There was no energy from the tip and Michigan didn’t do anything to give the crowd life all night. The fact that Florida Gulf Coast is a horrible team is no excuse to come out with the physical and mental effort that we saw tonight. Luckily FGCU was bad enough that Michigan’s poor play didn’t come back to haunt them.

Michigan played down to a Florida Gulf Coast team that had no business staying close. Worst of all they settled for a record number of three point attempts when they should have pounded the ball inside against a team that couldn’t match them in talent or athleticism. 65.6% of Michigan’s field goal attempts were from long range and they made only 12 of those 42 long range attempts.

Florida Gulf Coast’s 49% eFG% topped Michigan’s 45.3% but FGCU just couldn’t hold on to the ball. FGCU turned the ball over on 36.1% of their possessions compared to Michigan’s 20.8%. Michigan won the other two of the four factors as well: they rebounded 40% of their missed shots compared to FGCU’s 31.4% and posted a 35.9 free throw rate compared to FGCU’s 31.4.

Michigan picked a good time to play one of their worst games of the year but they can’t afford to play with this level of effort over the next couple weeks. North Carolina Central is another team who Michigan should blow out (they might be worse than FGCU) but they can’t afford to pick up bad habits headed into the Big Ten season. There are plenty of excuses (Christmas, break, poor opposition and whatever else) but Michigan didn’t do a whole lot to prove they belong in the top 25 tonight and better get their act together before December 31st.

Player Bullets:

• DeShawn Sims: One of the only bright spots for Michigan today, Peedi had 20 points and 20 boards against a FGCU team that had no one that could handle him.  Peedi also hit 2 of 3 triples and added 3 assists, 1 block, and a steal.
• Laval Lucas-Perry: LLP showed that his three point stroke against Oakland was no fluke as he hit 2 out of 3 of his long range attempts. LLP also showed good quickness getting down the floor on a fast break and breaking up a FGCU break. He played 20 minutes today and I’d expect his minutes keep inching up game by game.
• Stu Douglass: Stu played pretty well, he hit a couple triples and also showed off his athleticism with an open court dunk. 12 points (3-6 shooting), 2 boards, 1 assist.
• Kelvin Grady: Grady had a season high 14 points but he took 12 shots including 10 threes. Some of them were good looks but I would have liked to see Grady drive and dish a little more. 1 assist to 3 turnovers doesn’t help his stat line either.
• Manny Harris: Manny had his first single digit game of the 2008-2009 campaign but he managed 5 assists and 6 rebounds. He also had 4 turnovers and got a little too careless with his shot selection in the first half.  Manny shouldn’t be taking 8 threes in a game and really started forcing his game.
• Zack Novak: Novak struggled at the four tonight. There were several rebounds that maybe he should have had and I think he let that affect his shooting. Novak was 1-8 (0-5 3pt) and 2-4 on free throws for 6 points with only 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
• Anthony Wright: Another DNP. The writing was on the wall as his minutes declined gradually and now that LLP is in the rotation it appears that Beilein is leaving him behind. It’s really hard to find room for a shooter who can’t shoot.

Basics:
Who: Michigan (8-2) vs Florida Gulf Coast (4-7)
Where: Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI
When: Monday, December 22nd 7PM ET
TV: BigTenNetwork.com
Preview: Stat Sheet
Radio: MGoBlue, WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050)

Reed Baker leads the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles back to his old stomping grounds in Ann Arbor. Baker transferred to play for former Michigan manager Dave Balza after John Beilein arrived. Reed leads FGCU in scoring with 11.6 ppg but is shooting only 33% from the field. I would love to see Reed have a good game back at Crisler Arena as long as Michigan can pull off the W. Here are Reed’s comments on Michigan:

“He didn’t think I was tall enough to play wing in his 1-3-1 zone,” Baker said. “And based on my stats, how many assists I had averaging 8 to 10 minutes a game, he didn’t think I was the type of player for his system and he didn’t see me playing a lot.”

Baker could’ve kept his scholarship at Michigan but didn’t want to stay where he wasn’t wanted.

“After spending a year putting in the effort and learning what it takes to be a college basketball player and not reaping the the benefits and getting the rewards of playing time, it wasn’t worth it to me, it made my decision easy,” he said. “You’re there four hours a day. Who wants. … I think of myself as a positive person and who wants to be around a person who’s so negative with you every day. I’m not going to put myself around that. So I said, ‘I’m gonna go somewhere else and be happier,’ which I am.”

Reed was basically forced out and I don’t blame him for feeling a little bitter, he was by all accounts a good kid and I’m glad that it appears he has landed on his feet. In the same article Balza notes that the game was scheduled to set up a presentation in memorial of Dr. Joel Fortnoy, a former Michigan manager who died unexpectedly.

FGCU has played a couple tough opponents including Kansas (85-45), Florida (94-60), and Butler (73-53)  but they haven’t beat anyone with an RPI better than 200.

FGCU plays an uptempo game (70.9 possessions per game) but doesn’t shoot it particularly well, their 43.5 eFG% ranks 311th in the nation. They also struggle holding onto the ball and turn it over on 26.7% of their possessions (338th) and also rebounding where their offensive rebounding percentage ranks 231st. The one thing they do relatively well is get to the line, their 29.0 free throw rate ranks 70th in the country. Overall their adjusted offensive efficiency rating ranks 316th.

It’s also worth noting that Michigan’s adjusted efficiency rating is up to 6th in the country, this is very impressive considering they were ranked 148 at the end of last season.

With FGCU’s poor statistical profile and apparent injury problems, this game has cupcake written all over it. It should be a chance for Beilein to continue to tinker with the lineup and continue to ease Laval Lucas-Perry into the lineup.

Let’s hear your thoughts and predictions in the comments.

Game Day Links:

• Is “Pre-Conference Season All-Conference Team” an oxymoron?
  DeShawn and Manny get love from our favorite Spartan blogger.
• AGENT ZERO: Novak’s rise at Michigan impressive
  Novak is making people proud back home.
• How to Think About the (Not So) New Three-Point Line
  Big Ten Wonk
• Top 10 games and more
  Best local college and high school games over the next three weeks.
• On the scene
  Greg Anthony gives Manny Harris some love.
• Sixth man Grady delivers energy
  Fluff.
• U-M Notebook: Lucas-Perry says he was ready for his moment
  Notes on LLP, Manny, and Cronin.
• Legion impresses in Illini debut
  2-6 for 6 points with 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, and 2 fouls in 18 minutes.  Those numbers aren’t quite as impressive as our mid-season addition. Anyone else excited for LLP vs. Legion on Jan. 4?
• Mad Ants’ Hunter gets big results down low