BasicsWho: Michigan (10-7, 3-2) vs. Wisconsin (14-4, 4-2) |
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No Big Ten road game is easy but the trip to Madison is exceptionally painful for just about every Big Ten team. The Badgers’ numbers at home are staggering. 130-10 since Bo Ryan arrived and only seven different teams have won there. Michigan hasn’t won in Madison since 1999 and John Beilein has yet to beat Bo Ryan during his tenure in Ann Arbor.
Sounds like the perfect opportunity to pick up a road win, right?
OK, maybe not. But that being said, the match-ups aren’t nearly as unfavorable as years past. Last year Wisconsin sported numerous big men including Jon Leuer, Marcus Landry, Joe Krabbenhoft (who had a knack to grabbing every backbreaking offensive rebound), and Keaton Nankivil among others. This year, since Jon Leuer’s injury, Wisconsin has only one player over 6’6 that averages over 10 minutes per game.
That’s not to say the Badgers don’t have size, the top 8 players (minus Leuer) in their rotation have an average weight of 208 pounds, Michigan’s top 8 average 203 pounds. You won’t find a guard under 195 pounds on the Wisconsin roster while Michigan’s is cluttered with guys like Douglass, Lucas-Perry, and Manny Harris who are easily giving up 10-20 pounds on their Wisconsin opponents.
You can be sure that Wisconsin will run their flex offense to perfection because Bo Ryan won’t have it any other way. Despite their new found love of the perimeter, I am sure that Ryan will not miss out on the opportunity to post up his stronger guards. Michigan has historically fared poorly versus to flex offense under Beilein as well, losing twice in three years to Al Skinner’s Boston College team.
Thanks to Robbie Allen of StatSheet.com listening to my crazy suggestions we now have offense vs. defense graphs comparing seasonal numbers. Here you can see Michigan’s offense charted versus Wisconsin’s defense.
Wisconsin’s defense ranks 8th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency, allowing only .855 points per possession. They hold opponents to a dreadful 42.8% from 2 point range and an overall effective field goal percentage of 44.5%. Most importantly, Wisconsin is the best defensive rebounding team in the country rebounding over 75% of their opponents misses. Similar to UConn, they don’t force many turnovers (18.8%) which is good news for Michigan’s backcourt which has been shaky over the last couple weeks.
While it isn’t quite as good as Wisconsin’s defense, the Badgers’ offense is not too shabby itself. Wisconsin does a great job of holding onto the ball which means Michigan, who has forced a lot of turnovers this year, will have their work cut out for them on the defensive end. The Badgers shoot 51.5% from two point range but have actually taken a ton of three point shots this year, they have attempted 44% of their field goals from three point range in Big Ten play and are shooting 35% on threes for the year.
The good news for Michigan is that Jon Leuer was the Badgers’ most efficient offensive player (ORtg 119.8, Usage 27.1%) and he is out of the lineup indefinitely. He was shooting 35% from three point range but more importantly he was Wisconsin’s leading scorer inside the arc (56.5% on twos), their best shotblocker, and one of their top defensive rebounders.
Michigan needs to find somebody who can stop Trevon Hughes
Since Leuer’s injury, the Badgers have consistently shifted toward becoming a more perimeter oriented team. Luckily they have Trevon Hughes, one of the premiere guards in the league (16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 49% 3ptfg). He is almost certain to give Michigan fits and I wonder who will draw the task of checking him. Morris had been playing well on defense but Kemba Walker reminded him that he’s just a freshman. I would suspect that Michigan will give Douglass and Lucas-Perry a try as well to see how they fare.
Jason Bohannon is the Badger’s certified sniper, shooting 39.8% from three point range but providing little else. Sophomore Jordan Taylor is one of the most intriguing players on Wisconsin’s roster this year. He isn’t a three point shooter but he has a stellar assist rate (27.2%), doesn’t turn it over, and can get to the line (47.3% FTR)
Down low, the Badgers have relied on Keaton Nankivil in Leuer’s absence. Nankivil is a very good player but he is definitely not Jon Leuer. When Nankivil sits, Wisconsin leans of a number of players including Tim Jarmusz, Ryan Evans, Mike Bruesewitz, and Jared Berggren. None of them are really impact players but they are all strong even if a bit undersized.
I think DeShawn Sims needs a big game for Michigan to have any chance. Sims doesn’t typically play well on the road or versus a strong interior defensive team like Wisconsin but if there is ever a chance for him to put together a monster game on the road, it’s versus a team that lost their best post player. Sims rebounded with an intensity that we haven’t seen in quite some time versus Connecticut and it would be great to see him keep that effort up on the glass.
Manny Harris tends to struggle versus Wisconsin, averaging just 8 points per game on 9 of 39 combined shooting in his last three games versus the Badgers. Wisconsin plays incredibly compact, physical, and fundamental defense that has gotten the best of Harris, not allowing him to get to the hoop. Manny’s one great game versus the Badgers came during his freshman year in Madison when Manny almost single handily led Michigan to an upset win.
Finally it comes down to the shooters. Novak, Douglass, and Lucas-Perry need to find their stroke. Michigan’s best three point shooting performance this year is 37.5% while last year they had several performances over 40%. It’s clear they aren’t a good three point shooting team but you have to think they could be due for just one incredibly hot performance, maybe in the low 40s.
Michigan has been playing good basketball over the last five games or so but they have also been playing mostly weaker opponents. Now, headed into a brutal stretch of 3 games (@ Wisc, @Purdue, vs. MSU) Michigan has an opportunity. These games are all long shots but if Michigan were to figure out a way to win two of them they would be in the thick of NCAA bubble talk, after being dead in the water a couple weeks back. I don’t know if Beilein has any “queme los barcos” motivational ploy up his sleeve but it’s probably time to use it.
