Michigan 70, Purdue 53
Michigan never trailed in a dominant performance at Mackey Arena, ending Purdue's four-game winning streak and cementing their hold on first place in the Big Ten.
Let's hope the victory doesn't come at a cost. This game never should've been played. Less than two hours prior to tipoff, Purdue's official men's basketball account tweeted a "Roster Note" that Sasha Stefanovic, who played in Tuesday evening's game against Ohio State, would sit out the next three games after testing positive for COVID-19. The Boilermakers would play, however, and their communications guy was so "VERY confident" in the team's protocols that he tweeted such while locking the responses. This passed as protocol, evidently:
Some further info on Michigan-Purdue going forward.
— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) January 22, 2021
A Purdue official says the school is confident Sasha Stefanovic's positive test is an isolated incident with limited spread and it's been almost 67 hours since anyone had contact with Stefanovic (Tuesday, 11 pm).
Sasha Stefanovic to miss 17 days/3 @BoilerBall games due to testing positive for COVID-19. Reason Boilers aren't on pause? Purdue says extensive protocols followed: no cumulative 15 minutes of contact, masks everywhere, no eating on bus/planes, everyone own room, daily testing.
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) January 22, 2021
The Big Ten didn't step in. The game went on as scheduled. I hope they get away with taking this needless risk. That's what it was, though: needless.
As for the basketball itself, the two most heralded Wolverines combined to shoot 5-for-17 from the field, both true centers battled foul trouble against a team with a 7'4 backup, and only two M players finished in double figures. I deign to point out the officiating could easily be described as one-sided towards the home team. Yet this game was never particularly close.
a more literal floater than most [Campredon]
While Hunter Dickinson and Franz Wagner never got their offense going, Isaiah Livers was on the mark from the outset, finishing with a game-high 22 points on 17 shooting possessions. Livers crammed the rest of the box score with ten rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and only one turnover in one of his best all-around games of the season. Eli Brooks added 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting with some tough finishes around the basket.
Michigan's stout defense held the Boilermakers to their lowest point total of the season, which made effective secondary scoring somewhat unnecessary; Purdue also had only two double-digit scorers. Star center Trevion Williams needed 21 shooting possessions to tally 14 points. Guard Jaden Ivey was even less efficient in his first start replacing Stefanovic, going a wild 3-for-14 from the field but getting to the line for half of his dozen points. As a team, Purdue shot 20-for-65 with 11 assists and 14 turnovers.
well contested [Campredon]
Sticky perimeter defense and solid contributions from Austin Davis (six points, 3/6 FG) and Brandon Johns (four points, an offensive rebound, an assist, and a steal) helped weather early foul trouble by Dickinson. Juwan Howard even got some solid first-half minutes with Terrance Williams playing next to Johns and, for a brief stretch, using him next to Wagner with the latter defending Trevion Williams in the post. The Boilermakers rarely got all the way to the basket, got a clean look at the rim even less often, and couldn't hit their jumpers.
Thus, another blowout in another fashion. Michigan heads into the weekend 13-1 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten, 1.5 games clear of Iowa and Wisconsin, which are tied for second at 6-2. They've won every game they've played with all their starters and every victory since Christmas has been by at least 11 points.
The upcoming round of COVID tests may be all that can stop this team. At full strength, they've been amazing. I hope the so-called adults in charge of all this don't ruin it by ignoring the lessons we should all have learned in the ten months we've dealt with this pandemic up close.
[Hit THE JUMP for the box score.]
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:24 AM ^
Can you explain why it’s an obviously bad decision to play a game when the other team all tests negative?
January 23rd, 2021 at 1:19 AM ^
Because false negatives can happen particularly if done only a short time after exposure. The player himself tested negative on Tuesday but positive on Wednesday.
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:34 AM ^
Considering this is the person that mocked drew brees after his final game the amount of ignorance and virtue signaling in this article shouldn’t be a surprise.
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:55 AM ^
I cleaned up some comments that got political.
