Jordan Morgan has developed more in the last two years than many expected throughout his career. He’s transformed his body and developed into an effective player around the basket but he’s not an individual offensive threat. Michigan isn’t going to throw the ball to him on the block six or seven times per game and let him isolate with his back to the basket. His scoring is broken down into a handful of distinct categories: putbacks, transition baskets, pick and roll baskets and a handful of easy looks at the basket within the offense. We’ve studied the pick-and-roll in depth for some time and discussed how well Morgan runs the floor but here’s a closer look at some things that the Wolverines do to get him easy opportunities when they need a bucket.

This play is one of the most common ways, other than the ball screen, that Michigan generates half court offense for Morgan. The Wolverines love to run this play at the start of the second half and will also run it quite a bit out of timeouts when the offense is struggling. The play starts in one of Michigan’s more basic sets, pictured above, as Trey Burke works the ball to Evan Smotrycz on the wing.

As Burke passes the ball to Smotrycz, Novak (the off guard in this set) is going to cut down the lane. This is a modified version of Michigan’s shuffle set (diagrammed here). Novak is going to cut down the lane and flash for the ball.

Smotrycz isn’t going to pass the ball to Novak, rather he’s going to reverse the ball back to Burke at the top of the key.

From here, Michigan would typically reverse the ball to the other side of the court. To do this, Jordan Morgan is going to set a screen for Tim Hardaway Jr. who will typically end up with a great opportunity to curl to the basket and make something happen.

However, this is not the base offense and two variations are going to occur. Rather than cut back to the perimeter on the near wing, Zack Novak is going to set a backscreen on Jordan Morgan’s man. Meanwhile, Morgan is going to roll straight to the basket and use Novak’s screen to get open.

Burke doesn’t pass the ball to Hardaway as he would in the normal offense, instead he pivots back the other direction and gives the ball back to Smotrycz on the other wing.

As Smotrycz catches the ball, Morgan is flashing wide open in the post for the easy layup and he makes the easy pass.

There are many culprits here for Iowa State, most notably Royce White (#30) who is guarding Novak. White doesn’t provide any help on Morgan which means that once Morgan’s man is screened he’s free for the easiest of layups.

Here’s the full motion:

As well as examples of the same play versus Oakland this year and Utah last season.

Against Nebraska Michigan ran a variation of this play, screening for the screener on a ball screen rather than an off ball screen. The set begins with Morgan setting a ball screen for Hardaway on the far wing.

Hardaway comes off the screen and Morgan’s man stays to help on Hardaway but allows him to turn the corner a bit.

Morgan is going to roll as Hardaway quickly reverses the ball across the court to Burke. However, the play is made by Novak and Douglass, who are both waiting to set screens for Morgan’s original defender.

Novak’s screen picks off Morgan’s defender and Novak and Douglass’s defenders sit idle in the middle of the lane without providing any help.

Morgan has all of the space in the world as he cuts free to the basket behind the defense and Burke finds him for the easy layup.

In full motion:

This is a great way to make opposing defenses pay for all of the attention that has to be devoted toward defending the ball screen. Hardaway’s quick pass to reverse the ball is what makes this play because it puts Michigan in a position to attack.

Morgan is not a big post threat and he’s not going to develop into a post scorer overnight. However, wrinkles and reads like these are an important function of the offense running smoothly.

Those of you that have been around for a while will remember John Gasaway as the Big Ten Wonk while those of you that haven’t are certainly familiar with his work at Basketball Prospectus and ESPN Insider. We figured there wasn’t a better time to pick Gasaway’s brain than the Friday before Michigan’s first match-up with his alma mater, Illinois. The original tempo-free Big Ten basketball blogger, and one of our favorite basketball writers period, graciously took the time to share his thoughts on Michigan, Illinois and the Big Ten race.

I’d love to hear your unbiased thoughts on this year’s Michigan team 25 games into the season. Wolverine fans can’t find much to complain about with 18 wins but are also having a hard time figuring out just how good this team really is. Ken Pomeroy is a bit pessimistic on the Wolverines, and the U-M offense and defense both rank fifth in the Big Ten, but they are just a game and a half behind the first place Buckeyes. What’s your assessment?

