Northwestern 76, Michigan 62
Michigan headed into Evanston this evening with a particularly shorthanded squad. Dug McDaniel was serving the final game of his six away game suspension, which has been a debilitating absence most of this season, but when you add in the wrist injury to Olivier Nkamhoua, Michigan was going to be in trouble. Oh and Will Tschetter was unavailable too. Michigan probably never had much of a chance, though they did put in a pretty good effort against an NCAA Tournament-bound Northwestern team given the circumstances. At 8-19 in year five of the Juwan Howard Era, this is what we've been reduced to discussing.
The good effort Michigan gave was mostly related to the hot three-point shooting, which lasted most of the night. The Wolverines had no offensive creation in this game, pretty much all night, and relied on a mix of perimeter shooting and Tarris Reed Jr. post touches to suffice for offensive possessions. Michigan got out to a hot start, leading 16-5 after starting three of four from beyond the arc, feeding Reed buckets in between. Michigan led by near double digits for a lot of the first half, as Northwestern's offense lagged behind, though you always had the sense that the lead was unsustainable given how hot Michigan was from distance.
Michigan led 26-17 with seven minutes to play in the first half when Northwestern made a push. It got started with a pair of free throws and a Matthew Nicholson dunk, but then came a hellfire of three pointers, three in just over a minute to erase a seven point Michigan lead and turn the score into a tie game. Nimari Burnett, who was Michigan's brightest star on his return to the hometown Chicago metropolitan area, drilled a triple to jut Michigan back ahead 33-30, but Nick Martinelli answered with a put-back layup. The score eventually sat at 34-34 with a minute to go in the half, a sequence that concluded with a Michigan turnover and another Northwestern three, off a clever in-bounds play that left Michigan completely fooled. The Ryan Langborn trey sent NU into the break up 37-34, their first lead of the game since it was 3-2.
[Marc-Gregor Campredon]
The flurry from Northwestern to close the first half put the game into a rather familiar pattern, a decent Michigan first half followed by a calamitous second half. This time it was even more predictable, as Michigan's hot first half shooting (6/8 from three!) screamed second half cool off. Michigan actually continued to shoot it at a good clip in the second half, but they got very few attempts off as Northwestern adjusted to shut off the catch-and-shoot three. The Wolverines were instead forced to pound it inside more, absent any real offensive creation from the guards. Tarris Reed Jr. took seven of Michigan's 20 second-half FGA, shooting an inefficient 3/7 at the rim. Michigan went through a nearly 10 minute stretch where Reed was the only Wolverine to score, which isn't a good sign when he wasn't scoring all that much.
As for Northwestern, they came right out of halftime and continued the push they'd made late in the first. They charged out to lead 41-34, before Michigan made a little Burnett-fueled run to grab the edge back at 44-43. After that the 'Cats pushed straight ahead to grab full control of the game. NU poured in two threes in a row to go up 51-44 and the lead was up to double digits before long. It held around the 10 point mark before stretching up into the teens as the game plodded towards its conclusion. Ryan Langborg shot it well from three, dropping in a trio of triples in the second half, while the penetration of Boo Buie broke the Michigan D down to the tune of five assists. The 'Cats added five offensive rebounds and forced five Michigan turnovers, all part of the formula that evolved this into a rout.
While time ticked down, we were treated to discussion of how Michigan's missed free throws translated into free chicken for the crowd in Welsh-Ryan Arena. That's where Michigan Men's Basketball is right now. They've lost nine of ten and fourteen of sixteen. They are 5-19 since beating St. John's to start the season 3-0. They are 3-13 in B1G play and have a two game cushion for last in the conference. Michigan has sunk all the way to 110th in KenPom. There's not much to say other than to go through the motions of this season, motions that will continue on Sunday when the #3 ranked Purdue Boilermakers come to Ann Arbor. That game is scheduled for 2:00 PM EST and will be broadcast on CBS.
[Click the JUMP for the box score if you want]
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:05 AM ^
Hey if the almost-as-shitty Buckeyes can upset Purdue with home court advantage, there's no reason we ca...
...yeah, sorry I couldn't maintain the straight face while typing that.
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:11 AM ^
Can we not use a photo from the msu game?
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:24 AM ^
are people actually watching these games? if so, i'm impressed. I just watch highlights from three seasons of football.