Some of you guys are trashing Ace like I wouldn't have written the same column.
You know what neither coach mentioned postgame? Asking doctors. I spent much of the hour before the game DMing with a doc friend and she was like "No, they shouldn't be playing." What we know too well about this virus is that it's great at avoiding detection because it goes dormant. Tests are great because they show you where the virus was and you can trace it from there. Purdue's protocols are great and can all help slow the spread of the disease. Masks are better than great. But if you find COVID the thing to do is quarantine the sick and everyone who's been around them for some days. There is no argument about that.
Odds are good Stefanovich could have been shedding Wednesday. He or whomever he got it from also exposed other teammates who may have begun shredding tonight. Athletic competitions are going to spread that well because they are all breathing in so heavily, and in such close contact. It's impossible to know but let's assume a 10 to 30% chance of Michigan players catching it by playing. Is that a reasonable assumption?
I think, given the information we have amd they had, in the players' shoes I would have wanted to play, and believed PCR tests were good enough. PCR tests for everyone (and a 2 week quarantine) were good enough for us to spend a weekend together with my family over break. College athletes want to play. Their lives are this. Every decision they've made for years has been around this.
I respect the players' decisions--they are not children--but they are extremely biased and putting the decision on them is not, in my view, the moral way to treat this situation. It's not righteous to make a man choose between his desire to play and his responsibility to keep the virus contained. Eli and Livers are not doctors. They're basketball players. To me, if you're asking the players to make a decision like that, it's because those whose job descriptions include making tough decisions don't want to make them.
I would expect the ADs and the Big Ten to be making this decision, and I would like to have doctors advising those decisions, based on needs that aren't my unimportant ones or the players' personally important ones. And I'm pretty certain that decision process would not have been so different from what my friend advised.
And that all very much went into this game. To the people ripping Ace for including it, what about those of us who thought it needed to be addressed? Why is it better to leave it out for a few who don't want to read about COVID morality than have it in for the many who went into this game wondering why it wasn't canceled, and who are going to face non sports nut family whose first questions are going to be about why they played, not how?
There are plenty of sites that try to cater to those who don't want to face a fact or meet an opinion in their sports writeups. But until MGoBlog I never had a site about my sports teams that didn't leave out the important things. I don't mind if you don't want to read about COVID in a recap of a game played 2 days into a possible COVID exposure. I just ask that you allow me to keep the one damn place where an insatiable information monster like me can get it.
January 23rd, 2021 at 2:30 AM ^
Seth, my only quibble is that in the pregame graphic, Smith & Brooks need dangerman stars, and probably Smith needs to lose the banana peel and get a "not-just-a-shooter" badge. Davis should probably lose the cyan and get a Gritty badge, too. It feels like false modesty at this point – as unexpected as it may be, this is probably the most talented and balanced Michigan team so far this century. I fear that when we face MSU or OSU, you'll give them as many dangermen as we have, and they do not deserve it.
January 23rd, 2021 at 3:51 AM ^
I hope to hell, whats seems like the vast majority of this board, is right. I hope there is no outbreak and we go on playing. Sometimes when the board is in TOO much agreement i get very worried. MSU 2020, OSU revenge tour etc. Anyone feel nervous all game even with a ln almost constant 15 point lead? That reffing boy.. whoowee it was like Gene Keady was back in the building.
January 23rd, 2021 at 8:06 AM ^
If you think that doctors were not consulted in this decision...then I don’t know what to tell you.
January 23rd, 2021 at 8:37 AM ^
Would you please not argue with that straw man? He doesn't even look like me. And he's made of straw.
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:00 AM ^
Seth, you do realize that (all of) you seem to preface EVERY post / podcast/ WTKA appearance with some mention of “if they make it to the B1G tournament” or “if the NCAA tournament actually happens - look at all these game cancellations”. And you are by far not the only ones doing this on the Michigan beat.