Gasaway: If I were John Beilein I would be one happy cerebral X’s-and-O’s legend right about now. The Wolverines have just completed a brutal stretch in the schedule, and will now have a chance to show what they look like against teams that are merely mortal. Burke’s been way better than anyone would have dared to hope in November. No team outside Columbus is better at extracting turnovers from Big Ten opponents. Life is good.

(Ed: All of the interview questions were answered before last night’s action, Wisconsin over Minnesota (OT), Indiana over Illinois and Northwestern over Iowa.)

On December 19th you tweeted that Illinois was the most overrated team in the country. The Illini did beat Ohio State thanks to Brandon Paul’s heroics but are 5-6 since that tweet despite starting 11-1. Because you predicted this collapse, let’s hear your thoughts on your alma mater?

Gasaway: I first wrote about basketball for public consumption during the 2004-05 season, a year in which Illinois turned out to be rather good at the sport. I fancied it might happen again sometime. Alas, two NCAA tournament wins and six seasons later here I am: I’ve started professing a deep interest in per-possession happenings at Idaho and UNC-Wilmington just to distract my gaze and soothe the ache in my orange and blue heart. For a while there I could at least make fun of Northwestern, but then the other day the Wildcats won in Champaign so now I don’t know what I’ll do. About all I can say now is that I won’t take any trash-talking from Nebraska. Woo.

Bruce Weber has boasted significantly taller squads than Michigan for most of recent history and that’s caused the Wolverines problems. Is there any reason that Illinois won’t just throw the ball over the defense to Meyers Leonard for 40 minutes on Sunday?

Gasaway: Illinois has long worshipped at the altar of ball-reversal, which is fine as far as it goes — it sure worked in 2005 — but in practice that can often mean the Illini get a “Wait, why are we doing this again?” look in their eyes, by which time Leonard’s been forgotten and the shot clock is running down. Leonard is a tremendous talent and I can’t wait to see what he makes of himself, it’s just too bad for Illinois fans that he’ll be making something of himself at the next level. Also note that throwing the ball to Leonard presumes possession of the item in question, something the Illini can’t always claim. Weber’s men sport the second-worst TO percentage in Big Ten play. (Take that, Huskers!)

Brandon Paul is the leading scorer in Big Ten games but he hasn’t been particularly efficient. What’s the key to stopping the focal point of the Illini offense?

Gasaway: Give Paul this, he does draw fouls, and in fact does so better than any Illini player since Shaun Pruitt. (And that was a special circumstance. Pruitt couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean from a rowboat, and opponents were notably eager to send him to the line.) But against your low-low-foul Maize and Blue I don’t expect that ability to be decisive. In truth the very premise of your question flatters my team, perhaps unduly. The Illini are almost a full standard deviation below the league average for offense in conference play. The Ohio State eruption notwithstanding, the key to stopping such an offense has usually been to simply show up in time for tip-off.

Tim Hardaway Jr. shot Michigan into the NCAA Tournament last year and now can’t seem to make a jump shot (he’s made 7 of his last 46 threes). Are you familiar with any other recent slumps this dramatic? What’s the magical cure for John Beilein to coax Hardaway into his late season form a year ago?

Gasaway: Big Ten types will remember that Eric Gordon, of all people, went through a mighty slump during his one year in college, so it can happen even to the best players and biggest names. But you raise a great point. Hardaway’s slump has been so severe, and Michigan’s disavowal of offensive rebounding is so total, that it does present a thorny question. Basically Hardaway has to keep trying, and the Wolverines’ offense can look a lot better (and Beilein will appear to the world to be an even better coach) when those shots start falling at last.

Photo: Patrick Radigan

Trey Burke has saved Michigan’s season for all intents and purposes. Let’s hear your thoughts on the freshman who Ken Pomeroy’s similarity score compares most favorably to Brandon Knight.

Gasaway: Hey, UCLA refugee and current BYU stud Matt Carlino’s no slouch either, and the similarity scores point in his direction as well. Burke rated No. 7 on the list of top 25 freshmen nationally that I put together a month ago, and if I were doing an update now he may well move up a spot or two. There’s simply no way of knowing in advance if you can drop a Big Ten offense down on the shoulders of a given freshman point guard and have things work, but things are working. His stats speak for themselves, but Burke also has the most important non-stat quality a point-guard can have, self-assurance. What a luxury to know he’ll be piloting your offense this year and next and who knows how long.

