Basketball postgame snowflake thread
A game like that deserves a postgame thread. That 16-point comeback was pretty impressive. Has a Beilein team ever come back from more than that? (Were we down that many to Kansas?)
How does Charlotte look? Are they a good matchup?
November 22nd, 2013 at 8:47 PM ^
I want to say we got to 14 down to Kansas and we were down 8 with only a few minutes to go (3?). Very similar
November 22nd, 2013 at 8:48 PM ^
This win is fantastic for the sanity of Michigan fans everywhere. Obviously the majority of our happiness depends on what happens in Iowa City at noon, but win or lose, it will feel a lot better looking forward to clinching a tournament championship on Sunday night than despressingly forcing ourselves to half-ass watch an ESPN3 streamed 3rd place game while most NFL games are on.
Other than that, damn its fun to watch a stronger, more confident Stauskas tear up a much bigger, more athletic FSU defense.
November 22nd, 2013 at 8:49 PM ^
They were down 14 to Kansas....and considering the stage, that comeback was pretty impressive. This one was no slouch either! Really good win.
November 22nd, 2013 at 8:53 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 8:53 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 8:58 PM ^
To be clear, I'm not saying FSU is better than Kansas last year or anything like that. I was just curious if this is the largest deficit a Beilein team has overcome.
November 22nd, 2013 at 8:55 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:52 PM ^
Thats what Jameis said...
November 22nd, 2013 at 11:28 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 2:45 AM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 8:57 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 12:08 AM ^
But he will play in the NBA one day. He's simply not going to be better than Gary Harris and Adreian Payne (and Jabari Parker if you meant "National" player of the year). He could definitely go All-Big Ten though.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:02 PM ^
This team seems to be finding its identity as a drive-to-the-basket offense. GR III, Stauskas, LeVert, Albrecht, and Walton all seem to be comfortable taking it to the hole. With McGary setting the high screen, I think we might have a recipe for success.
November 23rd, 2013 at 12:09 AM ^
I don't think he has shown that ability. The best way to get him looks around the rim is off of back cuts and crashing the glass. He should think of himself as Branden Dawson but with a jump shot.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:02 PM ^
A couple of years ago we came back from around a 20-point deficit to beat Savannah State. I believe that was the game where Novak missed a game-winner dunk attempt at the buzzer in regulation. (We went on to win in OT.)
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:25 PM ^
Didn't Michigan come back from something like 18 down against Indiana at home in 2009? IIRC, Laval Lucas-Perry hit a three off the front-rim and in to send it to OT.
EDIT: You are correct regarding the end of the Savannah State game -- Novak missed a game-winning dunk at the end of regulation.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:34 PM ^
That's right - we were down a ton in that game. It was a really bad IU team as well. That 2009 team really flirted with disaster a lot that season.
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:08 PM ^
1) That game was at Assembly, and was in fact Michigan's first win there since 1995.
2) Michigan overcame a 20-point second-half deficit to win.
3) Indiana was horrific that season, only winning 6 games overall (their only B1G win was against Iowa).
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:19 PM ^
Wow, I forgot about that game. I do remember LLP's 3-pointer now that you mention it. Boy, if we'd lost that game, we were probably NIT-bound.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:04 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:06 PM ^
I think last year Nik would have stayed outside and kept shooting. This year, atleast this game he started taking it to the hoop when Michigan wasn't hitting from outside as much.
It changed the game.
Probably too soon with the Nik POY stuff but after the ISU game I think Nik has taken notice that Michigan needs to get more aggresive and get the ball inside more often.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:11 PM ^
In which we fall down by a big amount, come back and then lose it late. But McGary and Nik really showed up at the end and brought it home. So McGary is still the workhorse, Nik is our go to guy. Levert is also a threat and Walton is i dont know. What concerns me the most is GR3's inconsistent play.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:28 PM ^
I'm intrigued about Stauskas' NBA potential. His drives are probably too slow for the NBA, maybe he will just be a spot up shooter, but he just has a knack for making difficult shots. I can't wait to see what his ceiling is.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:30 PM ^
Is anyone else watching IU-UConn? Really exciting game.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:30 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:32 PM ^
I see things that make me worry.
