It was a busy night of high school basketball across the state of Michigan. Regional finals were underway and the state’s best teams were playing for a chance to play in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Michigan commitments and targets were in action all over the place and there were plenty of upsets as well. Of course, Michigan head coach John Beilein was on the road to take in the action. Find out how Isaiah Sykes, Trey Zeigler, Carlton Brundidge, Javontae Hawkins, and Amir Williams performed after the jump.

(Click photos to enlarge)

On a busy night of basketball, it was Isaiah Sykes that stole the show. There has always been a lot of mysterious hype surrounding Sykes game but he has never drawn the headlines. On Wednesday night, Sykes lived up to his hype as Denby knocked off nationally ranked, defending state champion, Pershing High School in a 81-64 rout.

As pictured above, John Beilein was in attendance to watch Sykes perform. Coaches from Arkansas were also on hand and Sykes didn’t disappoint.

Sykes appeared to injured his ankle before halftime but returned with 4:19 to play in the third quarter and finished with 24 points and 18 rebounds for Denby. Michigan State commitment Keith Appling had 29 points in the loss.

Denby will face Taylor Kennedy on Tuesday at 5:30 PM at University of Detroit.

2011 commitment Carlton Brundidge was also in action as Southfield took on Clarkston for a regional crown. Clarkston and Southfield split a pair of games during the regular season but Clarkston was widely considered the favorite. Clarkston is the model of consistency, having been to 8 consecutive quarterfinals, but most recently they were in last year’s state semi-finals.

Southfield was not to be denied, as Brundidge led them to a 67-55 win. Brundidge scored a game high 25 points and added 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

It is Southfield’s first regional final since 1982 and they will face De La Salle in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday at 7:30 PM at University of Detroit.

Next up was 2010 target Trey Zeigler, who we scouted and filmed on Monday. Zeigler’s Mt. Pleasant team was overmatched by Arthur Hill’s athleticism and talent and they lost  69-49. Zeigler had 20 points and 12 rebounds but continued to struggle at the free throw line going 0-for-8.

Mt. Pleasant and Powers Video (including Zeigler dunk):

Flint Powers won their third straight regional crown relatively easily. 2012 wing Javontae Hawkins scored seven points in the first quarter and finished the game with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the 69-56 win. Patrick Lucas-Perry added 17 points of his own. Powers will take on Country Day in a huge quarterfinal match-up at Brighton High School on Tuesday at 7PM.

Speaking of Country Day, they handled Detroit Crocket with ease winning 61-45. Amir Williams had 13 points in the win. Saying Tuesday’s battle between Country Day and Flint Powers has significant championship implications would be an understatement, the game very well could determine the Class B winner.

Finally, Grand Haven’s Nate VanArendonk shattered a backboard in a win over Rockford. He’ll play at Central Michigan next year.

Zeigler finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds as Mt. Pleasant came away with a 57-49 win.

The 6-foot-5 185 pounds that he is listed at seemed very fair. He was the tallest player on the court and certainly used his size to his advantage. He consistently showed the ability to post up smaller guards. Once he got the ball in the post he was a very capable finisher inside.

Zeigler has a very good handle and consistently used it to get into the lane. He looked for his teammates often as well and made some very nice passes, I had him down for 3 assists but there were a couple others that just weren’t finished. He also had a couple turnovers but they were usually trying to make a pass that wasn’t there.

Zeigler actually played point guard for long stretches of the game and he is most effective when he can get in the lane. Once he gets there, he is capable of taking it all the way to the bucket but he also has a nice midrange game, something that we often reference as missing from this year’s Michigan team. He finished a number of ways in the lane: he used the backboard, went to a floater, and took it all the way.

One of the things that stands out when you watch Zeigler is that he plays very under control. His athleticism allows him to look like he’s almost just gliding by people and he doesn’t look like he is exerting much energy.

No scouting report is complete without the negatives. First off, his jump shot needs a bit of work. It just looks a bit unnatural as he releases the ball a little low and it seems like he almost flings the ball. There isn’t a lot of rotation on his jumpshot and it tends to be a little too flat. He wasn’t hitting the jumper but he didn’t really need to take many jumpers with his ability to get in the lane.

Most importantly, he needs to practice his free throws. Trey finished 2-for-13 at the line. It became so bad that Northwestern implemented a “Hack-a-Trey” strategy late in the game and it almost allowed them to come back. Free throws are obviously a huge mental issue but he also has unique free throw form. He doesn’t take any dribbles before he shoots (he just tosses the ball up to himself) and this creates a stop-start motion that seems a little too quick to be consistent.

