Each time the Michigan basketball team loses for the remainder of the year, they inch ever closer to completely whiffing on the NCAA tournament and earning a bid to the NIT. Midway through the first half in the Ohio State game, the commentator, referring to Michigan’s dismal shooting to start the game, asked, “Is that Michigan, or is it Ohio State’s defense?” Of course, as always, the answer lies somewhere in the middle of those two answers. However, I think, for the most part, Michigan basketball’s current slide can be accounted for by the offensive performances of Michigan and their foes, moreso than either team’s defense.

It’s gotten frustrating starting games in a big deficit, then clawing back to within striking range at halftime (or shortly after, as was the case in this game), and thinking “well, when the team starts making shots, they should be able to run away with this one.” The team hasn’t started hitting those shots in almost any game. The shooting hasn’t improved too much in the last few weeks, and the games have all too often ended up with the Wolverines on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

Later in the same game, the announcer came back with another interesting quite regarding Michigan’s offense: “how easy must it be to play for a coach who’s never going to criticize your shot selection?” This is a ridiculous misrepresentation of the John Beilein philosophy. Running an offense that relies heavily on 3-pointers is in no way the same as having a coach who tells his players to shoot whenever and wherever they want. On the contrary, Beilein can often be seen screaming at a player after he takes a particularly reckless shot, and uses the unceremonious substitution as punishment for the same very often. In this game, Beilein got so angry as to earn a technical foul at one point. This isn’t a guy who’s not getting frustrated with his teeam.

So, again BJ Mullens dominated the offensive boards with putbacks, again Michigan couldn’t hit their shots, open or otherwise, and the Wolverines sulked back to Ann Arbor with their tails between their legs. The tournament is going to be a tough task now, with Michigan all-but-requiring wins against the likes of Purdue and Michigan State to make it in. Are they up to the task?

Posted under Basketball

Should get started shortly after 6. The game is at 6:30.

Posted under Basketball

Or: Tim’s foray into tempo-free statistics.

The Wolverines have a chance to exact revenge on Ohio State tonight in Columbus. The Wolverines will try to turn the tables on the Buckeyes from the last game, a 7-point loss for the home side just 11 days ago. The game can be seen on Big Ten Network tonight at 6:30.

Tempo-Free and efficiency comparison (if you need an explanation of what any of these things mean, head to KenPom’s website):

Michigan v. Ohio State: National Ranks
Category	Michigan	Ohio State	Advantage
Mich eFG% v. OSU eFG% D	126	79	O
Mich eFG% D v. OSU eFG%	172	50	OO
Mich TO% v. OSU Def TO%	4	130	MM
Mich Def TO% v. OSU TO%	165	118	O
Mich OReb% v. OSU DReb%	238	192	O
Mich DReb% v. OSU OReb%	158	267	MM
Mich FTR v. OSU Opp FTR	321	5	OOOO
Mich Opp FTR v. OSU FTR	7	84	M
Mich AdjO v. OSU AdjD	28	42	M
Mich AdjD v. OSU AdjO	141	79	O

Differences of more than 100 places in the rankings garner two-letter advantages, differences of more than 200 get a third.

When Last We Met…

BJ Mullens had a ridiculous game, going 7-9 from the field, with nearly every one a dunk. Evan Turner got to the line 14 times (albeit many of them at the end of the game, when Michigan was just trying to extend the contest). William Buford had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Despite all of this, Michigan was in the game until near the very end, and even led for pretty big portions of the second half.

DeShawn Sims struggled (a surefire bad sign for Michigan chances of victory), but Manny Harris was easily Michigan’s player of the game. The only other player to hit more than one 3-ball for Michigan was Stu Douglass, who appears to be getting hot for Michigan at the right time.

