SB Nation - Stu Douglass

Kansas Hosts Michigan Saturday in an Early Tip

Denverjhawk — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:00:20 -0000

Kansas v Michigan

No. 1 Kansas (9-0) took a week off for exams but heads back to the hardwood hosting Big Ten Conference foe Michigan (5-4) Saturday at 11 a.m. Michigan as a team looked to be a potentially strong test for the Jayhawks before the year began. However, after losing four of their last six, the youthful Michigan squad doesn't appear to have a single victory against a qualify opponent through 9 games of the season. Oh, where have the days of the fab five gone.

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
MICH	71.1	42.2	70.5	29.7	33.6	11.1	22.4	15.3	10.0	8.2	2.9	14.1
KU	90.3	51.2	67.1	44.2	43.7	14.6	29.1	19.7	11.9	9.6	7.4	18.1
MICH Opponents	63.9	44.0	65.1	30.3	37.1	12.0	25.1	14.3	15.6	5.2	3.3	18.1
KU Opponents	57.7	34.3	65.9	28.7	33.7	13.7	20.0	11.1	16.7	5.8	3.2	20.0

Rank and Records	MICH	KU
RPI	#243	#21
Strength of Schedule	#255	#181
Overall	5-4	9-0
Conference	0-0	0-0
Home	4-1	6-0
Away	0-1	1-0
Top 25	0-0	0-0
RPI Top 50	0-1	0-0

About Kansas

Kansas posted a 90-65 win against La Salle in the M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout on Dec. 12 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Freshman Xavier Henry had a career-high 31 points in the game and was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the second-straight week for his efforts.

Kansas averages 90.3 points per game, is giving up 57.7 points and ranks in the top five nationally with a +32.7 scoring margin. KU is shooting 51.2 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 34.3 percent. Only one KU opponent, Radford, has shot above 40 percent against the Jayhawks this season.

Xavier Henry leads the team with an 18 point scoring average. He is making 53.3 percent of his shots from three-point range and leads KU with 24 threes and 16 steals.

Senior guard Sherron Collins scores 13.3 points per game and he has made 19 three pointers. Collins leads the team with 40 assists, which are five ahead of sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor (7.3 ppg). Taylor has 14 steals, two ahead of Collins (12).

Junior center Cole Aldrich leads the team in rebounds with 9.6 per game. He also leads KU and the Big 12 in blocked shots with 3.6 per outing. Sophomore forward Marcus Morris is a starter who is scoring 9.8 points and pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game.

Sophomore forward Markieff Morris is coming off the bench to score 8.9 points per game. Markieff, who recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against La Salle on Dec. 12, is second on the team with his 6.2 rebound average and leads KU with a 69.8 percent field goal shooting.

Junior guard Tyrel Reed scores 4.8 points per outing and he has 10 three-pointers this season. Freshman guard Elijah Johnson (4.3 ppg) has started the last two games.

About Michigan

Located in Ann Arbor, Mich., and coached by John Beilein, Michigan has won two of its last three games and is 5-4 on the season following its 75-64 win against Detroit on Dec. 13 in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines average 71.1 points and give up 63.9 per game for a +7.2 scoring margin. U-M averages 8.2 steals per game and forces 15.6 turnovers per contest.

Michigan is one of the youngest teams in America with 12 players redshirt sophomores or younger. Junior guard Manny Harris leads the team with 22.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Harris also has a team-high 18 steals and 45 assists. He is tied for the team lead with 13 three pointers along with sophomore guard Laval Lucas-Perry, who is scoring 7.4 points per game.

Senior forward DeShawn Sims is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points per contest and he is just behind Harris in rebounds with a 7.4 average. Sophomore guard Zack Novak and freshman guard Darius Morris round out the starters. Novak scores 6.3 points per game, while Morris averages 4.8 ppg.

Senior forward Zack Gibson (6.0 ppg) and sophomore guard Stu Douglass (4.7 ppg) each average more than 24
minutes per game for the Wolverines.

Meet the Opposing Coach

Michigan coach Jim Beilein is 36-40 in his third season at Michigan and 587-358 in his 32nd season overall. Beilein's 587 career victories place him in the top 20 in victories among active Division I head coaches. He has compiled 27 winning seasons and put together 15 campaigns of 20-wins or more. Beilein is the only active coach in the collegiate ranks to record a 20-win season at four different levels -- junior college, NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I. During the 2008-09 season, Beilein's second in Ann Arbor, Michigan posted a 21-14 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 seasons, falling in the second round. Michigan's 21 victories during the 2008-09 campaign tied a school record for the largest single-season turnaround in program history.