Had noticed the other day there was no video of Smotrycz here, but someone just posted a brief bit a mgoblog:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4666444
As someone there also noticed, it looks like he pulls the ball down twd his chest before he releases. Could be costly. Tall guy who can shoot and seems to understand where he needs to be on the court, get there fluidly will be very welcome for Beilein.
The graphs are both Wisconsin Offense vs Michigan Defense, but great work man. You run a great detailed website and your insight is extremely valuable and appreciated.
The two charts are the same, need to swap the first one.
both of the charts are m def v. wis off
i think if we win one of them, we’re in the thick of bubble talk. two and we’re a lock.
except really, let’s not even dream of winning two: before our sweet performance against a very good Connecticut team, there was the road game at Indiana. And the first half vs. PSU. And before that Utah, although the less said about that game, the better. (I blame the altitude change).
OT, remember those great old Nike ads that went “Bo, you don’t know Diddley!” Let’s hope that improbably applies tonight.
Oops. How’s that? Should be fixed now.
like to say that, after reading the preview, there is no way that jordan taylor, bohannon and trevon hughes are bigger than stu or llp, and manny, manny is obviously taller but probably weighs less than all 3 but to say that wisky doesnt have anybody under 195 and then say stu and llp are smaller than these guys i dont buy it…….hughes is easily the smallest player on the court tonight…….lets not get pysched out by there size cause they arent much bigger for this game if at all, other than who novak guards
Novak will guard Tim Jarmusz to tip the game, he’s 6-6 205. So not a major height disadvantage per say.
Wisconsin might be a bit shorter but they are still a strong team.
Anyone else getting an annoying operation aborted message when they try to open the comments or make the jump to continue reading the preview. I had to refresh like ten times to get it to work.
Dont know why, but I feel really good about this game tonight. I think it is that Wisky just does not scare me. Hughes and Taylor can cause problems, but they are not as good as Dyson and Walker from Uconn. Without Leuer, I really feel like we can focus on stopping penetration and finding shooters instead of worrying about having to double all the time in post to help Novak.
The team is playing with the confidence and intensity necessary to win tough games, and it will continue tonight. I agree with Dylan on Sims being a big key tonight (as if he ever isnt a key). But without Leuer, I am not sure that Wisky has the type of player who can defend him.
Also, any live blog tonight? I know it has been a curse in the past, but curses are made to be broken or something like that.
Anyone else having any problems getting the page to load?
i think michigan actually pulls this one out…if not darn close….will come down to the final minute or two i think tonight…can we hit some big shots down the stretch?
This page was crashing my computer. I had to go here from my iPhone. Something is going on.
Tonight is one of the games on the schedule that I would be shocked if we win. It’s an opportunity for a very big win though.
Weird. What browser/error are you getting?
I do not have access to the Big Ten Network where I live. Is this game being streamed online anywhere?
There appears to be an issue with IE… The page should load without charts in IE for now and with them in Chrome/FFox so use those to see them. Let me know if there are other problems.
yea definitely a chart problem. Everything loads fine now. thanks.
If we win one of the 3 that leaves us 11-9, I don’t see how that could possibly put us in the bubble talk. 12-8 with a few impressive victories probably gets us back there.
I think it should be fixed. Email me (umhoops@Gmail.com) with problems.
IE. It’s working now. Thx.
I too have a good feeling about this game. I think Michigan’s confidence is up; Zack Novak was a monster against much taller and stronger matchups, and Laval Lucas Perry, Stu Douglass, and Anthony Wright seemed to be more confident in their shot.
If Deshawn Sims has productive game, and Michigan can get Nankivil in foul trouble, make Trevon Hughes work hard for his points, and get some timely 3 pointers, I think we have a shot at this game.
Awesome work lately Dylan! Love the new features and charts!
I would say that Manny is due for a huge night, and this is our best chance at grabbing one of these games. Go to work boys!
Anyone have a link or should I just give up all hope of watching games on BTN online because they are so good at monitoring it?
Don’t think we’re gonna go liveblog.. but add your comments here. I’ll be around.
Scared of a liveblog jinx Dylan? Not like we have anything else to lose..
More or less I spend the whole game approving comments rather than watching. Have to watch the game again before I can even do a post game usually.
Sparty is notorious for having their games run late and delaying coverage of ours (especially against Iowa, as I recall). If that happens again tonight I’m gonna hurt someone.
Can’t blame ya Dylan… I find even when I’m reading comments here and on Mgoblog as well as writing them, I find I miss a lot of the game
I second the question about link. I’m stuck in California snow and trying to find a way to watch the game while I’m out here.
dvr’n two other shows, cant watch the end of sparty game . . . oh well.
Sorry… didn’t mean to include multiple “I find”’s
Been watching the sorry ass pistons and just decided to flip to BTN… ah I love when Sparty struggles. How pathetic are my state fan roommates when, in a game like this, against Iowa at home, one of them has to praise how Lucious spread his legs on that lay up? God they are so ignorant.
As much as I love seeing them struggle, I DON’T like it when their f’ing game overlaps ours… ugh
does anyone have a link to watch it online?
Looks like this game is going to be over just in time… Despite Iowa making it interesting at the end.
check out channelsurfing.net and justin.tv Eric. Usually the game is on there somewhere.
how badly does Carolina have to play to have their top-25 ranking revoked? everybody assumes this team is great even when their play confirms that they simply aren’t.
BTN tends to shut down streams extremely quickly… so good luck.
UNC could be in danger of missing the tournament if they dont start playing better. They have looked terrible lately. I know they have two nice nonconf wins against OSU and MSU but they still have a lot of tough conference games left and easily could end up 9-7 or worse in the ACC. Dont know if that would necessarily get them in.
Another home loss tonight should do the trick for UNC, bluejays.