Overall there’s a lot to like about Zeigler’s game. He is a versatile player that has the ability to stuff the stat sheet. With his size and athleticism he is a very good rebounder but he can also score the ball in a number of ways. It wasn’t his best day shooting the ball but it isn’t fair to judge his shooting ability on just one performance. Zeigler’s ability to do a little bit of everything is the the real takeaway when you watch him play.

Next up for Mount Pleasant is a rematch with Arthur Hill (Weds., 7PM), a team that blew out the Oilers earlier this year. It will also be a battle of Mr. Basketball candidates as Zeigler takes on USC bound Maurice “Pookie” Jones. I’ve seen Zeigler, Jones, Appling, and McCallum play this year and if I had a vote for Mr. Basketball it would have to go to McCallum.

Here are some important dates to remember over the next couple months. NBA early entry deadline: April 27th. NBA early entry withdrawal deadline: May 8th. NCAA signing day: April 14th.

Note: This is not intended to be a complete list of all players Michigan is recruiting. Only players with published stats are listed.

2010

Evan Smotrycz, Tim Hardaway Jr. – Both Michigan commitments have finished their high school season.

Trey Zeigler – (6-foot-5, Wing)

Mount Pleasant won their district title for the 5th yea r in a row behind 28 points from Zeigler. Mt. Pleasant is now 20-3 and will face Flint Northwestern top open regional play at Bay City Central. Zeigler also had 18 points in a 46-32 win over Midland in the first round of district play.

Zeigler is planning a signing day decision and is still expected to take his remaining two official visits after his high school season concludes. ESPN posted a breakdown of Zeigler’s finalists that’s relatively bland but still could be worth a look. Michigan is in good position heading down the stretch run but as we all know, anything can happen in recruiting.

Mount Pleasant will play Flint Northwestern tonight at 8PM at Bay City Central High School in regional semi-final action.

Jon Horford (6-foot-9, Center)

It’s been a busy week for the Grand Ledge big man. First off, Horford landed a Michigan scholarship offer that will be made official once he visits campus. Horford is expected to accept the offer and become a Michigan Wolverine.

Horford’s prep career came to a bit of a disappointing finish. Grand Ledge knocked off Mason in the district semifinals, 50-44. Horford was in foul trouble for most of the game and finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and seven blocks.

But Grand Ledge’s season came to an end in the district final with a 49-38 loss to Holt. Horford had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Rivals has video ($).

2011

Carlton Brundidge (6-foot-2, Guard) – Commit

Carlton Brundidge led Southfield to their first district title since 1984. Brundidge had a monster performance in Southfield’s district semifinal win over Detroit Henry Ford. Brundidge had foul trouble early but finished with a game high 28 points, notching 22 in the second half. Brundidge took over the game down the stretch and also hit three late free throws to ice the game.

Southfield had an easier time in the district final as they rolled over Ferndale, 97-64.  Brundidge had 21 points in the blowout win and started Southfields 22-2 run in the second half with a pair of old fashioned three point plays. Rivals has video ($).

Southfield will play Pontiac tonight at Lake Orion (5PM) in the regional semi-final.

Markus Crider (6-foot-6, Wing)

The Wayne high school wing forward landed a Michigan offer two weeks ago and he reminded John Beilein why with a huge performance in a 46-40 loss to St. Xavier. Wayne was playing without two players who were ruled ineligible by the OHSAA but that didn’t stop Crider from putting together a big game. Crider had 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks including a monster alleyoop dunk.

Crider doesn’t plan to make a decision until after this summer but it’s clear that he needs to be near the top of the watch list this summer as he is a Michigan priority.

Rod Days (6-foot-6, Wingman)

Days is a wing forward from Florida that has also been garnering some Michigan attention. Sam Webb recently interviewed him at GoBlueWolverine ($) and confirmed that Michigan is recruiting him. ESPN has some scouting information. Days is rated a 3 star prospect on Rivals and ranked 115th in the class of 2011. He’s rated a 4 star on Scout and ranked #58 in the class.

Days plays on the same team as 2010 Indiana commitment Will Sheehey and 5 star Syracuse commitment Fab De Melo. Their loaded Sagemont team lost in the Florida class 2A state semifinals and Days was held to only 7 points.