The Big Ten is the consensus best conference in the country but the parity seems to be getting the best of many teams. Of the six conference teams with five or six losses – Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Iowa and Northwestern – give me one team that you are buying to make a late run and one that you are selling.

Gasaway: I’ll buy the Hoosiers. Their D would give me a heart attack if I were an IU fan, but they can score — in both of the above qualities they’re like the Duke of the Big Ten. I’m also a little unclear on why people stopped talking about Cody Zeller all of the sudden. He’s having an incredible year. As for selling I’ll unload my Minnesota shares. What Michigan just went through schedule-wise is kind of what the Gophers are facing right now: two games against Wisconsin, home games against Ohio State and Michigan State, a road date at always dicey Northwestern — it’s robust.

The Big Ten race swings into full gear this weekend with the first of two late season meetings between the Spartans and Buckeyes. Is Ohio State the runaway favorite? Does Wisconsin or Michigan have an outside shot? Handicap the conference title race.

Gasaway: Yes, the Buckeyes are the favorites, though “runaway” may not be apt for a team that already has two losses. Anyway by my lights Thad Matta has the best team the Big Ten’s seen since Illinois in 2005. OSU did look oddly permissive on D at home against Purdue the other night, but for now we’ll suppose that was an aberration. Only thing: is it just me or does Jared Sullinger go limping to the bench in every single game? It’s uncanny, and it would be unfortunate if one of these times it were the sign of something more serious. As a fan I would really like to see what he can do during his college career’s final eight weeks.

Photo: Patrick Radigan

In mid-January, Michigan opened an eight game stretch that featured six road games with a deflating loss in Iowa City. The Wolverines lacked focus and looked lifeless as they were slapped around by Iowa and whispers about their road woes grew louder. Just under a month later, Michigan demonstrated its growth with a convincing win at Nebraska. The lack of energy and execution in Iowa City was a thing of the past as the Wolverines beat a team they should, on the road, with relative ease.

Winning games on the road in the Big Ten is extremely difficult and any conference road victory, especially a win this routine, is a good one. Michigan’s second half offensive brilliance is likely to be forgotten due to the game’s trudging pace and anemic first half shooting but at this point in the season a win is all that matters.

For 20 minutes, Michigan’s offense wasn’t any more effective than it was in East Lansing on Sunday. Over two thirds of Michigan’s first half shots were three point attempts, Tim Hardaway Jr. was 0-for-7 and the Wolverine offense sputtered its way to a 22 points in 25 first half possessions. It was brutal but the second half was a different story:

Barring a few turnovers, Michigan’s offense was nearly perfect in the second half. The Wolverines scored 1.43 points per possession and would have tallied a second half effective field goal percentage of 100% were it not for Josh Bartelstein and Corey Person missing shots in the closing minutes. Instead they settled for 16 of 21 (6-7 3pt) shooting and a 91% second half effective field goal percentage.

The shift inside was evident as Michigan attempted just one third of its field goals from beyond the arc in the second half, double the proportion of first half two point attempts. The Wolverines made the threes they did take count, knocking down six of seven second half 3-point attempts. Michigan made more threes in the second half (5-17 first, 6-7 second) despite attempting so few. The shift in philosophy seemed more about patience than anything else as Michigan ran its offense and moved the ball, picking up assists on a remarkable 75% of its second half made baskets.

It was Michigan’s defense that provided enough time for the offense to find its way, holding the Cornhuskers to just .85 points per possession on the game. That’s even more impressive considering that Nebraska scored 13 points, on five of six shooting, in its final six possessions of the game. Eliminate those six garbage time possessions (all after the final TV timeout) and you are left with just 33 Nebraska points in the first 48 possessions of the game, or .69 points per trip. Nebraska has the league’s worst offense but that’s a dominant defensive performance against any opponent. John Beilein praised his seniors for their defensive efforts and rightfully so. The duo combined for five steals, a key reason that Nebraska turned the ball over on 25% of its possessions, and Douglass was phenomenal on Bo Spencer throughout.

