Game 14: Michigan at Purdue

The struggle continues, a depleted Michigan team travels to Macke Arena for their first Big Ten road test. Michigan fans know that the road is not an easy place for any BigTen team but Michigan’s struggles on the road in the past have been well documented.Dont be suprised to see CJ Lee get the start tomorrow. Youth is a plenty in this game. Purdue starts 3 freshman and is probably the only team Michigan will play that is younger than them. Purdue is 9-4 with losses to Clemson, Missouri, Wofford, and Iowa State. The average RPI of the teams that Purdue has beaten is 212 (SOS is 214 compared to Michigan’s 21), the highest ranked squad is Missouri State (RPI 97) in a 2 point win in Vegas. The weak schedule is probably fitting for a team that is very young and needs time to gel.The only Purdue game I saw this year was their 3 point loss at Clemson in the B10/ACC Challenge. They looked like a team that can be great at times and struggle mightily at others. Typical freshman mistakes were common but there were flashes that showed that Purdue could be a very good team. Former UM-recruit Scott Martin leads Purdue in scoring with 11.3 ppg. 9 players average over 15minutes on the Purdue squad. Expected starters are Moore, Green, Hummell, Kramer, Johnson.UMHoops Prediction: Purdue takes this one at home: 75-63

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1 Response to “Game 14: Michigan at Purdue”

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1 RB
January 4, 2008 at 5:25 pm

I might be crazy, but if I were Coach B I would be seriously considering starting Anthony Wright over Shawn(because there is no “D”) Sims. Granted he doesn’t have half the talent and at times he seems just as out of position, but at least he is giving maximum effort out there. When he is on the floor “Oak Hill” is all over the place. His effort rubs off on his teammates and really seems to help the squad.

A Plea to Sims…
Shawn(no D), you are the most talented player on the team and when you are out there refusing to get into a defensive stance and wandering around the 3 point line when the ball gets into the paint instead of helping on D or rebounding, the intensity level of the whole team goes down. You are better than that. Like it or not, you are a leader on this team and we need maximum effort on both ends of the floor. Scoring 15 points is worthless if you are responsible for giving up 30. Pick it up, you can get this team going.

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