Looked like Douglass started out on Hughes, but UM switching screens.
maize!
this does not seem like the usual wisconsin offense….looks amakerish in its standing around
wow. We really should be up 10-12 right now.
Wisconsin’s offense looks extremely stagnant. They have got some open threes but yikes they look like us when we can’t make a three…
But we should be up more than 6, considering they haven’t scored in the first 5 minutes…
Co-sign Tweeter, only being up 6 right now feels like a huge missed opportunity.
uhm. what the hell is going on? this is weird. Wish Stu would have finished that. Our offense still doesn’t look great. Bad shot by Manny early in that one possession.
man douglass never finishes
Yeah.. Douglass needs to make layups.
Stu with more bricks… Goes along well with that piece on maize and brew.
Sims looks extremely focused. He’s missed some bunnies but he’s rebounding extremely well and has a few baskets… He also looks gassed.
simms is gettin every rebound. another miss layup
missed layups = arg.
Make layups pls.
I point you to this pregame tweet… http://twitter.com/Peedi3416/status/8004180708
helps when Wisconsin cant hit anything
Douglass and Novak are always so tentative when taking the ball to the rack. They need to go stronger and more confidently.
What the hell happened to Wisconsin? I thought they were the land of limitless big slow white dudes!
Boy, that sure looked like a charge…
8 points, 7 rebounds for Sims. Huge effort thus far. Could have gone either way there on that foul…
Douglass and Novak… MAKE LAYUPS!
Ok over under on Wisky points for the half set at 15 . . . what do you think?
As bad as Wisconsin has been, we haven’t been much better. Stu and Zack have to finish those layups.
Has anyone ever seen anything like that before. Not one TV timeout until under the 12 minute mark… crazy.
it seems like last couple games beilein is waiten a while to make first sub
Drew: So we get two in one… Nice to give Peedi a rest and get him back in sooner.
Novak and Stu need to work on their off-hand layups. Sims playing well, but completely winded.
Also, Darius finally pulling out the MAIZE arm sleeve for his mild tendinitis.
Ha. under 16 timeout and under 12 timeout come with exactly the same amount of time on the clock – just one free throw separating them
ya no wonder sims was gassed. that went fast. very inactive offenses will do that
i’ll beat the dead horse: stu and novak owe us 6 points worth of super-human efforts to make up for missed layups
No lead is safe at the Kohl’s Center!
Ok… Let’s hold on here boys… Need to stay composed when Wisconsin makes their run.
sidenote: ryan evans gets flat-top of the year award. will smith would be proud
ive never seen the u16 and u12 happen at the same time, like done here, and ive watched a lot of college basketball…
Man, these first 10 minutes are a HUGE opportunity.
OK Coach, let’s get Peedi back in the game.
dam never bounce pass to gibson he always fumbles it
if gibson could catch a pass…ok i’m ready for peedi to come back in
yeah, i know he was tired, but man Gibson had an awful stretch there…hope he steps it up later
I would love to see the other version of Stu than the one we’re seeing tonight. Ugh.
Holy Gibson, that was pathetic. When Sims is on the floor, he should get a touch in the block EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION. No excuse not too. Wisconsin is getting hot though, not good.
Gibson is looking at an awful Roland rating for this game right now
Stu not playing smart so far, need to replace him with LLP.
haha, was thinking the same thing
Big stretch coming up here. Wisky has gotten back in the game, but its key that we keep some distance here. Cant let them tie this thing back up.
peedie on fire right now. hey at least were not stuck with Kyle Rowlie from NW
Ok I promise I’ll never say a bad word about Deshawn Sims ever again. Wow
Wayne Larivee is like Marv Albert compared to Tom Hamilton.
Lmao about the Larivee/Hamilton comparison
Where on earth did Michigan get all this rebounding!?!?
AG2: #34 is providing almost all of it.
LLP
LLP!
contest the big man’s shots…
Man were lucky wisconsin can’t do n thing on offense
im so bad at navigating justin.tv does anybody have a link to the game?
Maybe it’s our defense, contesting almost every shot.
Michigan needs to close this half. If Wisconsin can cut it to around 6 they will have us right where they want us. If we can keep it in double digits I think we have a shot.
3 things that worry me… Hughes is looking like he can beat our slow guards off the dribble. Manny looked kinda disinterested on offense a possession or two ago. And we still are bricking hard from three. Fourth thing, not negative, but i’m probably going to jinx us, but we seem to have fixed the turnover problems tonight. Just sayin’
Drew:
1. I think Harris has been controlled, looking to get involved but this is a tough match-up for him.
2. We are shooting 40% from three, could be worse they are shooting 10%.
3. Turnovers have been good but as I said before, they don’t force a lot.
cant guard that flat top
Stu needs to quit shooting 3’s.
what was that manny
This is definitely not the way we wanted to close the half…
Stu is, well bad. Manny looks so god damn shaky with the ball. And good possession to end the half. I’m going to jump off a bridge. Peace.
So much for Manny playing controlled too. Ugh.
what’s that about Manny being under control? His last two passes have been completely blind and almost both were picked off.
ya terrible way to end the half
this is the ugliest i have seen wisconsin play. and we are up 3 at the half. very disappointing.
Pathetic finish. They became noticably lazy on defense and offense at the end of the half.
Beilien had to get Morris in there to take another foul and burn a few more seconds. Argh.
Yikes. that was ugly. We should be well in control of this game. Team needs to regroup and realize that they need to just keep playing the same way. Shots are going to fall eventually.
Now Michigan doesn’t even get the foul call when they are trying to foul intentionally…
What should have been a good half means we’re in for a dogfight in the second half. Need more Sims, he’s really all we’ve got going.
man…we should not lose this game, but if we do, that 2-3 minute stretch right there is why…dang
I hate Wisconsin basketball.
at least one good note, Uconn won easily tonight over St Johns. So at least we got that going right now . . .