Michigan needs a 2-0 week to remain within striking distance for the conference championship and comfortably in the top third of the league and this was the necessary first step. The Wolverines move to 7-0 after losses but have split their last eight games. A home game against Illinois, the only Big Ten team Michigan hasn’t faced this season, is up next on Sunday afternoon and could provide a nice opportunity to string together back-to-back wins.

Photo: Patrick Radigan

Player Bullets

• Tim Hardaway Jr.: Hardaway was 0-for-6 on jumpshots and 3-for-5 on layups. His slump is certainly still in full effect but I really thought he played a complete game in the second half: he attacked the basket (making 3 of 4 shots in the second frame), played with energy defensively and drew a charge and he also handed out three assists. The assists were a product of being aggressive either in transition or attacking the basket and the sort of smart plays that will help him regain that confidence. Michigan did a lot to try and get him going including two post-ups in the first half, and at least three or four of his jumpers were fairly unguarded, and it’s just a matter of time before he rediscovers his jumper.
• Trey Burke: This was a quiet and efficient game for Burke: 12 points on 4 of 7 (3-4 3pt) shooting with five assists to two turnovers. Burke made a nice read early to split a pick and roll for an assist and really let the game come to him in the second half. He moved the ball and didn’t over dribble but still made big plays. He also had two huge buckets early when Michigan was up 11-8 and 13-11 that helped keep Nebraska at bay. It’s extremely impressive that 12 points on seven shots and five assists has become a “routine” game for the freshman guard.
• Jordan Morgan: Michigan’s second half turnarounds tend to coincide with Morgan’s improved performance and this game was no different as he was 4-for-4 with eight points in the second half. Morgan grabbed six rebounds, handed out two assists and even drew a pair of offensive fouls in the second half.
• Zack Novak: Novak was essentially Michigan’s entire offense early, scoring 10 points in the first half, but was also impressive with a pair of nice assists in the second. The early scoring was critical as Michigan got off to the quick lead that it would never relinquish. Novak also broke the 1,000 point plateau for his career, a remarkable achievement for a kid with no scholarship offers from Chesterton, Indiana.
• Stu Douglass: 13 points on 4-of-7 (3-5 3pt) shooting, three assists, two steals, two rebounds and no turnovers in 35 minutes is a pretty complete game for an off guard. Add in great defense on Bo Spencer and I’m not sure what more you can get out of Stu Douglass. Douglass, along with Novak and Vogrich, has made over 40% of his threes in Big Ten games
• Matt Vogrich: Missed a first half three but got back into the groove in the second half. It started with some hustle as he made a nice defensive play with a deflection and then had three three point makes and an assist on four consecutive offensive possessions. The reactions on the bench were great to see and Vogrich could add another dimension down the stretch if he finds consistency with his shot.
• Evan Smotrycz: Smotrycz turned the ball over once and didn’t score. He seemed a bit tentative and had little if any effect on the game.
• Blake McLimans: McLimans checked into the game and made an impact, good or bad, on three defensive possessions: he provided strong help to force a turnover on one play but was also late with his rotation twice, giving up an easy bucket and and-one foul on another. He missed his three point attempt and didn’t grab a rebound so it wasn’t his strongest performance.
• Carlton Brundidge: Did not travel due to asthma/illness.

Photo: Patrick Radigan

Michigan rides nearly perfect second half offense into an easy win at Nebraska. The Wolverines move to 18-7 (8-4 B10) on the season and will host Illinois on Sunday. Full post game coverage (including video, photos and analysis) coming shortly. For now, here’s your post game thread.

Photo: Dustin Johnston

Michigan travels to Nebraska tonight for its first Big Ten game against the Cornhuskers. Tip off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. (eastern) with Eric Collins and Shon Morris on the call. The Wolverines look to remain undefeated after a loss while gunning for their second road win of the 2011-12 campaign. Follow along and participate in the comments section below before, during and after the game this evening.

