Oregon 71, Michigan 70 (OT)
Zavier Simpson's right-handed scoop caught the front iron and bounced into a mass of bodies. Brandon Johns, like he'd done much of the afternoon, got his hand up for a second chance, but his tip-in attempt came up short. With that, Michigan's steady comeback from a 16-point deficit to force overtime wasn't ultimately completed with a win, and the Wolverines will have to live with moral victories from a hard-fought game against a good opponent.
The first half could hardly have been uglier. Michigan made 7-of-29 shots, including a 3-for-13 mark from beyond the arc, and they spent an alarming portion of the half with more turnovers than field goals. Oregon hit half their shots both inside and outside the three-point line, meanwhile. Only a huge shift by David DeJulius, who had 12 of Michigan's 23 points at the break, kept the Wolverines in touch. They were fortunate to trail by eight at halftime.
David DeJulius kept Michigan in the game early. [Campredon]
Isaiah Livers, scoreless on six first-half shots, came out of the break on fire, scoring 11 points on four shots in the first four minutes. The team followed suit. With Brandon Johns having a breakout performance with a surprise twist—replacing Jon Teske at center for most of the latter stages of the game—Michigan clawed back into the game. Johns allowed Michigan to hedge pick-and-rolls, an adjustment that stifled Oregon's pick-and-roll attack and forced them to play iso-ball, and he was remarkably active on the offensive glass.
Simpson and Johns made play after play at the end of regulation. Johns forced a shot clock violation by spiking a layup attempt behind the baseline. On the next possession, he found Franz Wagner for a three-pointer. Teske took a quick shift and scored four points off great feeds from Simpson. Going back and forth with Oregon guard Payton Pritchard, Simpson hit a ludicrous hook at the shot clock buzzer. Johns finished off a drive from the perimeter after keeping a possession alive with an offensive rebound. Finally, Simpson fed Johns a wraparound pass to knot the game with 25 seconds left.
Brandon Johns pulled down four offensive boards in a breakout game. [Campredon]
Oregon appeared to have the win in regulation on a broken play. After Simpson shut down a Pritchard drive and knocked the ball into the air, Anthony Mathis hit a deep three, but upon review he was a couple tenths of a second late getting the shot off.
While Michigan got off to a strong start in the extra session, they couldn't stop Pritchard, who finished with a game-high 23 points—19 of them coming after halftime. Pritchard repeatedly beat Simpson in isolation situations, something we've rarely seen happen to Michigan's captain. A running hook by Ducks center Francis Okoro and a Pritchard finish over Simpson gave Oregon a three-point lead.
DeJulius put Michigan in position to win, hitting a baseline floater and knocking the subsequent inbounds pass out of bounds off Pritchard's hand. Simpson and Johns couldn't finish one last play, however, dropping Michigan to 8-3 and likely ending their two-week run in the AP top five. In a great game, Michigan came up inches short.
[Hit THE JUMP for the box score.]
December 14th, 2019 at 7:36 PM ^
I don't know how DeJulius would start. Simpson didn't have the best game, but is still the leader of this team. Brooks didn't have his best game, but has been one of the only guys to consistently be able to find his shot this year. The offense is in good hands under DeJulius next year though
December 14th, 2019 at 7:53 PM ^
He doesn’t need to start but he should be playing more than Simpson. Reliance on Simpson as a ball dominant guard is imposing an artificial cap on the potential of this team.
December 14th, 2019 at 3:44 PM ^
3 of our next 4 big ten games are on the road. Next 4 games after the 2 buy games are @MSU, Purdue, @Minnesota, @iowa. At what point to you start to be worried? 1-3? 0-4. Id say 1-3 is the most likely result of those games.
if so, could be 12-6 with some work to do to get to the tourney. Would need to win 8 of last 16 big ten games.
December 14th, 2019 at 3:52 PM ^
We have 2 buy games and basically 2 weeks of practice to prep for B1G play. I think 4-2 is a reasonable projection for this next 6 games
December 14th, 2019 at 4:06 PM ^
So Michigan doesn't buy recruits but they buy 2 games?
(It's bye)
December 14th, 2019 at 4:15 PM ^
No, a "buy game" means we pay a tiny school to come in and be cannon fodder.
December 14th, 2019 at 4:17 PM ^
No, it's "buy" -- it's called that because you're "buying" a win by paying a crap team to come to your building and lose.
December 15th, 2019 at 9:36 AM ^
Yikes. Yea that is brutal and I don’t see any way we don’t go 1-3 in that stretch.
12-6 would be a gift at this point. 10-8 seems more likely.
December 14th, 2019 at 4:13 PM ^
I ain't mad. That was a great game doing credit to both teams. I'd rather lose a non-conference game like that than trample a cup cake.
December 14th, 2019 at 4:24 PM ^
Simpson being awful at scoring is destroying this teams success... dejulius is a far better player.
