for compairson Manny Harris has 82 three-point attempts and shooting 34%. Do the math and you'll figure out where Pringle's points are coming from. Pringle likes his jump shots, and oddly, he's a little better outside the arc than inside it, averaging around 46% when shooting for two. Those aren't number to sneeze at. Honestly, if he took a few more shots, he'd easily be leading the team in scoring, but seems content to play third fiddle for some reason. I've seen him go in and out of games. Pouring in points one moment and disappearing for long stretches before erupting again. It's worth noting that Pringle really is the Lion's barmometer. When he's scoring, PSU usually wins. When he's cold, as he was against MSU and Minnesota, PSU loses. Somehow I see Harris on him like glue the whole game.

With the aforementioned threesome averaging over 14 a piece, there's not a lot of ancillary scoring. Guard Danny Morrissey, Forward David Jackson, and 6-8 forward Jeff Brooks fill out the majority of the minutes with Jones III. Morrissey fancies himself a three point specialist, with 75 of his 98 FTAs being three pointers. But Morrissey's aim hasn't been the best, he's shooting just 32% from behind the arc. Still, he's a three point threat, so we've gotta watch him. Jackson and Brooks are inside 15 feet players, and put in between 18 and 20 minutes a game, a couple of rebounds and 4 points or so a piece. I don't expect them to hurt us, but if they do, throw things at the TV because we're in trouble.

Game Plan

Michigan's going through a horrendous drought from the floor right now that really shows no sign of abating. I'm willing to guess that 90% of that is playing teams that are a foot taller than they are and having to defend them down low. Fortunately, Penn State isn't that type of team so Michigan shouldbe able to play "their" game rather than expend extra energy trying to keep Tisdale/Mullens out of the lane.

But for Michigan to pull out a win, they're going to have to pick better shots. Michigan is the Big Ten's second-worst shooting team, at 43%, and the second-worst from three-point range, hitting just 33.8%.That's not good. Honestly, it sucks. But the key to fixing this is fairly evident: move your ass. Over the last three games Michigan has gone from out working their opponents to getting worked over. No one is moving without the ball and everyone is standing around outside the arc looking for an open three pointer to drop into their lap. Unfortunately when it doesn't appear, they're taking contested three pointers instead of doing the work to get down low and actually set up an open shot.

DeShawn Sims looks whipped right now. Just out of steam. 4 games in 10 days does that to a kid, but so does defending guys six inches taller than him. Michigan's got to take some of the pressure off Sims on the defensive end against opposing bigs, and PSU's lack of height might just do that. I expect Sims to return to his usual self and pot 7 buckets tonight, or at least shot a better percentage than his current 7-for-27 slump.

Manny will be Manny, but his supporting cast needs to step up. Novak continues to search for his shot, as do Grady and LLP. If Douglas can continue to knock back critical three's, keep him in the lineup, but I have to admit I prefer Novak's defense to Stu's.

If Michigan actually moves without the ball and creates their own opportunities, they can walk out of Penn State with a win. Stand around and pick their nose like they have the last two games and Michigan's looking at a 3-4 record and a nasty hill to climb for an NCAA invite.

See you tonight at the Open Thread.

Michigan Basketball Game #18 Preview: Wolverines Look to Rebound Against Ohio State

Maize n Brew Dave — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:51:41 -0000

Sorry for the disappearing act yesterday. Real life intervened for all of us. Back to our regular programming. Illinois v. Michigan recap at the bottom.

Photo via cmsimg.freep.com

Game Preview #18: Ohio State at Michigan

It's been a strange season so far for the Buckeyes. After starting out with a nine game winning streak, OSU is 3-3 and sitting at .500 in conference (2-2). The Buckeyes' wins, just like Michigan's, came against current Big Ten bottom feeders Indiana and Iowa. Unlike Michigan, the Buckeye's losses have come against the current cream of the crop in conference, @ Minnesota and @ Michigan State.

Ohio State, despite some attrition, is a good team. They've notched wins against Butler, Notre Dame (in Indy) and @ Miami (Thugariffic Miami, not the prissy school in Ohio). But they absolutely got their clock cleaned by Huggy Bear's Mountaineers on their home court, losing by 28. As you can see, Ohio State's resume is pretty good. Two quality wins over ranked schools (ND #7 and Thugarrific #22) and another over a team (Butler is 15-1) that will make the tournament on name alone. Plus, their losses are to three teams that will make the tournament, and two that will likely duke it out for the Big Ten crown. If you're wondering why they're not getting a lot of RPI/KenPom love, like Michigan, their snacky-cake non-conf wins are canceling out the good wins. Samford and Houston Baptist on the schedule don't get you love. Ohio State sits at 41 in the Ken Pomeroy rankings and currently posts an RPI of 29. Good. Just not top 25.

