There was no energy from the tip and Michigan didn’t do anything to give the crowd life all night. The fact that Florida Gulf Coast is a horrible team is no excuse to come out with the physical and mental effort that we saw tonight. Luckily FGCU was bad enough that Michigan’s poor play didn’t come back to haunt them.
Michigan played down to a Florida Gulf Coast team that had no business staying close. Worst of all they settled for a record number of three point attempts when they should have pounded the ball inside against a team that couldn’t match them in talent or athleticism. 65.6% of Michigan’s field goal attempts were from long range and they made only 12 of those 42 long range attempts.
Florida Gulf Coast’s 49% eFG% topped Michigan’s 45.3% but FGCU just couldn’t hold on to the ball. FGCU turned the ball over on 36.1% of their possessions compared to Michigan’s 20.8%. Michigan won the other two of the four factors as well: they rebounded 40% of their missed shots compared to FGCU’s 31.4% and posted a 35.9 free throw rate compared to FGCU’s 31.4.
Michigan picked a good time to play one of their worst games of the year but they can’t afford to play with this level of effort over the next couple weeks. North Carolina Central is another team who Michigan should blow out (they might be worse than FGCU) but they can’t afford to pick up bad habits headed into the Big Ten season. There are plenty of excuses (Christmas, break, poor opposition and whatever else) but Michigan didn’t do a whole lot to prove they belong in the top 25 tonight and better get their act together before December 31st.
Player Bullets:
- DeShawn Sims: One of the only bright spots for Michigan today, Peedi had 20 points and 20 boards against a FGCU team that had no one that could handle him. Peedi also hit 2 of 3 triples and added 3 assists, 1 block, and a steal.
- Laval Lucas-Perry: LLP showed that his three point stroke against Oakland was no fluke as he hit 2 out of 3 of his long range attempts. LLP also showed good quickness getting down the floor on a fast break and breaking up a FGCU break. He played 20 minutes today and I’d expect his minutes keep inching up game by game.
- Stu Douglass: Stu played pretty well, he hit a couple triples and also showed off his athleticism with an open court dunk. 12 points (3-6 shooting), 2 boards, 1 assist.
- Kelvin Grady: Grady had a season high 14 points but he took 12 shots including 10 threes. Some of them were good looks but I would have liked to see Grady drive and dish a little more. 1 assist to 3 turnovers doesn’t help his stat line either.
- Manny Harris: Manny had his first single digit game of the 2008-2009 campaign but he managed 5 assists and 6 rebounds. He also had 4 turnovers and got a little too careless with his shot selection in the first half. Manny shouldn’t be taking 8 threes in a game and really started forcing his game.
- Zack Novak: Novak struggled at the four tonight. There were several rebounds that maybe he should have had and I think he let that affect his shooting. Novak was 1-8 (0-5 3pt) and 2-4 on free throws for 6 points with only 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
- Anthony Wright: Another DNP. The writing was on the wall as his minutes declined gradually and now that LLP is in the rotation it appears that Beilein is leaving him behind. It’s really hard to find room for a shooter who can’t shoot.
Dylan,
You seem really perturbed tonight. While I agree that this game was the poorest UM has played all season, I think at some point we needed to expect a clunker from this team.
And really, say what you want, but UM was NEVER in danger of losing this game. Sure, FGCU made a little run, UM was in control of this game from start to finish.
Sometimes, in a 30+ game season, you are gonna get some clunkers. And I think we need to remember that UM is not UNC, Duke, etc.
Still when it was all said and done, UM wins by 17…if we are going to get overly critical about 17 point wins, I’m not sure we have the right perspective on what this team really is.
There are plenty of Top 25 teams that struggle against inferior opponents for various reasons. UM is entitled to a “struggling” 17 point win without us fans getting too critical.
I understand that the team needs to play better, but I expect that this game is not the norm, but the exception.
I know every team is going to have games like this but they have came out pretty flat twice now against undermanned teams: Savannah State and FGCU. I agree that it’s more of the exception than the norm but tonight was just really frustrating for me, part of that might be from watching on BTN.com though.
On a positive note we haven’t really laid an egg in a game against a good team. I would rather lay an egg against the SSU, FGCU, and NCCs of the world.