The issue is - WE GET IT* - this is an unprecedented (tm) situation that we are going through the best we can with no sure results. We do not need to be reminded of that every time we come to MGoBlog and certainly do not need Ace telling us on the front page “M did something reckless, but I guess I’ll post about it anyway..”. As he obviously feels quite strongly, how about “M and Purdue feel that they did everything right to protect their teams. Let’s hope they were right.”
* Most people - there certainly are some serious outliers on both ends of the spectrum.
January 23rd, 2021 at 9:33 PM ^
more specifically, it's the condescending tone that was off-putting to me - and I'm someone who generally agrees with Ace on is view of sports/pandemic and probably even this game.
Still, I enjoyed watching the game SO MUCH and wanted to read about how awesome that game was - and probably even the risks involved and why the game was played. I didn't want to read and did feel annoyed by the holier-than-thou tone however.
Love MGoBlog. Love Ace. We're all in this together.
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:11 AM ^
There are plenty of sites that try to cater to those who don't want to face a fact or meet an opinion in their sports writeups.
You’ve got a bit of straw on your own lance as well.
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:09 AM ^
”I respect the players' decisions--they are not children”
vs “so-called adults”
That’s the difference between the column you would have written, and the one Ace actually did.
January 23rd, 2021 at 11:52 AM ^
Seth, while you may have written the same thing as Ace, you would also engage with your readership to further explain your position when they disagree with you. You would not retreat to your Twitter echo-chamber to insult your readers. You would also present all of the information, not just the few facts that support your position.
You appreciate that this blog is a business. I find it hard to understand why you and Brian coddle this immature staff member who is driving away your customers. Hire Stu Douglass. He is infinitely more qualified than Ace.
January 23rd, 2021 at 1:22 AM ^
Ace is overly emotional and let's that cloud his judgment regularly. I wish him the best in his own personal health, but he cannot ever provide an unobjective point of view. Protocols were followed and the game was played. We won. Lets celebrate. Ace should be relegated to oped pieces or something along those lines since he cannot give a simple game recap without giving the page a lecture.
January 23rd, 2021 at 1:28 AM ^
I mean the open communication between the programs is great as well as making sure all players individually were comfortable playing but some of you guys are fooling yourselves if you don't think UM took some risk here not just healthwise, but also risking other games in the conference race if anybody misses time.
Purdue's negative tests unfortunately don't guarantee anything as there can be false negatives particularly if done shortly after exposure. Also I have seen people say Purdue already had it in most of their players which is obviously good, but the official stance at the moment by the CDC does not rule out reinfection. There is some research so far that indicates the antibodies may only last 90 days or so and supposedly Purdue's previous outbreak was in August.
On the game front though good to see a dominant performance after the Minny road game. Shows how balanced this team is when guys can have off nights and still win going away.
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:27 AM ^
I don’t think anyone is saying “there was zero risk at all”.
They are saying “this was not enough of an increase from baseline risk to get worked up about”.
Baseline here was that the teams were going to play, assuming both teams had been following protocol and testing negative.
The only difference from baseline is that Sasha tested positive after self-quarantining on Wednesday.
In order for this to result in COVID infections at Michigan, a number of things would need to happen: Sasha was shedding enough virus pre-Wednesday to be contagious despite testing negative; somebody at Purdue was infected by this despite their existing protocols and the fact that most of the team has already been infected and recovered; everyone who was infected was asymptomatic and tested negative multiple times leading up to the game despite at least one of them having enough of a viral load to be contagious; that individual or individuals managed to infect a player at Michigan.
Those are all possible, but low probability events. Having them all hit is an exponentially lower probability. And again, we aren’t comparing this probability to zero, we’re comparing it to whatever probability is inherently there from having planned to travel to Purdue and play the game in the first place.
January 23rd, 2021 at 7:43 AM ^
this is, by far, the most insane comment section in a year-plus of pure balls-out, monkey-shit-throwing bugeyed insanity. it’s like reading freaking RCMB.
