Michigan 81, Oakland 71 (OT)
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.]
Click here to see the full photo album from MG on Flickr.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:39 PM ^
The Williams-Dickinson connection will be a fun one to watch in the coming weeks.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:46 PM ^
Pretty clear that AAU experience is paying off in this game. Williams was solid but he needs to stay calm and under control but it's a lot better than his BGSU game where he was out of control. Michigan has depth at PF/C but scary thin at PG. Zeb Jackson isn't ready to have significant PT but we need him to get up to speed if Brooks/Smith are out for a while due to foul trouble or *gulp* injury.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:00 PM ^
Yeah, like the HD-William II connection a lot. Franz seems to be struggling so far...
November 30th, 2020 at 11:31 AM ^
Yeah, Franz has been absolutely bruuuutal so far. Shooting even worse this year and it looks like his weight gain has only served to make him slower. Not getting to the hoop as efficiently and can't keep anyone in front of him on defense.
Gotta think the offense will turn around for him but his defense might be even more of a liability this year.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:01 PM ^
Agree. I feel like Williams deserves more than a passing mention. The best UM looked in regulation was the stretch late in the second when Williams was in. I can't find exactly when he came out, but UM didn't score for the last 2:26 and I think that's pretty close to when Wagner came back in.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:17 PM ^
When Williams came out, they stopped looking for Dickinson which probably cost them a win in regulation. I thought that Brandon Johns played well and he showed aggressiveness and energy that wasn't there in the last two years.
November 30th, 2020 at 4:07 AM ^
8 pts, 4 reb and a steal in 14 minutes. That’s solid production from Johns.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:35 AM ^
Yeah, I thought he struggled on defense in the first game. He still doesn't seem to know what to do but if things can click for him, he needs to start getting more of Davis' minutes.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:35 AM ^
I was having a back & forth on Twitter with the Franz stans about how we love to over-hype & build up Michigan players (I got em rabbled up by comparing their Wagner hype to what we'd just seen about Milton 2 months ago).
Well if anything Hunter Dickinson was under hyped! Way under! All I heard was "temper expectations cuz young big" - and on the telecast they referred to him as a "top 50 recruit". Top 50?! And Chet Holmgren is top 5?!?! My ass! I'll take HD over that beanpole anytime!
On the recent NBA draft a front office-type draftnik kept blasting teams for over drafting bigs, calling them "the least important player on the court" - well, allow me to now offer my own way overblown hype: HD was Walton like out there, with the passing, knack for grabbing boards & touch off the glass - with both hands (lost art!)
Now those I mocked for saying Franz was about to be the next Dirk or whatever can go off on me! Hunter Dickinson will return the Center to a position that no draftnik will call "least important on the court"!
November 30th, 2020 at 12:44 PM ^
The NBA is a different game than than NCAA. In the NBA, there are 30 teams and more than enough talented big men to go around. Finding guys with perimeter skills is a lot harder.
In college, there are over 300 D1 teams and there aren't anywhere near enough 7-footers to go around so if you are able to get a good one like Dickison, it's a huge advantage.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:40 PM ^
I think people are overreacting a bit. This game was clearly a big growing experience for this team. We struggled against the zone then found our grove and improved. We aren't going to face the zone much. Franz and Chaundee weren't hitting their shots, but saw great production from some freshmen. Adversity games like this build character. Hope Franz starts to get into a groove because he's been struggling.
On to Ball State.
November 30th, 2020 at 6:41 AM ^
Agree. Hopefully, Franz and Chaundee find their groove, with the latter making just 3 baskets out of 24 total shots. Had to double take that stat in the box score. .
November 30th, 2020 at 9:20 AM ^
He only took 14 shots. The box score is field goals (which includes 2-pointers and 3-pointers), and then 3-pointers separately.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:44 PM ^
A rough few days of UM sports. Nice way to end the weekend with a win.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:45 PM ^
The poise shown by Dickinson is something to see. It will be a tougher match when he faces a big closer to his size, but for now I’m just enjoying watching him contribute in such a big way
November 29th, 2020 at 9:46 PM ^
I'd be most concerned about Livers having his head on straight. Getting into a shouting match with the head coach and throwing a cooler cannot be considered acceptable, especially for a senior. It shows a lack of control and disrespect for others, specifically those he should be listening to. I don't recall similar behavior from him in the past. I like his passion but he needs to exercise better control and judgement.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:59 PM ^
https://twitter.com/CSayf23/status/1333236161528020992
Livers got asked about this post game and gave a good answer
EDIT: Also this
November 29th, 2020 at 10:08 PM ^
Good response from him. Doesn't really explain throwing a water cooler though. I do find it funny though, Izzo eats his players alive all game, every game and I always thought to myself id hate playing for someone like that. They all seem to just take the berating. Here Juwan challenges Livers and they end up verbally into it. Either way I'm sure it's done and over with.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:10 PM ^
Doesn't really explain throwing a water cooler though
Just passion in the heat of the moment during a rough stretch of play. I wouldn't read too much into it
November 29th, 2020 at 10:13 PM ^
Im not worried about. Thats what I meant by im sure its done and over with. There hasn't been any past indicators of a rift so I figured it was just passion. I'm sure Juwan pushes his talented ones really hard.