John Beilein
Team	Years	Record
Michigan	2007-2010	36-39 (48.0%)
West Virginia	2002-2007	104-60 (63.4%)
Richmond	1997-2002	100-53 (65.4%)
Canisius	1992-1997	89-62 (58.9%)
Le Moyne	1983-1992	163-94 (63.4%)
Nazareth	1982-1983	20-6 (76.9%)

The Series

Michigan has won all five meetings with Kansas in men's basketball. This is a rarity for Kansas - the third winningest program in NCAA Division I. Of teams with multiple games played against Kansas, Bradley (2-0) and UTEP (3-0) are the only teams that have undefeated records versus KU, damn Bradley. The Kansas-Michigan series dates back to 1949 and runs through 1992. Two of the matchups have been on neutral floors with a 49-47 Michigan win in 1949 in Kansas City and the last meeting, an 86-74 Michigan victory on Dec. 30, 1992, at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. This will be the second meeting between the schools in Allen Fieldhouse as Michigan defeated Kansas 64-52 during the 1980-81 season.

KU-La Salle Leftovers

Kansas freshman guard Xavier Henry scored 31 points to set a career high. The last Jayhawk to score 30-plus points was Sherron Collins, who scored 32 against North Dakota State last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
X. Henry also set career highs in field goals (10), free throws made (seven) and free throws attempted (nine). His totals were also the most by a Jayhawk this season.
Markieff Morris recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Morris' 12 boards were his best output since his Jayhawk debut. Markieff Morris' four blocked shots were also a career high.
Junior center Cole Aldrich scored a season-high 19 points. He also set a season high in field goals (eight) and had five blocked shots to match a season high. Aldrich's five blocked shots gave him 160 for his career and moved him into sixth place all-time at KU, behind Danny Manning (200).
Kansas held La Salle to 36.1 percent shooting from the field, marking the 83rd-straight opponent the Jayhawks have held under 50 percent. KU has also held eight of its nine opponents this season under 40 percent.

What to Look For Against Michigan

Sherron Collins is 27 points from cracking the KU Top 20 career scoring list. Collins is 21st with 1,450 career points. Collins' former teammate Brandon Rush (2006-08) is at No. 20 with 1,477 points.
Collins is six assists from cracking the KU Top 10 all-time list. Collins is No. 11 with 431 career assists, while former KU great and current Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon is No. 10 with 437 assists from 1984-87.
Cole Aldrich is four rebounds from moving into 25th on the Kansas career rebound list. Aldrich has 592 all-time boards. David Magley (1979-82) is 25th at 596 and Kelly Knight (1980-84) is 24th at 601.
Through only nine games, Xavier Henry already ranks tied for 11th on the KU freshman list for three point field goals made with 24. Kirk Hinrich (2000) is 10th with 25, while Jacque Vaughn (1994) is ninth with 28.
Redshirt junior guard Brady Morningstar and redshirt freshman center Jeff Withey are both eligible to play against Michigan. Morningstar was suspended for the first semester for breaking team rules. He started 34 of 35 games last season and averaged 30.3 minutes per game with a 6.5 scoring average. Withey, who returned to practice full-time Dec. 7 from a knee injury, transferred to Kansas from Arizona in December 2008 and becomes academically eligible.

Team Notables

Kansas remains one of 11 undefeated teams in NCAA Division I (Dec. 13). Others include Georgetown, Kentucky, Missouri State, New Mexico, Purdue, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
Seven of Kansas' nine victories this season have been by 25 or more points with six of those by 30 points or more.
Entering the week, Kansas led the nation in scoring margin at +32.7. The Jayhawks also ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (third at 90.3), field goal percentage (seventh at 51.2), field goal percentage defense (second at 34.3), three-point field goal percentage (fifth at 44.2), assists (fourth at 19.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (fourth at 1.65) and blocked shots (seventh at 7.4).
Kansas forces 16.7 turnovers per game and averages 21.3 points off turnovers per game.