Days is definitely one to watch during the coming months.

Eric Katenda (6-foot-9, PF/SF)

GoBlueWolverine also caught up with Eric Katenda ($). I linked to a New England Recruiting report article a couple weeks ago that mentioned Michigan was recruiting Katenda.

Katenda moved to the United States from France two years ago and is a very intriguing prospect at his size. Katenda has put up some monster performances including 37 points against Suffield Academy, 34 against St. Andrew’s, 21 vs. Salisbury, and most recently 33 against Choate. Notre Dame was the first high major school to offer Katenda at the end of February.

Katenda was also named to the All Western New England first team. Assuming Katenda keeps up his strong play he should continue to garner lots of high major interest.

Amir Williams (6-foot-10, Center)

Country Day rolled through their district with ease. Amir had 15 points in a 79-26 win over Madison Heights Lamphere.  In a 76-64 district semi-final win over Madison, Williams had 20 points, 15 rebounds, and six blocks. Williams added 17 points and nine rebounds in the district final, a 83-45 win over Bloomfield Hills Lahser.

Country Day will face Pontiac Notre Dame tonight at Imlay City (7:30 PM) in the regional semi-finals.

Cody Zeller (6-foot-10, PF/C)

Cody Zeller had a monster 29 point, 13 rebound performance in a 52-45 regional semi final win over Corydon. He followed that up with 21 points and 9 rebounds in a 55-47 win over Boonville to win a regional championship. Washington faces Danville on March 20th in the Class 3A Indiana semifinals.

Spencer Turner (6-foot-3, Guard)

The Herald Times put together a profile video of the sharp shooting junior. Bloomington South had their 49 game win streak (one short of the state record) snapped by Jeffersonville, 58-56. South had beaten Jeffersonville by 31 earlier this year. Recap and video of the defeat can be found here.

2012

Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell (5-foot-10, Point guard)

Ferrell has been putting up monster numbers this year and it appears that plenty of schools are taking notice. Most recently, Indiana joined the fray and offered the sophomore a scholarship. Ferrell’s four offers right now are Indiana, Illinois, Butler, and Purdue.

Ferrell and his Park Tudor squad have also been taking care of business in the Indiana state playoffs. Ferrell had 19 points in a 44-30 win in the regional semi-finals over South Ripley. Ferrell followed that up with 16 points in a 50-41 win over Winchester in the Class 2A regional final. The win put Park Tudor in the Indiana semi-states where they will face Forest Park on March 20th.

Javontae Hawkins (6-foot-5, Wing)

Flint Powers won their district over with a 60-52 win over Flint Southwestern. Hawkins had 7 points and they all came in the second half.

Powers will face Piconning in the regional semifinals at North Branch tonight at 8pm.

Matt Costello (6-foot-8, Power Forward)

The Bay City Western big man is getting high major interest from Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State among many other schools. He had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in Western’s loss to Mt. Pleasant while John Beilein was in attendance.

You can join the group here and the ID# is 77772.

Michigan battled with Ohio State and continuously fought back despite being  behind by double digits for long stretches of the second half but in the end it wasn’t enough. Manny Harris single handily carried Michigan back into the game but it was all for not after Turner’s 40 foot running jumper as time expired.

Turner’s shot was tremendous and there’s a reason that he’s the best college basketball player in the country. Still, it was a running 40 footer from a 28% three point shooter. That’s not a high percentage shot from anyone.

First off, I don’t have a major problem with not defending the inbounder. If you are going to take a running shot like that, the inbounds pass isn’t all that critical. Guarding the inbounder comes into play if they are able to make a very long pass downcourt, Turner caught the ball at free throw line extended. It was a pass that could have been made even with Zack Gibson guarding Lighty.

What you do have to do is impede his progress at some point before half court. This didn’t happen because Buford set a great screen on Douglass. Once Turner is across half court, you simply can’t foul him so actually contesting the shot is tough to do. If you watch the replay, Douglass did have a bit of a hand in his face but not fouling has to be the #1 priority in that situation.

Still, Michigan needed to slow Turner down. I would have put one more player in the backcourt, especially with Buford back there as well, in an attempt to slow Turner down but I also realize that Beilein didn’t want to give up the long pass and a potential good two point look. 2.2 seconds is a time frame where you really have to think about throwing the ball further down the court. 4 or 5 seconds and you are more likely to see the kind of play that Ohio State ran because you can run the length of the court easier.

