Michigan 88, Elon 68
Derrick Walton dishing pic.twitter.com/5HEI9LlBx1
— Dustin Johnston (@DJPhotoVideo) November 17, 2015
It's safe to say Michigan sorely missed a healthy Derrick Walton.
After the Wolverines got out to a slow start against Elon, finding themselves in a 15-12 hole midway through the first half, Walton spearheaded an offensive explosion. First he excelled in transition, getting his teammates going with quick runouts and timely passes. Then he found his own shot, kickstarting M's halfcourt offense as they pulled away.
Walton posted a stat line of 24 points (2/3 2P, 6/7 3P), six rebounds, and seven assists, and he created offense in a multitude of ways. If he wasn't springing a fast break, he was spotting up for a corner three, or driving the baseline before kicking it out to a shooter, or pulling up from midrange, or going coast-to-coast for a Euro-step layup. This was the most aggressive he's looked in a Michigan uniform and the results could hardly have been better.
Duncan Robinson also lit it up from beyond the arc, hitting all five of his three-point attempts and adding a transition dunk and a pair of free throws to score 19 points without missing a shot. While his defense still has a ways to go, his shooting ability is an asset that affects more than his own scoring—when he's on the floor it stretches opposing defenses thin.
and then the blood starts pouring pic.twitter.com/MyoK3s3r2l
— Dustin Johnston (@DJPhotoVideo) November 17, 2015
The exploits of Walton and Robinson allowed the Wolverines to weather an underwhelming shooting night from the rest of the team, which was a combined 2/12 from three-point range. Zak Irvin played his first minutes of the season and didn't look comfortable coming off his back injury; he went 0/5 from the field, though he still managed to contribute with three assists. Caris LeVert was quieter than normal, scoring 11 points on 3/8 FGs and 5/6 FTs. Like Irvin, he found other ways to create offense, dishing out seven assists with some nifty work to create open looks in late-clock situations; he also swiped four steals.
The big-picture takeaways from this game will focus on the center position. Mark Donnal got the start but struggled, to put it kindly, on both ends in his 15 minutes on the floor. Ricky Doyle looked like he should be the clear-cut starter with eight bruising points in 13 minutes; three fouls limited his time but he looked far superior to Donnal.
DJ Wilson moonlighted at the five but mostly stuck to the four. Mo Wagner, meanwhile, got in early and played seven eventful minutes, pulling down an offensive board and helping M grab at least one more, then taking a charge before triumphantly exiting with a Novak-esque stream of blood running down his face. Donnal's hold on a rotation spot may be tenuous, especially as the season goes on.
There were signs of the rotation forming on the wings, too. Aubrey Dawkins, Kam Chatman, and Robinson have seemingly distanced themselves from Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who only saw eight minutes, most of them late, despite Dawkins and Robinson struggling on defense.
While Michigan's team defense wasn't as good as the box score would indicate, they managed to work through some very tight officiating—which seems to be the trend this season—and come up with eight steals, a point of emphasis for them in the early going. With Walton fully operational, the offense came together as soon as the open looks from outside started falling, and the Wolverines didn't look back.
Now Michigan must hope that Irvin gets more comfortable and someone outside of Doyle steps up in the middle, as the first big test of the season looms on Friday when Xavier comes to Crisler.
November 16th, 2015 at 9:37 PM ^
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November 16th, 2015 at 9:43 PM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 9:49 PM ^
Michigan gives up too many open looks at three point shots.
Michigan is still pretty good at shooting.
November 17th, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
Another early observation.... those shorts are horrifying.
November 17th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
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November 17th, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^
I couldn't decide if they looked more like diapers or tutus, and the colors of the diapers don't even match the tops. It's as if they pulled one piece from column A and one from column B and didn't care if the blues [blacks?] and yellows [maize?] came from different dye providers.
Hoped they would have fixed it after the first game. Really embarrssing, and feel bad for the guys who have to wear them.
November 16th, 2015 at 9:59 PM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 10:14 PM ^
Maybe it's simply a coaching ploy to boost Donnal's confidence?
November 16th, 2015 at 10:22 PM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 12:49 AM ^
Should energy be that big of a concern? This isn't Doyle's first college season. He's young and has no mileage on him. They play no more than twice a week.
November 17th, 2015 at 1:42 AM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 9:59 PM ^
His defense really took a step forward late last year, and we're going to need that down the stretch.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:25 PM ^
If anyone thinks, based upon the 3 games we've seen so far, that Chatman will play more than MAAR, they are wrong. MAAR is proven against top notch competition and pressure, and is clearly comfortable and productive when on the floor. Nothing against Chatman, but he's not in the same league at this point.
Ace-- Look back at the last couple of years. You might recall that Chatman played much more than MAAR at the beginning of last season also. Vogrich started a couple of years before that, but Stauskas and LeVert ended up in the rotation.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:31 PM ^
Did you see that one? MAAR broke down the defense dribbling into the lane, then fed to Dawkins for an uncontested dunk. Chatman has improved and gotten a lot of good assists, but who do you want playing against Michigan State. I think the question answers itself.