Since Last We Met…

The Wolverines split games with Penn State and Northwestern, defeating the latter. Their shooting has continued to decline, mostly on account of a horrid performance against the Nittany Lions (but also a poor effort from 3 against the Wildcats). Opponents’ shooting, meanwhile, has gotten better, as Michigan either has terrible defense or terrible luck (a combination of both, if you ask me, and I’ve discussed it in more depth elsewhere) of late. Michigan’s rebounding has improved (offensive slightly; defensive significantly), but their ability to get to the line has waned, thanks to Manny Harris’s inability to get a foul called on an opponent. Overall, the Wolverines’ offensive and defensive effeciency have both fallen. Sims hit bottom against Penn State, but returned to form against Northwestern.

In big losses to Illinois and Michigan State, the Buckeyes’ shooting has gotten worse, but they have also locked down on opponents’ field goal attempts. They’ve started forcing more turnovers, and have turned the ball over much less themselves. So what explains drops in their offensive and defensive efficiency numbers? The rebounding on both ends of the floor has gotten worse, for one. Other than that, most stats appear to be about the same (or better) for the Buckeyes.

And it Means…

Michigan is coming off their second-consecutive 4-day break, after previously having only 3 days’ rest before their last three games. Michigan is a much better team off long breaks, with wins against UCLA, and every Big Ten victory except that against Indiana off at least four days without a game (this is notable, because the 3-day rest before the Indiana game could be considered a factor in the terrible performance there, if we’re drawing a correlation). With the long break, Michigan’s seeming recovery on offense against Northwestern, and John Beilein’s uncanny ability to make adjustments the second time he faces an opponent that he lost the first game to, Michigan should be a little closer in this game. Jevohn Shepherd has gotten playing time in the past two contests, and he might get some tonight, if for no other reason than to absorb fouls in the post. I think this game should end up closer than the first.

Ken Pomeroy predicts a 67-62 Buckeyes victory in a 62-possession game, and gives Michigan just a 29% chance of winning. If the Wolverines are to harbor any realistic dreams of making the NCAA tournament, stealing one in Columbus tonight would be an important start.

Posted under Basketball

Half 1

1st half differential
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	6:55	17-11	+6
Douglass, Lee, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:05	0-0	0
Douglass, Lee, Harris, Shepherd, Gibson	1:29	0-2	-2
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Shepherd, Gibson	2:33	7-3	+4
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:50	4-4	0
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:05	0-2	-2
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	:16	2-0	+2
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Wright, Sims	1:44	0-2	-2
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Wright, Sims	1:03	3-0	+3
Total	20:00	33-24	-4

Half 2

2nd half differential
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:33	6-7	-1
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Gibson	:56	0-0	0
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	:59	0-3	-3
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	:42	2-3	-1
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	2:41	3-2	+1
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Wright, Gibson	:42	5-0	+5
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Wright, Gibson	1:20	0-2	-2
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Gibson	2:00	9-5	+4
Douglass, Lee, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:57	0-3	-3
Douglass, Lee, Harris, Novak, Sims	1:03	0-0	0
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	4:05	5-5	0
Grady, Lee, Harris, Novak, Sims	:22	4-2	+2
Grady, Lee, Harris, Novak, Gibson	:46	1-3	-2
Total	20:00	35-35	0

Game totals

Lineup Totals
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	12:17	27-25	+2
Douglass, Lee, Harris, Novak, Gibson	3:02	0-3	-3
Douglass, Lee, Harris, Shepherd, Gibson	1:29	0-2	-2
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Shepherd, Gibson	2:33	7-3	+4
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:05	0-2	-2
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	:16	2-0	+2
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Wright, Sims	1:44	0-2	-2
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Wright, Sims	1:03	3-0	+3
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Gibson	:56	0-0	0
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	4:47	7-8	-1
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	2:41	3-2	+1
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Wright, Gibson	:42	5-0	+5
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Wright, Gibson	1:20	0-2	-2
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Gibson	2:00	9-5	+4
Douglass, Lee, Harris, Novak, Sims	1:03	0-0	0
Grady, Lee, Harris, Novak, Sims	:22	4-2	+2
Grady, Lee, Harris, Novak, Gibson	:46	1-3	-2
Total	40:00	68-59	+9

Individual players:

Manny Harris 33min +3
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane	1	0/2	0/1	2/2
Midrange		0/1
3-point		0/1	0/1

Tough day shooting, but he did a lot of other stuff (including a game-high 12 rebounds).

