Ohio State 71, Michigan 52
File photo, but whatever. [Patrick Barron/MGoBlog]
Shannon Scott pickpocketed Zak Irvin in the backcourt after a lazy crossover. Caris LeVert tossed an inbounds pass directly to an awaiting Buckeye, not even bothering to look at his intended target.
Michigan's top two scorers spent much of the second half on the bench, not because they weren't needed—the Wolverines were, in fact, getting blown out—but because whatever minuscule chance of a win they'd give the team wasn't worth John Beilein not sending a message. This team would've had a hard enough time upsetting the Buckeyes with everything clicking; instead, after some hot shooting from Irvin kept M in it early, sloppy mistake after sloppy mistake compounded the familiar offensive woes that have plagued this team for much of the season.
Lengthy scoring droughts in both halves led to OSU doubling up Michigan early in the second half, and even the final 19-point margin wasn't representative of the gap between the two teams for most of the game. Before M even scored a point in the second half, they trotted out a lineup of Derrick Walton, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Aubrey Dawkins, Kam Chatman, and Max Bielfeldt. It was no longer a contest, but a learning experience.
Let's hope the lesson sticks, because that was hard to watch.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:14 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:30 PM ^
First rounder based on what? I mean I know the NBA drafts on potential, but god damn Caris doesn't look close to NBA-ready.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:41 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:45 PM ^
Yeah you're probably right. Screw the NBA.
January 14th, 2015 at 9:27 AM ^
think he is right. I don't think Levert is a first rounder right now. I'm sorry, I like him a lot, but I really don't see that, or how people could possibly consider him a potential lottery pick right now.
January 14th, 2015 at 9:49 AM ^
If GRIII wasn't a first rounder, there is no way Caris is. I know the draft is thinner than last year's but Glenn oozed upside and potential. I don't think I've seen anything this year that suggests Caris has similar intangibles. I'm not saying he couldn't find a role in the NBA but he's got a lot of risk IMO. Not worth a 1st.
January 14th, 2015 at 9:54 AM ^
lol Caris will go higher than GR3 off the fact that he can shoot, handle and pass. Some of you are fooling yourselves.
January 14th, 2015 at 10:22 AM ^
are not watching close enough my man. Caris is an extremely inconsistent shooter with an unfinished release and he is prone to awful turnovers against aggressive defense due to a suspect handle. He got benched for the entire second half last night and you are sitting there talking about guaranteed money. Man, I like him and I am not trying to hate on him, but I think people got a little carried away last year and are really not understanding what they are seeing. I thought he was probably the 3rd best pro prospect on the court last night, and that game wasn't exactly Duke v. Kentucky.
January 14th, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^
I think teams will take 40 % on 4.5 attempts from 3. Only 75 % of those are assisted so he will shoot even better in the NBA when he is shooting off the catch.
" an unfinished release and a suspect handle" Not sure what you are watching?
January 14th, 2015 at 10:40 AM ^
watching the game, last night.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:51 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:00 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:02 PM ^
The "Just Like Football" chant should piss everyone off in the UM Athletic Department that was watching and create some fire in the belly. Jesus.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:45 PM ^
That chant was brutal to sit through... had to mute the game. sigh.
January 14th, 2015 at 9:51 AM ^
Yeah it should piss them off so that they hire elite coaches in football and basketball. Oh wait we already have that.
OSU gets their night to gloat but how quickly they forget who has had more basketball success lately. UM has been to a NC game and an Elite 8 the last 2 years while my memory of OSU is Craft on the floor crying after losing to an 11 seed in the 1st round.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:01 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:02 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:02 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:03 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:05 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:06 PM ^
I disagree. That was awesome to watch.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:06 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:07 PM ^
Why?
You think Irvin and LeVert were on the bench, just cuz?!
January 14th, 2015 at 10:17 AM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:07 PM ^
Just like football!
January 13th, 2015 at 9:42 PM ^
You're historically correct -- lose three in a row then steal one at home.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:07 PM ^
January 14th, 2015 at 10:08 AM ^
Agreed. This team appears lazy and lackadaiscal which is mind boggling to me considering we greatly exceeded expectations the last few years. Just seem to lack any type of tenacity.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:08 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:10 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 10:29 PM ^
January 14th, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^
Everyone's a year older with a year more experience and a year more practice. I know that hasn't meant much for our football team lately but it should mean a lot for our basketball team. And thats not mentioning any freshmen recruits.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:31 PM ^
I'd be open to calling MAAR a "flier." Still, how much would you expect in the first year?
