2011-2012 Season

Notebook: Practice Whispers, Media Day Round Up, More

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308118_243431705705940_113453778703734_681775_1506037950_n[1]Photo: Michigan Basketball on Facebook

It was a big weekend for Michigan as the Wolverines had a pair of important scrimmages, an inter-squad scrimmage on Friday and a scrimmage at Toledo on Sunday. At media day, John Beilein discussed what a critical role these scrimmages and exhibition game (Friday vs. Wayne State) play in determining the regular season line up and rotation.

The scrimmage on Sunday was closed to the public and deemed “secret” by the NCAA but it’s become an annual ritual for tidbits to spread across the internet. The reports generally have very little correlation to the season’s results as they are glorified practices that are heavy on situational play and lineup tinkering.

The early word out of Toledo was that Michigan handled its business and played as well as you would expect them to play at this point in the season. The Wolverines weren’t clicking on all cylinders, and certainly not perfect, but shot the ball very well and you won’t hear any rumors about Toledo upsetting the Wolverines in a game that never actually happened.

On an individual level, the names receiving the most buzz out of practices and scrimmages are Tim Hardaway Jr., Evan Smotrycz, Zack Novak – all of whom have been shooting the ball well. Andy Katz spoke to John Beilein last night who noted that Hardaway “is playing like someone who wants to be a player” and embracing the leadership role. Katz also discussed Trey Burke and reports that he continues to impress:

Michigan coach John Beilein said Sunday night that freshman guard Trey Burke continues to improve quickly in his quest to be the starting point guard. Beilein hasn’t made up his mind yet but the other choice is senior Stu Douglass, whom Beilein said has been doing a good job setting an example.

Expect Beilein to continue tinkering with the lineup throughout Michigan’s exhibition game and first three home games but when the Wolverines fly to Maui he’ll begin to tighten the rotation and lock in a starting lineup.

Media Day Round Up

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Photo: Michigan Basketball on Facebook

It was a hectic week last week and there was a lot of content lost in the shuffle from Big Ten Media Day in Chicago. Here’s a run-down of everything that we posted from Chicago on Thursday and Friday including a great look at Michigan through the eyes of Big Ten opponents.

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