Laval Lucas-Perry 16min 0
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane		0/1	1/1
Midrange
3-point		0/1	1/1	0/2

Less playing time than he’s been getting, and probably a reflection of how well he’s been shooting. Another long-ish break between games can hopefully get him back on track.

Zack Novak 31min +3
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane					0/1
Midrange
3-point			0/4	1/1

Tough day shooting, but so many gritty white guy rebounds.

DeShawn Sims 25min +4
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane	1	0/1		4/4	1/2
Midrange			0/1
3-point

Owned the beginning of the game, then seemed to fade.

Kelvin Grady 26min +5
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane	1
Midrange			0/1
3-point		0/1	3/6

Standard performance from Kelvin. I’d like to see him shoot fewer 30-footers.

Zack Gibson 15min +5
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane	1			2/3
Midrange		1/1		1/1
3-point				0/1

With Sims in foul trouble, he really carried his own weight.

Stu Douglass 23min +9
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane				1/1
Midrange
3-point			1/2	1/2

Decent day. Obviously, there’s room for improvement.

CJ Lee 11min +1
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point

Standard CJ Lee.

David Merritt 11min +9
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point			1/2

Standard Dave Merritt

Jevohn Shepherd 4min +2
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point			0/1

Got sparing playing time following a fairly strong perfomance against Penn State.

Anthony Wright 5min +4
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point			1/2

Anthony Wright made a shot. This is a noteworthy event.

What This Says…

The offense was working best when they weren’t shooting exclusively from the outside. I’m not going to sit here and say “throw it inside and see what happens” because I’m well aware that’s not Michigan’s offense. On top of that, Michigan doesn’t have a Shaq in the paint. DeShawn Sims is a good post player with a midrange game, but he is undersized at center. What I’d like to see is the team make more of the backdoor passes, and be a little more patient than they sometimes are in launching longbombs from three. Taking the opportunity to probe the inside every now and then will open things up for the whole offense.

Posted under Analysis, Basketball

You know this is how you want to spend your Saturday night…

Posted under Basketball, Hockey

Or: Tim’s foray into tempo-free statistics.

The Wolverines take on Just Northwestern at 8PM tonight in Crisler Arena. The game can be seen on Big Ten Network.

Tempo-Free and efficiency comparison (if you need an explanation of what any of these things mean, head to KenPom’s website):

Michigan v. Northwestern: National Ranks
Category	Michigan	Northwestern	Advantage
Mich eFG% v. NU eFG% D	125	89	N
Mich eFG% D v. NU eFG%	167	59	NN
Mich TO% v. NU Def TO%	4	14	M
Mich Def TO% v. NU TO%	141	32	NN
Mich OReb% v. NU DReb%	250	261	M
Mich DReb% v. NU OReb%	214	326	MM
Mich FTR v. NU Opp FTR	321	149	NN
Mich Opp FTR v. NU FTR	14	244	MMM
Mich AdjO v. NU AdjD	35	35	–
Mich AdjD v. NU AdjO	137	73	N

Differences of more than 100 places in the rankings garner two-letter advantages, differences of more than 200 get a third.

Northwestern, despite its reputation and unceremonious start to the season (namely, an 0-4 start in the conference), has reeled off two straight victories over top tiered competition in wins against Minnesota and AT Michigan State. The Wildcats are similar to Michigan, in that they shoot a bunch of threes and play a 1-3-1 defense. That defense was the key to their victory over Michigan State, as they were forcing turnovers left and right, and Michigan State had one of their worst shooting nights of the year. With Michigan facing the 1-3-1 every day in practice, do they have a slight advantage against it? Since Michigan’s slide began (which, in all honesty, began as early as the Wisconsin game, and at least as far back as the nail-biter over Indiana), the Wolverines have been falling fast down the rankings in terms of shooting percentage and opponents’ shooting percentage. Are these issues that can be corrected? For the most part, Michigan has simply been missing open looks, and opponents have been turning that offensive offense into confidence on their end of the court, where they’re making shots both open and ridiculous (Devan Dumes and Danny Morrissey excelling at the latter). If the long week of practice helps Michigan snap out of their funk, this game may not be as ugly as it first appears. If Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims can both play well tonight (something that hasn’t happened in quite some time), and a third player (one of Novak, LLP, ad Harris) can step up, that will go a long way to solving Michigan’s offensive woes.