Coming into this game, I didn’t think I would have punched a whole in my door if you would have told me we’d have a 3 point lead at the half in this game. Ah, gotta love being a terrible tempered college kid.
UGH! Worst three point halftime lead ever. Absolutely pathetic way to finish the half, especially on offense. Why did we stop looking for Peedi down low? Why is Manny throwing the ball away? Why didn’t we give our extra foul when Hughes started driving?
They really did become lazy, playing down to Wisconsin’s level. First 4 minutes of the 2nd half are critical, and I don’t have a great feeling.
One thing I will praise is the defense. With the exception of the last minute or so, the D has been great. PLEASE keep it up!
Why did the clock run for 5 seconds after Wisc made that layup? Mich should’ve had the ball with 4-5 seconds on the clock for a hope and a prayer.
Terrible finish. Maybe Manny will get it together. How many more halftime tricks does Beilein have up his sleeve?
Co-sign Giddings.
MarcO: The clock doesn’t stop on a made basket.
I believe the clock doesn’t stop in that situation in the first half.
on the bright side…wisconsin is not looking like a good basketball team, even during the run. if that is what they were, and we pull our head out our asses, we can win.
Key for the 2nd half: Get the ball to Peedi PEEDI PEEDI.
Manny simply needs to play better as well, no more excuses, and then hope our shooters get hot.
Stu should stop shooting unless he is open by 5 feet. He is capable of hitting a few every now and then but is not that good of a shooter. I have been saying this for some time. If Douglas was the sharpshooter we expected this would be a tough team to handle.
Second half strategy: win this game ugly. We need to focus on defense, run the clock on offense – try to work Sims on the block as much as possible, try to prevent any runs from Wisc to keep it close to the end – then pray we can pull it out some how.
Idk Go Blue. I agree he is not a sharpshooter to this point. But I think he has to keep taking open shots when they come. Dont force it, but if he gets a look, he needs to shoot it. This team has so few options on offense, that they need to take the good looks when they get them. Being hesitant is only going to lead to tougher shots and less points over time.
Pisswater and bilge: I can’t find this game anywhere on my computer. If anyone finds a stream please post.
Anyone else think that Big Ten Basketball is just downright ugly about 75% of the time?
Road teams never win games like this. You can’t keep Wisconsin in the game like that and expect them to repeat their first half performance.
Nice pass to Sims to start the half.
Glad to see Beilein set them straight… PEEDI.
uh oh. Sims limping ???????????!!!!!!!!!!!
looks like he got kneed in the thigh . . . no big deal
Looks like Peedi banged his knee a bit on that last one…
these refs are terrible. i think they have a lot to do with the magical kohl center. what a joke
just keep feeding sims and play solid defense. need manny and sims to step up as usual and be leaders. need this game.
*Sigh*
Douglass with a bit of magic there. But whats up with the refs calling everything on us on D right now. They called nothing in the first half, now they are calling touches.
nice look by douglass and 3 by sims
Sims is an animal out there. Let’s ride him to the finish.
Sims needs to hit free throws though, that’s two misses.
Sims is a golden god.
For as good as Sims has been, Harris has been that bad. He’s killing Michigan.
The thing that has me feeling prety good right now is that, I got a feeling that at some point Manny is going to get his act together. He is too good to be held down this whole game.
If we can get anything from Manny down the stretch we can do this!
Please, Peedi, make both FTs for once!
Can Harris be any weaker with the ball? How can anyone with such athletic talent not know how to properly dribble?
We are playing 4 on 5 on offense. If Harris gets going we can win this game!
I think the key to this game will be who wakes up first: Manny Harris or Trevon Hughes?
Manny needs to look for Sims when he penetrates – he’s drawing too much attention and trying to force it to the hoop by himself.
1 bench point for Big Blue so far…something about depth…
there we go harris
Giving Wisconsin way too many 2nd chances here in the 2nd half.
again dont bounce pass to gibson lol
CATCH THE BALL GIBSON…LORD HAVE MERCY
lol, that was clearly off of Gibson wasnt it?
Huge break for Michigan to have the ball here. Get Sims back in. Could have used one of those last two Harris threes, badly.
Hughes is heating up and he can flat out take over the game.
Don’t pass it to Gibson!
Trevon Hughes is getting warmer…
This is the best defense I’ve seen any Michigan team play, in a long, long time. If not ever.
Manny has gotten better and better at shot selection but the second to last one he took everyone knew was going up but not in. He needs to remember he has four teammates out there sometimes.
OT – Pistons up 4 over Boston with 5 min to go.
Sometimes (er, most times) when I watch Zack Gibson play, I secretly wish I was watching a Rutgers game.
This lineup makes me nervous.
I hate this lineup that is out there right now
man cant give 2nd and 3rd chanecs
time out please
7-0 Wisconsin run… Need buckets and stops. There aren’t going to be that many possessions, just hold on and get it to Sims.
needed that.
bout time douglass.
that is why you let Douglass keep shooting!
STUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
What is with the “side pocket” references?
STUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Yes.
I swear Stu shoots so much better when Morris is in the game.
Stu hits the big shot. Maybe not the unimportant ones, but in the clutch. Yes. AHHHHH
omg another missed bunny by novak
Two missed bunnies but come on that was a block on Harris’ drive.
i really wish that basketball would just get rid of the charge call unless a guy is out of control. That was f’ing ridiculous.
Terrible call – he jumped right in front of Manny.
TERRIBLE call on that charge…
I’m not one to complain about officiating, but we are definitely getting the raw end.
Worst call ever…
nankawhatever brought both hands down on manny on that charge…wtf
These are the things that you have to overcome on the road . . .
F*ing terrible. Bo Ryan gets all the calls at home. We need to pull away.
I swear, Wisconsins’ reputation for not fouling and their massive home court advantage are linked.