GRIII has a tendancy to disappear for long stretches and the rest of the team seems to settle for outside jumpers as the 1st option rather than running through progressions. Reminds me a little of Mannyball at times.
JB's teams have never been strong post teams, but the quality ones move the ball a lot and wind up taking easy jumpers with the defense out of position if nothing is inside. Too many balls going up with lots of time on the clock.
Last year when those things happened Burke took over the game for extended stretches. Walton Jr isn't ready for that yet, but I think as he becomes more comfortable we'll see GRIII's numbers improve.
Have to...Must!!! use McGary as more than someone to set picks. i saw a lot of pick-and-roll points left on the court tonight. Give the big fella some touches even if he just kicks it back outside.
I'm still not sure what to think of Irvin. He's good...but how good?
1-3-1 zone trap is still by far my favorite defense to watch executed properly. JB showed what a good coach he is in the 2nd half when he just started throwing different defenses at FSU until he found something that worked. Contrast it to VCU who is a one-trick-pony for the most part.
I think JB showed the blueprint for beating VCU in the tournament last year.
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:55 PM ^
Great post, 100% agree with everything. Caris is a terrer at the top of the 1-3-1, huh?
I think teams are gearing their defenses toward GR3 and putting their best defender on him. He needs someone else to get going to free some of that pressure on him, and it took a while for that to happen with all the quick jumpers we were taking for a while.
We definitely need to feed McGary in the post a lost more. Watching State run their entire haf court offense through Payne right now and thinking how much mixing in some of that with McGary could free up for us.
November 23rd, 2013 at 1:01 AM ^
The thing you have to remember, which when I thought about it tonight was really encouraging to me, is that this team has not practiced with McGary in months because of the injury. And Walton has pretty much never played with him.
In the case of Walton, he has only been practicing with Horford, Morgan, or Beilfeldt and his decisions on the court have probably been influenced by their limitations. Once he has more time to realize what Mitch brings, we'll probably see more post touches and involvement of Mitch in the offense.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:34 PM ^
Entering the names into Massey's simulator, we find that they give us an 88% projected win probability against Charlotte, estimating a median score in several trials of 78-65. In other words, if you believe the numbers, there is a potential for a rather comfortable game here.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:43 PM ^
For tournaments like these, does the victor hang a banner for them or are they just trophy accomplishments?
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:45 PM ^
Just a trophy. We've won a bunch of these over the years, but there are no banners in Crisler to commemorate them.
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:44 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:58 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:15 PM ^
1) FSU is vastly better than they were given credit for going into their game against VCU.
2) VCU was very overrated at #10 -- seriously, why did they get so much preseason hype? They were eviscerated by Michigan in the Dance (obvz) and lost some important starters.
3) Sadly, Michigan was probably overrated at #7 to begin the season -- something in the mid-teens where they currently reside sounds about right at the moment.
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:26 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:48 PM ^
I thought Michigan was too highly ranked to begin the season (of course I wouldn't admit to that!) but certainly can and IMO will be a team that is worthy of being ranked that well at some point in the season. To lose the two extremely important pieces that the Wolverines did and be able to come back against a very good and more importantly veteran FSU squad speaks volumes about how good Michigan can be.
It is going to be a slightly-at-times frustating but exciting season watching the young kids grow and guys like McGary and Stauskas fully grasp their leadership roles.
November 23rd, 2013 at 12:11 AM ^
VCU was not ranked #10 to open the season. I believe they were ranked 14th, but they had a pretty impressive win on the road against UVA (if you can recall, Michigan's Big Ten Championship lost in Charlottesville a couple of years ago).