Whatevs. They won the game, were never in doubt of losing. Just get into the Big Ten season with no bad losses and everything is cool.
I can excuse a performance like this, especially since it still resulted in a rather easy win in the end.
Sure I’d prefer they destroy teams like this by 30+, but some nights, especially against another inferior opponent during the holidays, the effort and execution might be a little lacking — tonight was one of those nights clearly.
Still, at 9-2 with two top 5 wins this team is more than fine, despite a lackluster win tonight. I really don’t feel any different than I did before the game. This is a good, not great team, that should make the tourney somewhere in the 4-8 seed range.
I agree that the team is fine and we are headed on the right track, just was frustrated about the effort tonight. Hopefully they blow out a bad NCC team and get some confidence headed into the Wisco game.
Michigan is starting to draw a buzz with the alumni in New York….a bunch of us have watched the past two games at a Michigan-owned bar in the city. To be ranked is a thing of pure beauty, and I can’t wait for the big ten season to start. Lets just hope Manny stays for another year – our future is bright
Wanna see an ugly game? Tune to BTN right now… Northeastern beating IU 44-32 with 5 minutes left.
One thing is for sure. UM can not expect to play like this and win during Big 10 play. They need to step things up. It’s just too bad they don’t have a big man to score with. That dude from Europe would have been a awesome had he been eligible.
I maintain that 4-10 from 3pt range from Grady is good. If a guy is going to make 40% of his shots from 3 he can shoot as much as he wants. That’s equal to 6-10 from 2pt range. I know that seeing 6 misses frustrates people, but 40% from 3 is good.
I suppose if this is an example of one of our sloppy, poor shooting wins, I can live with it. That loss to Northwestern last year is stuck in my head like a bad habit, so seeing ugly wins is much better than having endings like that game.
I think Manny and Co. really bring their game on the big stage. Hopefully this doesn’t end up leading to a let down against the likes of Iowa, or some other mediocre B10 team this year. Manny doesn’t seem to settle for J’s as much in the big games and really asserts himself on the dribble drive. That slash from the right side that led to the dunk in the final minutes of the Duke game is a prime example of this.
And I’m sure many of you have noticed how good he’s gotten, but I don’t think DeShawn Sims is getting enough love for how complete his game is. Honestly… mid-range, 3 balls, baselines fade. He seems to have really come together. If Tommy was the still coach, there is no chance in hell he makes this much progress. He would have been another Courtney Sims, never getting any better after his freshmen year. If Manny and Peedi are here next year, this team has the potential to be really, really dangerous.
UMDC,
As long as Grady, Simms, Novak, Stu and everyone else can hit 40% from the 3 pt line, i’ll be happy!
RE: KG’s 40%, he was 2-8 until the last minute thirty seconds when he hit two. Maybe that is why I was more frustrated than the numbers indicate.
You guys might be interested to know that Draft Express now has Peedi rated their #97 draft prospect (including all internationals) for 2009.
They note that he should continue to move up the draft board if Michigan can continue to play winning basketball and he puts up a good showing for the scouts in March.
Physically they like his frame quite a bit, noting he has ideal bulk (if not height) for PF in the NBA and is already a good banger on the inside. Athletically they note he’s a “good if not great athlete” for his size, they especially like his ability to get up and down in transition for a big man.
Listed concerns include lateral quickness and lack of any real advanced offensive game.
My roomate and I have been debating whether Peedi has the good to get the league, I think this is a good indication that scouts are starting to take note (DX has a great reputation) and that he probably has a future at least in high level international play.
Yes, Jacques Auef, you’re right about that. I think 40% from 3 is the magic number come the Big Ten season. We can beat anyone, if we hit that and we will struggle when we are below that mark.
Take a Zanex tonight, Dylan.
The site is great – the main reason most of us make it a daily read is because it is full of positive energy surrounding a resurgent basketball team. We aren’t Duke, North Carolina, or even Michigan State. We don’t expect success, so when it happens, its just that much sweeter.
Like many alums, I have seen plenty of football success. I was fortunate enough to be a sophomore in 1997/1998 when we were Osborned the national champtionship. Quite frankly, it makes me happier to watch a Michigan hoops win v. a mediocre team than a football victory against pretty much anyone but OSU, Notre Dame, and MSU. Why, you ask? Because it seems to happen so much less often.