If Turner misses that shot, are people questioning whether Ohio State should have thrown the ball further down the court in attempt to a get a better look? It’s a thin line. At the end of the day, Turner made a hell of a shot and made it look ridiculously easy but not forcing Turner to work in the backcourt falls on Michigan’s defensive plan.

Back to the other 39 minutes and 57.8 seconds. There were a bunch of “here we go again” moments starting with Michigan’s collapse at the end of the first half which allowed Ohio State to close the half on a 25-6 run. Michigan consistently cut the lead to 5 or 6 points ago but Ohio State typically answered, pushing the lead back to ten. But for one of the first time this year, Michigan managed to play through their mistakes.

Then Manny Harris took over. Harris had 22 of his 26 points in the second half and scored in just about every way possible. He got to the free throw line, he took the ball to the rack, scored in transition, hit three point shots, and even scored in the midrange. Harris had some definitely low points this year but this was one of the high notes.  It was a firm reminder of just what Manny can be if he returns for his senior year. Harris provided no update on his future after the game, saying it would be “wrong and selfish” to discuss his future after the loss which is certainly reasonable.

Looking at the four factors… The game was pretty much a dead heat. Michigan outrebounded the Buckeyes and got to the free throw line more often. Ohio State outshot Michigan by the slimmest of margins (Turner’s last shot was the difference) and also won the turnover battle. Michigan turned the ball over 9 times in the first half but did a much better job in the second.

It was a valiant effort from Michigan but in the end it just wasn’t enough. The adage about “big time players making big time plays” is a cliche but in today’s case it was just the truth. Manny Harris was phenomenal but Evan Turner had the ball last, even if it was only for the last 2.2 seconds.

It’s fitting for this season to end with one more punch in the gut but now it’s time to move toward the future with signing day only a month away. You can bet that the players returning on this roster will be hungry. Any sort of complacency that developed during last off-season won’t be tolerable. In terms of what happens on the blog… We’ll have a series of posts examining what went wrong this year followed by a series of posts hypothesizing how to fix things. We’ll also continue to cover recruiting and everything else that we’ve done before.

Player Bullets:

• Manny Harris: As I said in the post, Manny was just phenomenal. Some of the shots that he hit down the stretch are ones that we just haven’t seen from him. If Harris is able to supplement the rest of his game with the pull up jumper and a little runner, he will be far more dangerous. I don’t think he’s an NBA prospect right now but I wouldn’t fault him for putting his name in the draft without hiring an agent, leaving the door open to return.
• Stu Douglass: Stu hit some huge three pointers in the second half and kept Michigan in the game. It was a long year for Stu, playing a lot more point guard than might have been expected but this was a great performance from Douglass.
• DeShawn Sims: Peedi shot the ball very well but he had a couple of frustrating turnovers, mostly in the first half. It was still an all around solid performance from Sims in the last game of his career. I’m going to miss Peedi shooting those baseline fadeaway jumpshots, that’s for sure.
• Zack Novak: 8 points (3-6 shooting) with three boards for Novak. I was shocked to see his two drives, including the pretty scoop layup under the rim. It’s something we expected more of this year but never really saw.
• Zack Gibson: Gibson provided a few quality minutes and it was great to see him play hard down the stretch. Gibson was woefully inconsistent throughout his career but he did have his moments of glory.
• Laval Lucas-Perry: Three rebounds, 2 steals, and two assists is nice but Laval’s shooting was just painful down the stretch this year. It’s the cross roads for Laval, he needs to make major strides this offseason.

There’s not a more fitting way for this season to end than another heartbreaking loss. Michigan has lost a number of close games this season and this was probably the most painful loss yet.

The clock looks suspiciously close to starting late but I don’t think the officials are allowed to review when the clock started. Not to mention, it is always going to be human controlled so you just have to go with it. Thad Matta certainly didn’t look open to the idea of a review, judging by the rage he unleashed on the scorers table. Bottom line: Turner hit a ridiculous 40 foot shot at the buzzer. There’s a reason he’s the best college basketball player in the country.

I’ll have a full post-game later, including thoughts about defending the last play.

Apologies in advance but I have to keep it short because of time constraints… The Iowa game was ugly but at this point it’s tough to complain about a win.

For the first 10 minutes, everything was running smoothly and Michigan was scoring points at ease. Then Iowa switched to the zone defense and Michigan appeared bewildered. Michigan couldn’t buy a three point shot and they kept firing.