But they can easily beat Michigan if the Wolverines play anything like they did on Wednesday.

Scouting

Ohio State is a lot like Illinois. They've got a bean stalk in the middle averaging around 8 or 9 a game, clogging the middle and blocking shots in BJ Mullens. From what I've seen, Mullens doesn't have the baby hook that Tisdale has, but he's more energetic and athletic, and has a wider variety of moves. OSU also has three guards/forwards between 6-5 and 6-7 who can move and score. The Buckeye's primary scorer is Sophomore Evan Turner who is averaging almost 16 a game and pulling down 7 boards. Basically, he's DeShawn Sims without all the three point shots and a lot more baskets. Turner's only game below double figures was the first game of the season. Since then he's shooting 51% from the floor. If there's a weakness, he can cough up the ball from time to time, but even that is fairly infrequent.

Moving the ball you'll see Will Burford, Jon Diebler and Jeremie Simmons. Normally we'd see David Lighty at forward/guard, but he's out with a broken foot. In his place, Burford (fr) has pumped in 17, 19, and 19 in his last three games. Burford's a former 5* recruit, so he's good and worth being afraid of. Diebler's OSU's three point specialist, and he knows it. Of his 128 shots on the season a whopping 98 are from three, and he's made 40.8% of them. He's made only 14 shots inside the arc. Mental note: Guard him at the line, let him shot inside it. Please. Simmons, on the other hand, is more of a distributor than Diebler or Burford. Simmons is in that 28-32 minute range and has picked up the pace dishing the ball with 2, 3, 5, and 8 assists in his last four games. If he's got a lot of assists, it's going to be bad news for Michigan. On the plus side, he's only 6 feet, so this could give Michigan a matchup advantage from time to time when he's on the floor.

Game Plan

For Michigan to come out with a win on Saturday they're definitely going to change up their game plan from Illinois. Bruce Weber basically gift wrapped the recipe for beating Michigan for the whole conference: Go inside with tall guys. If OSU puts Mullens 8-10 feet from the basket, he's going to be able to score at will just like Tisdale did if we've got Sims on him. Making matters worse, Sims is going to exhaust himself defending a guy that's got 4-5 inches on him, negating his offensive production that Michigan desperately needs right now. Solution? Don't know if I've got a great one, but here it is. Start Sims and Gibson. Yeah. I know.

Gibson's got the frame to deal with Mullens and it'll free Sims up to rebound and play offensively. Plus, Gibson's shown at least a little offensive ability the last few games, so it's not like this isn't an undeserved start. A line up of Manny, Sims, Gibson, Novak and LLP works fairly well. Have LLP run "point" and sub in Grady/Douglas/Lee as needed. Hell, use Eric Puls just as a whack a mole. But Michigan isn't deep enough to have two prime players (Sims/LLP) go cold and still win. As much as you need your big guns to step up, you've also got to protect them from time to time, and this game definitely fits that bill.

Let Gibby, Sims and Puls defend down low in man coverage. Let Manny, LLP and Novak run their way to open shots and harass OSU's sniper (singular). Contain Diebler's long ball and Mullens down low, then force Turner to go one on one with Sims and Burford to live up to his rep.

Make no mistake, this is not going to be an easy game. OSU plays good defense and usually only allows teams into the 50's and low 60's when they win. Michigan's not going to win a half court game against these guys, but they have to be able to play it from time to time to switch things up. Pressure defense in the 1-3-1 to lead to turnovers, and keep alternating the zones and man. Offensively, there need to be a lot more cuts to the basket without the ball and a lot more movement. If there are four players above the arc and one hanging out by the baseline 15 feet from the hoop, scream and throw things. That's what got Michigan beat in Champaign.

Michigan can win this game, but it's going to take a much better all around game and game plan than we saw in the second half on Wednesday.

Quick Recap of the Illinois Game

Less than a week after posting its first complete game of the conference season, the Wolverines returned to their old ways, alternating good and bad performances between halves. Unfortunately it'd be a mistake to say the Wolverines played a "good" first half, despite their 31-30 lead at halftime. Michigan was uncharacteristically sloppy with the basketball, turning it over 7 times and looked down right ugly on offense. Illinois didn't look much better. If not for Demetri McCamey shooting lights out from beyond the arc, Illinois could easily have been down ten points at the break. But they weren't.

