MBB vs. IU postgame snowflakes
Another excellent team win, with contributions all around.
Strong defensive work by Dickinson on TJD.
Livers with 16 points and 10 boards. Two of those points (and one of those rebounds) were very loud.
Wagner continues to play his way into the lottery. I was more impressed with the amount of deflections and defensive disruptions than with his scoring, though obviously 21 on 9 shots was terrific.
Smith with a game that will probably show up as 105 ORtg because of the 5 TOs.
What did you all notice?
February 27th, 2021 at 2:36 PM ^
Hail Howard!! Bang away!!!
February 27th, 2021 at 5:17 PM ^
Sir, the thread you're looking for is either above or below this thread!
JK...Hail Howard always deserves a bang!!!
February 27th, 2021 at 2:37 PM ^
I noticed Mike Smith and Isaiah Livers draining step up 3’s to blow the game open. I was thinking to myself: I remember Dante DiVincenzo blowing the game open against us in the national championship throwing flames that were heavily contested. It broke my heart. I realized that we have the team to break someone else’s heart in the national championship game this year.
February 27th, 2021 at 3:18 PM ^
Excellent point. Will need that output come tournament time. I’m getting really excited. Just enjoying every game.
Go Blue
February 27th, 2021 at 2:38 PM ^
I really appreciate the class of Juwan Howard to give credit to the opponent in the post game interview. Give respect, earn respect.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:45 PM ^
Hey fucktard fran, were you paying attention??? Probably not, for me he is in the dick hall of fame along with tiny tom izziot and scott frost and his mom.
February 27th, 2021 at 5:05 PM ^
Damn that's fucked up
February 27th, 2021 at 2:38 PM ^
I thought we were sloppier than usual, with some careless turnovers
Still played great D and won comfortably
February 27th, 2021 at 2:53 PM ^
Yup, I thought Michigan could've played a lot better but they were still able to cruise into a 16 pt win. Juwan would use this game to coach up players to clean up their mistakes. There were breakdown on offense and defense today but better to do it in a win as opposed to a loss.
February 27th, 2021 at 8:06 PM ^
Better? They haven't played them yet so don't know tendency and style. They couldn't have played better. Just wish Franz wouldn't tear into teammates errors.
February 27th, 2021 at 3:05 PM ^
Not their best game of the season, yes a little sloppier today but I'll take it. Indiana gave Michigan it's best punch and lost by 16 pts. HAIL to the VICTORS!
February 27th, 2021 at 4:05 PM ^
It was a very short turn around from the battle against IOWA + the travel to bloomington.
February 27th, 2021 at 4:59 PM ^
Exactly. A very impressive win because of this.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:38 PM ^
HAIL!
And let's go Wisconsin (they ain't looking great so far...)
February 27th, 2021 at 2:40 PM ^
We’re good. That is all.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:40 PM ^
Turnovers were a bit annoying. I don't think they're indicative of a return to the earlier season issues though. Just some bad entry passes and blase inbounding.
Johns is struggling everywhere right now. Can't finish offensively and getting blown by defensively.
... Yup those are the only 2 things I can think of. Good place to be in right now!
February 27th, 2021 at 2:52 PM ^
yep and every minute johns play is an indictment on terrance williams too
February 27th, 2021 at 3:02 PM ^
Johns can defend the post. I see him as a 4/5 position type player. Williams is undersized for the 4. They really play different roles on the team. Williams will be a solid contributor next season.
February 27th, 2021 at 3:13 PM ^
They can shield Johns defensively. Like you said, he's an interior 4/5 defender. Athletic stretch 4s can get by him and it makes me wonder why he gets up so close on the perimeter. Back off a foot, the guy probably isn't going to shoot over you with much consistency.
Offensively, he's a spot up 3 point shooter and high energy rebounder. His post game isn't good and he's not a hyper athlete. He's a very good athlete, but he drives as though he's going to sky over a guy but once in the air is eye to eye and either gets stalled or has to throw the ball at the rim after a double clutch.
