juwan howard as uncle phil

Podcast apologies. I had a family issue and Ace is dealing with a severe allergic reaction, so there's no podcast today. Back at it next week. Silver lining: text content will be novel instead of also on the podcast.

The whiplash game. An alien observer given an oversized baseball hat, trench coat, inconspicuous sunglasses, and tickets to Michigan's two most recent basketball games must think he watched two different sports. One is a game of furrowed brows and vicious close-quarters fighting in which shots are precious and points even more so. The second is superficially similar to the first, but apparently has dozens of subtle rule changes that make it impossible to defend anything. Also your worth as a player is directly correlated with the size of your eyebrows.

I wonder if there's ever been a bigger game-to-game swing in Michigan's offense than going from 0.65 PPP to 1.39. If it's been exceeded it's not by much.

ope just gonna grab this from you for a sec [Campredon]

Johns: hello. One game after I asserted Michigan hadn't changed anything from John Beilein's OREB approach Brandon Johns swoops in for five OREBs and Michigan grabs 44% of its rare misses. Johns also swished a couple corner threes en route to 12 points on seven shot equivalents. Also he had a nice assist to Davis.

That's a breakout performance, and now we're waiting to see if that lasts. It prompted an Athletic article from Brendan Quinn detailing Johns's confidence issues:

“It was a huge problem,” Johns said Friday night, arms folded, standing in the Crisler Center lobby. “It was kind of heartbreaking because people would say how good I am, but I just didn’t see it. I never saw it. I never believed in myself like that.”

When it comes to former top-50 recruits such as Johns, the issue usually comes from the opposite direction. They’re convinced they’re good and need to be broken down. Johns, after a freshman year spent lost in a playbook, confused on the floor and fledgling outside the rotation, was the converse. The picture didn’t fit the frame. He needed to be reminded of who he is and what he can do. He needed to be reminded that he’s 6 feet, 8 inches and 235 pounds of potential. He needed to be told that he’s an elite athlete who can do things others can only dream of.

Johns doesn't have to do a lot more than bring a Mitch McGary vibe and hit open shots to make a big difference as Michigan's primary bench guy at the 3 and 4.

[After THE JUMP: it's raining points]