January 23rd, 2021 at 3:43 PM ^
The board is having trouble understanding that a blog is not a news site, and Mgoblog is a blog where bloggers blog their opinions. It's literally always been like that, and just because it's a "recap" doesn't make it a different outlet. A blog might even be likened to a digital box of soap upon which to stand, if you will.
January 23rd, 2021 at 7:57 AM ^
Man, I get bored of the ad hominem attacks in Comment sections. Ace stated his opinion (he was probably right, though I selfishly am glad they played anyway), and people lose their shit. And instead of disagreeing with his opinion ("I don't know, Ace, seemed like they were careful enough -- I think it's ok that they played") they attack him personally, over and over. Talk about toxic. Great write-up, Ace. Keep it up.
Great win. I can't remember the last time I saw a game this physical, and Edey is a beast. When he gets in better condition and is able to play more ... he's going to be *tough.* On our side ... man, Livers is just so smooth. Until he's fierce. Great player.
January 23rd, 2021 at 11:50 AM ^
Not only that but everyone is also telling him exactly how he should have acknowledged the situation (usually they suggest one line at the start then nothing after). Just telling him how to do his job.
The “stick to sports” crowd always gets super triggered anytime they have to hear an opinion they don’t like.
January 23rd, 2021 at 8:45 AM ^
Lmao. 80% of the comments are about Ace instead of the game when this post was 67% about the game and not covid.
Some of you really suck at practicing what you preach.
January 23rd, 2021 at 8:50 AM ^
Continue to be impressed by Eli Brooks. His defense, floor game and maturity are so critical for this team. The beauty of watching a player complete his whole career at Michigan.
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:16 AM ^
Something we should all try to keep in mind when we criticize freshman and sophomores and imply that they can’t play at this level or suggest that they should transfer. Eli took a lot of crap from the fan base in his early years and I’m glad that he is getting his just rewards now.
January 23rd, 2021 at 9:39 AM ^
The main thing that annoys me about Ace's take, and others, is that they think they know better than the two basketball programs and their doctors that were involved in this situation. Perhaps if Ace had waited until all of this information was out, he might have toned down his rhetoric. Instead he jumped to conclusions without knowing all the information. Sounds like Purdue was very transparent and Michigan and their doctors were satisfied.
January 23rd, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
oh, that's just fucking idiotic. am i allowed to question the previous administration's treatment of the pandemic? they had 'programs' and 'doctors,' too. that doesn't mean they made the right decisions.
look, i have no goddamned idea if they "should" have played or not, but you don't either, and we probably won't know, maybe ever. there's no right answer. but suggesting that writing about this game and the circumstances surrounding it, without even discussing those circumstances, is some deeply stupid shit. and THEN, to say that it's "irresponsible" to include an opinion, as you did in a previosu comment? fuck that.
January 23rd, 2021 at 11:37 AM ^
Are you responding to someone else? The post you responded to seemed very rational to me.
January 23rd, 2021 at 9:45 AM ^
This week’s Fuego Box Hot Take is *wrestler voice* “LITERALLY EVERYTHING ACE SAYS THAT ISN’T NARROWLY FOCUSED ON MICHIGAN BASKETBALL RECRUITING AND IN-GAME PERFORMANCE”
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:15 AM ^
Crazy take... can the comments section focus on the game and not our personal takes on the risk exposure when none of us have enough information?
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:17 AM ^
Here's a link to what Matt Painter said. Combined with the interview details of Juwan by FS1 postgame, there was enough information for Purdue and U of M to assess the risk to play the game and they decided to play the game. The players provided input and any of the parties could have decided to postpone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu6FL3-BsC8
The outrage here does not seem to be appropriate.
U of M and Purdue have Chief Infection officers for these decisions per the Big Ten protocols, don't they?
January 23rd, 2021 at 11:23 AM ^
Like concussion protocol, this isn't a decision that should be in the hands of the coaches and players.
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:46 PM ^
It isn't. B10 protocol is for it to be in the hands of a separate Chief Infection Officer.
