nimari burnett

After a somewhat prolonged process, Michigan formally announced the addition of Vlad Goldin last week. 

In our internal slack chats I wasn't so subtle in stating that Goldin would be a bigger get in relation to Johnell Davis regardless of what any transfer ranking would have you believe. Seven-footers with true two-way impact aren't typically available for programs such as Michigan, particularly those in the portal. The necessary resources typically exceed what Michigan can reasonably offer.

It would be an understatement to say that I'm excited about Goldin.  This is a massive pick-up for the Wolverines, both literally and figuratively.

SCOUTING (Offense)

First and foremost, Vlad is an outstanding finisher at the rim. He converted 72% of his 200 attempts at the rim last season. Goldin routinely finishes over length and through contact.

I have zero doubts as to whether this facet of his game will translate, as the clips above have Vlad finishing over Charleston behemoths James Scott/Ante Brzovic and Coleman Hawkins with relative ease. The volume lends credence to this as well, as a whopping 200 out of 303 total FGAs from Goldin last season were at the rim per Torvik. He's going to own the restricted area. 

The thing that really popped on film review is Vlad's impeccable touch. He consistently converts "other twos". Functionally those come in the form of jumphooks, and he's superb using both hands.An ambidextrous 7-footer with elite touch is quite the weapon at the college level. For context, Goldin shot 58.3% on 103 "other two" attempts per Torvik. That is ridiculous efficiency on high volume for a shot type that is generally considered sub-par. Having a 7-foot Tony Parker is hard to visualize, but here we are. 

Vlad is also adept as a back-to-the-basket scorer. He has above-average pivoting/footwork, understands where his spots are and is patient in getting to them. He doesn't settle much. 

Goldin does really well for himself absorbing initial contact and maintaining balance. He usually gets the better of his defender after that initial contact and leverages his superior size and impeccable touch to convert. 

[After THE JUMP: the exact archetype Michigan needs]

Dusty May didn't waste time securing his first HS commitment as Michigan's leading man, as Justin Pippen pledged to the Wolverines today. This is a nice pickup given how late in the cycle May came to Ann Arbor in tandem with an extremely small pool of available HS prospects. 

GURU RANKINGS

247 is the most bullish on Pippen, placing him just outside the top 60. Rivals essentially concurs with the national standing, slotting him top-75 in their most recent rankings update. On3 and ESPN are a bit lower on Justin, as they both go with what amounts to a 100-150 ranking. There is  consensus in terms of size, as all services agree on 6'3 and 180 pounds.

I have no basis for ranking any individual in the 2024 class, as I haven't seen enough of those prospects to have an informed opinion. But from a holistic perspective across years, I'd likely lean toward On3 's take here. Pippen has the look of a kid you typically see in that 100-125 range. Admittedly though, the distinction between 60 and 125 is nearly moot these days, so I'm not sure it matters functionally. 

SCOUTING

Though I have sifted through full-game film, I have not evaluated Justin Pippen live. As someone that has scouted professionally for years, multiple live viewings always generate the most informed evals, so caveats apply and my word is certainly not gospel here. With that out of the way, let's get into it.

First and foremost, Pippen is a perimeter shotmaker with legit range. The shot mechanics are very good, with superb balance and nice arc. Justin isn't restricted to stationary shooting, as he knocks down jumpers via pull-ups from midrange and distance with some regularity. From an evaluation/projection perspective, the fact that he maintains excellent balance on the pull-up attempts is really enticing. There is almost zero unnecessary motion and he nearly lands in the identical spot of the initial elevation. 

[After THE JUMP: the full scouting report]

Michigan headed into Evanston this evening with a particularly shorthanded squad. Dug McDaniel was serving the final game of his six away game suspension, which has been a debilitating absence most of this season, but when you add in the wrist injury to Olivier Nkamhoua, Michigan was going to be in trouble. Oh and Will Tschetter was unavailable too. Michigan probably never had much of a chance, though they did put in a pretty good effort against an NCAA Tournament-bound Northwestern team given the circumstances. At 8-19 in year five of the Juwan Howard Era, this is what we've been reduced to discussing. 

The good effort Michigan gave was mostly related to the hot three-point shooting, which lasted most of the night. The Wolverines had no offensive creation in this game, pretty much all night, and relied on a mix of perimeter shooting and Tarris Reed Jr. post touches to suffice for offensive possessions. Michigan got out to a hot start, leading 16-5 after starting three of four from beyond the arc, feeding Reed buckets in between. Michigan led by near double digits for a lot of the first half, as Northwestern's offense lagged behind, though you always had the sense that the lead was unsustainable given how hot Michigan was from distance. 

Michigan led 26-17 with seven minutes to play in the first half when Northwestern made a push. It got started with a pair of free throws and a Matthew Nicholson dunk, but then came a hellfire of three pointers, three in just over a minute to erase a seven point Michigan lead and turn the score into a tie game. Nimari Burnett, who was Michigan's brightest star on his return to the hometown Chicago metropolitan area, drilled a triple to jut Michigan back ahead 33-30, but Nick Martinelli answered with a put-back layup. The score eventually sat at 34-34 with a minute to go in the half, a sequence that concluded with a Michigan turnover and another Northwestern three, off a clever in-bounds play that left Michigan completely fooled. The Ryan Langborn trey sent NU into the break up 37-34, their first lead of the game since it was 3-2. 

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

The flurry from Northwestern to close the first half put the game into a rather familiar pattern, a decent Michigan first half followed by a calamitous second half. This time it was even more predictable, as Michigan's hot first half shooting (6/8 from three!) screamed second half cool off. Michigan actually continued to shoot it at a good clip in the second half, but they got very few attempts off as Northwestern adjusted to shut off the catch-and-shoot three. The Wolverines were instead forced to pound it inside more, absent any real offensive creation from the guards. Tarris Reed Jr. took seven of Michigan's 20 second-half FGA, shooting an inefficient 3/7 at the rim. Michigan went through a nearly 10 minute stretch where Reed was the only Wolverine to score, which isn't a good sign when he wasn't scoring all that much.   

As for Northwestern, they came right out of halftime and continued the push they'd made late in the first. They charged out to lead 41-34, before Michigan made a little Burnett-fueled run to grab the edge back at 44-43. After that the 'Cats pushed straight ahead to grab full control of the game. NU poured in two threes in a row to go up 51-44 and the lead was up to double digits before long. It held around the 10 point mark before stretching up into the teens as the game plodded towards its conclusion. Ryan Langborg shot it well from three, dropping in a trio of triples in the second half, while the penetration of Boo Buie broke the Michigan D down to the tune of five assists. The 'Cats added five offensive rebounds and forced five Michigan turnovers, all part of the formula that evolved this into a rout. 

While time ticked down, we were treated to discussion of how Michigan's missed free throws translated into free chicken for the crowd in Welsh-Ryan Arena. That's where Michigan Men's Basketball is right now. They've lost nine of ten and fourteen of sixteen. They are 5-19 since beating St. John's to start the season 3-0. They are 3-13 in B1G play and have a two game cushion for last in the conference. Michigan has sunk all the way to 110th in KenPom. There's not much to say other than to go through the motions of this season, motions that will continue on Sunday when the #3 ranked Purdue Boilermakers come to Ann Arbor. That game is scheduled for 2:00 PM EST and will be broadcast on CBS. 

[Click the JUMP for the box score if you want]