If anyone is still looking for a link…http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/basketball-game-stream
1-3-1 is getting carved up…
wtf was that zone on D right there? it was like a 2-1-2
Wisconsins’ 3rd 7-0 run of the game…and we’re still winning but not for long.
jees AG2 talk about negative nancy
Slow it down!
Did Wisconsin join the ACC that they’re getting so many touch fouls!?!?!?
Slip slip slippin away.
wtf refs? call some more fouls on just us.
great now crowds in it
wow, this is really bad..come on hang on for the home stretch! please?
I don’t see how we win this game. F
Thanks for the link Zach although I’ve now seen them blow the lead.
without leuer wisconsin is ordinary at best. i don’t care if bo ryan is their coach and the game is at wiscy, we cannot lose this game. they are so beatable. refs are total homers
These fouls are ludicrous.
We’re about to see if this team has toughened up mentally. They are still tied with ounly 4:00 to go. If the refs would only let us play defense we’d have a chance.
I’m calling it: if Michigan doesn’t score on this possession, its over.
dam ag2 get out of here man
I’m sorry but I’m just scared out of my mind here. This is heartbreaking!
Harris airballs. Damn.
Somebody is going to stick a big 3 here.
Goodnight.
Why the hell is there no help with Novak on Hughes 1 on 1? one team cannot seriously be this inconsistent?
I hate Trevon Hughes so freaking much. Almost more than Evan Turner.
if we lose, this game is completely on our players. Just absolutely terrible shot selection down the stretch, and no toughness on D. Gotta have that rebound and gotta realize that you have to help Novak on Hughes.
wow a foul on wisconsin
heartbreaking loss.
What a FLOP. Who put Ginobili in?
complete flop
Terrible f’n call…yet again!
omg, gave over with that novak miss
novak really killed us tonight. so frustratingto see him miss every open look.
wow how do we lose this game
this is pathetic…no lower feeling this whole season…and I can’t believe that I said that but it is true…
Wisc and refs – 8 on 5.
Well, at least I won’t have to watch Sims getting mauled underneath the basket without getting calls anymore.
Bail out. A complete bail out of Wiscy by the refs tonight. Just horrible. No wonder they’ve won 1,000 straight homes games….
hey nice shooting novak
No surprise here. Last 5 minutes of this game has been a carbon copy of the previous 2 years.
Would have been nice to have anything from Manny…def not Fresh tonight! What do ya know, the refs got Sims out-they’ll get their checks. wtf!
about time Manny!
refs are a joke. i blame us 100% though. no reason wiscy should even be in this game. this team pissed me off more tonight than at home against nw and that’s saying a lot.
The day after I give Novak love..the kid burns me. I can’t call it
That’s a tough one to swallow. Besides Simms, the team played like crap.
Foul, foul, foul-don’t wait until Tbag gets it!
i hate bo ryan
I think that last shot by Novak is the story of the night. There have been so many of those looks from Novak and others that are usually easy buckets. This lose is also heavily related to Manny’s poor shot selection. So many bad choices down the stretch from our lead guy. That might of been our problem all year. “The Manny Show” is ineffective.
Totally agree about this being 100% our fault. We had a chance to step on their throat early and did not. We had a chance to step on their throat late and did not. And predictably we choked down the stretch. Maybe that assessment is a bit harsh, but it’s kind of true.
well there goes any chances of makin in tourney. No way we win at Purdue and we needed to win 3 of these games.
Guys, this isn’t on the refs. Home teams get calls, that’s how it goes. This game is on UM and their inability to make layups and get their best players involved throughout the game.
That was some pretty bad reffing and once again our team proved we have absolutely no mental toughness.
Other Matt, that assessment is perfectly accurate.
The Manny Show=The Leno Show? In all honesty, as bad as this lose hurts they still need to turn around and get one of the next three. Gotta stay positive. Go Blue!
not harsh at all Matt…there is nothing else to describe it but a complete choke job…wisconsin is middle big ten at best without Leur and if we could not beat them tonight, we do not deserve an ncaa bid..
the only way we can possibly make the tourney is by winning the next two game at purdue and home against msu….what a terrible loss. A great opportunity wasted by terrible decisions.
Can anyone penetrate and actually make a shot? Novak and Stu are disciplined, but can’t make anything within the 3 point line.
3 missed lay-ups = 6 point loss
To lead the game till the last five minutes is a bunch of junk. What the heck happen???
Ledge, Hi this is Drew. I’m going to jump off you now. Ok, thanks.
Stu and Novak’s combine for 49-164 3 pointers before this game. It’s hard to win with those #’s.
Anyone else feeling the Ewing Theory when Manny leaves to go play in Europe?
I really hope that Manny takes a long look in the mirror after this game. The guy aint ready to play anything professional.
I’m going to repeat the same thing I’ve thought after each of Michigan’s past few games:
WIN THE SECOND HALF.
If you are winning at halftime, you better win the game by more than you were up at halftime. Nothing else will suffice. You win the 2nd half you don’t have to worry about whether your halftime lead will hold.
They stopped playing tough D in the second half. Wisc scored twice as many points in the 2nd half.
ha my first post game comment is awaiting moderation. SOrry Dylan. Im a little pissed. I would hate to be Beilein right now, talk about being let down by your players. I thought he did a great job coaching this game, and the players just decided it was time to put their head in their butt. Perfect timing guys. A chance to really turn things around and instead you do everything possible to lose.
Cough, cough-as much as I hate Hughes, he is probably the top guard in the Big Ten, his handles are sick! He understands what it is like to be a star…he steps up when his team needs it.
We are a weak, pathetic excuse for a college basketball team. Forget what happened against Connecticut, that was embarrassing. Thanks for bringing me down from cloud nine after those back to back 3’s from Stu.