		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#3	M. Harris	9	9	35.778	22.222	46.8	76.0	28.9	8.444	3.222	5.222	5.0	2.333	2.0	0.111	1.111
#34	D. Sims	9	9	30.667	15.556	47.0	75.0	37.5	7.444	3.0	4.444	1.0	1.0	1.222	0.889	1.889
#0	Z. Novak	8	8	31.0	6.25	40.0	55.6	28.1	4.375	0.875	3.5	1.5	0.5	1.5	0.5	2.25
#31	L. Lucas-Perry	9	9	24.667	7.444	38.9	57.1	36.1	2.111	0.667	1.444	1.667	1.556	0.889	0.111	2.444
#4	D. Morris	9	9	24.222	4.778	42.1	75.0	20.0	1.889	0.222	1.667	2.222	2.222	0.444	0.111	1.778
#1	S. Douglass	9	0	24.0	4.667	26.4	71.4	23.1	1.444	0.222	1.222	2.556	0.778	1.0	0.0	0.889
#32	Z. Gibson	9	1	12.333	6.0	56.8	62.5	22.2	2.667	1.444	1.222	0.222	0.444	0.444	0.889	1.667
#12	A. Wright	9	0	9.111	1.889	26.1	75.0	16.7	1.444	0.667	0.778	0.889	0.333	0.222	0.111	0.889
		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#4	S. Collins	9	9	29.667	13.333	43.8	77.3	43.2	2.0	0.222	1.778	4.444	1.556	1.333	0.0	1.333
#1	X. Henry	9	9	27.0	18.0	55.6	82.4	53.3	4.111	0.889	3.222	1.778	2.0	1.778	0.778	2.0
#45	C. Aldrich	9	9	25.889	12.0	56.3	70.0	0.0	9.556	3.333	6.222	1.222	1.444	0.667	3.556	2.111
	T. Taylor	9	7	23.556	7.333	40.0	68.4	31.2	2.778	0.667	2.111	3.889	2.0	1.556	0.222	1.778
#22	M. Morris	9	7	22.444	9.778	55.4	67.6	33.3	5.333	2.444	2.889	1.444	1.333	1.111	0.444	2.556
#21	M. Morris	9	2	16.778	8.889	69.8	66.7	66.7	6.222	2.111	4.111	1.222	0.889	0.778	1.0	1.889
#14	T. Reed	9	0	16.111	4.778	41.7	75.0	35.7	1.444	0.111	1.333	1.556	0.333	0.889	0.111	1.0
#15	E. Johnson	9	2	12.222	4.333	51.7	55.6	36.4	2.111	0.889	1.222	2.667	1.111	0.667	0.0	1.889

Looking Back at Clemson

Beauford — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:27:38 -0000

We're gonna win this thing. Not just Oklahoma, we're gonna win the whole...damn...thing.

Well, probably not, but that's kind of how I feel after last night gave us a little taste of a fall Saturday in the middle of March, complete with a vintage Lloyd Carr "I can't believe we're letting them come back" moment. Of course, it also came complete with me sitting in my living room with my arms above my head yelling "yes! yes!" after the victory was complete I was angry, defiant, and joyful all in one little 2 hour span, which normally doesn't happen until football season but wait this is March, and that ball is suspiciously round, and holy-crap I care about Basketball again. Sweet.

I didn't write it, and I didn't say it, but one of my primary concerns about last night's game was the potential for the team to say "we've accomplished our goal; we're here; now we're done." I trusted Beilein enough to not let that happen, so I didn't mention it and quietly let it fester. Then Michigan came out and floated two airballs in a row and took exactly 9.67 seconds to cross that 10 second line against the press. I immediately went into the exact shell that I had trusted Beilein to break. I was just happy to be there, and content to watch Clemson run us over. Michigan, on the other hand, decided that they'd better start playing basketball.

And play it they did. Something I did write (in so many words) was that the key to the game would be which team handled the unique defense they faced better. Quite simply, Michigan broke the press early and often, while Clemson had a tough time figuring out that 1-3-1. Booker got his, scoring 18, but we defended the perimeter very well: Clemson was 5-22 from long range. It became very apparent in the early going that Michigan was dictating tempo, forcing outside shots, and breaking the press.

It also became clear that Manny was here to play.

He was, without a doubt, the best player on the court last night and consistently made plays when it mattered. His dribble drive 3 point play with 37 seconds remaining sealed the deal (despite Novak giving everyone a heart-attack), but really his whole game was pretty awesome. He scored when it was available, he dished when they doubled him, he rebounded, he dunked, he drove, he shot three's, he was unstoppable. In a game that Sims was frustrated and pressing, Manny looked smooth and confident. So often, we look for story lines that don't involve the star of the show, but in this case, the star was the show. The Wolverine Liberation Army's giant cock* proves it. Also: Zack Gibson, I take back everything negative I've said about you. Great minutes last night. Also also: Stu, next time maybe just a white-point guard layup. You frightened me.