Pre-Game Reading:

• Bracket Watch: February 8th, 2012
• Game 25: Michigan at Nebraska Preview
• Pick to Click: Michigan at Nebraska
• Video, Notes & Quotes: John Beilein previews Nebraska match-up
• Video: Stu Douglass and Jordan Morgan look ahead to Nebraska trip

Basics
Who: No. 25 Michigan (17-7, 7-4 B10) at Nebraska (11-11, 3-8 B10)
Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, NE)
When: 8:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
TV: BTN / BTN2GO
Radio: MGoBlue, 950AM, 1050AM, Sirius 91, XM 91
More: Beilein Video / Douglass and Morgan Video / Pick to Click / Inside the Play vs. MSU

Michigan heads back on the road tonight for the fifth time in six games, this time to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Road games in the Big Ten are never easy but this match-up could provide the Wolverines with the slightest bit of reprieve. This will be Michigan’s first game against a team ranked outside of Ken Pomeroy’s top-100 since the calendar turned to the year 2012 and the Wolverines have played six of their last ten games against against teams ranked in Pomeroy’s top 10. Nebraska is ranked in the 129th slot by Pomeroy’s metrics and holds an 8-6 home record on the season.

There’s little question that Nebraska was added to the Big Ten because of its football program and the Cornhuskers haven’t brought much excitement to the hardwood. The lack of excitement stems from a roster seemingly devoid of promise. The Cornhuskers are the second oldest team in the nation (measured by class year weighted by minutes) and every meaningful contributor is a junior or senior. Doc Saddler doesn’t have a promising freshman star to build off of in the year’s to come or a deep sophomore class that’s growing up on the job. Instead this is an experienced group that hasn’t proven that it can compete in the Big Ten without many clear answers for the future.

Nebraska’s offensive profile doesn’t exude the look of an experienced team. The Cornhuskers turn the ball over on 23% of their Big Ten possessions, the worst in the conference, and are a non-factor on the offensive glass. Nebraska is one of two Big Ten teams that grabs fewer offensive rebounds than Michigan, pulling down just 26.5% of its missed shots. Nebraska also isn’t a great shooting team, making 48.1% of its twos and 30.2% of its threes for a 46.9% effective field goal percentage. Despite being the second worst three point shooting team in the Big Ten, the Huskers attempt the third most threes in Big Ten games. Ranking in the bottom third of the conference in all four factors, it should come as no surprise that Nebraska’s per-possession output of .92 points per trip is the worst in the Big Ten.

Nebraska’s defense compares favorably to its offense but that says more about just how bad the offense really is. The Cornhuskers surrender 1.09 points per possession in league games and have shown the most flaws on the interior. League opponents have made 54.7% of their two point shots while grabbing 34% of their missed shots against the Huskers. The two strongest elements of the Nebraska defense are on the perimeter where the Huskers pick up steals at a higher rate than any other Big Ten team – Brandon Richardson leads the Big Ten in pickpockets – and do an adequate job of defending the three point shot (31.8% D3P%).

LSU transfer guard Bo Spencer leads Nebraska in scoring but that has more to do with volume than efficiency. Spencer takes 30% of Nebraska’s shots despite pedestrian shooting percentages inside (48%) and out (31%). His backcourt mate, 6-foot guard Brandon Richardson, doesn’t take many shots but has made 43% of his threes and leads Nebraska in assists in Big Ten play.

6-foot-6 forward Toney McCray is the only other double digit scorer for the Cornhuskers and also one of their most effective shooters, making 53% of his twos and 38% of his threes. He’s joined on the wing by Dylan Talley, Nebraska’s No. 3 scorer in Big Ten games, and Caleb Walker, just a 54% free throw shooter, on the wing.

6-foot-10 Brandon Ubel has been forced into an increased role as Jorge Brian Diaz is sidelined with a foot injury and not expected to play. Ubel has decent touch around the basket but his best strength is his offensive rebounding ability.

Michigan is a significantly better team than Nebraska and the Bob Devaney Sports Center might feel more like a neutral site than a true road game considering Michigan’s last four road trips were to Fayetteville, West Lafayette, Columbus and East Lansing. Michigan’s loss at Iowa, where Nebraska won, should serve as a reminder for this team what sort of execution is necessary to win on the road. However, the Wolverines are 6-0 after losses this season and this is a game that they should win if they are serious about their team goals.

Pomeroy predicts a five point Michigan victory and his computers give the Cornhuskers a 30% chance of a home upset.