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:04 AM ^
I did. Reed has become a net liability and plays small like a 6-4 forward. Llewellen had a bad game, yet Juwan wouldnt put in GW. We got a big lead when Yoyo and Gw and Jackson were all playing together as they hustle and not half ass it. Then Juwan took them out and then yoyo nor gw played til too late. Mind boggling subs.
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:38 AM ^
Yoyo and GW were fine in a spurt but Jackson is up there with Jett in terms of guys who seem allergic to defense. Michigan built up a lead because they were shooting 75% from 3 while NW missed open shots. None of them are good or consistent enough right now to play more than spot minutes in a competitive game.
February 23rd, 2024 at 11:55 AM ^
Tray Jackson only cares when it comes to whether or not he has the basketball in his hands.
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:30 AM ^
i mean, no offense to alex but i read a paragraph
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:34 AM ^
50% shooting and 73% from 3. And lose by 10+ lol
February 23rd, 2024 at 2:34 AM ^
Beilein is rolling over in his grave at that.
This program can't manipulate a game to their liking at all.
February 23rd, 2024 at 2:46 AM ^
Somewhere Warde is trying to figure out a way to frame this into a way to bring Juwan back.
February 23rd, 2024 at 11:00 AM ^
Bet you he invokes Harbaugh 2020 when he does.
February 23rd, 2024 at 6:20 AM ^
I could see the usual IMPLOSION starting late first half...and sure enough thats the point they COLLAPSED it seems like the same thing over and over and over again...... start out HOT... get a lead.... give it up by halftime then get blown out.......FIRE HOWARD
February 23rd, 2024 at 7:14 AM ^
It was a rough game to watch but also highlights just how shitty this whole league is outside of Purdue. NW is, per KenPom and NET, the 4th-best team in this conference at 44th overall. That's...pretty bad when you consider last year UM was 44th last year and finished 9th in the conference by KenPom.
This doesn't change a thing about how awful UM has been but it's extra infuriating because UM is losing to teams that they'd likely beat if they were even in the ballpark of last year's profoundly mediocre team.
February 23rd, 2024 at 8:14 AM ^
Yes- I'm thinking the NCAA tourney pool strategy is to fade the Big Ten.
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:40 AM ^
Yeah, Wisconsin is going to be a 4 seed somewhere and they're going to get run off the court by the first team with a pulse they face.
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:55 AM ^
I wish we were as shitty as NU at 44th in Kenpom this year.
February 23rd, 2024 at 7:44 AM ^
Injuries and absences noted, we don’t now, and have not ever appeared to even have an actual offensive plan.
Iso. Dribble. Chuck.
February 23rd, 2024 at 7:46 AM ^
The keys to the game: strategic timeout for Juwan at 1:30 left in game down 20.
He actually had the guys press coming out of the time out… down 20…with a 1:30 left.
The last time they came out of a timeout, they immediately turned it over so this was something different I guess
February 23rd, 2024 at 7:58 AM ^
And we wonder why there was an all out brawl at the end of the wisconsin game.
This bush league shit pressing when the game is over is pathetic.
Press during the game. Stop this fake tough guy shit that's been going on three years now.
And how about not even using the use it or lose it timeout before the end of the half.
February 23rd, 2024 at 7:56 AM ^
"two game cushion for last in the conference"- that overall #1 pick is almost ours now!
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:05 AM ^
That's interesting actually, as NIL starts to spiral out of control, a draft might be needed! Especially if the sec/b1g are allowed to collude, it might make a lot of sense in the not-so-distant future!
February 23rd, 2024 at 8:16 AM ^
I think a fascinating debate would be which coach is doing a worse job...Juwan Howard or Monty Williams!
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:12 PM ^
What’s the NBA equivalent of losing to Long Beach State and McNeese State? Pretty sure Monty hasn’t sunk that low yet.
February 23rd, 2024 at 8:30 AM ^
Since Juwan has came back to coach the team, they are -153 in the 2nd Half alone.
That is not a typo. We are witnessing maybe the worst coached team in Michigan Basketball History.
February 23rd, 2024 at 8:51 AM ^
Imagine being Jett Howard who's clearly not ready for the NBA but has dominated the G-league so I'm sure he could've helped his dad out. If Jett returns, Dickinson probably returns or maybe it's the other way around but it's fucking ridiculous that someone thought this sorry ass roster was up to Michigan standard.
We need to tar and feather the sorry ass individual that signed of on all these pathetic decisions.
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:06 AM ^
That individual being the guy that is... getting paid handsomely to be in charge of roster management, recruiting, scholarship allocation, etc.?