The immediate reaction was kind of expected from the Clemsonite's of the internets. The OP called it "...one of the worst officiated games I have ever seen" which is normally the mantra of the vanquished, but in this case deserves some attention. Oglesby threw an elbow, that much is for sure, but did he really need to be ejected? As a team that was on the other end of an "elbow ejection" earlier this year, I can sympathize with that. I, as well as anybody else in the liveblog (all 4 of us!), didn't think he should have been ejected. Call it an intentional, and move on. I get that part of the OP's ref-rage. But other than that, I thought the game was pretty evenly officiated. It was a little loose, but still tighter than an average Big Ten game, IMO. Michigan attempted 15 free throws to Clemson's 14. All in all; pretty even. I don't think the ejection is what caused Clemson the game, as Oglesby was having a largely forgettable night. I dunno - you be the judge. Is this ejectable? It's at the 49 second mark:

So now we get to play Oklahoma at around 5PM on Saturday. The Griffin Bros. were in full on destruction mode against Morgan State, and it will be interesting to see how Beilein goes about defending them. Preview up shortly, but until then, bask in the victory. It wasn't enough for Michigan just to be here. It's time to win the weekend.

* of victory

How It's Going to Go Down

Beauford — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:47:08 -0000

You'll be walking down the street in an nondescript part of town. Kansas City. No man's land. The sun isn't shining, but it ain't rainin' - at least - not yet. Water, or some unidentifiable liquid, drips from the fire escapes above your head and splash onto the pavement that hasn't dried but still isn't wet. Your hand will go to your pocket, to the mysterious piece of paper, an invitation. You'll read it again blindly; by now you've got it memorized.

Thursday, March 19th. Kansas City. Wear Orange.

- NCAA

You will immediately put the paper back in the pocket of your orange warmup, afraid that someone's spotted you. These four letter have haunted you since receiving the invite on Sunday. 7-seed facing a 10-seed. Shouldn't be a problem. You've trained for this. How tough could these "Wolverines" be anyways?

But doubt will start to creep into your head. You haven't had time to prepare, and these Wolverines fight in an unorthodox style, some sort of weird smothering zone you haven't seen. "No matter!" you'll say, as you continue to walk towards the meeting point, splashing through puddles that are starting to form as the rain picks up. You're Clemson. You won 16 straight. You're the higher seed. But that doubt doesn't go away. It just festers as you begin to argue with yourself. The streetlight glints off your shoulder holstered .45. If they want a fight, they'll get it.

You will arrive at the destination. 1100 Walnut Street. The rain has become a steady stream that sizzles the pavement around you. Each flash of lightening briefly illuminates the surroundings to daylight. "Daylight." During the day children play on these streets. At night, they belong to the madness. You will stand in the pale glow of the steaming street light and await your foe. Your hand drifts towards the .45.

A flash of lightening, and some movement. You'll reach for your piece, but it will be too late. You're smothered, baffled by this "1-3-1" attack. You'll fire some wild shots from long range, but come up mostly empty. There must be a way to loosen this defense, you'll think, and so you'll continue to fire wildly from distance, hoping to stretch them enough to get some penetration. It won't work. Eventually, you'll start to turn it over, frustrated by this mysterious zone.

That's when the Wolverines will go to work. They'll start by working the inside, freeing up Sims to land those hard body punches and back door cuts. You'll get tired and weak, and with each blow that's landed, the Wolverines will gain confidence. Then, as quickly as it started, it'll be over. You'll be left standing, clutching your battered side with your firearm out. You'll take a few more wild shots into the darkness before a flash of lightening illuminates a figure standing 20 feet, 9 inches from you. The assassin.

You'll hear the shots being fired from all around you. Sims, Novak, and Douglass. The snipers. There are just too many of them. Your mind will go blank, you'll drop to your knees. The one man, must be Harris, standing in front of you will raise his gun, his shadow cast upon the street around him and forming a permanent image behind your eyes. You'll see the flash, but you won't hear the shot that gets you. Ask UCLA. Ask Duke. Nobody ever does.

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 Kids are Alright

Beauford — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:55:12 -0000

Michigan didn't, couldn't, beat Uconn on Saturday night. This, from a team with a losing conference record and a likely berth in the NIT, is not surprising, nor is it disappointing. Wait. It's oddly a little disappointing, if for no other reason than they had a lead at halftime, and Stu Douglass just kept hitting three's. Of course I'm not mad that they lost - if I were truly mad that Michigan lost to Connecticut then I'd probably be eating Light Brite pegs with a kind orderly clapping in my face and yelling "no!"

