franz wagner defensive gumby man

A series looking at Michigan's 2021-22 basketball outlook. Previously: center, power forward.

ROSTER

Caleb Houstan (Fr.): top-ten recruit stands 6'8" and knocked down more than half his threes as a junior. That'll do. Well rounded game but not likely to generate many shots himself; can attack closeouts. Power mushroom Zak Irvin.

Isaiah Barnes (Fr.): Bouncy sniper seems underrated by recruiting sites since he's 6'6", shot 45% from three as a junior, and plays above the rim. No doubt some rough edges to smooth out, but should be ready for 10 MPG maybe?

Jace Howard (So.): Coach's son got some Kenpom time last year, caused mom to tweet explosively whenever he got a bucket. Recruiting rankings (#390 on composite) suggest that if he's going to emerge as a contributor it might not be this year. Has requisite size, though.

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS

Is the youth here a concern?

Probably not. It is going to be young. This spot is going to be the least experienced by some distance, and it doesn't seem like there are potential reinforcements from either the guards (maaaybe Zeb Jackson could chip in?) or the fours (no viable candidates to play down, IMO). But since the rest of the lineup goes senior, senior, senior, sophomore and both candidates for major playing time should thrive in roles where they absorb shots and don't have to create them, it'll be fine.

It might be a different story if Michigan hadn't picked up Devante' Jones and there were more questions about whether they'd be able to generate shots from the pick and roll, but between Jones, Collins, and Hunter Dickinson there should be enough folks with gravity on the court to suffer a corner gunner or two. Houstan in particular is a guy who cannot be given a sliver of space. Matt D:

…one of the premier perimeter shotmakers in America. He’s at his best as a catch and shoot threat coming off screens or from a stationary position on the wing/corners. His mechanics are remarkably consistent, with a high release point, good arch and nice rotation. The sheer volume of his makes that don’t touch the rim is almost unbelievable. While Caleb has more of a set-shot, his combination of size/length will make that largely irrelevant at the college level, where closeouts aren’t likely to bother his shot. He also excels at relocating to give his guard optimal passing windows that maximize spacing.

That junior number on threes is an eyepopping 53%. While surrounded by Cade Cunningham and various other five-stars, yeah, but that's good in an empty gym. When Dickinson's gravity results in Michigan passing it around the horn, a Houstan triple is going to be one of the best shots in the Big Ten.

[After THE JUMP: Houstan's mature game, and a bouncy freshman sniper]

I had an entire post written about how Michigan blew up the early narrative of this game, which was LSU's incredible shot-making being too much to overcome for a Wolverines team missing their most reliable bucket-getter. When I went to hit submit, my still-shaking hands hit the wrong button, and I blew up my own post. This feels apropos.

So let's do the short version because my brain is still going AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH after one of the more fun, and therefore partisan nerve-destroying, games of the entire tournament. For most of the first half and a decent chunk of the second, it appeared that Cam Thomas and Javonte Smart would hit pullup jumper after pullup jumper, no matter how difficult, and LSU would do just enough on defense to pull off the upset.

Michigan refused to allow that to happen, grinding away a nine-point first-half deficit at the line after LSU's seventh foul to take an improbable 43-42 halftime lead. After Thomas opened 6/7 from the field, he closed 4/16 as Juwan Howard unleashed Chaundee Brown on him. Brown added a season-high 21 points, 14 after the break, to tie for the team lead with an inspired Eli Brooks, who drained 5/9 three-pointers.

Franz Wagner put the game out of reach at the end, hitting a hook, resetting for a three-pointer, dunking off a Hunter Dickinson outlet pass to break a press, putting back a Dickinson miss in traffic, and smothering a Thomas drive on the final Tigers possession with a sliver of hope. Nine of Wagner's 15 points came after halftime. Hunter Dickinson, who battled foul trouble in a poorly officiated game on both sides, managed an efficient 12-point, 11-board double-double in 31 minutes and did his usual bending of LSU's defense to open up the perimeter.

My narrative didn't survive the publishing process, which is how I refer to misclicks. Thankfully, Michigan's basketball team is much less shaky in the clutch. The Wolverines move on to their fourth Sweet Sixteen in a row and sixth in the last eight NCAA Tournaments. They'll face Florida State, convincing winners over Colorado this evening. Enjoy it as best as your nerves allow and be careful operating machinery.

[Hit THE JUMP for the box score.]

The Big Ten has released their all-conference teams and awards, and as usual we are baffled and opinionated.

WHAT THE HELL?

Ace: Sorry, sorry, I realize that isn’t a specific question.

Seth: No it is the appropriate response. "Lol" is the only other conceivable one.

Brian: I think we have to start having basketball coaches watch basketball. This thing where they don't do that isn't working out.

Seth: Here are their selections, fwiw:

COACHES

Player of the year/DPoY in bold, *means he wasn’t a media selection.

Freshman of the Year: Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
6th Man: Andre Curbelo, Illinois
Coach of the Year: Juwan Howard, Michigan

MEDIA

Freshman of the Year: Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Coach of the Year: Juwan Howard, Michigan

[We’ll talk about all of this at the jump. Spoiler: no, we can’t be bought off by giving Dickinson 1st team if that 1st team has four true centers]