Northwestern is led by guard Craig Moore, who leads the team in minutes played and eFG%. Sophomore guard Micheal Thompson is also a sharp-shooter for the Wildcats. The primary big man is junior Kevin Coble, who stamds 6-8, and has range not only in the paint, but also all the way out to three-point land. He could be considered something of a less-athletic DeShawn Sims. Most importantly, he gets very few offensive rebounds, but leads the team in defensive rebounding (among those who play significant minutes). The two most important players to shut down are Moore and Coble, but with Michigan’s luck, that just means some unheralded role player will step up and shoot the lights out.

With the three-game slide behind them, and a difficult slate up ahead, this game has become a must-win if Michigan wants to have any chance to win the tournament. If the long week of practice (and playing the role of underdog) can help Michigan, they may just be able to pull one off.

Posted under Basketball

Raw data for both UFRs can be found in last night’s post.

Ohio State:

Half 1

1st half differential
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	4:22	4-9	-5
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:32	2-4	-2
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	:06	2-0	+2
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	4:37	6-8	-2
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	1:02	0-2	-2
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Novak, Sims	2:11	0-0	0
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Harris, Sims	:48	2-0	+2
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Harris, Sims	1:20	2-4	-2
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:04	7-2	+5
Total	20:00	25-29	-4

Half 2

2nd half differential
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	8:30(!)	15-11	+4
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:24	5-4	+1
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Harris, Gibson	2:16	3-2	+1
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	:35	0-3	-3
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:44	3-7	-4
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	:55	0-2	-2
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	:40	2-3	-1
Grady, Douglass, Lee, Harris, Sims	:19	3-2	+1
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	:35	0-1	-1
Total	20:00	37-40	-3

Game totals

Lineup Totals
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	14:00	21-20	-1
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:32	2-4	-2
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Harris, Gibson	2:16	3-2	+1
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	:35	0-3	-3
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	6:23	12-8	+4
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	4:37	6-8	-2
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	4:59	5-11	-6
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Novak, Sims	2:11	0-0	0
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Harris, Sims	:48	2-0	+2
Grady, Douglass, Lee, Harris, Sims	:19	3-2	+1
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Harris, Sims	1:20	2-4	-2
Total	60:00	58-65	-7

Individual players:

Manny Harris 37min -7
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane	1	0/3	0/1	2/2
Midrange			1/1	1/1
3-point		0/2	2/3

Manny was up-and-down. Even when he makes it, I don’t like the hesitation three-ball.

Laval Lucas-Perry 26min +1
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane				1/1
Midrange				0/1
3-point		0/2	0/1	0/1

Awful. This has been a trend of late.

Zack Novak 37min -10
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane	1
Midrange
3-point		0/2			1

Had a good day rebounding the ball. Not so much shooting.

DeShawn Sims 32min -4
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane		0/1	1/4	2/3	1/2
Midrange			0/1	0/1
3-point				0/1

Bad day. He’d recover against PSU.

Kelvin Grady 27min -6
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane			1/1
Midrange
3-point		1/1	0/3

Poor effort from three, but did a lot of setting other guys up.

Zack Gibson 8min -2
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane		0/1
Midrange
3-point

So bad.

Stu Douglass 21min -9
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point		0/1	2/4	2/3

A pretty good day behind the arc.

CJ Lee 6min +2
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point			0/1	1/1

Let’s be honest: he’s in there for his defense.

David Merritt 6min -4
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane			0/1
Midrange
3-point

Needs to make the few opportunities he’ll get.

What This Says…

Michigan was actually in this game for most of the way. There were a few dry spells toward the end that really did them in, and no personnel combo that Beilein tried could alter the momentum.