Glenn Robinson III Guides Comeback

Robinson led Lake Central to a big come from behind 60-59 victory over East Chicago.

The elder Robinson had 11 first-half points and shot 5-of-8 from the field, including three monstrous dunks that sent the building into a frenzy.

EC Central (8-8) was up 11 in the middle of the third, but Lake Central and Robinson took over after that. The LC senior star and Michigan recruit went on to score a game-high 26, including two free throws to break a 56-56 tie with 1:10 left.

Scout.com’s Evan Daniels is a big fan of Robinson, noting that he underrated him originally. (Photo: Jeff Paschen)

Class of 2012 Rises in Scout.com Rankings

Despite Mitch McGary’s slide in the recruiting rankings, Michigan’s 2012 class has moved in the opposite direction ranking wise. Michigan’s three-man class ranks seventh in Scout.com’s latest ranking update which slots it as the second best class in the Big Ten. The other ranked Big Ten classes include Indiana (3), Michigan State (10) and Purdue (18).

ESPN.com also updated its class recruiting rankings and has Michigan slotted in the No. 11 spot.

Mitch McGary Rebounding

McGary’s fall in the rankings from No. 2 to No. 20 raised some eyebrows both nationally and among Michigan fans. McGary was probably a bit overrated at No. 2 and he doesn’t play in the best prep system to embellish his abilities.

McGary has recorded three straight double doubles, most recently scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in an 82-67 win over St. John’s Academy. Brewster is now 22-0 on the season.

Dave Telep posted a reaction to McGary’s ranking movement including some quotes from his prep coach. Here’s a snippet of Telep’s thoughts:

McGary’s a fun-loving personality. He’ll be magnetic with the Wolverines students and the folks in Ann Arbor are going to embrace him and vice versa. Hopefully he enters Michigan with more reasonable expectations than that of being the No. 2 player and having to put a program on his back. He’s entering a situation that is on solid ground with a great foundation. The Wolverines need him to be a function of their team — not a savior.

Regardless of McGary’s ranking, it’s safe to assume that defensive rebounding performances like we saw in East Lansing will be a thing of the past with McGary’s presence on the glass.

We posted a video interview with highlights of McGary and fellow commitment Nik Stauskas last week.

Goodluck Okonoboh Listing Michigan

Michigan continues to keep its options open in the class of 2013 and adding a big man, or any other position, remains a possibility. One of those options is Goodluck Okonoboh. The Tilton big man plays alongside one of the best post players in the country but has his fair share of abilities as well. Here’s a recent scouting report from NBE Basketball at the National Prep School Invitational:

Okonoboh is often overlooked playing alongside Nerlens Noel but is poised for a breakout summer with Noel moving on and showed signs that the breakout is coming with his play Sunday. Goodluck was more aggressive offensively than I’ve ever seen him before making a couple of plays I wasn’t aware he had in his arsenal. He caught in the post 12 feet from the basket, spun baseline, and used 1 dribble to explode towards the rim for an and 1. On another possession he caught the ball outside the 3 point line on the move and used two dribbles to get to the rim and dunk. I don’t think I had ever seen Okonoboh put the ball on the floor more than once with any success so this was a step in the right direction. His interior defense was also as strong as ever and with that and potentially vastly improved offense, Okonoboh looks like someone whose stock is on the rise.

Five Star Basketball recently interviewed the athletic big man and Michigan was one of the first schools that he listed:

In other news, Okonoboh is pretty athletic:

Other 2013 Commitment Notes

John Beilein made the trip down to Toledo recently to watch 2013 big man commitment Mark Donnal and the junior impressed. Donnal had 28 points in a three point win over Springfield, OH.

Zak Irvin had a monster game for Hamilton Southeastern scoring 28 points and our own Joe Eberhardt was there with highlights, video interviews and scouting.

Derrick Walton had a another triple double, collecting 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an eight point win over Southfield Bradford.

Keita Bates-Diop Blowing Up

Keita Bates-Diop is one of Michigan’s top targets in the class of 2014 and the Illinois native has already visited Ann Arbor and also attended Michigan’s College Practice Camp in June. Now Bates-Diop is gradually emerging as a national name. Bates-Diop is averaging 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals per game and is regarded as a top five 2014 player in the state of Illinois for the class of 2014.