November 30th, 2020 at 6:37 AM ^
It is not a good look, especially on TV.
November 30th, 2020 at 8:16 AM ^
= "do your f'ing jobs!" by a kicker recently. Not a good look at all.
November 30th, 2020 at 10:21 AM ^
Lol I'm sure in the middle of the game and in a heated moment that the first thing that Juwan and Livers are thinking about is public optics
November 29th, 2020 at 11:01 PM ^
With Izzo I've always assumed it's because the guys know he has their grandmothers in his basement.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:41 AM ^
I'm sure the fact there are no fans makes this kind of behavior more likely. Probably feels more like a closed doors practice...and you don't have to worry about getting water on any fans, ha.
I'm sure he regrets it but sounds like not a big deal.
November 30th, 2020 at 2:36 AM ^
The sideline behavior was pretty uncharacteristic from Livers.
What was not uncharacteristic from him was his stellar shooting in this game, and very good all-around play. 22 pts and 4 blks this game, 17 pts last game. Still the best player on the court most nights. He’s now 8/15 from 3 in two games.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:47 PM ^
Much better to learn from an ugly win. I think this game really showed our depth. We're always going to have games when certain people struggle. This was a game where almost everybody struggled. It's nice that Juwan has enough decent options to find SOMEBODY with a hot hand. Tonight, it was Hunter. In only his second game, that kid was playing like Senior Teske when Senior Teske was at his best.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:48 PM ^
Weird early season game for sure. Michigan played sloppy overall and didn’t really find its groove until the 2nd half with Dickinson. But that’s the biggest thing for me - Dickinson has the look of an elite big and I’m excited to see him continue to develop. He’s smart, knows how to finish, is an elite passer, and makes his free throws.
Michigan does need to clean things up and probably needs someone to be able to step up and be the guy more consistently (and learn how to play zone offense). I think we’ll see some great games and a few duds, but should be a fun season for as long as it lasts.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:51 PM ^
2-14. Yikes. Someone is channeling their inner Charles Mathews.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:03 PM ^
Not inspiring play from guards -- way too many turnovers for seniors. Also, Zeb is off to a rough start, but it's early and he has a ton of physical tools.
On the last play of regulation, Brooks actually had an easy entry to Dickinson at about the 8 second mark but he hesitated (a theme) and then farted around until it became desperation time. Key to beating a zone is crisp, decisive passing and too often, Michigan looked like this hadn't occurred to them.
I don't care whether Davis or Dickinson starts, but playing Dickinson twice as much is the right ratio.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:54 PM ^
Yeah I thought there were some passing lanes into the middle of the zone on the last couple possessions that they hesitated to take advantage of, possibly due to all the first half turnovers. I'm sure they'll work on it.
November 29th, 2020 at 11:22 PM ^
I agree with you. People are way too worried about who starts, especially at center. It doesn’t matter. Dickinson played twice as many minutes as Davis and 25 minutes is about the max you can expect from the big guy anyway.
I expect Hunter will be the starter soon enough, but for now I think it is smart not to put the pressure of starting on the freshman.
November 30th, 2020 at 2:40 AM ^
One of things that impressed me about Dickinson was how he handled entry passes. Davis has excellent post moves, but getting it to him in the paint is more adventurous than it ought to be.
November 30th, 2020 at 6:39 AM ^
Dickinson doesn't need to start as long as he finishes!
November 30th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
I frickin screamed when Eli dribbled backwards after not making the entry to HD you're referring to. They converged on him then, as he'd put himself in a weak position retreating with time running out. I actually thought they wouldn't even get a shot off - so in that light even the shit shot they got was a win!
All Hail HD - that's a terrible L to a 31 point dog without his play!