But I am disappointed, and I just keep coming back to that because as of right now, there aren't any Light Brite pegs in front of me, and everyone at work is regarding me with the same level of "ignore" as usual. This is an ok feeling to have regarding Michigan basketball?

via espn.com

Deadspin has become nigh unreadable since Leich left, and was trending that way during the waning months of his tenure. I am reminded, however, of an oddly out of place heartfelt post he wrote after the Superbowl in which he said this of his beloved Arizona Cardinals, annoyingly referred to as "Buzzsaw":

See, in a way, losing this way — in the most soul-crushing, sweet-God-what-a-game-holy-frack-where's-something-tall-to-jump-off? fashion possible — justifies it all. The Buzzsaw were not going to lose a Super Bowl the way the Falcons did, or the Chargers. That would be pedestrian. That would be dumb. That would make the whole thing seem silly.

No, losing like this makes it all worthwhile. This was not a 27-7 shellacking, the Steelers simply piddling out the clock as everyone prepares for work tomorrow. Losing like this, after a shocking comeback, after a Yes This Team Is What We Had Hoped For And Dreamed About After All fourth quarter, lends gravitas to it. Now, the Buzzsaw is not the obvious doormat of the professional sports industrial complex. We now have some tragedy. We now have some pain. Real pain.

It feels all right. It feels raw, and throbbing, and palpable. It feels what it feels like to be a sports fan. It feels like I cheer for a team that matters. It feels like we've got some hair on our chest now. We couldn't really compare ourselves to the Bills before, or the Browns, those franchises who have come close enough to taste the nectar. Now we can. Now we've had some actual suffering. It's not just a dull slow ache. We've actually bled.

Now Michigan has never been the doormat of the sports world. Unlike a professional team, we've got ~~football~~ hockey, baseball, swimming, field hockey, softball, academics, and a myriad of other "successes" to which we can point and say "a-ha!" and stamp the word "relevent" in big red letters across our institution. But Michigan basketball? It's gone past irrelevent and into the ether of the non-existent. Brian wrote on Mgoblog in a post I can't find that Michigan basketball under Ellerbe and Amaker had been hard to root for, and not just for the actual basketball. The shadow cast by the Martin scandal was just too large; our best player of that era was Tractor Trayler. Enough said.

So disappointment in this particular basketball team isn't something that I've come to expect after a loss. I mean, the loss was expected, and I didn't really like those guys very much in the first place.

via cache.gettyimages.com

But now? Now it's different. Now I kinda like it when Manny Harris goes flying into the lane then looks inquizzled (made up word) when he picks himself up and watches the other team execute a fast break layup. What, no foul? I like it when Stu Douglass leans into an impossible three and buries it, only to miss the next 3 wide open chances. I like watching Zack Novak out hustle everyone on the court because it's the only way he's ever played, and the only way he's going to be successful at this level. I like seeing Michigan leading #1 Uconn at the half, if only because I know at least one player on that Huskies team thought to himself "Holy Shit, they're going to do it again if we let them."

Uconn, of course, didn't let us. They played flawlessly in the 2nd half, and exploited every exploitable that they could.

And I was dissapointed.

And it felt great.

Game #21 Preview: Michigan v. Pure, Concentrated Evil (also known as Ohio State)

Maize n Brew Dave — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:52:46 -0000

Matchup: Michigan 14-6, 4-4 v. Ohio State 13-5, 3-4.

Tip-off: 6:30 p.m., Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio.

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

Line: Ohio State by 4.

And so the stretch run begins. Eight games into the conference season the Wolverines are sitting at 4-4, unranked and staring down the barrel of a 11 game shotgun finish to their regular season. Realistically, Michigan has to go .500 in conference to secure a tenuous NCAA tournament bid that two weeks ago looked like a lock. Even if Michigan holds serve at home, they're still going to need to steal a win on the road. And to be honest, Michigan's going to have to steal two road wins because I don't think anyone has them winning all four home games with Purdue and Michigan State coming to town. And that trip to UConn isn't going to do the Wolverines any favors, but it's not like this is impossible. It ain't going to be easy. But nothing worth having ever is. So you take 'em one game at a time, and good lord willing, things will work out. That first game is against Asmodai's henchmen from Columbus. Time to bust out the holy water and get to work.

photo via a.espncdn.com

What's At Stake?