Four factors graphs sans interpretation:

Next up, Ohio State at noon eastern on ESPN. Evan Turner is good. The rest of the Ohio State starting is also good. Ohio State is a 9 point favorite and it’s really tough to see Michigan standing a chance.

For more on Ohio State here is the preview and post game from the last contest in Columbus. There isn’t really a good match-up on the court for Michigan so it will take a very impressive effort. Ohio State is probably playing for a one seed and Michigan needs a miracle to make the NIT.

It’s Ohio State’s first game in 10 days and also their first game in Indianapolis. That coupled with a noon tip off are probably the biggest x-factors going Michigan’s way. It’s not the best news when those are the only positives that you can come up with.

The post is short so let’s hear your thoughts, predictions, and everything else in the comments.

Basics

Who: Michigan (14-16, 7-11) vs. Iowa (10-21, 4-14)
Where: Conseco Field House, Indianapolis
When: Thursday, March 10th, 2:30 PM EST
TV: ESPN2/ESPN360.com
Radio: MGoBlue, WWJ 950 AM/WTKA 1050 AM
Line:  Michigan by 8
Live TFS
Pomeroy Profile
Big Ten Tournament Bracket
Last Time: Preview / Post Game
First Time: Preview / Post Game

Michigan tips off the Big Ten Tournament with a 2:30 matinee versus Iowa (again). Michigan and Iowa have become quite familiar with each other of late. This will be the 9th time that these two programs have faced off in the last three years. Michigan is 5-2 in the last seven contests, going 2-1 each year.

The old adage “it’s tough to beat a team three times” certainly comes into play here. Michigan swept the season series but judging by the game in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes seem to have figured out the Michigan defense. Iowa scored 1.18 points per possession in that game, the third worst defensive performance of Michigan’s season.

Aaron Fuller was simply dominant in that contest. Fuller scored 30 points on 11 of 13 shooting and also pulled down 13 rebounds. Michigan needs to figure out a way to slow down the versatile power forward or they could be looking at a long day. If they do manage to stop Fuller, they should have a great shot to win the game as Iowa’s options beyond Fuller are limited.

The one other player to watch out for is Matt Gatens. Gatens also played very well in the last match-up (21 points on 8 of 13 (3-6 3pt) shooting with 8 rebounds, and four assists) and Michigan will have to do work to slow him down. Gatens three point shooting is down from last year (34% from 40%) but he is still dangerous if he gets going. He also is one of the few Iowa players that has the ability to take the ball to the rack if you over play him.

For Michigan, it’s all about DeShawn Sims. Over the last two years (6 games), Sims averages 21 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. His performances have been highlighted by a game tying three in Iowa City earlier this year and also his monster performance in the Big Ten Tournament last year in which he single handily punched Michigan’s NCAA tournament ticket. Sims will need to bring his A-game which we haven’t seen nearly as often as we did in January.

Iowa’s strengths and weaknesses as a team haven’t changed much since the last game. Their offense has really struggled, they have the second worst offense in the Big Ten at .94 points per possession in conference play. They even shoot the ball worse than Michigan with a shooting line (2pt/3pt/eFG) of 42.04/30.1/46.4. They turn the ball over on 22.3% of their possessions in conference play and only Indiana does a worse job holding onto the ball.

While their offense has been decidedly mediocre, Iowa’s defense hasn’t been any better. Iowa does do one thing well: defend the three point shot. Big Ten opponents shoot only 32.8% from three point range versus the Hawkeyes, second best in the conference. The Hawkeyes’ field goal defense is below average and they give up a ton of good looks from two point range. They don’t force many turnovers but they do manage to keep opponents off the free throw line.

Considering Iowa is one of only two teams that Michigan swept this year, the Wolverines are clearly capable of beating them. Anything can happen in a conference tournament game though and it will come down to whether Michigan executes. At this point no one knows what to expect from this team on any given night. This is most likely the final weekend in one of the most disappointing Michigan basketball seasons in quite some time. It’s a crapshoot how they react… They could go on a torrid winning streak like Baylor last year and come up just short. Or they could go out with barely a wimper and lose to Iowa.

I wouldn’t be surprised at any outcome but the stats do point toward Michigan. Pomeroy likes Michigan by 7 with an 82% chance at victory while Vegas is even more confident and likes Michigan by 8. Let’s hear your thoughts and predictions in the comments.