Michigan's second half was one I suspect Beilein will burn the tapes of and pray never repeats itself again. While the first half wasn't pretty, there was a lot of energy from the Maize n Blue. Gibson contributed solid minutes. CJ Lee was all over the place. there was hustle under the basket. In the second half that disappeared. There were no cuts under the basket. Nobody moved without the ball. Save when two guys would break to the same spot looking for a pass (this happened at least five times in the second half). The offenses bunched itself up, failing to spread the floor properly and no one seemed to want to go inside other than a clearly exhausted Sims. Everyone, save Harris, wanted to launch threes rather than pay the price to set something up. And worse, when they did, it would rim out or miss the net entirely.

Waaaaaaaaaay too much of this Wednesday. via a.espncdn.com

The effort was there on the defensive end, but Michigan just isn't set up to handle a 7-1 honky with a hook shot. Defensively, you could see Sims was gassed midway through the second trying to keep Tisdale from scoring. As a result he couldn't finish on the other end. LLP and the rest of the crew were just off. Grady was 1-5 from three and wasn't even close on most of his attempts. But these things happen over the course of a season. It was a tough road game that Michigan let get away. Really let get away. There's not much you can say about it other than it was a "poor game" and Michigan needs to bounce back on Saturday.

Wolverines Look For First Win in Champaign Since 1995: Game #17 Michigan Basketball @ Illinois

Maize n Brew Dave — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:30:08 -0000

Photo via The Detroit Free Press

After a week of improbable comebacks and delivering beatdowns to undermanned Big Ten competition, the Wolverines will face their first true road test of the 2009 Big Ten Conference season when they travel to Assembly Hall to take on Illinois at 8:30 EST tonight. Tonight's matchup is the second, and final, meeting between the Illini and the Wolverines in the last two weeks, and serves as a prelude to a rough stretch of Big Ten away games and competition that will ultimately decide whether the Wolverines go dancing in March or trudge off to Manhattan for another visit to the NIT.

When the teams last met, Michigan gave up 42 first half points, but still managed to eek out a 74-64 that was a lot closer than the final score indicates. Even so, it was the first conference game that showed Michigan was more than a two man band. Sims and Harris had awful nights offensively against the Illini defense (combining to shoot 10-26 and 3-11 from beyond the arc). Despite this, Michigan clawed its way to the win on the backs of Kelvin Grady (3-6), Zack Gibson (4-5), and Zack Novak (4-5). Those performances off the bench sparked the Wolverines current 3 game win streak that has them currently ranked 25th (AP) and 24th (Coaches).

Assembly Hall in Champaign has been (yet another) House of Horrors for the Wolverines over the years. Since Michigan's last win in Champaign, the Wolverines have dropped 11 straight there, and with the success of Illinois' program over the last few years, wins have been difficult to come by against the Illini regardless of location. Even so, a road victory against an unranked but highly regarded Illini team (Ken Pomeroy has them ranked 18th!) would be another, vital, feather in the Wolverines' cap. A win tonight would be even more impressive because the Illini are fresh, having played a single game since the Wolverines' January 4, 2009 win in Ann Arbor.

That single game may have been against Indiana, but it was an impressive win. Illinois absolutely dismantled an Indiana team that nearly toppled Michigan a week ago. The Illini put 76 on the Hoosiers en route to a 31 point blowout. Perhaps the size of the blowout had something to do with Indiana losing Devan Dumes to injury, but it'd be foolish to suggest that. The closest Indiana got was 10 points with six minutes left in the First half before the Illini lead exploded to 25. In the end, the Illini were led by 21 from Trent Meachum (G), 12 from big man Mike Davis,12 from Demetri McCamey (G), and 15 off the bench from Dominique Keller (F). Combined this group shot an absurd 20-31 on the hapless Hoosiers.

Scouting the Illini

What is most impressive about the Illini this season is they're consistently getting double figures out of four guys. Lost in the scoring frenzy was gigantic white guy Mike Tisdale who is averaging 11 points a game and former Michigan commit Alex Legion who will at some point explode on someone. There's plenty of talent on the team. The shot takers in Illinois lineup are McCamey, Davis, Tisdale and Meachum, in that order. Beyond the arc the Illini aren't particularly deep, but Meachum has been downright unconscious hitting 49.4% of his treys. Guard him tight. After Meachum, only McCamey launches them with any regularity, but he's hit only 33% of his 79 attempts from three. The attempts beyond the arc seem more to keep defenses honest down low. Illinois is an inside dominant team with 60% of its points coming inside the arc. Defensively, the Illini are one of the best in the Big Ten at denying the 3 point shot, and defending in general. They're at or near the top in every defensive category, and kept Michigan on the perimeter for a good chunk of their last game, before allowing the Wolverines to get to the basket or get good looks inside 12 feet.