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:21 PM ^
November 22nd, 2013 at 11:04 PM ^
I'm looking forward to your posts tomorrow BGA
November 22nd, 2013 at 10:40 PM ^
So don't expect NCAA tournament type performances from this team YET, but I do think this is a top10 team with Nik, a healthy Mitch, a nice supporting cast. The thing that is great to see is how much players have improved in a short period of time. Beilein and his staff now have the talent to work their magic and make deep tourney runs. Can't wait for the Big10 season to start!
November 22nd, 2013 at 11:10 PM ^
Take a proud program, build it the right way, then deliver in the clutch in any environment.
JB can win on the road and neutral areas (the 2011 at MSU game was a classic, especially when the drunk MSU fans with 1-1-6-1 painted on their chests got to eat crow and have a hangover to boot).
Need to win tomorrow at Iowa and then give Pope (?) Urban his 1st loss in 4 games.
November 22nd, 2013 at 11:37 PM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 12:12 AM ^
He can still make an impact on the glass. With his size and athleticism, he doesn't need the ball to make a loud impact on the game. Just ask Kenneth Faried
November 23rd, 2013 at 6:08 AM ^
November 23rd, 2013 at 12:20 AM ^
- McGary is worth the hype. That might be the best frontline we'll see all season, and he still got a double double despite clearly not being in shape. By March, double doubles will be the norm.
- Stauskas is the best player on the team right now, and when McGary is healthy he still looks like he's second best. On offense, he's one of the most versatile players I've seen in some time. He runs the pick and roll with beautiful pace, making the defense commit and give him an option and never seeming rushed. Defensively, he's vastly improved, using his length to make up for mediocre lateral quickness. And he has the ability to energize the team with his dunks.
- Shawn Marion was never great at creating his own shot. But he still averaged nearly a double double for many years and always made his impact felt. How? He crashed the glass, played tenacious defense and ran the floor with passion. This is what GRob should aspire to. Not every athletic 6'7" wing needs to be LeBron. If you are not the go-to shot creator, you can still crash the glass. 5 rebounds is not enough from a guy with Robinson's talent.
- I REALLY wish Albrecht was a better defender. He's a lights-out shooter, has an awesome array of hestiation and crossover moves, and has pretty good court vision. But he is simply a revolving door at the top of the defense. Regardless, I love what he brings to the team.
- Walton is growing up fast. He hit some big threes and mixed some very poised play with a few freshman mistakes. The improvement is evident. Need to hit those free throws though, rook!
- Irvin looks a lot like THJr freshman year. Which is fine. He is our 7th man. THJr was our 2nd option in the starting lineup. This is a very good thing. The sky is still the limit for Irvin.
- Horford was fine. Morgan is simply going have to show the ability to finish once in a while or he is going to be this year's Vogrich.
November 23rd, 2013 at 11:14 AM ^
McGarry is our best player; Nik is our go-to guy when we need a bucket and will probably end up being the leading scorer. They aren't the same thing. Mitch is a good scorer, our best defender, clearly by far the best rebounder, might lead the team in steals by the end of the year, and provides the energy we need.
November 23rd, 2013 at 9:39 AM ^
I was waiting for knee surgery as I watched the first half of the game. They took me away when we were down by 10. Anyone know if the game will be shown again anytime?
November 23rd, 2013 at 11:21 AM ^
If your cable company rolls that way, I'm pretty sure you can replay it anytime you want on WatchESPN.
November 23rd, 2013 at 11:15 AM ^
1. HUGE win against a really good team ..This win will look Great at the season progresses.
2. Dissapointed in GRIII..disappears and cant hit free throws
3.Levert turns the ball over to much
4. Stauskas and McGary are the real deal and saved this game
5.MAKE YOUR DAMM FREE THROWS!
6.Albrect always brings a spark to the floor..LOVE THIS GUY wish he played more
7. Walton is impressive
8.Zak Irvin...eh? not as impressed lots of untimely missed shots
9. We will beat AZ and lose at Duke
10. by tournament time we will be as good or better than last year..
11..again last nights win was BIG for this team