A shorthanded Michigan squad responded well in the aftermath of the Wisconsin fiasco. With a Q1 win over Iowa on the road and another victory over a bubble team in Rutgers, the Wolverines control their destiny down the stretch with three of four games at Crisler. 

THREE UP

The kids come to play. In perhaps the biggest game of the season, the freshman trio of Houstan/Bufkin/Collins was outstanding. Collins in particular was superb during a second half run that effectively ended the game. His defensive presence on the ball made a huge impact. He was in guys rather than next to them as reflected below.

Offensively, the euro-step in transition attracted all the headlines, but the possession below may depict the most growth. Instead of pounding the ball without creating any advantage, Frankie waited until the weakside help left the paint and fed Dickinson with the re-entry pass once he established better position. 

Individual +/- is probably the biggest fraud in basketball, but Collins going a +8 in nine minutes definitely lines up with the eye test. He turbo-charged the Wolverine 9-0 run to stretch the lead to 12. 

Bufkin joined the party with significant contributions of his own. The possession clipped below is likely the best two-way sequence of his career.

Kobe had the look of a seasoned veteran when he digs at Omoruyi to make him pick up his dribble before closing out under control and contesting the jumpshot. On the other end the lanky guard/wing is the ballhandler in Pistol action and absorbs contact before converting at the rim. 

The defensive end was also a huge plus for Bufkin, as he did a great job on the ball against Rutgers' secondary shot-creators.

Since getting roasted by Sam Sessoms on the road at Penn State, Kobe has improved a considerable amount on the defensive end. 

Michigan's most touted 2021 signee, Caleb Houstan, lead the scoring charge with 21 points and five triples.

But Houstan did more than just space the floor. He had a nice block early on and wasn't a liability defensively. Throw in a dumpoff as the ballhandler in ballscreen action and you have his most complete performance of the season. 

Collins and Bufkin going from net-negatives to neutral/slightly above-average absolutely changes the complexion for this team. Kobe being competent allows Michigan to shift Houstan to the PF spot for spurts and Frankie holding his own means the Wolverines can be a bit more aggressive in transition. Perhaps more than anything, some consistency from those two allows Jones and Brooks to get reasonable rest while not being forced to play Houstan should he struggle. 

Steady guidance from DeVante Jones. The senior PG had another good outing against Rutgers with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists on 6/12 from the field. During B10 play, Jones is third in the conference in assists per game at 4.9 and fourth in assist/TO ratio at 2.7. Throw in 10.4 points and nearly 5 rebounds per contest and you have a reliable starting floor general.

His game isn't necessarily pleasing from aesthetics perspective, but it is effective. A big part of DeVante's scoring package is the ability to hit unorthodox shots as seen below.

For a team that doesn't have have someone to consistently hit tough shots from the perimeter, converting those off-balance looks compensates a bit.

Additionally, Jones has quietly strung together some quality outings on the defensive end. The rotations and activity he displayed against Rutgers was notable and he had some really good moments against Wisconsin as well.

While he may not have the perimeter shotmaking ability of a Mike Smith, DeVante is a more complete player at this point. 

[AFTER THE JUMP, please hit open shots.]

Homecookin' for Houstan. A freshman having an up-and-down season is certainly no surprise, but the home/away splits for Caleb are extreme. Michigan's designated shooter is simply a different player at Crisler as evidenced by this shot chart from UMHoops. He's shooting 15-20% better from the majority of shooting zones at home, and nearly 30% better on triples from the right wing. 

The good news? The Wolverines play three of their final four games at home, with two of those contests coming against ranked teams. Let's hope Crisler Caleb is a thing during the next week.

ONE DOWN

Too Much Space. Michigan has one of the more bizarre shot profiles that I can recall. The Wolverines generate 1.01ppp on unguarded catch + shoot jumpers per Synergy. That is good for 23rd percentile nationally on 204 attempts. Michigan is missing a ton of shots just like this.

On the flip side, the Wolverines actually grade out better when the shots are contested, at a blazing 1.073ppp. Michigan is in the 89th percentile in the country on these shots types on 191 attempts. Hitting contested, double-clutch threes along with the multi-dribble iso variety as seen below will do that for you.

If we can just hit a damn open shot, this offense would go from good/top-25 to potentially elite. The coaching staff is scheming open shots in heavy volume and the team just hasn't been able to cash in. The early parts of the second half against Wisconsin really hit on this point. Michigan had 8-9 WIDE OPEN triples after going up 5 and simply could not connect on the looks that would've effectively put the game away by the ten minute mark.