Penn State:

Half 1

1st half differential
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	4:32	7-4	+3
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:33	2-7	-5
Grady, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Gibson	3:36	3-9	-6
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Harris, Gibson	:01	0-0	0
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Harris, Gibson	:24	0-0	0
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Harris, Sims	3:52	4-2	+2
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Novak, Shepherd, Sims	:17	0-0	0
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Novak, Shepherd, Sims	1:57	4-3	+1
Grady, Douglass, Lee, Shepherd, Sims	1:52	2-4	-2
Total	20:00	22-29	-7

Half 2

2nd half differential
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:08	2-8	-6
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:11	4-5	-1
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:17	2-6	-4
Grady, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Gibson	:29	0-2	-2
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Gibson	:22	0-0	0
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Sims	1:22	2-5	-3
Merritt, Douglass, Novak, Shepherd, Sims	:36	2-0	+2
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Novak, Shepherd, Sims	:05	2-0	+2
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Shepherd, Sims	2:37	7-7	0
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:29	3-10	-7
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:19	2-0	+2
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Wright, Shepherd, Gibson	1:54	5-1	+4
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Wright, Puls, Gibson	1:09	5-0	+5
Total	20:00	36-44	-8

Game totals

Lineup Totals
Lineup	Time on Floor	Score	Differential
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	7:40	9-12	-3
Grady, Lucas-Perry, Novak, Shepherd, Sims	1:57	4-3	+1
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	5:44	6-12	-6
Grady, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Gibson	4:05	3-11	-8
Grady, Douglass, Lee, Shepherd, Sims	1:52	2-4	-2
Grady, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:17	2-6	-4
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Harris, Gibson	:01	0-0	0
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Harris, Gibson	:24	0-0	0
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Harris, Sims	3:52	4-2	+2
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Novak, Shepherd, Sims	:17	0-0	0
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Gibson	:22	0-0	0
Merritt, Douglass, Lee, Novak, Sims	1:22	2-5	-3
Merritt, Douglass, Novak, Shepherd, Sims	:36	2-0	+2
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Novak, Shepherd, Sims	:05	2-0	+2
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Shepherd, Sims	2:37	7-7	0
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:29	3-10	-7
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:19	2-0	+2
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Wright, Shepherd, Gibson	1:54	5-1	+4
Douglass, Lucas-Perry, Wright, Puls, Gibson	1:09	5-0	+5
Total	60:00	58-73	-15

Individual players:

Manny Harris 26min -10
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane	2	1/2	0/1	1/1	0/1
Midrange		0/2			2/2
3-point		0/3	0/1	0/1

I’d still like him to keep trying to draw contact; eventually they’ll have to call fouls.

Laval Lucas-Perry 25min +6
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane			1/1		0/1
Midrange				1/1
3-point			0/5	0/1

Really bad shooting day.

Zack Novak 28min -24
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane				1/1	0/2
Midrange
3-point			0/2	1/2

Did the little things well, but not so much on the shooting.

DeShawn Sims 29min -16
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane		1/2	1/2	1/1	2/2
Midrange		1/1	3/5
3-point

The only god player for the whole team. He didn’t have enough to carry them by himself.

Kelvin Grady 23min -22
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point			1/4	0/1

Got much less playing time than usual. He was struggling with his shot, but kept putting them up.

Zack Gibson 11min -1
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane				1/1	0/1
Midrange				0/1
3-point			1/1

Bad day. Needs to show off his whiteboy athleticism.

Stu Douglass 26min -15
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point		2/2	1/4	0/2

Mediocre shooting day.

CJ Lee 12min -11
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point				0/1

Poor performance in somewhat limited time.

David Merritt 7min +1
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane				0/1
Midrange		0/1
3-point

Very little playing time.

Anthony Wright 3min +9
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point				0/1

Garbage time only.

Jevohn Shepherd 9min +7
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane			1/1		1/1
Midrange			0/1
3-point

Was one of the few guys who played more than just garbage time with a positive number. The team didn’t do too much scoring when he was in, but nor did the opponent. I’d like to see him on the court as a complement to high-scoring players.