Strictly speaking, a few other guys who turned out well (e.g., Hardaway) were flier-esque when they first got offers.
January 14th, 2015 at 10:12 AM ^
This X 1 Million. The "Beilein buids national championship contenders and NBA lottery picks out of 3* nobodies" narrative has been wildly exaggerated. The Novak/Douglass era gets looked at through some extremely rose-colored glasses in these parts. Those guys were hopelessly overmatched in lots of games and they got run off the court numerous times. They finished better than .500 in conference play only once in their four years. Now we are basically back to that level. Every coach has their hits and their misses and unfortunately it looks like we are seeing a reversion to the mean this year with guys like Irvin and Chatman not living up to their billing while other guys demonstrate why they weren't highly sought after. The pre-season predictions of being a Top 5 seed in the tourney weren't realistic. The program has peaked. It is a program that will make the NCAA tourney probably 2/3 of the time and occasionally go on a deep run. It's definitely not bad but it isn't great either.
January 14th, 2015 at 2:31 PM ^
It is undeniable that Beilein is great at scouting and developing players and putting them in positions to succeed. A common misconception, however, is that individual players or missing shots can be blamed for the woes of this team and Beliein does not shoulder any of that responsibilty. I agree that the Novak/Douglass era was not exceptional, rather the teams exceeded expectations that were low due to the lack of talent and previous years mired by sanctions. I contend that the offensive system Beilein employs relies too heavily on exceptional play from guards and wings and when we don't get the stud recruits, our expectations need to be lowered. I would love if Beilein utilized the post more in this offense and would subsequently be able to recruit bigs that could help erase some of the deficits of the teams on a night by night basis by blocking shots and grabbing offensive rebounds/garbage points. Also, our offense has become a little too predictable and teams have begun to take away what is successful. At least three times last night, Spike or Walton drove the baseline and attempted to pass to a wing in the corner, but the passes were intercepted because people simply watched film and knew what was coming. Rant over. Go Blue!
January 13th, 2015 at 9:08 PM ^
So anyone else worried that the only guy we're bringing in next year is a D3 transfer?
January 13th, 2015 at 9:12 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:11 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:13 PM ^
January 14th, 2015 at 9:30 AM ^
if there is something to that Adidas/Nike thing?
January 13th, 2015 at 9:09 PM ^
It really doesn't matter, but it does to me a little bit...why was Doyle on the bench so much and Donnal on the court?! Watching Donnal play ball on this team is not something I look to do in the future. He is not a very good at anything, especially his atrocious defense.
January 13th, 2015 at 9:11 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 9:10 PM ^
January 13th, 2015 at 9:15 PM ^
Will it though? I mean obviously there will be some improvement as players get more experience, but I see a lot of low ceilings on this team. There is just no excuse for having two-star freshman getting meaningful minutes for Michigan Basketball.
January 13th, 2015 at 10:06 PM ^
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January 13th, 2015 at 10:15 PM ^
Like who? Albrecht, Donnal, Doyle, Irvin, and Walton are all probably closed to maxed out on athletic potential.
January 14th, 2015 at 8:09 AM ^
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January 14th, 2015 at 9:37 AM ^
to get a feel for what a player is going to be right now though. By this time last year Stauskus was a high ball screen-pick and roll wizard who was dunking on centers and essentially running the team. Right now Irvin is forcing threes and making ridiculous passes that result in debilitating turnovers. By this time in his Freshman year Glenn Robinson III was hitting clutch thress and doing 360 dunks, right now Chapman cannot get a shot off. Obvioulsy players will improve, but right now, barring some serious work on the recruiting trail, we are setting up as a program that will peak with a Sweet 16 every few years. I think it is fair to say that most of the fan base expected to have surpassed that level of expectation given recent success.
January 14th, 2015 at 10:34 AM ^
January 14th, 2015 at 10:44 AM ^
lies more with issues involving will and instinct. Hardaway had some struggles, but he was an alpha, his failures only made him more ferocious and intense, same with Stauskus. I don't see that from anybody on this team. There is no edge, there does not seem to be any instinct to individually fight back when other teams exert their will. I am not sure how much of that is taught.
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