Since beating Michigan 11 days ago, life has not been kind to the Buckeyes. Illinois absolutely blasted Ohio State in Champaign 67-49 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates. It was ugly. Four Illini scored in double digits and only Mullens and Burfor managed to put in a respectable showing for the visitors. A couple of days later Michigan State came calling following their upset loss to Northwestern. Despite carrying a 6 point lead into the locker room at the half, Ohio State watched the Spartans go on a 31-17 to close the game. Michigan State scored 52 second half points on the Buckeyes, easily their worst half of the season.

As a result of all this, Ohio State is a game below .500 at 3-4 in conference and on the outside looking in at the Tournament. Say what you want, but right now with a 13-5 record and their marque win being against then No. 7 and soon to be unranked Notre Dame, it's hard to make an argument for a bid, Ken Pomeroy love or not (currently ranked 53 by KP and a surprising RPI of 31!?).

Like Michigan, Ohio State is entering the brutal part of their schedule. They've got games Purdue, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Penn State and upset hungry Northwestern waiting for them. If there's a silver lining, 6 of the next 11 are at home, but they get ranked opponents in three of those games and Michigan tomorrow. So home may not exactly be as warm an cozy as Buckeye fans would like. 8-10 means NIT. 9-9 Bubble. 10-8, bid. That's the story.

Likewise, Michigan needs a road win to bolster its sagging resume. The Wolverines let two prime road opportunities against Illinois and Penn State crush them like a boulder, so stealing a win in Columbus before road trips to No. 17 Purdue and No. 2 UConn sandwich a game against Penn State who plastered Michigan less than a week ago. 9-9 in conference with two wins over top 4 teams should secure a tourney bid. But anything less than that is probably a trip to the NIT. So Michigan needs this just as bad as Ohio State, and this time they've got to do it on the road.

Trends

I wish there was something to point to in the Ohio State Offense or defense that would serve as a Michigan road map. But the Buckeyes have dropped their last two games for entirely different reasons. Against Michigan State they were out rebounded by 15 boards which coincidentally was the difference in shot attempts in favor of the Spartans. Against Illinois the Buckeyes controlled the boards but coughed up the ball 20 times and shot horribly from three (26.7%). FYI, they shot 10-20 from three against Michigan State. The Buckeyes are also getting balanced scoring. Four players scored in double figures against MSU, and for the season Will Buford, Jon Diebler, and Evan Turner are averaging 10 or more with BJ Mullens at 9.2 and Jeremie Simmons at 7.2 a game. Unfortunately, Mullens is beginning to heat up, and at 7'0" that's bad news inside for Michigan.

On the other side, Michigan is ice cold right now. Over their last four games Michigan has launched more threes than two point shots in three contests, and their once stellar shooting percentage has dipped to a next to league worst (10th) 32% three point percentage and a 10th overall field goal percentage of 43.4%. This hasn't stopped the Wolverines from launching three pointers. In fact it seems to have encouraged it. Weird.

Michigan finally cleaned house against Nothwestern. They did it by not being themselves and going inside constantly in Saturday's first half. This allowed DeShawn Sims to be the aggressor for the first time in two weeks and it paid off with the big man posting 14 first half points and basically doing what he wanted down low. The threes still came, but thankfully Michigan heated up in the second half going 6-13 marking the first time in four games they'd been above 40% in any half shooting the three ball. Hopefully it's a sign of good things to come.

Game Plan

Not much has changed since these teams met less than two weeks ago and I think the game plan I laid out then is effective now. The only thing that may not fit is starting Sims and Gibson. As UMHoops points out, we don't have a lot of big man depth, so if both of them get into foul trouble early, we're pretty much screwed. Michigan's biggest challenge will be dealing with Ohio State's pressure on the ball handler and their instances on making Michigan fight hard simply to get open. In the last game Michigan was flustered by this pressure defense and resorted to chucking ill-advised three point attempts rather than pick and rolls and executing the offense of the pressure.

Ohio State will pound the ball inside to Mullens and Lauderdale, who both combined to go 9-12 in the last game. Burford will spend the evening slicing toward the hoop and Diebler will lurk out at the three point line waiting to chuck up whatever comes his way.

Besides the obvious, Sims and Harris, Michigan is going to need big games out of Stu Douglass/Zack Novak and, believe it or not, Zack Gibson. Between Douglass and Novak someone's got to get hot to give Michigan another scorer on the wings. Novak will hustle 'till they turn the lights out, but his shot simply isn't falling, Douglass is the better shooter right now but he's not at Novak's level as a defender. One or the other has to make a difference tonight. Gibson on the other hand has to keep up his intensity. Over the last two-three games Gibson's shown some ability to physically defend, post up, and contribute on both sides of the court. Hell, he's even led a fast break or two. We need more of that. Mullens and Lauderdale need to get worn out defending him. When Michigan topped Illinois, it was in part because Gibson took Tisdale out of his element and blew past the 7 foot walking stick for some critical points. If we're going to win, Honky Magic has to be on. I'm talking David Copperfield on. But if Michigan gets hammered on the boards and shoots the way they did last time, all the Honky Magic in the world won't be enough.