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:07 AM ^
I thought things went south last season when it was apparent that Juwan is playing Jett to get him to the league. His defense was so bad and any coach would have pulled him. Once he got hurt we went on a TEAR, and wasn't a coincidence. But his return and it was team morale breaking.
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:22 PM ^
Correct and a ton of plays were specifically drawn up for Jett….don’t get me wrong the kid has talent but it was all forced and not within the flow of the offense.
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:04 AM ^
Good to hear the boys made a good effort, better than i expected and a good sign for the improvement of the team culture.
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:05 AM ^
What is there left to build on for next year? The surface of the earth?
February 23rd, 2024 at 9:30 AM ^
I watched the first half, then NW hit the 3 with no time left in the half, and I went to bed.
February 23rd, 2024 at 11:11 AM ^
It wasn’t actually no time left. The inbound pass was immediately to an open shooter so the ball went through the hoop with probably almost 3 seconds left (clock running).
In this situation you usually (always?) see teams rush to get the ball on the baseline so they can rush it in play and heave a half or full court attempt. Obviously it almost never goes in but you try.
Except Michigan didn’t.
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:01 PM ^
Yeah, Jackson was nearest the ball and just stood there before making a half-ass attempt to get it as the buzzer sounded. Oops!
February 23rd, 2024 at 11:02 AM ^
I began watching Michigan basketball (and listening on the radio) in the 1961-62 season. We were not good 7-17 (5-9 in conference).
In 1962-63, sophmore center Bill Buntin joined the varsity and I was ecstatic about our improvement 16-8 (8-6)
In 1963-64 Cazzie Russell and Oliver Darden joined the varsity and we won the BT, the first of 3 straight.
Since then there have been ups an downs, but even in the down years I enjoyed watching the team and players like Dennis Stewart , Lavell Blanchard et al. Even in Beilein's down years ( 2 of the first 3), the team was fun to watch and you could see the plan- spread the floor, 3 point shooting, opening up back door cuts for easy lay-ups or dunks, value the basketball by keeping turnovers to a minimum.
Now I'm still paying attention (hard habit to break), but the joy has gone out of it. And that isn't just this season. It is really hard to see the plan.
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:41 PM ^
It's really hard to see any plan when:
- guys can't consistently stay in-front of their opponent on defense (except for Tarris, most of his defensive issues are rotational or leaving his feet too early which are legit development areas since he is only a sophomore in his first full season starting). I'm not sure I have ever seen a team lack athleticism and individual defensive positioning like this Michigan squad....and I've watched the Ivy league and a ton of D3 games in my life.
- the term box out seems to be reserved for taking out recycling. This is my biggest frustration. Not a single damn player on this team seems to want to or know how to box out. When the ball goes up, find someone and put your butt on them! It's one of the easiest things in basketball. This team would probably be .500 or better if they simply boxed out, even with all the other flaws.
- you turn the ball over again, and again, and again. Beilein was fanatical about not turning the ball over. For his style to work, that was imperative. Coach Howard was okay with more turnovers to help get the team out in transition more. That can work also. But when you simply throw the ball to the other team repeatedly in half court sets or get stripped trying to dribble in the paint, there is no upside. Everyone on the team struggles with this. These players simply can not read or feel what the defense is doing to them.
These three things have killed this team. That is coaching and culture. It's as much on the players as it is the coaches to get on your teammates about boxing out, turnovers, and not letting guys repeatedly blow past you. If the coaches and players are not demanding it in practice, it will not happen in games. If there is not a change in coaching and they can't bring in better team leaders, I don't see how this team gets significantly better next season.
February 23rd, 2024 at 1:19 PM ^
Good post. Wondering if this is has been just this season, or if you saw it develop last year too.... going back to early Juwan years is moot because of the Beilein carryover.
February 23rd, 2024 at 6:42 PM ^
There's been slightly different things the past few seasons, but again, coaching and culture are big drivers.
Full caveats, everything I'm going to say is based on my own perceptions watching the team play because I have no inside connections, but I did play through college, I watch every Michigan game as well as many other college games, I also grew up hanging around a D3 program.
