2020-21 oakland

Let's reset the scene.

With 11:23 to play on Sunday, Michigan trails Oakland, 49-45, in what would be one of the most shocking upsets of this young college basketball season. Juwan Howard inserts his freshman center, Hunter Dickinson, to see if he can crack a zone defense that's flummoxed the Wolverines into a turnover-plagued evening. He wouldn't come off the floor until the Wolverines pulled out an overtime victory. Some numbers from that stint on the court:

• Michigan scored 36 points. Dickinson scored 19 of them himself, going 6-for-7 from the field and 7-for-9 from the line.
• Dickinson also had three assists in that span that accounted for six more points. In other words, he had a direct hand in 25 of Michigan's final 36 points.
• Add in Dickinson's steal that immediately led to a Chaundee Brown fast break layup and you can up that number to 27. He didn't get an assist because Eli Brooks acted as an intermediary.
• His only missed shot came on the broken play to end regulation.
• He didn't commit a turnover.
• He went +14 in that 16:23 time on the court.

This was the best performance we've seen from a true freshman center since 2013 NCAA Tournament Mitch McGary, competition level be damned. Dickinson's presence transformed Michigan's offense in ways that'll be sustainable against better teams, even if he's not necessarily playing a major role in generating 75% of the team's points. (That bit is, uh, less sustainable.)

feeding the beast [Campredon]

Since I was taking clips of almost every Dickinson touch down the stretch, let's take a look at his impact plays against Oakland, what he did well on them, and what they portend for the future. I've also gone through his touches against Bowling Green and will sprinkle those in to show this isn't just a one-game, zone-driven outburst.

Against a zone defense, knowing how the defenders are going to shift around the court is paramount, as is maintaining a high activity level as the offense (ideally) keeps the ball moving side to side. Dickinson was constantly moving from the moment he got on the floor and showed a great understanding of where to place himself to create passing angles and seal off defenders. His first offensive possession is easy work; Michigan will go back to this quick-hitting set repeatedly:

The post defense here is poor; regardless, that's a nice entry pass from Terrance Williams, and I like seeing Dickinson default to finishing with an authoritative two-hand slam.

[Hit THE JUMP for post scoring, post passing, a bit of defense, and more.]

Michigan probably could've avoided overtime in this one.

Facing an Oakland squad playing their fourth game in five days, the Wolverines were flummoxed in the first half by the Golden Grizzlies' zone defense, turning the ball over 15 times before the break. A baseline hook by Trey Townsend on one of a handful of designed plays OU had time to install in a COVID-ravaged preseason gave the visitors a shocking 33-31 halftime lead.

Everything that could go wrong in the first half did go wrong. In addition to the comical number of turnovers, there was Mike Smith picking up two fouls, Franz Wagner scoring a mere two points, Chaundee Brown crashing back to earth as a shooter, and Isaiah Livers getting into a yelling match with Juwan Howard in the huddle, then throwing a Gatorade cooler when he was pulled shortly thereafter.

dime [Campredon]

Presumably, Michigan would settle their differences, adjust to the zone, clean up the turnovers, and pull away. They did this. Eventually.

The key was freshman center Hunter Dickinson. Oakland had no answer for his post scoring and exquisite passing. He flashed the latter in the first half with a nifty assist to Brandon Johns but went scoreless in only nine minutes. Once he got into the game again, Michigan was fine.

The trouble was Howard didn't insert Dickinson back into the game until nearly nine minutes had elapsed in the second half. Michigan had continued to struggle with the zone, shooting 3-for-11 in the half before Dickinson replaced Austin Davis, who hadn't built on a couple early buckets and wasn't containing OU on defense. Smith had created a couple quick baskets in transition before picking up his third foul and coming out. The Grizzlies pushed their lead to six points multiple times, including the possession after Dickinson checked in.

That'd be the last time Michigan faced that large a deficit. On the ensuing trip down the floor, Terrance Williams slipped a pass to Dickinson for a dunk. For the rest of the game, the Wolverines ran through Dickinson. He scored 13 points on seven shooting possessions, dished out three assists, pulled down a couple boards, and grabbed a critical steal in the second half. He dunked in traffic. He created dunks for others. He called out cutters on defense. He looked nothing like a freshman.

you'll never guess who assisted this dunk [Campredon]

Michigan still needed more. Despite some good looks, they missed six of their last eight shots in the half. That included a desperate chuck from Dickinson at the buzzer after OU blew up the initial plan to get it to him in the high post and the play completely broke down. Just prior, a bump by Livers on the baseline sent Rashad Williams to the line for two bonus free throws that tied the game. The heavy home favorites were going to overtime.

And then it was over. Dickinson won the overtime tipoff, ducked into the post, caught an entry pass from Livers, and laid the ball in. After that, OU had to foul him pretty much every time he touched the ball, giving him four more points at the line. With M's defense flying to the ball, a couple Livers triples put the game way out of reach. The final ten-point margin almost looked respectable as long as you ignored the "(OT)" next to the final score.

The Wolverines played about as a poor a game imaginable, didn't maximize their available talent, and managed to come away with a win. Dickinson finished plus-18 in 25 minutes. The other other players to come close to that +/- were the two whose minutes most closely aligned with the freshman center's time on the floor.

A close call against a bad team isn't the ideal way to figure out the best lineup. There are worries out of this one—Brown's bad game, Brooks' turnovers, and Wagner's continued lack of production chief among them. But every team has their duds. Michigan won theirs, and in the process, Dickinson may have forced Howard to adjust the lineup in a way that'll provide short- and long-term benefits.

[Hit THE JUMP for the full photo album and box score.]

THE ESSENTIALS

*Oakland is playing today at 3:15 today against #118 Bradley. This wasn't expected to move the needle enough to wait on writing the preview, for reasons that'll become obvious as you read it. [UPDATE: They lost, 74-60, after trailing by 15 at the half.] Meanwhile, bring back Pioneer Pete.

THE US

Seth's graphic [click to embiggen]:

We're sticking with the starting lineup from the Bowling Green game until it changes. It might not take long for Hunter Dickinson to take over as the starting center. If you're looking for more post-BG content, this week's Ace Pod included two segments discussing the game with Alex Cook.

THE LINEUP CARD

Seth's graphic [click for big]:

This is now updated through three games. I previously noted that, through two games, not a single Golden Grizzly had a triple-digit O-Rating; now there's one! Also, their leading scorer from last year sat out the most recent game after being limited in the first two by a preseason shoulder injury.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the preview.]