I'll leave the closing to UM Hoops:

I don’t expect to win this one because as a Michigan fan I know better than to ever expect a road win. So far we have seen an awful Indiana team almost hand Michigan a devastating loss, a very good Illinois team completely shut down the Michigan offense, and a solid Penn State team embarrass the Wolverines.

If that doesn't sum it up, I don't know what does. We'll have the open thread up tonight. Hope the see you there.

Links:

Detroit News Preview: Beilein Defends Harris. Why Beilein has to defend Harris is a mystery to me.
The Free Press Preview. More on Manny not struggling. Seriously. Let this go people.
The Ann Arbor New preview (projected lineups too). Arrrrrrrrrgggggh! Also a little piece on Michigan peeking ahead toward the tournament. Yeah, about that, there's still a lot of work to do. A little Beilein audio on the Wolverines' shooting problems.
UM Hoops has your Bubble Watch!
Varsity Blue gives you the run down on tonight's game.
Eleven Warriors is predicting a 10 point Buckeye win.

Stats after the jump...

Big Ten Conference Standings

(updated 1.28.2009 at 12:40 AM PST)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Michigan St. Spartans	6	1	16	3
Illinois Fighting Illini	5	2	17	3
Purdue Boilermakers	4	2	15	4
Minnesota Golden Gophers	5	3	17	3
Penn St. Nittany Lions	5	3	16	5
Michigan Wolverines	4	4	14	6
Ohio St. Buckeyes	3	4	13	5
Wisconsin Badgers	3	4	12	7
Iowa Hawkeyes	2	5	12	8
Northwestern Wildcats	2	5	10	7
Indiana Hoosiers	0	6	5	13

Michigan Stats

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Manny Harris	20	32.9	5.4	12.7	42.7	1.4	4.5	31.5	5.4	6.1	87.7	2.1	5.5	7.6	4.5	3.0	1.0	0.6	2.0	17.6
DeShawn Sims	20	30.7	6.5	12.6	51.4	0.7	2.3	30.4	2.2	3.0	73.3	2.9	5.2	8.1	0.7	1.3	1.2	0.9	1.9	15.8
Zack Novak	20	25.6	2.1	5.4	39.3	1.5	4.0	36.7	1.1	1.5	72.4	1.2	2.3	3.4	1.4	0.9	0.6	0.1	2.1	6.7
Kelvin Grady	20	23.8	2.0	5.4	36.4	1.3	3.7	35.1	0.6	0.8	73.3	0.3	1.6	1.9	2.4	0.9	0.6	0.1	1.1	5.8
Stu Douglass	20	19.1	1.8	4.7	38.3	1.4	3.9	34.6	0.3	0.4	71.4	0.3	1.0	1.2	2.2	1.2	0.6	0.1	0.7	5.2
Zack Gibson	20	13.4	1.8	4.0	43.8	0.2	1.1	19.0	0.5	0.9	52.9	0.8	1.4	2.2	0.6	0.7	0.4	0.9	1.6	4.2
Ben Cronin	2	5.0	1.0	2.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	2.0	100.0	0.5	2.0	2.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	4.0
Jevohn Shepherd	17	12.1	1.4	2.8	50.0	0.1	0.9	13.3	0.6	1.0	58.8	0.7	0.9	1.6	0.9	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.9	3.5
Anthony Wright	14	12.8	0.9	3.3	26.1	0.6	2.3	25.0	0.5	0.7	70.0	0.7	1.4	2.1	0.7	0.8	0.5	0.2	1.1	2.8
C.J. Lee	20	8.3	0.7	1.5	44.8	0.5	1.0	45.0	0.3	0.4	85.7	0.4	0.9	1.3	0.8	0.3	0.5	0.0	0.9	2.1
David Merritt	20	14.5	0.7	1.8	38.9	0.4	1.1	33.3	0.3	0.3	83.3	0.2	0.8	1.0	1.0	0.7	0.4	0.0	1.6	2.0
Eric Puls	7	1.9	0.4	0.4	100.0	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.3	1.1
	20	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2	1.2	2.4	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Wolverines Basketball Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Ohio St.	Wed 01/28	5:30 PM CST
@ Purdue	Sat 01/31	12:00 PM CST
Penn St.	Thu 02/05	6:00 PM CST
@ Connecticut	Sat 02/07	5:00 PM CST
Michigan St.	Tue 02/10	6:00 PM CST