November 29th, 2020 at 10:04 PM ^
Just to emphasize how consequential Dickinson’s performance was:
From the 11:10 mark in the 2nd half when Oakland increased their lead to 6 to 1:31 left in overtime when Livers hit the dagger 3 to put Michigan up by 9,
- Michigan gave the ball to Dickinson 11 times. 5 of those possessions ended with Dickinson scoring, 3 ended with him shooting free throws (going 4-6), and 3 ended with him assisting on a bucket.
- On the 14 possessions in which Dickinson didn’t touch the ball in the post, 1 resulted in a bucket, 10 resulted in misses (0-5 from 3), 1 resulted in free throws (going 1-2), and 2 resulted in turnovers. Luckily, 2 of the misses resulted in Dickinson getting the OREB and putting it back (resulting in 5 points).
During this almost 15-minute period of action, Dickinson scored or assisted on 25 of Michigan’s 28 points. Just amazing for his 2nd career game.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:05 PM ^
Not a great game but when you can't hit 3s in college basketball things can get interesting against almost anyone. I was glad to see them adjust and go through Dickinson in the 2nd half. Had Brown and Wagner made 2-3 more threes between them we wouldn't be quite as freaked out.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:11 PM ^
lots of good teams have struggled against inferior opponents, especially in their second games. Illinois and Ohio State nearly lost. Kentucky lost to Richmond. Early season basketball can be hard to watch at times!
November 30th, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
8-27 isn't completely terrible and it was significantly better than the opponent. The most concerning thing by far about this game is that Michigan shot better than an inferior opponent and still almost lost. Usually to pull an massive upset (Oakland was 31.5 pt underdogs), you have to get hot shooting. Oakland didn't even do that.
Michigan just turned the ball over an insane number of times.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
8-27 is 29.6%, the equivalent of going 44.4% from 2. They actually shot 60% from 2. When you are getting 0.3 points per shot more from 2, you should give the whole team (except Livers) the red light from 3. The non-Livers shooters were 3-20 from 3, which is completely terrible. Juwan saw that and started pounding the ball inside.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:27 PM ^
Anyone have any ideas on Wagner's shooting? Last season it was the wrist injury. It appears to me that the form and shot looks good. Anyone see anything different?
November 29th, 2020 at 10:33 PM ^
I don't see anything mechanically, but his shot looks flat and keeps hitting front rim
November 29th, 2020 at 10:46 PM ^
Yes, it does look a little flat. I'm curious if the low release point causes him to shoot flat? Hes obviously lost confidence because he wouldn't even look at a shot late in the game. Hopefully it gets fixed.
November 29th, 2020 at 11:43 PM ^
A low release would do the opposite of causing it to be flat. Franz seems to be inconsistent in his release. I think his natural shot is with a high release, and that is how he shoots when he tries to get it off fast. But it tends to be super flat and rarely goes in. I think as a response to his struggles, he sometimes shoots from a lower release to try and get more arc on his shot, but that’s rarely going in either. I’d like to see him continue to shoot with a lower release, and more arc.
November 29th, 2020 at 11:42 PM ^
He's had ankle issues and landed awkwardly in the first couple minutes of this one.
November 30th, 2020 at 11:51 AM ^
Still a pretty small sample but I wonder if all the strength training is having an effect. That can throw off someone's shot.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:50 PM ^
Shaq existed for a reason. We have a Shaq, and our Shaq can hit free throws (mostly). Enough with the trash threes, give the GD ball to Shaq!
November 29th, 2020 at 11:06 PM ^
Not a great game, but those can happen. What concerns me is that Brown went 1-10 on 3s while Franz struggled to get his shot. Michigan's not going to survive if both those guys struggle scoring.
The defense also bothered me because while most of Jalen Moore's damage was done at the foul line, the fact he repeatedly beat Michigan defenders shouldn't have happened. At the same time, it's a win and Michigan can move on and prepare for their next game. But its now been two games where the defense has had some holes and I'm not sure if they'll be able to markedly fix them this year.
November 29th, 2020 at 11:31 PM ^
Those holes will have to be fixed with time and better athletes across the board, especially at the guard spots. I did like the switch up to the zone and I also would like to see us press a little more. This team is lethal in transition. Maybe press it up after makes and misses sometimes to increase the tempo.
November 30th, 2020 at 10:47 AM ^
While I was very frustrated with the defense for the first 30 minutes, I give the coaches and players credit. They played much better defense the last 10 minutes of regulation and OT. Better rotations and better communication (credit players). Some of that was the switch to more zone (credit coaches).
It's nice to see this coaching staff operate. They have a plan going into the game yet have practiced other options to be able to adjust in game.
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