Time to play the best players.. this is the 3rd straight game we have looked like shit on offense.
Time to move on or the season will be lost if we hope and rely on shitty seniors
December 15th, 2019 at 2:30 PM ^
Simpson hasn't been great scoring the ball this year but it's a huge stretch to say he's the one "destroying" the offense. What's hurt Michigan is that nobody else is really creating offense for himself out there; Simpson has something like 70% of the team's assists the past 3-4 games and that's not because he holds onto the ball an inordinate amount. Last year's offense, because it had more guys who could create their own shots (Iggy, Matthews, Poole), was more well-rounded when it came to generating offense. And there was a familiarity with the offense because most of those guys had been playing it for a couple of years. Right now it still looks at times like they are figuring out how to counter-punch when teams make adjustments, and that's fine - they're less than a dozen games into a new coaching staff. But that's on everyone, and assuming that DDJ can consistently propel this offense feels like the usual "the backup QB is much better than the starter" talk that almost inevitably proves wrong.
December 14th, 2019 at 5:24 PM ^
I don't understand the last two games, Teske wasn't effective in either.
December 15th, 2019 at 6:58 AM ^
His only offense comes off the pick and roll. Simpson can’t run the pick and roll effective because he isn’t a threat to score. Howard has a tough call to make. Simpson has worked really hard and probably desperately wants to play NBA ball but he is hurting the team and needs to be a backup guard playing 15-20 minutes per game. Frankly, Beilein should have played DDJ a lot more last year and this would not have as big of an issue.
December 14th, 2019 at 5:40 PM ^
Juwan Howard was outcoached and outprepared and his decision to basically sit Teske one of the best big men in the nation is INEXPLICABLE..Had he been in Pritchard and others wouldnt have been able to REPATELY drive to the basket and score..He wouldve blocked a bunch of shots..
Z is a ball hog..if hes not going to score he cant just dribble dribble dribble for 20 of the 30 seconds on the shot clock...Z lost this game in about a dozen different way
December 14th, 2019 at 6:11 PM ^
So we'll just ignore that Teske was -11 today?
Or that our "ball hog" point guard is on pace to set a school record for assists?
December 16th, 2019 at 11:38 AM ^
Actually, his decision to sit Teske was a good coaching move and proved that he can adapt on the fly even if that adaption means sitting one of his best players.
Oregon was working over Teske. Because they were running a 5-out offense and raining 3's on us, Teske was no use on D. And they were athletic enough on D to neutralize his height.
Johns brought more to the table because he was offensive rebounding like a madman. That's why Howard went with him.
This is not a knock on Teske--he's great. But the matchup just wasn't working for him this game, and Howard adjusted. There's a reason we came back from 16 down.
December 14th, 2019 at 8:00 PM ^
We got worked by the full court press. Oregon forced quite a few turnovers with it, and never once did we convert breaking the press into an open shot. We need more practice dealing with press.
December 14th, 2019 at 8:30 PM ^
I get that Simpson had a bad game, and people are understandably frustrated. But some of these posts are over the top. So far this season, he looks like a better offensive player. He's shooting 50% from the field overall and 40% from 3. He's not going to be great on offense but he's clearly more of a threat.
Overall, we're a solidly good, not really good or elite, team so far. And given the improvement over last year by guys like Brooks, Johns, and DDJ, not to mention that Franz has only played 7 games, there's reason for optimism.
December 16th, 2019 at 11:40 AM ^
Yeah this exactly. I expected very little from this team and they are a solid top-20 squad, that maybe could be top 10 if everyone is shooting 3's well. All of the anger is ridiculous.
Howard is going to recruit well. He's shown he is a solid coach. The future is bright people, WAY brighter than it looked when Beilein took off.
December 14th, 2019 at 8:50 PM ^
Seems like we can't trust a Sr. to shoot at the end of a game. Biggest upgrade for Howard. A PG that can shoot. Really.
December 14th, 2019 at 9:00 PM ^
My fear is that our early success was due in part to there being no scouting reports on our sets, counters and personnel and now people have caught up and discovered our deficiencies --- adjustments need to be made and 1-on-1 defense needs to get better...lots of guys getting beat off the dribble for easy scores.
December 16th, 2019 at 11:41 AM ^
Well of course that is true to a certain extent. Howard will have to adjust as people counter him.
December 14th, 2019 at 11:00 PM ^
Simpson got worked. I love what he has done for the program, but his decision making has taken a step back this year and he got absolutely owned down the stretch. He seems to get caught in between way more this year and most of the time he's called his own number it hasn't ended well, whether trying to lay it up over 7 footers or taking another 3.
He has a reputation for dogged defense, but with the exception of one late possession could not stop their PG from doing exactly what he wanted to do. That was both surprising and disappointing. Hopefully this team can work out the kinks and keep getting better, but I wonder if at year's end the loss of Beilein won't be felt most with Zavier.