You don’t recover from games like this. This could have propelled us through a HUGE stretch, but forget about it. Blowout loss at Purdue. Close loss against Sparty. And we’re going to sputter our way into fighting for the NIT bid. Sometimes I wonder why I get so invested in this team. Ugh
um no, top guard in the big ten is clearly Evan Turner followed by Kalin Lucas, then probably Durrell Summers, then probably Tailor Battle, then maybe Trevon Hughes, and then Etwan Moore, then whatever his name is on Northwestern, then that short white guy on Indiana, then the freshmen on Illinois, then the other short white guys on Iowa, then whoever plays for Minnesota, then maybe Chris Allen and Kory Lucious, then perhaps Jason Bohannan, then Jon Diebler, then the other guard on penn st, then um, who am I missing, oh yea right, then its Manny Harris
JRose,
That’s the last thing I wanna hear after a loss like that.
Durrell Summers?
I love Manny and everything he does, but no way is he an NBA player right now. Can he get there? Yeah, I think he can. But he is WAY, WAY too inconsistent right now. The only thing worse than losing him to the draft is losing him to Europe. That would be horrible.
Im reaching I know, but damnit, the one time you need your best player to step up, and the guy disappears. Its onyl one game and I am usually very level headed about these things, but come one. Make a freakin play. Just one freakin play. we needed so little to win this game, and we got less than that from Manny. Its just tough. We can criticize DOuglass, or Novak or LLP or Gibson or whoever all we want, but the fact is that Manny and Sims have the talent. One of them showed up and the other didnt.
Uconn game we had every player give max effort for 40 min
Every other game including this one michigan does not play hard for 40 min. I can tolerate turnovers or missed shots but not a lack of effort. Sims dominates most the game, but then plays weak the last 5. We give up how many 2nd and 3rd chances
it’s all Manny’s fault….never mind the guy who played 36 minutes and didn’t score or the goosegg our bench gave us
tweeter – that’s the best post i’ve ever read.
drew – i totally agree, this is a loss we don’t recover from.
we don’t deserve to make the tournament, as much as it hurts to say it. i feel like i did after the iowa game last year.
@Drew,
I’m a Steelers fan. I grew up rooting for a team that broke my heart every year and lost every other AFC championship game at home over a 10 year period (I’m too young for the Steel Curtain dynasty days). The one Superbowl they did make, they lost to the freaking Cowboys. They played Bubby Brister, Neil O’Donnell, Kordell Stewart, Kent Graham, Kordell Stewart, Tommy Maddox, Kordell Stewart, and Tommy Maddox before unearthing Roethlisberger. Then they won the Superbowl and it was sweet. A little anti-climactic but sweet. Then they won another Superbowl on the heels of a legendary drive by Big Ben and one of the best catches I’ve ever seen. And it was even sweeter. I didn’t think it could get any better.
Want to know what my favorite sports fan moment of the last decade is?
…Selection Sunday last year. As a life-time sufferer and 4 year student ticket holder through the Amaker years, I suffered man. And seeing our name on the bracket line, and the resulting celebration… man, I wouldn’t trade anything for that feeling.
So, yeah, that’s why you buy in. Because sometimes it pays off and you get to go to that place that you so rarely get to experience as a sports fan.
Thats exactly what I am saying pgrom. You cant just complain about other guys in a game like this. It would be different if we lost to a team like Kansas by 15 and Manny had a bad game as did Novak or whoever. Then you could say, you know what even if Manny goes off, we would still have needed Novak or whoever to score as well. In this game, we needed our stars to play well. F, we needed them to play ok. Manny played like garbage. There was enough support in this game for us to win, if he plays decent. You know what, he didnt.
thats fine for an average college player, its not fine when you are basically the program. He has a lot on his shoulders I know, but too often we are seeing these kind of performances out of him.
Obviously this was a HUGE opportunity wasted, but everyone immediately throwing away our chances of making a run for the Tourney is overreacting. Most level-headed people said before the UConn game that we needed to win 2 of the next 4 to have a shot down the stretch. We can still win 1 of the next 2 and be fine.
Personally I think there’s no way we win at Purdue (had a much, much better feeling about the UW game) but you never know about that game against MSU. Beat MSU, then take care of business at home the rest of the way and win at Iowa and NW and we’re at 11-7 sitting pretty.
Hard to not freak out after a loss like this, I know, but taking a step back we still have opportunities…
I really need to take a step back, but I fear if I do I will fall off my balcony and break my drunken neck. Its just one game, but damn, it was an extremely winnable game against a garbage team that was ranked. How often do you get that shot? Very rarely.
@Other Matt,
I know what you’re saying man. I currently go to GVSU, but make it to my fair share of games. Grew up a Michigan fan, and really I’ve always lived and died more with the basketball team just because I think I like the sport a little more than football. Even when the football team was going to Rose Bowl’s, I was still getting my heart ripped out with every Amaker loss.
Wasn’t at Selection Sunday last year, but I was obviously watching on TV. Can’t even really describe that feeling. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I know why I get so invested in sports, and this team in particular. But there are times when my stress level just rips through the roof, and I wish I could disconnect at least a little bit.
But I know that isn’t possible, and I’m not really trying to fight it. So I’ll let this sink in for a couple days, while it occupies my mind about 75% of the day. But come Saturday at 4, if I’m not in West Lafayette, I’ll be right in front of my TV getting worked up about another game. And I know at about 6 p.m. I’ll almost certainly be drinking away my sorrows from another loss. But I don’t think there’ll ever be a day when I’m any less invested.
Dang, interesting tweet from Peedi. I’m guessing he’s upset with the officiating, but who knows.
@Peedi3416
I can say a bunch of things right now but I’m going to shut my mouth
pgrom, it’s on Manny because he has assumed that role. When you’re putting up 20/game for the season, you’re the one that is supposed to step up down the stretch on the road. Role players shouldn’t be expected to make plays, yeah they can play solid, but your leaders are the ones you look to in the closing minutes. When your leader still has questionable decision making, that’s where the majority of the blame goes.