But if there's a glaring weakness, it's an inability to get to the line. While the Illini hit a respectable 73% from the charity stripe, they're having a horrid time getting there. Their free throw to field goal attempt ratio is 23.8% and they're 10th in the conference at getting to the line with only 217 attempts (compared to 277 for UM and 364 for MSU!).

Game Plan (At least my Game Plan)

For Michigan to prevail tonight, they're going to have to be aggressive down the lane. Michigan's hot shooting tends to cool on the road, and if Illinois can turn the Wolverines into a jump shot only team Michigan's chances of leaving Champaign with a win are marginal. Harris and Grady need to take the ball to rack rather than settling for contested threes (Harris especially). The more they drive, the more the defense will have to crash down opening up Novak, Douglass, and everyone else. Down low, Sims and Gibson (yes, Gibson), need to play big against Davis and Tisdale on the offensive side and attempt to rack up some fouls on two of the Illini's best players. (If Gibson can get Tisdale alone on the wing, please let there be more Honky Magic). One last note, Michigan's been great at taking care of the ball, but Harris is still coughing it up with some regularity. Manny's got to take better care of the ball in this game while staying aggressive. Hard thing to ask for, I know, but it's what will separate him from the rest of the pack and help Michigan toward a successful season.

Defensively, the Illini have had two weeks to prep for the 1-3-1, so Michigan's going to have to mix it up. Alternating between man-to-man, a 2-3 and the 1-3-1 should give the Illini enough of a headache to prevent them from getting too comfortable. As Duke proved, if you can find space in the middle of the zone (usually the free throw line) you're in business. After a two weeks of prep and a game under their belt, I've got to think the Illini have a decent game plan on how to attack the 1-3-1.

It's going to be a good game and a great test for Michigan. As the Daily points out in its Mid-season review, Michigan's conference wins have come over teams with a 3-7 conference record. But a win over a tough Illini team on the road will definitely quiet that criticism and get the Michigan faithful even more amped up for the upcoming visit from the Buckeyes on Saturday.

We'll have open threads going for tonight's and Saturday's games. Hope to see you there.

Notes, Media and Oddities

Probable Lineups courtesy of Jeff Arnold, Ann Arbor News

Probable starters
Michigan Wolverines (13-3, 3-1 Big Ten)
P Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Ppg Rpg
F DeShawn Sims Jr. 6-8 235 16.4 8.4
G Zack Novak Fr. 6-5 210 6.9 2.8
G Manny Harris So. 6-5 210 18.6 7.8
G Laval Lucas-Perry R-Fr. 6-3 185 12.0 2.6
G Kelvin Grady So. 5-11 170 5.7 1.9

Illinois Fighting Illini (14-2, 2-1 Big Ten)
P Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Ppg Rpg
C Mike Tisdale So. 7-1 235 11.1 4.5
F Mike Davis So. 6-9 210 11.9 7.6
G Chester Frazier Sr. 6-2 195 5.6 4.3
G Trent Meacham Sr. 6-2 195 12.3 2.2
G Demetri McCamey So. 6-3 205 12.0 2.8

A win tonight would be Coach Beilein's 500th career win. Make it happen boys.
UMHoops.com continues with its usual awesomeness with another outstanding preview of tonight's game.
Apparently the Illini have revenge on their mind. (HT: MGo). That's fine. We have winning on ours.
Also awesome, check out UMHoops.com's comparison of West Virginia's 2005 squad to Michigan's 2009 squad. It's uncanny. Props to Dylan on an outstanding premise and post. This is a must read.
ESPN's Preview
Ann Arbor News Preview says the Wolverines need to stay hungry. Let's hide their sandwiches.
The Daily says Michigan's happy being a nobody. A nobody nobody saw coming. Wait... Wha?
Free Press Preview focuses on Manny. Important buried nugget:

PRACTICE FACILITY: Beilein, asked about the progress of the practice facility, said the public would hear something soon. It's believed the facility plan will be brought formally to the regents at the Jan. 22 meeting. Regents were briefed informally surrounding their December meeting.

Detroit News Preview says Grady is like a quarterback. Really? The football team could really use one right now.... Mas on the Practice facility from Beilein:

"I think you will be getting updates on that real soon," Beilein said.

