Near the end of the Ohio St. game, Zack Novak appeared to intentionally hit PJ Hill with an elbow in the face after a free throw attempt.  He was given a flagrant foul and ejected from the game. Coach Beilein announced that Novak will serve a one game suspension:

“We are taking swift and appropriate action with Zack for the unacceptable incident that occurred at Ohio State,” said Beilein. “After speaking with Zack, he understands the severity of his actions. He expressed regret and embarrassment for his behavior. I hope Zack will learn a valuable lesson from this imposed discipline.”

This seems like the appropriate response. People have made comparisons with the Conboy play on Kampfer. While there are common features, the biggest difference is that this is Zack’s first time pulling something like this while Conboy had a string of prior bad acts. Hopefully this was a one-off, gritty freshman mistake.  For those of you who like Jevhohn Sheppard, you’ll be seeing plenty of him against Purdue.

UPDATE: The Big Ten approves of the suspension. Here’s the commish:

“Zack Novak’s actions at the end of the Ohio State game are unacceptable and have no place in the sport of basketball or the Big Ten Conference,” Commissioner James E. Delany said. “We support Michigan’s implementation of a one-game suspension. Also, SEC sux, Big Ten rulez!*”

*He didn’t actually say that last part

Posted under Basketball

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

An Open Letter to MSU Director of Athletics Mark Hollis,

Mr. Hollis,

As I’m sure you are well aware by now, two of your university’s hockey players, Corey Tropp and Andrew Conboy, were involved in a disgraceful incident Friday night in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both of them participated in actions that were immoral; the actions by Mr. Tropp can be described by no less severe terms than absolutely inhuman. I can only imagine your embarrassment, the embarrassment felt by the parents of these two student-athletes must be unbearable.

Following the game, Men’s Ice Hockey Head Coach Rick Comley stated that he would discipline each player following their actions. While the effort of Mr. Comley is certainly a start, there is no possible way that it is enough. The Central Collegiate Hockey Association will undoubtedly suspend Mr. Conboy, and Coach Comley may choose to discipline him further. This is acceptable punishment. Mr. Tropp, on the other hand, should likely be tried in a court of law for assault with a deadly weapon. If you are a man of integrity, Mr. Hollis (and none of your previous actions would imply otherwise), Mr. Tropp should be kindly informed that his services with a hockey stick (be they scoring goals or attempting to murder an opposing player as he lay prone on the ground) are no longer welcome in East Lansing, and if he would like to continue as a student at Michigan State University, he may do so without the benefit of a grant-in-aid from the athletic department.

Do you really want to send the message to prospective athletes that Michigan State is a school that not only condones, but champions thuggery and criminal acts? No school, much less an esteemed academic institution like Michigan State, should ever accept behavior like this from any of its students, and student-athletes are more accountable than any others. For the athletic department to not only allow such acts, much less pay a student to commit them, is unconscionable. I know this is a difficult decision for you to make, Mr. Hollis, but there is a right choice and a wrong one. Please, for the sake of a student at a neighboring university who had to be taken to the hospital in a neck brace on a backboard, make the right one.

Sincerely,

Timothy Sullivan
sullivti@umich.edu

The link to Hollis’s e-mail address is there for a reason. Let him know how you feel.

Posted under Hockey

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