January 23rd, 2021 at 2:30 PM ^
The proper analogy here would be if the doctor evaluated the player, determined they didn’t have a concussion (or had sufficiently improved to return to competition,) and signed off letting them play. But out of an abundance of caution, respect for, and care and concern for his player, Coach Howard let the player know they didn’t have to play.
The word “needless” seems to have caused much of this kerfuffle. No shit, the game is needless. It’s a game! The proper question to ask is, is the risk of playing acceptable? There’s a risk to the players of getting on a bus and driving to West Lafayette in the winter. On Stu’s podcast (hire Stu, #TeamStu, #EatSoupWithStu,) he mentioned TWO near airplane disasters Beilein’s teams experienced. LIFE HAS RISKS. We’ve learned an incredible amount about the risks associated with covid in the last 10 months. Just because people come to different decisions after evaluating the risks, doesn’t mean they haven’t learned shit. The pontificating blogger needs to expand his perspective. Those of us living with children home from school and elderly in-laws in at-risk populations don’t need to be lectured to. I’m offended by his condescending attitude.
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:36 AM ^
To me the bigger question is how did Sasha contract the virus. What contact tracing was done. It doesnt matter of he had contact with the team, it matters if the person he contracted it from had contact.
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
It was absolutely the right call to play the game.
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:51 PM ^
Agree completely: This game should not have been played. Nor should any coach be pulling his mask down to yell during a game. Is the point of wearing a mask really that arcane to some people??
Side note: I've been told that the school bought vaccine for all staff and students, allowing everyone to jump the line ahead of people who can't just stay home, like grocery store workers. If this is true, it's disgusting.
January 23rd, 2021 at 1:14 PM ^
Reading this thread what is most striking are the number of people who still don’t understand this virus.
Purdue’s negative tests don’t mean their players don’t have the virus and aren’t contagious. There hasn’t been enough time since they found out they were exposed to guarantee a positive test.
So what are the odds another Purdue player tests positive in the next few days? And if so, what are the odds they infected our team? I don’t know those numbers, but the people pretending that there was no risk in playing the game last night are fooling themselves. All it takes is one person to derail our entire season.
The number of people still making this into something political is moronic. The virus doesn’t care about your politics.
January 23rd, 2021 at 4:08 PM ^
So you don't know the numbers, but you're perfectly willing to question the decision making of the doctors, coaches, and players, who probably do know the numbers and are the ones actually facing the risks? But the only reason anyone could disagree with your well formed opinion is because they don't understand the virus and are making it political?
PCR tests aren't perfect. They have a false negative rate. But the likelihood that everyone at Purdue could pull multiple clear PCR tests despite having a viral load high enough to spread the virus is very low.
Is at as safe as locking up at home? Of course not. But they've already decided to travel and play games. The question is not "is this zero risk" it's "is this substantially riskier than any other game we play".
January 23rd, 2021 at 5:33 PM ^
Nobody knows the exact numbers. The reality is, once you have a confirmed positive, anyone who has been in contact with them who hasn’t quarantined for at least 7 days with a negative test at the end is potentially infected.
Is the risk high? Maybe not, but it is CLEARLY higher than a team without a known positive test.
If we get through the weekend without another positive from Purdue we are probably ok.
January 23rd, 2021 at 1:19 PM ^
so... 8-1 in the B1G and 13-1 overall. Did anyone really expect this? I expected an upper half of the Big Ten, maybe, somewhere between 4-7th place but this.. This is just.. Wow.. And the chaser to this great shot is seeing State sitting in (checks notes) 10th (10th!!!!!!) place behind Northwestern... What a season!
January 23rd, 2021 at 4:12 PM ^
I expected this team to have way more holes than it does. Adding Dickinson to this crew was a revelation, and Brown and Smith are making great contributions. Awesome how fast Juwan got this team together.
January 23rd, 2021 at 3:23 PM ^
" I hope the so-called adults in charge of all this don't ruin it by ignoring the lessons we should all have learned in the ten months we've dealt with this pandemic up close."
You mean 1 of the 74 million or so who don't believe in science or Oingo Boingo?
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