So we struggled against a really bad team tonight – we won by 17 points! DeShawn had a 20/20! LLP looked solid again, from what I could tell on BTN.com. There are positive aspects here….no need to highlight the negatives and ruin the positive vibe you’ve got going on the site, and that the program has going in general.
Keep up the good work, though, Dylan.
I would just like to see a more consistent effort against the cupcakes that’s all. Sorry if you guys think I came off too negative and yes we won by 17 but against a team that turned it over more than once every three possessions is that really that impressive?
Well, teams that shoot a lot on the outside when they get cold they can play down to anyone. That’s why you need a guy like Peedi who can get inside on bad teams and drop 20 and 20 when you need it.
I’ve been a little bit of a Negative Nancy as well the past few hours. But after patrolling some message boards, I’ve realized that while this was neither a great effort by the team nor a well-coached game by Beilein, at the end of the day the tournament committee will not look back to this game and think, “they only beat Reed Baker’s team by 17?! They can stay home again.”
I agree that there’s lots to work on the next week so that they don’t carry into poor habits for more important games.
Dylan,
it’s your blog. you can be as negative or not as you want. I don’t believe you are being negative. You just want to see this team play well like I do. I sense your concern and agree. This team needs to get to a point where they won’t be dragged down by lesser teams.
Aaron: You are right that the NCAA tourney committee will have no issues with the win. I just worry about getting into a funk of playing down to teams where eventually it can catch you.
Exactly Dylan.
Love this blog. I read it regularly. Keep it up.
I didn’t get a chance to see the game, but from the sounds of it, it sounds like we kind of laid an egg. But I do think it’s a sign of good teams to be able to win when they’re not bringing their A game. At the same time, it’s also a sign of good teams to bring their A game night in and night out. So you can look at it both ways.
I also agree with the comment made about Manny. It seems like in the bigger games he looks to drive a lot more, (I don’t think he attempted a three in the Duke game) and in the lesser games he seems content with the tree (put on a show in the EMU game). As long as we win I have no complaints but I will say I like him driving more and giving it to the real “shooters”.
Michigan led 29-6 at one point and 39-18 at half. Did they play poorly in the second half – sure, no one will disagree.
But isn’t that only natural? I mean, its hard to maintain a high concentration level when there is no competition. When the game did tighten up, you saw a team that responded by extending the lead back to 17.
North Carolina led a 3-10 Oral Roberts team by 20 points at half, only to end up losing the 2nd half by four (50-46) to win by 16 points. Michigan led a 4-8 FGCU team by 19 points to end up losing the 2nd half by four (41-37) to win by 17. If the unanimous #1 team in the country can have a bad half against a bad team, why are we holding our beloved Wolverines to an impossible standard of excellence.
About the only thing I agree with Jacques on is that it is Dylan’s blog and he is free to do what he pleases.
MICHIGAN GETS 6-10 TRANSFER!
This isn’t true, but I bet everyone was excited to read that. This really is what this team needs though. We really have no size. Consider:
1. Peedi, playing big at a powerful 6-8, gets his best game against one of the smallest teams Michigan will play.
2. Their leading rebounder tonight by far (11-5), Derrick Williams, is listed at 6-5. Their other two big men are horrible. #2 leading rebounder with 5, Reggie Chambers was listed at 5-9.
3. Cronin has a bad hip and out for the year.
4. Zach Gibson, 6-10, is the only center in the rotation. He’s a little undersized, underphysical, and underconfident right now after one of his worst games of the year. Zach Gibson shoots threes like he is a forber Belein great college player: Kevin Pitsnogle at WVU. But
5. Novak. How does he shoot? And how does he play inside? I like this kid on the floor but you wonder if at 6-5 he can really be another player to rebound and defend around the glass. But who else does Michigan really have?
Jevon Shepherd is the only other real answer to this problem, so let’s hope he, Gibson, and Novak can get in done. Or Cronin’s redshirt comes off just in time to be a force in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
So while I think that this talented, well-coached Michican team can surprise people in the Big Ten and in the NCAA tournament, I doubt that if they have the size to win either one this year. But the system and guard play seem to be getting better and better (we never turn it over) and if we get some quality big men the sky is the limited for this team. Is it possible to sway some talented center somewhere to transfer for next year?
