Another ugly win for the basketball team last night. It is amazing how badly they can play at home, especially just a few days after playing one of their better games all year. Last night was perfect evidence of how important the mental aspect is of a basketball game. If Michigan would have gone into the game as focused on NW as they were against Wisconsin, the game would have looked completely different. While it is still good that Michigan found a way to win yesterday in Crisler, it should make them realize that in order to reach any of their goals this season they will have to focus on each and every game for the rest of the season. They will have no chance of sneaking into the top 3 of the conference if they fall in one of the “should” win games.
Michigan was terrible on offense again last night. Outside of Hardaway going 5-9 from 3, the rest of the team supported him by going 2-21. I didn’t mistype that number… 2-21. I didn’t know that was possible, especially since a lot of the shots were open looks. Somehow Stu off the bench shot 6 threes last night. The only situation where this should happen is if he is shooting well (4-6 or so). There is absolutely no reason a bench player should be on the floor if he goes 0-6 from 3. Yes he did some good things last night on defense, and hit some big free throws down the stretch, but how does a “shooter” go 0-6 from 3 when he is coming off the bench. I don’t think Big Blue could have shot worse. What is even more frustrating after last night’s game is the production we received from our post players. Northwestern has little to zero athletic ability in their post (I am not including Shurna in this, even though he is 6’9” he plays more of a wing position). How does Morgan and Smot combine to score 11 points? In a game where they both should have been in double figures. With each B1G game, Smot drifts further from the basket. Most teams can make him just a 3 point jump shooter without much effort. I blame the lack of Morgan’s production on the guards and also Morgan’s attitude last night. When Michigan was down by 10 early in the 2nd half, the only way we caught up was because we passed the ball inside and let the offense flow through Morgan. He scored all of his 6 points in a very short time span, and also during this time other players were open for easy lay ups and buckets. Then we tied the score back up at 48, our next 3 possessions resulted in us taking a 3 point shot. I don’t understand the mindset in those moments, when you witness a 10 point comeback in a matter of a few minutes from going inside and using the back cut effectively, how do you immediately begin to settle for what got you in the 10 point hole in the first place?
So many people say Michigan lives and dies by the 3. While previous Beilein teams have done this, and it has angered many fans, this team should not. They are too athletic and too talented to be limited to one shot on the floor. When Michigan begins attacking with Burke, Hardaway, and even Novak at times, the results are great. With people driving to the hoop, it causes the defense to be sucked in leaving open looks for 3 if needed, but more importantly it allows more offensive players to crash the offensive glass and get easy put backs or passes. When Michigan gets stagnant in their offensive movement and shot selection, they limit their own effectiveness and take away the rare athletic advantages they should have.
Even though Burke and Hardaway combined for 38 points on 12-30 shooting, Burke did seal the game away at the end of overtime. Burke finished the game 8-8 from the line, and he wanted the ball in his hands to take those high pressure shots. The impressive thing here is that the seniors on the floor accepted that and gave him the ball. The trust this team shows in Burke on a game to game basis is pretty special. Michigan finished 15-16 from the line, and it was one of the major factors in them pulling out the win. Burke’s stat line yesterday read 19 points on 5-17 shooting, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Not bad for his 5 B1G game ever. Along with free throws, the big reason Michigan pulled this ugly game out was because of offensive rebounding. The Wolverines had a season high 17 offensive rebounds. There was a time in the 2nd half and OT when it seemed like Michigan was guaranteed to get a second chance opportunity. This type of efficiency that we have seen the past few games has been very impressive, and if Michigan can continue to rebound the ball well off our own misses, they will be able to stay in a lot of games.
Defensively we allowed the only 2 players that could beat us, to beat us. The Shurna/ Crawford combo finished with 41 points and 12 rebounds. The rest of the NW team finished with 23 points and 20 rebounds. The Wildcats continued to play to Crawford’s right hand strength by setting top of the key screens for him to drive in with his right and get an easy shot off. I don’t know how many times a team can get beat by the same play. Shurna was himself last night and threw up a ton of junk shots that somehow managed to go in. Michigan had nobody that was able to match up with him. He was way too quick for Smot and way too tall for Novak. Michigan did not cover the complex Princeton style offense well for most of the game. they were beaten by their own game of back cutting, and caught off guard with a lot of screens. The wings also did not close out well on the 3 point shooter for most of the game, causing NW to shoot 50% from the field for the entire game compared to our 33%. We have got to recover the intensity that was present in Sunday’s game vs Wisconsin.
Michigan hopefully learned its lesson yesterday that they cannot take anyone lightly in this conference at home or on the road, because they have another potential trap game coming up on Saturday. They head to Iowa where they seldom play well, and the game is right before the huge showdown with Sparty. Michigan should come in focused after a few days of intense practices and game planning, but if not look for another frustrating game. Next time I don’t think they will be as fortunate if they come out as unfocused on the road.
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