Last year, the team did not like playing with Jett. I'm not saying they didn't like him, they did not enjoy playing with him. Understandably, I think it created a lot of strain on the team and coaches. Once that happens, doing the little things starts to disappear. To be clear, Hunter never boxed out a day in his life he just goes for the rebound. T-Will does the same thing. This is a killer during crunch time when the other guys are trying just a little harder and get away with being a little more physical. With guards, it's a little harder to tell. Some coaches want their guards getting out and running while some like them crashing. I believe Juwan changes it up throughout the game which also leads to confusion. Often times he will have the PG crash so he is also back to bring the ball up. When this happens, he will often have the 2 or 3 release. Bufkin was athletic, so he often had him crash to release Jett. Had Jett had better court awareness, I actually would have had him crash and let Bufkin release because he was better in the open court, but I understand why the coaches did it the other way. Regardless, there were boxing out issues last year, but you were never going to get Hunter to box out and it started to spread to everyone else.
I thought the team did a better job on individual defense last year except for one critical area (I'm not going to address rotations and help because that is a blatant problem with young teams and teams who don't spend a lot of time playing together). They were absolutely horrible at contain. In the first couple of games I lost count of the number of times two defenders let an opponent split them. That should never happen. Never. That's so basic I couldn't even begin to explain or guess why Michigan was so bad at it. I gave up yelling at the TV once it became clear that was just part of the team. Again, coaching and culture. That's one of those things the players need to hold each other accountable for. There's not much a coach can do when you scheme up have two guys on one and the one keeps winning.
February 23rd, 2024 at 11:10 AM ^
welp.
February 23rd, 2024 at 11:19 AM ^
Amazingly, I don't think I've INTENTIONALLY watched a single minute of play this year. Maybe saw some play when we were at Applebees, etc. but wasn't paying close attention.
February 23rd, 2024 at 11:36 AM ^
"That game is scheduled for 2:00 PM EST and will be broadcast on CBS."
It's unfortunate this game isn't buried on the Big Ten network.
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:51 PM ^
This whole thing sucks - hiring Juwan was too much of a risky mistake. Upon his bitter departure, this will completely disconnect the Fab-5, the most recognized and iconic group of players, from the University. The program will spin its tires for years to come until it can distance itself from this era all the while losing fans, revenue and support.
There was way too much downside to the decision to hire someone with no college experience and limited coaching experience - I’m almost at a point to force wholesale assistant coach changes, retain Juwan for one more year, and explain to him he needs to limit the amount of transfer portal additions and actually BUILD and DEVELOP a roster.
We’ve set ourselves so far back now that it’s probably the best course of action at this point. I cannot believe I’m saying this.
February 23rd, 2024 at 1:46 PM ^
I was there during the Fab Five run, and saw most games in the first few rows. Hard to imagine but it was like watching an sloppy NBA team play college teams. They were so far ahead of anyone athletically... Even until now I have only seen a few college players have that type of athleticism.
To bring Juwan on was to get the top players all to come here, but NIL and G league won't allow what could have been. Look to Hardaway in Memphis and Calipari at Kentucky, before the NIL and that's where we were going and could have really worked. Plus Warde somehow didn't anticipate Beilein leaving even after he courted the NBA the year prior, and was caught with pants down
February 23rd, 2024 at 2:06 PM ^
We have gotten top flight talent to come here….Houstan, Dickinson, Kobe, Jett, Collins, Moussa, Tarris…..these are all consensus Top-40 recruits…..the problem is college is a completely different game than the NBA.Teams actually have offensive philosophies/structure, commit themselves to team defense and do the little things correctly over and over. The NBA is about managing egos and minutes in the hope you get into the playoffs where then everyone takes it a bit more serious.
Juwan was not prepared to run this long term. Factor in his kids were on the team, his health and his propensity towards snapping and it was a bad recipe.
February 23rd, 2024 at 1:10 PM ^
Early in the season after watching a few games I thought the team was uber athletic and gonna be really good, and said that without Dickinson we can finally play Juwan's game. Seemed to be confirmed we were good after Pitino complimented us. I was so wrong here. Hard to see how bad we are now.
February 23rd, 2024 at 1:36 PM ^
YOUR BASKETBALL TEAM SUCKS !!!!
February 23rd, 2024 at 2:02 PM ^
There are a lot of legitimate points being discussed here as to why this team hasn't been good.
But the one that fully tanked the season is the game to game player availability. Last night had 3 players that played vs. MSU that did not play, and 2 players that did not play vs. MSU that were available. No team could hope to become more consistent through a season of player shifting like this team has had.
February 23rd, 2024 at 3:33 PM ^
When you hit bottom, only place left to go is….sideways.
February 24th, 2024 at 12:04 AM ^
I’m just here for the comments.
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