December 15th, 2019 at 12:01 AM ^
I hope we're not looking at it's either Johns or Teske on the floor. In the long run that's only going to hurt Johns. Isn't Johns the perfect 4?
What we should have done today was platoon Teske in after stoppage of play when we were on defense. When Pritchard blew by Simpson, Teske help out defense would have been nice. Keep Johns in (although his missed free throws was fatigue) I would have platooned a smaller player back in when possible on offense. Basically Johns would be the 4 on D and the 5 on offense. Obviously can't do it every time but OMG now that they replay so many plays there's a stoppage on a very high percentage of possessions.
December 15th, 2019 at 6:53 AM ^
It's clear to me that this team is a work in process. Predicting record or even games is a fool's game. There's clearly talent on the team, but it may take a while for it to come together. Either that, or the spate of bad shooting may be an indication that the talent level isn't really high enough to be top tier.
Doesn't change my appreciation for the team, though.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:00 AM ^
I was at the game, Teske didn't look right. Looked lethargic. I wonder if he was sick.
December 15th, 2019 at 9:39 AM ^
I thought the same and wouldn’t be surprised if it comes out that Big Jon was sick. Would explain a lot.
December 15th, 2019 at 9:17 AM ^
Where is the stat line for blown dunks?
Make a couple of those and it was a different result.
December 15th, 2019 at 10:18 AM ^
Yikes. The basketball takes here. Simpson is a very good player who didn't play all that well yesterday. Yes, Michigan should run less pick and roll with him when teams start switching because he can't take advantage of it. I think he could hang in a corner as a spot up shooter sometimes.
On the other hand, I loved what I saw out of Johns, and I think using him as a small ball 5 is a great idea. It's tough because I think Castleton will eventually be a player as well, and I like Teske a lot. However, doses of Johns at the 5 makes Michigan really versatile. I do think Johns didn't help as much as he could have down the stretch against Pritchard. I'd have liked to have seen him slide over and contest or make Pritchard thread a pass to the big man. However, Howard wasn't outcoached. He found something with Johns and stuck with it, and he also transitioned to DDJ in the overtime over Brooks.
December 16th, 2019 at 11:44 AM ^
Yeah I actually liked the job Howard did. He stuck with Brooks too long IMO, but eventually decided he needed to sit. His move to Johns from Teske was GOOD--I can't believe people are criticizing him for it.
He rode with Simpson on D against Pritchard, and it didn't work. At some point you have to just give credit to Pritchard--he played great and took over the game on a series of difficult drives. Sometimes an opponent just plays fantastic and you have to give him credit. Michigan didn't want to give up 3's so they kept Simpson on Pritchard 1-on-1 and he just couldn't stop him. Oh well, that is basketball. If Michigan changes things up, Oregon probably gets some wide-open 3's like they did at the beginning of the game when they were destroying us.
December 15th, 2019 at 11:59 PM ^
I love this team and I love Michigan basketball but they are erratic as hell right now. And it's frustrating. They've played the toughest schedule in the country so far but they've missed opportunities to win games. They made a lot of mistakes today.
Oregon is pretty good so this game didn't bother me as much as Wednesday's game, though. Illinois played its ass off the other night but Michigan, who is a much better team, should've been able to make adjustments to win - especially when they cut it to 4 with 2 minutes left.
At some point - as a coach, Howard, and Michigan as a team, need to figure out how to win games. It's an intangible, nebulous skill but the great teams figure out how to do it. Beilein's teams could do this sometimes but I still feel like even his best teams never reached their full potential. Michigan has a good balance of highly experienced veterans, capable up-and-comers and young talent so they have a ton of potential. And its a wide open race for the B1G and NCAA titles so if they can put it together they might be able to pull it off.
December 16th, 2019 at 6:54 AM ^
Next.
It's about the B1G now. Let's get it on. If we couldn't lose it wouldn't be worth playing.
I like the rematch, hopefully that happens. We seem to bump into this school often.
I'm not over it and probably never will be.
December 16th, 2019 at 7:17 AM ^
That last inbound was garbage, give it to one of the shooters. Z ain't it to close guys, this has been the third or fourth game we've dropped with the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
December 16th, 2019 at 11:46 AM ^
His hook shot probably had the same percentage of going in as a contested 3. It wasn't a great shot, but it wasn't terrible. And it got us a tip-in possibility too. It just didn't go.
Sucks, but there are a lot worse shots we could have gotten there.
December 16th, 2019 at 9:15 AM ^
X is not the guy to take the last shot or the guy I want with the ball. He's a limited on what he can do on the offense. He's not a threat for a jump shot or of the bounce jump shot. So there are two options the defense does not have to account for. DDJ, Franz or Livers are the ones to take the last shot.
X is a warrior and i love watching that kid play, but his lack of shooting cost him in this situation.
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