Dylan, I’m with you on this. I was there tonight and I have to say that it was not an impressive performance at all, aside from Sims’s 20-20. I’d go so far as to say that we were outplayed after the 29-6 start. We looked downright Amakeresque on offense, taking lots of ill-advised shots early in the clock (often with no one underneath) and committing silly turnovers. I like the three and all, but 42 attempts is nuts. We went through a long stretch (like 10 minutes) in the second half in which we did not make a single two-point FG. According to the halftime stats displayed on the scoreboard, we had a 28-16 edge on the glass in the first half, so to end the game with only a 42-38 advantage is disappointing. It was a win, but we seriously need to see a more inspired performance next time out. Wisconsin will wipe the floor with us on New Year’s Eve if we give this kind of effort.
(Speaking of poor performances, the alumni band was a real letdown. They hardly played at all and when they did, you could barely hear them. I don’t know what was up, since they usually fill in pretty respectably for the pep band.)
Just a heads up, FGCU beat North Carolina Central. That’s how bad UNC Central is.
Yea I just looked at NC Centrals KenPom ratings.. oh dear…
http://kenpom.com/sr.php?team=.....038;y=2009
Also predicted to lose every game except those with no data…
http://kenpom.com/sked.php?tea.....l&t=p
Avery Queen – good point about UNC/ORU and the game tonight. I understand why some people like Dylan would be frustrated after tonight (I was sorta one of them), but it really does happen to everyone. Beilein was surprisingly upbeat in the postgame interview with Matt Shepard, saying that FGCU starting coming back with some hot 3 point shooting and he was proud of his guys for battling through it.
jmbue – the band tonight was actually a local high school band (I forget which one, I think a school in Jackson). We’ve had high school bands in the past, but I agree that this band in particular was very quiet, unexciting, and seemed to drain the life out of Crisler. I don’t wanna be too hard on some high schoolers, because it must have been a thrill for them, but maybe we should just stick with either the pep band or alumni band at all games.
Manny and Sims are looking like one of the best duos in the country. Manny with about 20, 7 and 5. While Sims is now averaging 17.2 and 9.2
That and add in a 3rd man of LLP who will prbably be averaging around 10-14. That is solid
Larry:
You are aware of the tranfer rules right?
Anyways, I don’t think anyone is expecting this team to win the B10 or make the Final 4. I think putting in good showing in B10 (9-9 or so) and making the tourney and winning a game or two would be miles more than anyone expected out of this team, and would really go a LONG way towards putting Michigan basketball back on the map.
The size thing is a legit concern, but it’s not like CBB is overloaed with talented big men, most teams will have a hard time matching up with Sims at the 4, Shepard has plenty of length to defend the 3 spot, and UM has great size at the 1 and the 2 with plenty of depth as well.
The 5 spot is worrisome as Gibby has been utter trash most of the year. But most teams don’t feature a talented 5 anyways. As long as Gibby can hold his own for 20 minutes a game with Sims sliding to the 5, UM should be fine.
Novak is not a 4 let alone a 3 though and asking him to play there is pretty dumb IMO.
teams I’m worrid about for the rest of the season due to size concerns are- ohio state (a little), Uconn (obviously.)
Illinois also has some good size.
What about Wisconsin Ryan? They have some size that will cause us trouble.
Ryan:
Thabeet is going to take Gibby’s soul. Hopefully Simms steps up big time for that game and shows everyone he is a legit next-level talent.
I was at Crisler tonight and this may surprise some but I actually feel better about the team now than I did before this game. The reasons for this are 3 fold. 1. As UMs best player, Manny was a virtual no show. We still won by 17.
2. I watched LLP very closely and I can tell you he is a great athlete, very active defensively and his shooting stroke is the real deal. 3. UM shot terrible, they may shoot this poorly again but I doubt it. I think there may have been some fatigue from playing 2 games in 3 days but none the less, they shot poorly. And they still won by 17.