February 27th, 2021 at 3:12 PM ^
Agree, Johns is not playing good, but still 5x better than Williams.
And roast me on this too - i cringe when Dickinson goes to the bench because .... you know the rest.
February 27th, 2021 at 3:17 PM ^
It would obviously be better if Davis were at least average defensively, but given his odd offensive efficiency, I don't necessarily cringe when Dickinson heads to the bench. I know they're going to struggle on defense if the other team has any decent center for him to defend, but he'll also throw in 4 quick points and they can cover for him long enough to get Dickinson back or throw in Johns for a quick spell.
February 27th, 2021 at 7:32 PM ^
This is a hard crowd. Austin Davis has improved tremendously since the start of last season, including his defense. Attitude and effort makes him a leader on this team.
February 27th, 2021 at 7:58 PM ^
It's not being a hard crowd. Everyone knows he's not a great defender. Ace, Brian, Seth, and most of us here. We're not saying he's dog crap, but he's a walking foul (8+/40 minutes) that struggles with athletic bigs. His offense is efficient and makes up for some of that. The team defense is good enough to absorb his minutes otherwise. He's a key piece to the team regardless.
February 27th, 2021 at 3:15 PM ^
Oof in terms of bad takes this has to be up there with some of the worst. Dude's a freshman. Remember when Eli Brooks was a freshman, or even a sophomore. Remember the beginning of last year for Franz? Remember when MAAR was a freshman, or Austin Davis. I'm not saying he'll be a star, but he won't have to be.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:41 PM ^
I forgot Khristian Lander existed. I haven't followed things. Has he been a disappointment for IU this year?
February 27th, 2021 at 3:04 PM ^
Depends how you define a disappointment for a freshman pg on a middling team on the bubble in the middle of the toughest conference in the country. But in a word: yes :)
February 27th, 2021 at 3:13 PM ^
Throughout the season, he has been a complete bust. But if you only saw today's game, you would think he is a future star.
February 27th, 2021 at 9:42 PM ^
He should still be in high school right now...and looks that way. He’ll be better in future years.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:43 PM ^
cute factoid - michigan basketball fanbase is the nerdiest in the country, confirmed: https://twitter.com/kenpomeroy/status/1365746200662609921?s=20
February 27th, 2021 at 2:57 PM ^
I love the Sparty comment -- "They have nothing better to do." lol!
February 27th, 2021 at 8:35 PM ^
Big talk from the pizza delivery crowd.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:43 PM ^
Biggest surprise for me is that Terrance Williams and Zeb Jackson did not get in before the last minute
February 27th, 2021 at 2:44 PM ^
or Jace! Juwan sleeping on the couch tonight XD
February 27th, 2021 at 5:08 PM ^
Agree. I wish Juwan would start subbing in Jackson or Williams at the 15 minute mark and get them a few more minutes (and more leg rest for the starters). I would hate it if we got an injury in the closing minutes with a 15+ point lead.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:44 PM ^
solid road win...really never in doubt in spite of being a bit out of sorts it seemed on offense.
Huge games coming up though... should be fun
February 27th, 2021 at 2:45 PM ^
Bought 180 pounds of strawberries yesterday to put in the freezer-were working on them all morning-until 11. We, myself and 14 year old grandson, then took the two tractors down the road and across the creek to haul firewood logs back to the barnyard. Evidently lost track of time. Got back in the house and, holy cow, the game was over.
This coaching staff has this team humming!
February 27th, 2021 at 2:45 PM ^
Methodical, almost uneventful, beating. IU has talent and should be better than they are which is an indictment on coaching. I don’t see how they can keep Archie.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:50 PM ^
i saw indiana different tbh -- i think the Xs and Os were in place, at least in the first half made michigan very uncomfortable and even got to dickinson with a pair of early fouls.