Chicago Tribune has some fluff on Laval Lucas-Perry and Alex Legion and provides their own (very brief) Preview of tonight's game.
One of the bigger oddities in the Ken Pomeroy rankings is that he has Illinois 32 places higher than Michigan and the second highest ranked team in the Big ten behind Purdue. There's simple answer. Illinois' non-conference schedule didn't include the number of RPI tanking patsies Michigan's did. Illinois worst opponents were five teams ranked between 219 and 252, and one team ranked 303. Michigan, in contrast, feasted on four teams ranked 303 or worse. So big wins over Duke/UCLA get ruffled by the ungodly horridness of those opponents, at least in the computers. Is there much of a difference between a 300 and a 200 team? Not much. But everyone gets ranked, and it's one of the systems we've got that people look to for some guidance. Take it FWIW.
Rivals says Michigan is finding its identity as it adapts to Beilein's system.
In case you missed it, Kentucky star Jodie Meeks went for 54 points in a Conference game against Tennessee last night. Wow. Congrats Mr. Meeks. Our buddies at A Sea of Blue are understandably excited.

A Complete Win: Michigan Basketball Throttles Iowa

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:56:38 -0000

Harris with the Finger Roll. via multimedia.detnews.com

Despite it's best start in the last 10 years, wins over two top ten teams, and its obvious improvement, coming into Sunday, there were still big questions about the 2008-2009 Men's Basketball team. How would they react to the more physical Big Ten season? What would they do if they got done big against a legitimate opponent? When would they play real defense in the first half? Seriously? When?

In three Big Ten Games, Michigan had given up 42, 39 and 39 points during the first half of those games. Despite a home loss to Wisconsin that wasn't as close as the 73-61 final score indicated, the surprising result of these first half defensive meltdowns was a 2-1 conference record (and the likely shaving of a month off Coach Beilein’s life). Open jumpers. Lanes to the hoop. Problems defending down low. Slow defensive rotation. All these things seemed only present in the first half, and would (usually) disapear in the second. Giving up 40 points in any half is not a recipe for success. And the criticism that was first born against Savannah State started gaining a little more volume: "they’re going to get burned by their first halves if they don’t play better on defense."

Simply put, when are we going to see a complete 40 minutes out of this team in conference play?

Michigan’s response to this was to smother the Iowa Hawkeyes in both halves, en route to a 64-49 blowout victory in Ann Arbor. Almost as if to answer this growing criticism, the Wolverines smothered the Hawkeyes' during the first half. Michigan forced Iowa into 8 first half turnovers, a meager 16 points at halftime, and 26% shooting. Michigan clogged the passing lanes, creating the fast break points that had been missing in its prior two games, and generally pounding the Hawkeyes’ offense into a pulp.

Offensively, the Wolverines carried their momentum from the comeback win at Indiana and poured on 32 first half points and controlled the games tempo from the outset. Michigan took a 16 point lead into half time after shooting 52% from the floor and 50% from three. Instead of relying on the three ball as they did against the Hoosiers, Michigan went inside against the smaller Iowa backcourt. Taking only 8 threes in the first half, Michigan pounded Sims and Harris inside. Instead of watching their opponents grab rebounds uncontested, players like Zack Novak, CJ Lee and Laval Lucas-Perry all seemed to take a loose ball personally and fought their ways to first half boards. Novak seemed to be everywhere early, pulling down 4 boards and contributing outstanding defense despite not putting in a bucket.

Less than a week after the near debacle at Assembly Hall, Michigan seemed like a different team. Beilein's team imposed their will from the outset and never let Iowa establish its offense. Everything that drove you nuts watching the Indiana game seemed to disapear. There were drives to the hoop and players without the ball moving under the basket instead of standing around out side the arc. Defensively, Michigan was a step quicker against the Hawkeyes than they were against the Hoosiers. Playing much more aggressively, they forced Iowa outside the arc and never allowed them to get comfortable in the paint.

While Sims and Harris dominated the stat sheet, everyone contributed to Sunday’s win. Stu Douglass and Zack Gibson hooked up on one of the seasons prettier pick and rolls. Merrit and Lee provided only 21 minutes between them but they provided hustle and solid defense. Laval Lucas-Perry poured in 8 points, 4 boards and clogged the lanes. And Kelvin Grady continued to run the offense efficiently and effective.

In my opinion, Kelvin Grady continues to be one of the most underrated contributors to Michigan’s hot start this season season. You can point to Laval Lucas-Perry’s emergence as a third scoring threat, but LLP, to some extent, was a known entity prior to his transfer from Arizona.

Grady Launches From Three. via cmsimg.freep.com

Coming into this year it was anyone’s guess as to whether Grady would be a contributor at all. Like the other freshmen last year, Grady turned the ball over too much and missed far too many shots. This year, it’s the opposite. Grady has 37 assists compared to just 11 turnovers, playing significant minutes, and doing what we’d hoped he’d be able to do, drive the lane and score or dish. Grady continues to pick opportune to drive to the rim and judiciously launch from behind the arc. Most importantly, Grady seems to have finally seized control of the "point guard" position by repeatedly being able to distribute the ball without turning it over.