In summary, UM shot terribly and their best player was basically a non-factor and im happy to have a 17 point win.
I’m with Beilein on this win. Take what they give you and they were just giving us the three point shot tonight. We usually shoot better than this with a hand in the face so it was disappointing to see so many misses. Nobody was forcing up bad threes we were just missing wide open ones. It happens sometimes and we still won by 17. I was happy to see them keep shooting. The worst thing to do is tighten up and not shoot the open shot.
We had 10 wins last year and LOST to Central and Harvard (two cupcakes). It’s amazing how expectations have changed in one season.
Dylan,
I’m not going to join the group of commenters saying you were too negative. I will say this: we have really come a long way from last season when anyone can complain about a 17 point win. I remember thinking CMU and Harvard were gimmees, then being embarrassed when we lost both of them. They have a full week to prepare for their next game, they’ll get some home cooking over Christmas and be ready to play by Wisconsin, don’t worry.
I didn’t see this game, but I did see Savannah St., and I think it needs to be said that we didn’t necessarily come out flat or play down to their level. SSU came out absolutely blistering, missing only a handful of shots in the first half.
I only bring this up because I think we have to be careful about cliches like playing up/down to competition. From what I’ve seen of the team this year, they’ve been giving consistently great effort, which is as it should be given our newfound and still tenuous-feeling hold on respectability. It’s just that sometimes the shots fall, sometimes they don’t.
Very minor quibble – carry on producing this excellent site.
I agree with Dylan– tonight was disappointing. Coach Beilein is obviously rebuilding the program, once step at a time and tonight
we didn’t take a big step at all. Although I’ve been one of Kelvin Grady’s biggest fans and I’ve wondered why he is still sharing the PG position with David Merritt, tonight I saw why. Too often Grady settles for looking/ hoisting his own shot, rather than pentrating and looking to create offense for his teammates. If I was John Beilein tonight me and Mr Grady would have a few (heated) words– definitely not Grady’s best effort.
I agree with Dylan– tonight was disappointing. Coach Beilein is obviously rebuilding the program, once step at a time and tonight
we didn’t take a big step at all. Although I’ve been one of Kelvin Grady’s biggest fans and I’ve wondered why he is still sharing the PG position with David Merritt, tonight I saw why. Too often Grady settles for looking/ hoisting his own shot, rather than pentrating and looking to create offense for his teammates. If I was John Beilein tonight me and Mr Grady would have a few (heated) words– definitely not Grady’s best effort.
Just curious: do you think Ant is really just ‘riding the pine’ now, or maybe his is slightly ill/injured? Odd for a player who averaged 18 mpg.
I’m not calling for playing time here, just wondering about JB’s decision-making.
I think that Beilein is still experimenting Novak at 4, and purposely did not ask the ball to go inside. We will see plenty Wright and Shepherd against many other teams. Novak did not play very well in his new role but he needs time to get comfortable. Grady actually looked fine to me, hit his threes when it is critical at the end. Overall it was a sloppy night, no energy and no intensity. But i would rather reserve energy and intensity for the big ten opener.
Dylan,
Given Anthony Wright’s diminished role and next year’s recruits, do you think Wright will ever reestablish himself in the rotation? What are the chances that he would mercifully transfer and open a scholarship (perhaps for Dashonte Riley)? Thanks for the blog.
Couple of thoughts:
1)Bigs.
Zack Gibson is absolutely not getting it done.
As fond as I am of the Sims/Harris duo, and I really think they might be one of the best in the country, the lack of a second big man is going to cost us at least 2 games, as much as I hate to admit it. FGCU was not big whatsoever, and there were way too many rebounds that we should have easily gotten, but if Sims wasn’t the guy in position, we were having to fight more than necessary for it, or not getting it at all. Novak just cannot play down low. It’s that simple. Honestly, I think J shep is a better rebounder than Gibson. Also, as bad as Ant has been, I think he can contribute more on the boards than Gibson has and maybe, just maybe, find his stroke and contribute more offensively than Zack. I would love our chances against Connecticut this year if we had one more big, but I just see us getting abused down low. Sims is going to have to play the game of his life for us to contend in that one.
2)Damn you Ekpe for leaving.