I thought the talent was the biggest difference, they had nobody to stop wagner, and were forced to double dickinson. But the recruiting and player development also falls on archie's shoulder. I think he's a good Xs and Os coach but probably better as an assistant because the program is not living up to their standards
February 27th, 2021 at 3:34 PM ^
Once the lead got to 10 it felt like the game was over. Score would bounce between Michigan +8 and Michigan +20 but it didn't matter. The last 12 minutes felt like a formality.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:45 PM ^
Subpar play results in 16-pt win at Assembly Hall. I'll certainly take that.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:46 PM ^
TOs. I think they need some rest. Get ready for illannoy.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:46 PM ^
We want all the dubs at Assembly Hall!
Truly a marvelous thing when a team starts slow, makes some mistakes throughout the game, doesn't get any offensive production off the bench and yet still gets a double digit win. There are certainly valid critiques of the way the game was played today, but those shortcomings just don't seem to really effect this team. They are too talented, too smart, and too hard-charging to not get it done. Awesome win!
February 27th, 2021 at 2:47 PM ^
Different day, different M.O., different heroes.
Today it was the entire starting lineup each in their own way contributing, with perfect FT shooting (17-17, including 8-8 from Franz) and an Isaiah double-double to top it off.
While some might complain about no bench points other than a late 3 by Chaundee, we still got 34 minutes and 8 boards from the trio of Chaundee, Austin and Brandon Johns, enough to keep the starters fresh.
TEAM win!
February 27th, 2021 at 2:49 PM ^
Wagner was everywhere today. Silky smooth on offense, gumby arms disrupting Indiana all over the court on D. Fantastic game. Wunderbar!
Livers was deadly. I was about to say he was quietly devastating, but that jam was LOUD. Man is a model of effeciency.
Smith was really good - stuck some shots, controlled the pace, facilitated ball movement.
Speaking of ball movement, Michigan's offense is a machine. I love the way they always make the extra pass. So many wide-open looks.
OTOH, Indy looks like a rec league team. Their offense is so stilted and ugly. Yeesh.
Dickenson and Davis did another fine job against a tough center. Missed some layups they usually make, but played smart and tough.
Chaundee's misses were all wide open. Every shot he took was good, just wasn't hitting them today.
Another terrific win. Crazy that double-digit wins at toughest B1G away venues seem...perfunctory.
1 more for the title - Go Blue!!!
February 27th, 2021 at 3:36 PM ^
Felt like Brown's shots were short until that one moderately contested one that he had to get over a closing defender. That one had the right distance on it. Wouldn't be surprised if it were a bit of tired legs, but something I wouldn't expect to see again.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:50 PM ^
Not the best game shooting with the bench going 1 for 13, or with some of the turnovers on post entry passes but strong defensive effort. Wagner looking great when he drives. Tough shooting night for Chaundee but good looks from the corner. Overall, effective job rebounding defensively. Thought it was a fairly average performance in total given meh shooting, which speaks to how good this team is when they can comfortably win road goes without playing particularly well.
Saw that we've also moved up to #2 on kenpom.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:52 PM ^
It seems like forever ago we were fighting the despair and uncertainty when Beilein left.
We had some spirited coaching change discussions looking back. I’m not sure Juwann was anyone’s 1st choice although he was towards the top for many.
The upside of this program is extraordinary right now. We sure kicked BPone square in the nuts on this one.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:52 PM ^
Anyone else feel like that should be a 25 point win at minimum? A lot of uncharacteristic errors, hopefully due to fatigue from a 1 day rest.
February 27th, 2021 at 2:55 PM ^
If Michigan played a clean game, it's a 40 pt win IMO.
February 27th, 2021 at 3:09 PM ^
Our guys went from a 7PM start on Thursday to a noon start today so that shortened their rest period. The next game offers a little longer rest period and a much tougher opponent-They'll be ready and sharper-Go Blue!