Eric Puls 1min +5
Location	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-point

Garbage only.

What This Says…

DeShawn Sims was the only consistent player all day. The entire team struggled shooting, and they were putting up poor looks. I think that a long week of practice (this team hasn’t had more than a couple days off in quite some time) will help them get back on track. Is it too late, though?

Posted under Analysis, Basketball

Just the raw numbers for you tonight, actual UFR analysis to come tomorrow.

Ohio State

Penn State

Posted under Analysis, Basketball

With another big loss, this time on the road at Penn State, Michigan’s hopes of making the NCAA tournament are rapidly dwindling. I’ll save the actual bracket/schedule analysis for another day, but let’s talk about the embarrassment at the home of the Nittany Lions.

Coming into this game, Penn State appeared to be one of the few teams that Michigan actually matched up well with. No big inside presence, most of their scoring done by little guys. Of course, like the Indiana game, that meant the Nittany Lions shot the lights out, regardless of how open they were. Michigan, on the other hand, couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn (requisite Stu Douglass/Zack Novak “Hoosiers” joke here).

Originally, I thought that the great shooting for Michigan opponents in every game must have been a weird statistical anomaly. As the evidence mounts however, it’s become clear: this Wolverines squad just lets opponents make a lot of shots. I don’t really get it either, as if you watch the games, most of the shots that are going in aren’t great looks, and many of them are downright horrible. I think part of it is a confidence thing. Opponents know Michigan won’t score (the great shooting games by opponents are always matched by horrid shooting nights for Michigan), and they can throw up any shot without fear that missing it will result in points the other way. Combine that with slightly demoralized defense carrying over from the offensive side, and opponents can see defeat in Michigan’s eyes, and know they can score at will.

Speaking of Michigan’s shooting, it was god-awful this game. When DeShawn Sims doesn’t get things going inside, and neither Harris nor any one of the assortment of other guys can get to the basket, the offense basically consists of jacking up a bunch of threes. Of course, not all of these are bad looks, but this team has proven that they really can’t hit the threes unless other areas of the offense are moving as well. This team badly needs another scorer who doesnt rely solely on the three-point shot.

Manny Harris is getting very frustrated by not getting any calls, and I really can’t blame him. Did the refs have an offseason seminar where they determined that they had called too many fouls on guys guarding Manny last year? He couldn’t get a call if somebody punched him in the face. Compunding that issue is the fact that really soft fouls get called pretty much everywhere else (on both ends of the court), which Manny sees and gets more frustrated/demoralized.

And so, unless Michigan can right the ship very quickly, it’s NIT-bound very soon. Of course, based on last year, how bad is that, really? It seems like a good start to the year really caused expectations to be adjusted into the realm of “unrealistic.”

Posted under Basketball

Bill Martin brought a request for permission to get going on a practice facility for the basketball teams. For a mere $23.2 million, the AD wants to put in two practice courts, private locker rooms, sports medicine areas, strength and conditioning areas and offices. The plan calls for it to be built on the East side of Crisler and will remove 150 parking spots temporarily and 60 permanently.  This is prime tailgating area, so those people will still get spots, just somewhere else.

The Athletic Department will now get a design and come back to the Regents for approval.  We’re not very far into this project, but it is exciting that it’s getting going.

This is obviously a good thing for both basketball programs as it should help with recruiting and ease the scheduling conflicts of having 3 sports using Crisler.  It also signals that the Athletic Department will likely renovate Crisler as opposed to creating a new facility.  Crisler has sort of grown on me since they put in modern lights.

The document is very vanilla and doesn’t have very many memorable quotes, but there is one part that is kind of interesting:

The proposed addition will temporarily displace approximately 150 parking spaces during construction and will permanently displace approximately 60 spaces upon completion. This loss will be accommodated as part of the strategic parking and transportation plan for South Campus.

Emphasis mine. I’m not exactly sure what is involved, but I hope it involves an offensive into North Campus. Take that BFE!

Posted under Basketball