It's incredibly foolhardy to assume that what we've seen so far, in terms of playing time, will stick. Clearly Beilein is using the "pre-season" to see what we've got in the 9-12 slots (Wilson, Wagner, Chatman, Donnal). I'm guessing Wilson is the most talented of that group. I think Donnal is already out of the running. Wagner is probably better than Chatman, but Chatman does seem to have improved, but still can't hit an outside shot.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:54 PM ^
It may not be as simple as just "who is better"
Everybody has a role to play. Chapman, while maybe not necessarily better, can fill a role (size/rebounding/post-ish offense) that UM has less proven commodities. MAAR has Walton/Levert/Spike who bring a lot of the same skills, though arguably better. Chapman is in a group with Doyle/Wilson/Wagner/Donnal where you are a lot less certain to have consistant prodution.
Also, I probably wouldnt mind seeing Chapman against MSU, he can rebound and has some size. Wilson and Wagner are stil thin, and Donnal is....Donnal at this point.
November 16th, 2015 at 11:48 PM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 10:59 PM ^
Whoops, double post. my bad.
Here is a Denard gif as penance:
November 16th, 2015 at 10:01 PM ^
Speaking of Xaviers. I do hope Derrick Walton sticks around to mentor Xavier Simpson during his senior year.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:50 PM ^
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November 17th, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^
nice segway
November 16th, 2015 at 10:04 PM ^
I think the decision to not redshirt Mo is a direct correlation with the phasing out of Donnal. Along with the taking back his redshirt. This is not a "today" decision this is a "3 months from now" decision. Probably will take bulk of year but by Feb you prob see 25 min Doyle/15 Mo on most nights. Donnal there as "break in case of early foul trouble" here or there.
Some guys just done have "it". You dont see any edge or hardness to his game. That's fine if you are a pretty boy jump shooter at the 2. Not at the 5. These opponents are the type he should be having a lot of success against - Big 10 centers will eat him alive (again).
Curious how Duncan does vs better athletes-if he can get open and get shot off and not be a massive liability on D vs UConn it will be a positive.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:15 PM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 12:19 AM ^
Along with his quick release, being 6'8" (two inches taller than Stauskas) should enable him to shoot cleanly over most perimeter defenders.
November 17th, 2015 at 10:33 AM ^
I agree. I think by the end of the year we will see a Morgan, Horford, Bielfeldt situation (with Donnal playing the Bielfeldt role)
November 17th, 2015 at 2:46 PM ^
They're not redshirting Mo because he doesn't want to be here five years, he'll either go pro or back to euro, so not playing him this year is a waste.
They didn't take back Donnal's redshirt they're just going to Bielfeldt him--give him his senior night in his 4th year and not welcome him back for a 5th year when he'll transfer somewhere else.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:08 PM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 12:53 AM ^
Might want to update your sig.
November 17th, 2015 at 1:44 AM ^
That is how basketball tends to work.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:08 PM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 10:08 PM ^
PROTECT THE KENPOM
November 16th, 2015 at 10:15 PM ^
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November 16th, 2015 at 10:21 PM ^
Donnal does a lot of the less visible things very well (picks on the perimeter, hedging on defense) and a lot of the visible things poorly (going strong to the basket, rebounding) so it is tough to know how much the coaches value him.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:27 PM ^
November 16th, 2015 at 10:58 PM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 1:39 AM ^
Even "Wang, Dang, Sweet Poontang"?
November 16th, 2015 at 10:25 PM ^
Jesus, those shorts look worse and worse every time I see them.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:37 PM ^
I think Walton will be our best player this year. No offense to Caris but Walton seems better at breaking down the defense and creating opportunities. Plus he still has that great outside shot, and he's a great rebounder. If he stays healthy he'll be an all-conference player.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:41 PM ^
Yes, Walton was the best tonight. He really stood out and played at a level higher than anyone else. Led the team in rebounds, fergodssake.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:40 PM ^
I enjoyed watching him on the bench tonight. He looked totally comfortable, even though he didn't get many minutes.
We have a fantastic top eight: LeVert, Walton, Irwin, Doyle, Albrecht, Dawkins, Robinson, and MAAR. And we've got 4 more big bodies to throw in if needed.
November 16th, 2015 at 11:35 PM ^
My only quibble is leaving out Wagner. Doyle will need lots of breaks, and I think Wagner comes in for him. For this reason, even if Wagner isn't in the top eight, he will see more playing time than some of the wings.
November 17th, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^
I think that is why WIlson belongs on this list instead of MAAR. WIlson will get more minutes at the 4 but will occationally slide over to help give Doyle consistent breaks as well.
November 16th, 2015 at 11:02 PM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 8:25 AM ^
as the announcers suggested last night, it's Alex Olah's 12th year or whatever at Northwestern.
November 16th, 2015 at 11:43 PM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 12:15 AM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 12:39 AM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 12:43 AM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 6:56 AM ^
November 17th, 2015 at 7:57 AM ^
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November 17th, 2015 at 9:34 AM ^
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