New revelation. Manny is just another Daniel Horton. I’ll give him a slight edge, but they are similar in terms of what they provide for Michigan. Michigan really has so much potential they just seem incapable of putting it all together consistently. You would think at this point in the season Belien would have his boys worked out, but I guess not. It’s not really on Belien either though. It’s on the general state of Michigan basketball to put a strong effort into a winning program. I still believe there is a chance to go to the tourney. We need to win some big wins and do well in the Big 10 tourney. It’s not over. We are a resilient bunch
thank gosh he did shut his mouth. Who knows what he was going to say, rip the officials, manny, other teammates, the president, haitian relief fundraisers, epke udoh, etc. Anyway you look at it, it would have been a bad idea for him to say anything.
Haha Tweeter I’m glad someone could finally make me laugh… Haitian relief effort, the president… ridiculous!
well maybe next year we’ll have somebody else to kick around besides Manny
On a positive note, nothing was broken in the 2nd half or following the game.
Other Matt, we should be friends. I’m about 4 years younger but what you said basically defines my fanhood to an extent.
Missed this game – at a movie. Looks like I made the right decision. From the highlights, looks like we started out owning a vulnerable, hobbled team and could have put them away but didn’t because of a total collapse on our part. Did I read this right? Now we’re apparently doomed.
On subject of Manny possibly going to Europe. I realize it’s not as great as my Raptors getting him, but from his point of view, Europe’s a nice place to live, as long as you’re not in Eastern Europe.
One of the toughest losses I’ve ever experienced as a Michigan fan…
Yeah Trevon Hughes stepped up, but poor officiating and poor Michigan shot selection didn’t help anything.
Zeph: Manny is “just” another daniel horton. Anyone else think this statement is funny?
@Kevin,
eHigh Five to you. I dunno, in my slightly younger days (I’m 25) this kind of loss would have had me catatonic for days. I’ve come to appreciate the ride, so to speak. As a kid my fandom was filled with stomach punching losses. When I was real little, I was a Pirates fan too (I have family in the Burgh) and one of my earliest memories is Sid F-ing Bream. Over time, I migrated to the local teams (except the Steelers, that one’s in your blood). Everything was sadness until the Pistons in 2004. I’m not a huge hockey fan, so the Wings don’t really do it for me. I root for them and all, but they’re a distant last on my list.
I think I’ve come to the realization that games like this, and seasons like we endured under Amaker, and being too young to understand what the Webber time out meant, and the Rich Rodriguez era thus far, well they make the good days better. So I can take these kind of losses as long as there’s better days ahead. And I happen to believe in John Beilein, so I’m not too down about what’s happening.
I know I’m not a regular around here, so I’m sorry for the personal back story, I just figured I’d try talking some people off the ledge.
and one other sunshine commment from me….
when is the last time this team has not pulled out a must win big ten game? we said one of the next couple, so they won’t win until it’s one of the next one they have to win.
that is the way this team has operated. i bet we get one of the next two “must wins” still. we can get upset about loing this game because we had it, and i totally am….but we can also say we had WISCONSIN by the balls on the ROAD and we can win some games no one thinks we can. GO BLUE! i dont get drunk on wednesdays, ha, except when michigan plays like this.
between the big words peedi uses in press conferences and the time manny accidentally told the press the team locker combination, and academic all big ten and stu and zack as true freshman helping this team make the tournament, and zach gibson comin up huge against UCOON, and Clemson, and Oklamhoma; and darius being a freshman who still wants the ball at the end of the game, LLP coming up huge at the weirdest times, and Ant occasionally making a 3 we really need, and Beilein making me a believer.
We’re gonna mkae a run a the big dance this year. Still. Believe it, it’s going to be just like last year. We will make or miss it by the skin of our teeth because this team wins must-win games.
OK, that’s my pep talk. goodnight all.
dammit dylan, when you gonna hook this site up with spell(drunk)-check?
oh! and I didn’t even mention when everyone said we need one of the two road games that everyone would agree purdue was by far the more winnable of the two…
Ok, time to put this one out of my head. Let’s go to West Lafayette and try again.
I find it interesting that people say Sims disappears sometimes and plays big in other times. Its almost like there’s Deshawn Sims and his alter ego, Peedi.
Peedi, you’re going to have the chance to say what you wanna say on the court at Crisler soon.
yea i officially decided to make tomorrow a sick day or at least a half day (with the half being the afternoon hours) – I aint in any condition to work tomorrow morning.
But I disagree gpsimms. I thought this game was more winnable than the purdue game all along. Wisky is a very average team right now without Leuer. Thats why this was so important and hurts so much. We had an opportunity (a great opportunity) to beat a ranked team, at a place they never lose, who was really not that good of a team. Those opportunities dont come around that much and we blew it.
Obviously, if the team goes out and beats Purdue or MSU, than this doesnt matter nearly as much. But its just fustrating as all hell right now.
We know this team is not great. We know they have their issues. But damnit, they are better than that Wisky team. They are better than Northwestern. They are better than Indiana. They are better than B.C. They are better than Utah. They are better than Alabama. I just wish these players would realize what it takes to be succesful.
I remember watching Duke back in, I think ‘96. They had a team very similar to this Michigan team in terms of size and athleticism and talent. They had like one or two guys that were any good, and a bunch of has beens and non-athletes at the rest of the spots. But damnit they played their asses off. They competed every second because they cared about what Duke was and the fact that they were wearing that jersey. If you looked at the team when they walked on teh floor, you would have thought that everyone would roll right over them. But in fact they made teams look bad at times with pure grit and determination. It was crazy impressive.