Against Iowa Grady dished four assists and had no turnovers. Happily, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence. Against Duke, in two contests, Grady has 10 assists and 2 tunrovers, and in his last 10 games he’s turned the ball over just 6 times compared to 29 assists. Further, Grady has proven to be a perfect fit for Beilein’s defense, running the baseline to contest passes and shots from the corner quicker than any other player on the roster. He's playing with confidence and with the type of agression we saw from his brother as Kevin ran people over on the football field this past year.

The result of all this was Michigan thumping Iowa. Michigan lead by as many as twenty-eight points before sitting its starters and settling in for a 15 point win. While it's just one game, it's still a complete one. And hopefully the first of many to come this conference season.

Notes:

Before we get too carried away with the win, there are some mitigating factors in the blowout loss that need to be considered. The biggest "OMG this could've been different" factor was the absence of Iowa Forward and best player Cyrus Tate from the lineup with a sprained ankle. Michigan's had trouble with teams that can pound them inside (e.g., Wisconsin). While the 1-3-1 allows Michigan to some extent to clog those lanes and negate an inside presence, the only player on our roster that can defend down low is DeShawn Sims. And if he gets in foul trouble, it's going to be up to Zach Gibson to fill that void.
After watching Purdue and sleek big man JaJuan Johnson pummel Wisconsin inside and out on Sunday, Michigan's going to have to keep it's enthusiasm in check until they prove they can matchup on a team with size and speed. Without Tate, Iowa was a perfect Michigan opponent, lacking size and outside range. Purdue can shoot from outside and their size is going to present Michigan with some problems.
DeShawn Sims continues to get better and better. Sims took only one three pointer, and spent the entire game down in the blocks or less than 15 feet out. We all knew he’d be good with his back to the basket down low, but the biggest surprise has been the development of his mid range jump shot. Sims is getting down right deadly from 10-15 feet. Harris may be scoring the most, but its arguable that Sims is our best all around player.
Manny being Manny. Harris had another exceptional game, so anything here is nit picking, but I’d love to see him show a 10-15 foot jumper like Sims. Harris is excellent inside and on the cut, but he seems to either force his way inside or launch a three. If he can start burying a few more mid range shots, he’ll open the lane up a bit more because it’ll force his defender closer and allow Harris to take advantage of that first quick step.
Anthony Wright saw a little mop up time. Man. I remember last year he was on the floor all the time. Just shows how much this team has gotten.
Zack Novak wasn't feelin' it on Sunday, going 1-6 from the floor (1-5 from three). Even so the kid was a factor on the boards and on defense. He's going to be a fan favorite for a long, long time.
UMHoops.com has all your statistical needs and player breakdowns.

Poll

Who is Michigan's Most Improved Player This Season?

Manny Harris

5 votes

DeShawn Sims

25 votes

Kelvin Grady

20 votes

Zach Gibson

2 votes

52 votes | Poll has closed

Michigan Basketball Update and Indiana Preview

Maize n Brew Dave — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:18:14 -0000

It's been a busy couple of weeks for the Men's Basketball team. They've beaten a top four team. Lost to a top four team. Lost to a good Maryland squad in College Park. Beaten a top four team. Lost to Wisconsin at home. Then beat a 13-1 team that beat #9 Purdue (in West LaFayette), and in the process secured a better record this year than all of last year. They've been unranked. Ranked. And then back to unranked. They've lost a player to a redshirt and gained another.

And all that's in just 14 games.

via multimedia.detnews.com

The transformation of Michigan under Beilein from bottom feeder to a legitimate NCAA bubble team in just one year has been downright staggering. But, as Beilein will be the first to tell you, the transformation isn't complete. The team still lacks a legitimate big man to fit Beilein's offense. The point guard position, while not critical to the offense, is still somewhat up for grabs. There are still way too many forced, bad three pointers. Even so, this is a good basketball team that appears just as capable of shutting down one end of the court as it is lighting up the other.

Tonight Michigan faces its first road test of the Big Ten season when they travel to Assembly Hall to play Indiana at 6:30 Eastern Time. As UMHoops.com points out, Michigan hasn't won there since 1995, so this is a great time to pick up a road win a exorcise whatever demons have plagued the Wolverines in Bloomington.

The reason its such a great opportunity is because, well, Indiana is terrible this year. If you're looking for a traditional power to kick while it's down, Indiana's your team. The Hoosiers currently rate 226 in KenPom's rankings, and have one of the worst turnover ratios in all of college basketball. As a result, Indiana sports an anemic offense averaging just 61.8 points a game, a league low 43% field goal percentage, and a league high 19 turnovers a game. On defense things are just as bad. Indiana gives up nearly 70 a game and allow opponents to shoot at a nearly 47% clip.