Reggie Rankin profiled Bates-Diop on ESPN’s College Basketball recruiting blog ($) last week as one of his rising prospects. Here’s a snippet:

Bates-Diop is a long, athletic sophomore small forward with a 7-foot-1 wing span and very good perimeter skills that have been improving at a steady rate this fall and winter. High-major programs like Purdue, Northwestern and DePaul are already jockeying for position by extending scholarship offers. Michigan, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Tennessee and Illinois are interested too.

“I am looking for good players, coaches and student atmosphere in college,” Bates-Diop said. “I Just want to be around good people”

Bates-Diop received some more profile love in the Pantagraph (photo credit) in an article that profiles his family, work ethic and recruitment.

Other Class of 2014 Notes

• 2014 guard Peyton Allen scored 37 points on 20 shots in a 73-48 win over Springfield. Here’s his coach: “Peyton has such an understanding of the game,” said Blakeman. “His court intelligence is high. He has a great flow to the game. You talk about a great player making a team better, he’s the player who does that.” Here’s video of Allen’s 37-point outburst:

• Drake Harris visited East Lansing on Sunday for the Michigan-Michigan State game. Harris had a team high 18 points in a 17 point over Lowell last week.
• Grant Evans had 19 points in a 25 point win over Cowan and 11 points in a nine point win over Union last week.
• Tyler Wideman, Glenn Robinson III’s teammate, was wearing a Michigan hat after Lake Central’s win over East Chicago.

Pick to Click is sponsored by Moe Sport Shops.

Eligible Players: All Michigan players are eligible for this game.

Submissions are due by tip off (8:30 p.m. tonight). Rules live here. Updated (!) standings and game-by-game results live here.

Trey Burke was the best player on the floor in the first match-up between these two schools but he had his fair share of struggles in the East Lansing rematch. A big part of Burke’s frustrating performance was the fact that Michigan State defended the ball screen more effectively. Tom Izzo’s major shift in philosophy was to pack his defense around the key and prevent Burke from getting any easy buckets around the basket. Here’s a frame-by-frame look at the Spartans’ basic approach.

This set begins (pictured above) as your typical high ball screen with Evan Smotrycz serving as the screener.

Smotrycz sets a solid screen and Burke comes off of it shoulder to shoulder with Keith Appling on his back hip. Derrick Nix doesn’t hedge hard but does show and provide some help before sagging into the lane.

Now watch as Michigan State’s entire defense collapses to the paint. All four other players in maize uniforms are behind the three point line while three Spartans that are playing off the ball have at least one foot in the paint.

Burke continues to drive to his left while three Michigan shooters – Smotrycz, Novak and Douglass – remain wide open on the right side of the court.

Brandon Wood takes away the Hardaway pass to the ball side and Burke doesn’t have the vision, size or trust to reverse the ball. Eventually he stops with the ball and this is where he has the chance to make a play.

From this spot (above) Burke could easily kick the ball to Smotrycz, who is supposed to be defended by Derrick Nix, at the three point line. Smotrycz would likely have an open look but if not, there are two Michigan State players to defend three Michigan shooters. Proper ball movement and an extra pass should lead to an open three point look on the far side of the court.

Rather than make that pass, Burke opts to continue his drive baseline as Travis Trice forces him out of bounds. He eventually tries a desperation kick-out pass to Smotrycz which comes after he had already stepped on the end line.

Here’s the full motion:

This is just one example, and Michigan State didn’t completely eliminate the ball screen action from Michigan’s repertoire but the Spartans did a great job of limiting it. Burke didn’t get any of the easy baskets around the hoop that he had in the first meeting and he never quite seemed comfortable distributing the ball. Here are a handful of other ball screen clips for Sunday’s game including a couple of nice adjustments that you can see Burke make over the course of the game, a bit of good with the bad:

Burke makes some strong plays here. He splits the hedge on one look, finds Morgan on another and rejects the screen once against a hard hedge before failing to finish around the hoop. The theme seems to be that Michigan State was going to make Burke’s attempts around the basket to be as tough as possible, sometimes cheating off of shooters due to the fact that Burke appeared more likely to shoot than kick the ball.

Video from MGoBlue.com