We see that on occassion with this UM team. When they put it together and play D, and scrap, and act like they care, teams look real bad against us. But then we just turn it off. We decide that a 13-2 lead on the road is good enough. That being up 17 on NW halfway thru the first half is good enough. That letting some no-talent random dude from Utah shoot open threes all day is good enough, because we know we are better than them.
Well you know what. Its not good enough anymore. Ive reached the breaking point with these guys. I see some players pouring their hearts out on the floor and not getting it done at a high level simply because they dont have the talent to compete, and I see other players going through motions because they think they are better. And its not just Manny Harris. There have been plenty of times when Sims has not been there at all either this season.
But this is it. Loafing, going through the motions, half-assing it, whatever you want to call it, that time is gone now. If you want to have any kind of season what so ever. The last chance is here. Win now, or forever hold your peace. Go down like so many of the talented players before you have. But realize that many of those players went down because they had poor direction. They had to do it on their own because no one told them what the hell they were supposed to do.
You guys got direction. You have a plan. You have organization. You have opportunity. But that opportunity is walking out the door mighty quickly, and guess what, that door is locking behind it. You got basically one chance to stop it. Its going to take more than just a half of basketball. Or you thinking that letting the game come to you, means not trying for a half then forcing it every time you touch it the other half.
There’s no more last stand after this.
Jeez it’s usually week nights like this when I’m the one who’s feeling it after a few beers and writing something outta my a*s. Haha gpsimms, is that actually the Mike Greenberg from Monday talking… “UCOON”.
Regardless, I’m sober and still pissed. All other circumstances and theories about what games we need to win aside, we were up 9 after two HUGE threes from Stu in the second half. At that point, a competent team BURIES the opponent. That should have taken the life out of them. But we let them immediately back in the game, and folded. Damn.
Sims and Harris combined for 34 points and 19 rebounds. On the season, they average roughly 37 points and 13 rebounds. Sure, Manny didn’t have a “Manny” game, but combined, it was what it’s basically been all season. Plenty of games this year, Manny picked up the slack when DeShawn disappeared.
My problem is a starter who doesn’t score and 1 (one, uno) point from the bench. To me, it’s not an issue of Manny having a bad game. It’s the on-going struggle to find just one more person on this team to earn their scholarship and to do it fairly consistently. It’s one thing to miss 3s, it’s another to blow layups.
I can’t sleep. I can’t get over the fact that Stu, LLP, Novak, Gibson, Morris, Wright, and Vogrich COMBINED for 12 points. Seven D-1 basketball players, who all see (some limited/some substantial) playing time, 12 points.
12.
Tossed and turned all night..what a loss..ugh
I’m sick of this team flirting with the chance of getting a tournament bid. I mean we could be 6-0 in the Big Ten right now. I’m so disgusted by this loss – I turned the game on when we were up 39-33 in the 2nd – I guess I should’ve left it off, maybe I jinxed us! I was excited we had the lead – till about 20 seconds later, when I knew we were going to blow it. I was trying to stay positive but it was all-too predictable. And the refereeing…I know we can’t blame the refs for losing, but that charge on Sims with 2:30ish to go was absolute HORSE$#%&, and came a pivetal moment. Biggest f&$%ing flop I’ve seen in my life – the guys is up leaning against DeShaun one second, that Sims backs up MAYBE an inch an the guy launches backwards, and they get the call – it was like the ref was waiting to call it. I think there’s something to the correllation between the officiating and the home win-streak…
Novak, ugh, 36 minutes without scoring, 0-6, and from what I’ve read several missed lay-ups?? That’s unacceptable for a starter, or any player. Manny didn’t have that great a game either but I don’t think you can place the blame squarely on him. We have to learn to CLOSE OUT! I know we still mathmatically have a chance at the tournament, but really, does anyone think we’re actually going to make it? I’d say we pretty have to 9-3 to close the season, to put us at 19-11, 12-6. Mmmmaybe 8-4, but God knows we’re not going to win the B10 tourney, so that gives us 13 losses to end the season, and I don’t know if that’ll fly. I will say that besides Michigan St, we can beat anyone in the conference, but we’re either going to have to get really lucky or start playing A LOT better, probably both.
I’ll watch the Purdue game but right now I can’t even think about it – this loss is painful and we by all means should’ve won that game. What garbage, blech…
BTW hi everybody, I’m kind of new here. Hopefully you don’t mind my rant – just had to vent a little there lol.
I think this season can best be described with two words-missed opportunities. Last night was another one. Wisconsin played as poorly as they’re capable of playing for the first 15 minutes, but we blew chance after chance to put them away. Once again they gave us a glimmer of hope and then dropped us on our heads. Harris had his worst game of the season, Douglass and Novak couldn’t make point-blank layups, there was the requisite homecooking from the refs, and our lack of leadership was obvious late in the game. The season in a nutshell.
if anyone was wondering, it’s 8.42 and i am no longer feeling optimistic.
gpsimms – Agreed. At some point we have to stop judging the team on what we think they can do and instead judge them by what they’ve actually shown us.
And as far as last night, a lot of people have been assigning Manny blame and I agree but not because we needed him to make big plays down the stretch. We didn’t build our lead because of Manny, he was not much a factor for 35 minutes of that game. But then all the sudden the final stretch begins and everything has to go through him. And guess what, all the sudden the offense couldn’t do anything. In a game where Manny is playing his A game of course it makes sense to have him take over at the end. But this wasn’t the case last night, we abandoned what was working and we lost because of it.
oh by the way, no more player-specific features! every time you write one, the featured player turns in a worst-of-career type performance
On McLimans: whenever I see that 6′10″ ginger kid stand up from the bench to awkwardly applaud a UM bucket, I shudder and think, “So this is what JB considers a big man?”
Why can’t we just forget national recruiting and just take the whole Country day high school team when they graduate? We’d probably be better!