I would love nothing more than a Mich-Baylor, 7 vs. 10 game in the NCAA tournament, and for us to absolutely embarass them. I’d like to see Ekpe soak that one in from the bench. Better yet, I’d like to see Baylor fall apart and go to the NIT. It’s almost as if I don’t want Michigan to win for my own satisfaction, but for every win to make Ekpe regret his decision more and more. Weak move bailing out on your program after a bad year.
Ant actually collided with LLP in practice on friday and had 12 stitches in his forehead–that’s why he’s been wearing that headband on the bench the past 2 games. Not sure if this is why he isn’t playing, but could very well be a possibility.
JD good info. Yesterday was a brutal game to watch. We were spoiled by the previous games (since Maryland) where the team has looked sharp. I have a strong sediment that the best starting lineup will be at: 1 Grady 2 Lucas Perry 3 Harris 5 Sims 4….4….4…. not sure who should play 4. Think it will be situational-Novak where we need shooting, Shepherd when we defensive presence and penetration. So yesterday was a day for Novak. But we sure could have used Benzing. I am not sure why I write these messages because you are all thinking the same things-it just feels good for some reason to type it out.
Do you honestly think we’d be better this year with Ekpe? Highly unlikely, this is a special team that is clicking right now.
I actually think it’s important that Ekpe left. If he was the kind of guy that would leave a program for the reasons he did, then I don’t want him in the locker room. Like Steve said, this is a special chemistry we have going on, and clearly Ekpe isn’t an ingrediant of that.
I’m loving this thread, because it’s just amazing that we are already holding ourselves to these standards. If we won this game last year by 17, we would probably be talking about an impressive win. Love it. I do think we need to keep this all in perspective, but I don’t mind calling a team out for a lousy effort, because now we know what they are capable of. To me though, I understand why we don’t go balls to the wall in a game we are controlling. Playing your top effort is good for momentum but it can also lead to injuries and exhaustion in the long run. It’s kind of like taking your starters out in football when you already have the division and home field advantage clinched. The important thing to me is that we just get the win and stay healthy, because intensity and mentality will not be a problem in Big Ten games this year.
Giddings – good catch. If they were high schoolers, I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them. I wonder why the regular alumni band wasn’t there, though.
Lunardi has us as a #8 seed in his latest Bracketology (playing #9 seed Maryland in Philadelphia): http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology
I was disappointed that the team didn’t win the second half by 20, but I think you have to pay attention to the coaching – if JB had considered it important to win by 40, then Manny would have played a lot more than 23 minutes. Instead, we saw 10 guys with double figures in minutes, with just about every permutation possible on the court. That’s what cupcakes are for, isn’t it – to figure out your rotation for the conference schedule?
When FGCU got the lead under 10, the A team went back in, Manny penetrated and dished to Peedi for a dunk and to Grady for a wide open three, and the comeback was over.
After the game, JB said he was pleased that the team kept shooting the three – you have to take what the defense gives you.
Ekpe? The team chemistry would probably not be the same with him here and part of UMs success is due to the fact that everyone who steps on the court can shoot the 3 and Ekpe(aka Bill Russell once he transferred) cannot shoot the 3. Check out Ekpe’s rebounding and scoring numbers from last year, not impressive at all.
I understand the complaints about chemistry and his potential attitude. This team clearly has it clicking on nearly all cylinders, and having that disrupted would be difficult to overcome. But you can’t deny that he would have filled a much needed void in this line up. His rebounding is greatly missed, and more importantly, his shot blocking. I really don’t think we have any true threats to altering shots down low. Surely Sims will from time to time because of his athleticism and size, and Gibson will on the 5′11 guards, but thats it. Are either of them true shot blockers? No. Ekpe was even developing was a solid mid range game. Whatever chemisty issues that MAY have arrived aside, he would have been a great help to this team.
He would have been cancerous I tells ya, cancerous!!!
An 8 seed? That’s just ridiculous, especially when you’ve got Memphis at 6, MSU at a 5, and Xavier (who just got ran over by Duke) at 4?
UCLA a 4????
Come on, so UM beats a #2 at home and a #4 on a neutral court, while loses on the road to a #9 and at a neutral court to the same #2 they beat at home. Meanwhile they take care of business against their pancakes, with the only “blemish” an overtime win vs Savannah State.