This isn't to say tonight isn't a dangerous game. One of the few things Indiana does well is limit three point shooting. The Hoosiers have allowed just 221 three point attempts this season. Part of the reason for that is the Hoosiers are slowing the game down as much as possible. Teams aren't pounding Indiana inside as such low 3 point numbers would indicate. In fact, the Hoosiers are near the bottom of the league in opponent's field goal attempts as well.

For a team allowing 68 total possessions a game, you'd expect higher numbers. Especially when Michigan averages 63 total possessions a game and has given up almost 100 more field goal attempts!!!

What it comes down to is Indiana isn't a particularly talented team right now. If you're looking for an analogy, look at Michigan football. Indiana's going through a purge and transition and will come out stronger for it. But man, oh man, is this year going to suck. Starting four freshman that aren't McDonald's All Americans tends to do that.

Indiana is led by Jr. Devon Dumes (G) and Fr. big name Tom Pritchard (F), who are both averaging more than 12 a game. At this point, Indiana doesn't have a game breaker and relies on a pressure defense to cause turnovers and fast break points. Oddly, there are eight players averaging close to or more than 20 minutes a game, so expect to see a lot of bodies on the court tonight for the Hoosiers.

For Michigan, it seems everyone is fairly healthy. The ankle injury that's been bugging DeShawn Sims is apparently healed and Novak's gash over his left eye, aside from the stiches, is just a bruise. That same Detroit News article echoes a Free Press article on Zack Novak's summers at Assembly Hall for basketball camps. Zach Gibson's dunkeration is apparently helping him get his groove on. Laval Lucas-Perry is apparently just like Illinois Football, he's gettin' better all the time.

via multimedia.detnews.com

Tonight's probable starting line-ups Courtesy Jeff Arnold of the Ann Arbor News:

Probable starters
Michigan Wolverines (11-3, 1-1 Big Ten)
P Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Ppg Rpg
F DeShawn Sims Jr. 6-8 235 16.6 8.8
G Zack Novak Fr. 6-5 210 7.1 2.6
G Manny Harris So. 6-5 210 18.8 7.6
G Laval Lucas-Perry R-Fr. 6-3 185 12.0 3.0
G David Merritt Sr. 5-10 170 2.0 1.5

Indiana Hoosiers (5-8, 0-1 Big Ten)
P Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Ppg Rpg
F Tom Pritchard Fr. 6-9 242 12.8 7.3
G Matt Roth Fr. 6-3 186 5.6 1.3
G Verdell Jones III Fr. 6-5 176 7.6 1.9
G Nick Williams Fr. 6-4 211 8.4 4.8
G Devan Dumes Jr. 6-2 188 13.5 3.1

Michigan Weekend Wrap-up: World Resumes Spinning Correctly

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:32:13 -0000

After a little time off we're back to our regular broadcasting. Hope you'll forgive our little lapse over the holidays. In an effort to regain your favor, dear reader, here's a wrap up of the weekend's events.

Michigan Basketball Blows Past Illinois to Even its Big Ten Record and Surpass Last Year's Win Total

Despite a Big Ten season opening loss to Wisconsin, Michigan (11-3 [1-1])returned to its winning ways with a 74-64 win over Illinois (13-2 [1-1]). Surprisingly, the catalysts for the Wolverines' win were not Sims or Harris, but Zack Gibson and Kelvin Grady. Gibson contributed a critical block followed by one comical dunk and a simply sweet baseline drive and finish with two minutes left. Grady sealed the game with a beautiful crossover left to right from the top of the key and drive to the hoop to create, and finish, a three point play. Anyone who thought Michigan was just Sims and Harris is sorely mistaken. Five players scored in double figures, including the recently bloodied Zack Novak who pumped in 11 points and collected six stitches courtesy of an inadvertent head butt from former Michigan commit and current Illini Alex Legion. If there was a downside to the game it was Michigan's spotty defense in the first half and Harris's five turnovers. But the emergence of Novak as an elite Big Ten shooter (reministent of former Duke Blue Devil, JJ Redick) and the consistent contributions of players other than Sims and Harris give this team the potential to be something special down the line. Also, LLP has shown he was worth the wait. A road trip to Indiana is up next on January 7th.

Behold, the second (much slower and vastly whiter) coming of Graham Brown. via mgoblue.com

The Ann Arbor News said Michigan keyed up its defense in the second half, and Gibson and Grady led the way to the comeback win.

