Well Michigan proved yesterday that they are capable of losing to anyone in the nation by coming out slow with no energy. Hopefully today they can correct some of the mistakes and prove that they can beat any team in the nation on a neutral floor.
The first half was one to quickly forget. Burke was the only player that seemed interested in playing. Novak and Stu forgot the game started, Hardaway was not aggressive in asking for the ball, and Morgan of course doesnt get looked at down low. Luckily we were only down 3 to start the 2nd half. Couldnt play much worse, and yet only down 1 possession. Michigan's major struggles with rebounding continued and they gave up too many offensive rebounds to an average rebounding team.
The second started with a decent run for the Maize and Blue, and they felt in control for most of the half. Maybe the team felt that as well, but they were never able to put the Gophers away. Until at the end when Michigan trailed by 7 late in the game, Michigan knocked down a couple of huge 3s to put the game into OT. The game should have never gotten that far though, we missed 8 free throws, didnt rebound well, and missed some easy shots at the end of the game. Lucky for us, the team seems to play better the longer the game goes on. In OT shots started falling and eventually Michigan pulled out the win.
Burke had his best game of his young career with 30 points. He had a few amazing plays that Gus Johnson didnt notice. One where he dribbled between his legs to inside the 3 point line, then spun away from Hollins to the baseline and then went right into their center, held in the air and put the ball off the glass into the hoop. I guess the announcers were too busy raving over Hollins to notice. Hardaway came out aggressively in the 2nd half and made a few tough shots in a row, we are a very difficult team to beat when he scored efficiently. Michigan only ended up shooting 15 threes yesterday, which is a huge improvement over 30.
Defensively, Michigan gave up too many open looks again. They need to shore up their man to man defense for today because Morgan will be forced to contain Sullinger again. Michigan will likely struggle getting into a 2-3 zone against the Buckeyes. From being a very tough defensive team for some stretches to being below average during others, Michigan has to get more consistent for entire halves and games like they were at differet times this season.
It was a good win for Michigan to get back into the semifinals for the 2nd year in a row. Hopefully the extra 5 minutes of play doesnt come back to hurt us today, but regardless today will be another exciting day of basketball!
Go Blue!
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