Horrible, horrible rankings.
My 2 cents:
We can’t really worry–fantasizing is fine–about an NCAA seed when there’s not a single road win yet, and B10 play hasn’t started.
I still have nightmares from the 2005-6 season, when the tourney looked like a LOCK.
Drew, I basically agree with you. This team’s only real hole is an athletic center. Ekpe could do that.
It’s so easy for anyone to say a guy would be “cancerous” after he’s already left. Had he stayed, things would have been worked out and they would have been fine. But he’s gone, so I suppose this is no longer worth debating.
mort, good info on Ant. Beilein will need Ant and Shepherd down the road this season. For Ant, he needs to transform his game from 3 to 4 like Shepherd. The advantage Shepherd has over Ant is his athleticism. Ant needs to re-establish his three-point game and hit the board much harder, if he is going to see more minutes. Competition is a good thing, I hope that Ant is not a quitter. As long as he is part of Michigan family and wants to be in the Michigan family, I don’t want to see him transfer.
“It’s so easy for anyone to say a guy would be “cancerous†after he’s already left.”
That’s precisely why I said it. The easier the better. I give a good spin to everything bad that happens because it makes me sleep better at night. All the recent football transfers and decommitments? Perfect I say. Weed out the softies and vagrantes. The world is ending tomorrow? Excellent. I needed a change of scenery.
RTC Bracketology has us as a 6 seed facing Florida St.
http://rushthecourt.wordpress....../#comments
Kenny-
I wholeheartedly agree Ant should be able to remain as long as he wants to and I certainly was not trying to question his commitment to the team. My only point/question was whether he would want to remain as his prospects for playing time diminish (perhaps even more so next year). I don’t think there is any shame in transferring if you just want to play on a regular basis (e.g., Reed Baker). Perhaps my post was premature and Ant will see more action during the Big 10 season, but I am not optimistic about his ability to contribute in Beilen’s system given his consistently low shooting percentage and relative lack of athleticism. Regardless of Ant’s future, he certainly made a clutch backdoor pass for DeShawn’s last minute dunk in the UCLA game, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
Everyone has let-down games. Hell I heard duke even lost to michigan!
Speaking of Reed Baker, what was the crowd’s reaction to him? He was a fan favorite in the year he was here. I was thinking about it, who all is still left on the team that was there when he was? Deshawn, Merritt, Lee?
Reed came in with the class of 06: Peedi and Ant are still here from that group as well as CJ, Dave, Shep, and I think Zack Gibson was here for his transfer year.
Drew you obviously were and stil remain a Udoh fan and I have no problem with that so long as we keep it in perspective. Last season Ekpe played 26 minutes a game and averaged 5 rebounds and 6 points a game. For a comparison Gibson(who is garbage) played 14 minutes a game and averaged 3 rebounds and 5.5 points a game, so if you pro rate the numbers basically Gibson is the same rebounder and double the scorer that Udoh was. As far as blocks Udoh was a good shot blocker but actually was not a good post defender because of his wafer thin build. I would guess 80% of his blocks were help side blocks on guards who penetrated into the lane. http://stats.ath.umich.edu/basketball/bcmaster.php
sorry the links not working but if you care to, mgoblue has statistical archives.
Wow, that’s a good statistical argument, Go Blue. That makes me feel even better about his loss. Gibson is better at shooting the three and hitting free throws too.
Kevin – the crowd reaction to Reed was positive at first (and for most of the game). When he hit his threes, there were a few pockets of cheers here and there. However, the cheers turned to boos in the last 15 seconds, when he kept fouling and trying to tie up the ball even though he was down by 17 points.
Drew, I wouldn’t discount the notion that Udoh’s departure may have helped team chemistry. Udoh’s AAU coach was filling his head with NBA visions and was trashing Beilein’s system. That had the potential to be a real distraction to the team. Now, if we could have had a great shotblocker *without* a deranged AAU hanger-on, then sure, he’d be welcome.