The Free Press said after allowing Illinois to shoot 59% in the first half, DeShawn Sims lit into his teammates at half time, sparking Michigan's defensive clamp down.

The Detroit News says that Michigan is finally giving its critics some good answers to the question "how will this team react to adversity during the Big Ten season?"

The Chicago Tribune said the Illini's poor defense contributed to the Michigan win.

IlliniHQ said Michigan played like a team possessed.

The Big Ten Network is declaring Michigan the Non-Conference Surprise Team of the Non-Conference Schedule. Woo. That's like being hailed as the baby that surprisingly didn't stick a fork in an outlet. Thanks BTN!

Gibson's incredible honktastic dunk followed by kick ass baseline drive and dunk can be seen m'ayh.

Football Recruiting Not Inept After All, Campbell Re-Commits to Michigan

Despite some self created drama, the only story about Will Campbell's final commitment was that there was no story after all. During Saturday's Army All-American game, Campbell re-committed to Michigan. Campbell provided one more tense moment during his 30 seconds of airtime, reaching toward an LSU or Miami hat before picking up his Michigan hat and dancing like a man that should never dance. Ever. Notre Dame students dance better than Campbell. But, even with his lack of dance skills, I'm happy to have one of the elite Defensive tackles in the 2009 class in the fold. Will. We love you. Now get your ass in the weight room and beat OSU.

Michigan Commits Standout in Army All American Game

Brendan Gibbons and Justin Turner helped lead the Army All-American East team to a 30-17 victory. Of critical importance to Michigan fans was the play of kicker commit Brendan Gibbons who showed a cannon of a leg and, god bless him, some accuracy. Also headlining the East's victory was Turner, who turned in a team high eight tackles along with a pick in the fourth quarter. Anthony LaLota saw some time as well, notching a tackle for loss. Wideout Jeremy Gallon sat out the game with a pulled groin.

Potential for an Outdoor Hockey Match-up at Camp Randall?

Courtesy of the awesomeness that is Yost Built and our mutual buddy Marshall:

In today's Detroit News, there was an article about how the Wolverines are primed to make a run in the second half of the year. The bottom of the article has an interesting tidbit:

Officials from Wisconsin's athletic department will be making a formal announcement within the next two weeks regarding an outdoor game played at 80,000-seat Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., in February 2010.

The word is, screw everyone else, Wisconsin wants Michigan as its opponent for this game. Maize n Tailgate will be in full effect for this game (should it occur). More updates as they become available.

Around the 'Sphere

OSU plays Texas tonight in the Fiesta Bowl. The Big Ten needs this one after going 1-4 in bowl games. Good luck to the Buckeyes. Don't eff this up like your last two BCS appearances.

Sam McGuffie will enroll at Rice. Good luck Sam. We wish you the best.

I thought nothing could top Llamar Woodley's stiff arm at Notre Dame in 2006. I was wrong. The Kentucky East Carolina Dog Food Bowl provided the greatest stiff-arm-slash-knock-out-jab I've ever seen. Defensive Linemen Ventrell Jenkins just knocks the holy hell out of ECU QB Patrick Pinkney en route to a game clinching fumble return TD for Kentucky. Just watch Pinkney's head snap back. AFLAC! My congrats to our buddies over at A Sea of Blue, SBN's simply awesome Kentucky Blog. If you're looking for SEC and Kentucky related basketball and football knowledge, go there now.

Ventrell, your name and your stiff-arm will live in glory for eternity. Or at least until ESPN yanks this off YouTube.

Another thing that struck a chord here at Maize n Brew was the sensational butt-whuppin' Utah delivered to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. I mean, holy hell. 21 points in less than 11 minutes on the nation's (then) number one defense? Makes that two point loss to Utah back in September look a little better, don't it? Well. Not really. It's just one less obvious piece of corn in the stoolly turd that was our season. Even so, congrats to the guys at Block U on a perfect season. On the other side of the coin, I can't help but have some symapthy for Nico and Todd over at Roll Bama Roll on the loss and the basting, carving and serving of John Parker Wilson's mangled body during the game. If anyone can identify with an almost MNC season ending on an inexplicable beating at the hands of a team you were supposed to throttle, it's Michigan. I do, however, endorse their method of dealing with the loss.

via assets.sbnation.com

Finally, a nod to the guys at Black Shoe Diaries on an outstanding season that unfortunately can to an inauspicious end against the USC Buzzsaw in the Rose Bowl. Perk up guys. Lord knows it's happened to us. Recently. However, the Polar Bear on the last remaining ice flow on earth was a nice touch. Congrats to the Trojans and Conquest Chronicles on (yet) another Rose Bowl win. We hate you.