Last 5 Games

Northwestern	Sat 01/24	W 68 - 59
@ Penn St.	Tue 01/20	L 58 - 73
Ohio St.	Sat 01/17	L 58 - 65
@ Illinois	Wed 01/14	L 51 - 66
Iowa	Sun 01/11	W 64 - 49

Team Leaders

Stat	Player	AVG
Scoring	Manny Harris	17.6
Rebounds	DeShawn Sims	8.1
Assists	Manny Harris	4.5
FG%	Eric Puls	100.0
FT%	Ben Cronin	100.0
3PT%	Ben Cronin	NaN
Blocks	Zack Gibson	0.9
Steals	DeShawn Sims	1.2

Ohio State Stats

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Evan Turner	18	34.3	5.2	10.4	49.5	0.5	0.9	56.3	4.6	6.1	75.5	1.6	5.5	7.1	3.0	2.9	2.0	0.7	2.8	15.4
William Buford	18	25.4	3.9	9.1	43.3	1.4	3.9	35.2	1.5	1.7	90.0	1.0	2.5	3.5	1.0	0.9	0.9	0.3	1.4	10.8
Jon Diebler	18	33.7	3.3	7.9	42.0	2.6	6.2	41.1	1.4	1.8	75.8	0.3	3.0	3.3	2.6	1.6	1.1	0.5	1.2	10.6
David Lighty	7	32.9	3.4	7.3	47.1	0.7	2.7	26.3	2.1	4.0	53.6	1.7	4.0	5.7	1.9	1.9	1.4	0.3	2.0	9.7
B.J. Mullens	18	20.1	3.8	6.3	61.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.6	3.1	50.9	1.6	2.8	4.4	0.3	1.6	0.4	1.2	2.1	9.2
Jeremie Simmons	18	25.7	2.2	6.4	33.9	1.4	4.3	33.8	1.6	1.9	82.4	0.2	1.6	1.8	3.1	1.3	0.8	0.2	1.8	7.3
Nikola Kecman	1	11.0	3.0	5.0	60.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	4.0	5.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	6.0
Dallas Lauderdale	18	22.5	2.3	3.4	67.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2	2.6	47.8	1.9	2.6	4.4	0.3	1.4	0.2	2.4	2.6	5.8
P.J. Hill	12	10.9	0.4	1.3	31.3	0.3	0.8	40.0	0.3	0.3	75.0	0.2	0.8	1.0	1.1	1.0	0.3	0.1	1.0	1.4
Walter Offutt	11	5.3	0.5	1.6	33.3	0.0	0.6	0.0	0.2	0.5	33.3	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.1	0.5	0.1	0.2	0.5	1.3
Anthony Crater	10	13.1	0.3	1.5	20.0	0.2	1.4	14.3	0.4	0.4	100.0	0.0	0.8	0.8	1.9	0.9	0.4	0.1	1.3	1.2
Kyle Madsen	15	8.1	0.3	1.1	31.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.7	70.0	0.5	1.1	1.6	0.3	0.6	0.2	0.4	0.7	1.1
Danny Peters	3	1.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Mark Titus	2	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0
J.J. Grycko	1	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	18	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2	1.5	2.7	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

13 - 5

Conference

3 - 4

Streak: Lost 2

Buckeyes Basketball Schedule

Next 5 Games

Michigan	Wed 01/28	5:30 PM CST
@ Indiana	Sat 01/31	3:00 PM CST
Purdue	Tue 02/03	6:00 PM CST
Minnesota	Sat 02/07	7:00 PM CST
@ Wisconsin	Sat 02/14	8:00 PM CST

Last 5 Games

Michigan St.	Sun 01/25	L 67 - 78
@ Illinois	Tue 01/20	L 49 - 67
@ Michigan	Sat 01/17	W 65 - 58
Indiana	Tue 01/13	W 77 - 53
Houston Baptist	Fri 01/09	W 89 - 65

Team Leaders

Stat	Player	AVG
Scoring	Evan Turner	14.7
Rebounds	Evan Turner	7.0
Assists	Evan Turner	2.7
FG%	Dallas Lauderdale	70.0
FT%	Nikola Kecman	NaN
3PT%	Evan Turner	50.0
Blocks	Dallas Lauderdale	2.2
Steals	Evan Turner	2.0

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.