To be honest, I wasn’t that big on Ekpe when he was here. It’s just that I saw a lot more potential in him, and I think those offensive numbers would have greatly improved this year with Sims being more of a threat down low, while I don’t see Gibson taking any advantage of having a great post player beside him. Clearly, Ekpe had all the wrong influences with the AAU coach and such, but talent-wise, it’d be nice to have him around I believe. I also agree a lot of his blocks came weak-side, but isn’t that the case with many shot blockers? I don’t see Gibson getting hardly any blocks, although I do recall seeing one specifically from the FGCU game against a rather small guard. Say they work out some off-court issues, maybe not everything… Ekpe’s contributions > Gibson’s? I almost have to believe so. I haven’t seen Gibson do anything that stuck with me this year besides a nice finish on a reverse-ish lay up in the Duke game.
I’m interested to know what you all think about where we’ll end up in the B10.
To me it looks LOADED…look at what IL is doing to MO tonight, in an away game!
I’m still guessing there are maybe up to 6 teams–maybe–ahead of us. Yikes! But PU,WI,MSU & OSU look like the top 4, then IL, MN & MN battling for 5-7.
Maybe I’m underestimating here. But we better win all the home games!!!
sorry, meant “IL, MN & MI battling for 5-7″
I’m still not sure what to think about Wisconsin… looking forward to this game against Texas, should give us a good indication of where they are this year. So far they’ve been unimpressive, but with Bo Ryan’s coaching and their level of play at the Kohl Center, you can pretty much pencil them in for the Big Ten top 5 no matter what.
I like all of the Udoh talk. While I agree with Ken in Vegas that Udoh’s presence would have been mostly negative, and you could even tell last year that his body language on the court was of a negative tone, it doesnt take away the fact that we DESPERATELY need a versatile big to play along side Peedi. JoMo cant get hear soon enough and thats the bottom line! I also believe that team chemistry is greatly overlooked…not just on a Beilein team but in basketball in gerneral. JB stresses a family atmosphere concerning his teams…if a player isnt going to have fun, fly around the court, and have his teammates back then what good is he? He isnt. I know Gibson is weak and couldnt punch his way out of a wet paper bag, but Im not sure what else JB has in mind. Does he go with a guy like Riley?? maybe Riley thinks he is better than he really is…who knows. All I know is looking to the future JB did not anticipate Cronin gimpin around this year, so I think our best bet is to let this class of 09 come in and then evaluate everything. Barring any departures for the big league we will be loaded next year.
Harris
Peedi-6′8″
Grady
Morris
Novak
Vogrich
Cronin-7′0″
Morgan-6′9″
Douglas
Gibson-6′10″
Mclimans-6′10″
LLP
All of theses guys I see playing in the rotation next year. But with all this being said I am a little concerned with replacing Manny, and Peedi…who are two guys that JB didnt fully recruit. My hopes is that kids like Zeigler, Regan, Hardaway, Moses Morgan, or even Alex Gauna take a close look into how much better JB can make them and grabs 2 or 3 of those guys. We are going to need some athletic ability injected here in the next few years. I am confident JB will realize the need for balance, and he will go out and get some guys that have some of the abilities Manny, and Peedi have. I think by next year we will have good enough play, and depth coming out of the frontcourt to be a very dangerous team. We have a ton of skilled guys, and next year we will morph that skill with size, rebounding and a physical presence we dont have this year…WOW, I think by then the sleeping giant will have not only awoken but will have made his way to the breakfast table and will be eating teams for breakfast.
Looking at the Big 11 I am not quite sure what to think. I know its going to be a knock down, drag out fight to the finish. The teams I believe we can beat twice are Iowa, Northwestern, and believe it or not I think we can double dip on Wisky. I watched Wisky play a couple of times and they look REALLY slow. I could be wrong but there could be 6 wins right there. Im not quite sure what to think about Minnetonka..They havent played anyone up to Louisville, but I think Louisville is a bit overrated, probably much more so even than UCLA. I believe we will be very tough at Crisler, and fans will continue to fill it up. Im still holding true to my prediction of our 3rd loss not coming until Jan 14th…at which point we will be riding a 9 game winning streak…and will have an overall record of 14-3. I just love the thought of us most likely being in every game we play, we wont win them all but we will be in it. If Shepherd, Gibby, and Wright can step it up we will do well.