It is painful to compare & contrast the turnaround of UM football to UM men’s basketball.
UM football’s legendary development of & change in culture has been awe inspiring. Athlete focused teaching/coaching. Coaches-staff-players laser focused on “..the team, the team, the team…” A defensive strategy that was/is cutting edge & relentlessly disruptive. Offensive strategy that was balanced & did whatever was needed to put points on the board.
It was inspiring to see how the coaching staff constructed a championship roster by recruiting, retaining, developing, & transferring in players who fit the schemes & culture created by the coaching staff.
VS.
UM men's basketball team devolution has been demoralizing (understatement). A mystifying roster of players who appear to have no chemistry or structure for working together as a team. Whatever we enjoyed as a consistent Sweet Sixteen or better championship pursuing teams in the latter Beilein years has disintegrated into a bottom feeding/dwelling team. Effort is variable. Leadership within the team is hard to see. Player development into a team structure & strategy appears lacking. Where's the cohesion-synergy that you see in winning teams?
Time of Possession: Michigan 36 minutes Washington 24 minutes
Rushing Yards: Michigan 275+ yards. BC goes for 150+ yards. DE breaks for 60 yard +/- 20 TD run. Washington <100 yards.
Passing Yards: Michigan 200+ yards.
Washington 250-275 yards. Michigan D gets 4 sacks on Penix. 1 of those is fumble sack. WJ, MS, or RM get 2 interceptions between them.
Too much much dribble-dribble-dribble offense. More passing-spacing-distributing the ball please.
Lack fundamentals of rebounding especially on defense. Numerous times there was no block out by UM defenders on the shot. UM defenders got themselves pushed into positions under the rim while surrounded by Gators rebounding the ball.
UM defenders are unable to discipline themselves to the principle of verticality when defending shots resulting in unnecessary fouls. DO NOT JUMP INTO THE PLAYER YOU ARE DEFENDING.
Time for the Juwan head coach experiment to end. Move on.
UM was a life suck on D last year especially. More Grit. Determination.
Nose in the offensive player’s chest. Stay grounded & vertical on the shot w/block attempts targeted 9-12” from shot release point. Maybe deflect it - for sure disrupt shooter’s visual field. Block out with ferocity unknown to humanity. Give no ground.
Ok. So the Michigan Basketball team is pretty well gutted. Now what? The 2022-2023 roster was questionable to begin with. Who gets to replace Howard & start over. Can you say, “Hot mess?”
FWIW - Didn’t attempt or need to bash Jett. He seems like a nice young emerging adult who enjoyed playing offense & shooting 3 point shots. I did not see much evidence that he had the grit & grind to play the defensive side of the game. Also did not rebound with intensity & fire. Did not show early signs of being the guy to go to during winning time when you needed that clutch bucket. Maybe that will come with age, training & experience in the NBA. The again maybe not. I have my doubts about his grit & grind potential.
Sorry. There is nothing to thank Jett for. He played half the game if basketball. He did not play D. He disappeared at winning time in many games. He was passing time in the year he needed to get to the NBA.
No crying here. I am glad Juwan & Jett got to spend a season together as Dad & son. Jett probably has a great future where an NBA team needs offense & has a scheme that gets him open for shots. Defense optional. Michigan needs players who come to grind it out & excel as defenders & scorers. Slashers, 3 point drainers, & in your face defenders.
Sobering & very distressing to ponder the low ceiling for Michigan’s Bball roster.
Jett a lot of offense early. Not sure he has the grit to get down & dirty, i.e., “I really wish I could skip playing D. It’s too hard.” Often looks like he can be a game winner early in the game. But he seems to disappear or be easier to shut down later in the game.
Kobe’s ball handling is insecure. His D improved but he can be pushed around. Shooting has been improving. Has got to get stronger.
Tschetter - Where is any evidence of championship potential or actual athleticism? Get with the long short generation. Shorter shorts are not working for you.
Khayat - Have no clue what his potential is? Do you?
TWill2nd - Thanks for your service.
Dug no O M. - My early season dismissal of his shooting potential was wrong. His ability to make shots especially 3s & free throws improved far beyond what I could ever have predicted. Size wise he will be erased if we ever make it to Elite 8 -Final Four during his tenure as player.
Jace - love his energy & toughness. We saw his ceiling early.
Terence R Jr. - Made some progress- but has some serious shooting woes everywhere on the court.
HD - lacks speed-agility - mobility- springs to take us where we want to go - Final Four where we hoist the winners trophy with all the Maize & Blue graffiti flying around This Final Moment. He could be a supporting cast member for that reality tv episode.
And other names & faces who don’t have obviouslyhigh ceilings.
Juwan’s roster management? He gets a C for this group. Player development? B- Balanced Offense & Defense? B range
Gus & Joel were complete Homers. When Gus made late 3rd or early 4th quarter comment that Ohio is a team that won’t give up, that was pure uninformed b _. By that point the UM smash fest bros had their feet on the Ohio ferrets’ necks.
JJ & receivers left a lot of yards on the field Sat. For example, JJ’s laser throw to wide open Loveland late game. And doesn’t punt pass it to wide open Loveland when L’s defender leaves him on JJ’s rollout to sideline. JJ’s failure to see other open receivers in space.
JJ has some room for growth in finding-seeing the open target on the field.
Andrel’s failure to snatch ball thrown to his hands on goal line. Other dropped balls.
Then again the best possible way to win - road grader the Ohio front seven with our front line. Get that running game going full smash mouth.
I will believe Michigan is a great team when (if) they beat the other team from Michigan. Game should not be close. Don't care what they (Sparties) scheme (dream) up. Crush it. No excuses.
I agree re him being a year 2 contributor or breakout depending on Camp Sanderson progress - ability to create his own shot - ability to defend & crash boards from weak side. Wing 3 point 35-40% shooter would move him up in the rotation.
Baker sounds like downgrade from Houstan. Really hoped we could have landed a wing with more ability to create for self & teammates in addition to solid 3 pt shooter. But that is not going to happen. His reported lack of D is another downgrade from Houstan who was improving as the season progressed. Going to hope for more from T Will & see a big step forward from Bufkin. Maybe Barnes emerges as a contributor?
Increasingly ambivalent about potential for success next year.
He is at least two-three years from being an NBA contributor. He might have been ready to become a better contributor at Michigan. Don’t blame him for taking a shot at the NBA $$$$$$ sooner.
Diabate probably has bigger upside if he gets stronger & develops as a pull up & 3 point shooter. He is also 2 years from being a serious NBA contributor.
“The variance with him is crazy.” Concern from the experts best exemplifies my concern re Moussa’s performance & Houstan’s as well. I understand variance in the article is referencing where he falls in draft projections. Both HD & CH need more growth & development to become reliable performers.
Good news. We still need a mobile wing who can get his own shots. And a shooting guard will who can also hit 3s with consistency. We need to make space for HD & bigs to work in the lane. If MD comes back would love to see him develop a solid 10-12’ shot capability to open up the hi-lo game for him & HD.
Like the look of Collier & Jones as perimeter shooters. Release point & quick release were good for both. Looked like Collier has some ability to deliver passes in traffic. Where are the 6’4”-6’7” SGs? Could we have one please?
I would add a wing man to the list. Three needs to get a championship capable team - mobile big man, shooting guard, & wing man. FC looks like he can be that combo guard if we add these 3 player needs to the team.
Juwan & staff need to get better at recruiting pieces-players that fit. I agree with commentary that they got more out of this 2021-2022 poorly constructed team than we had any right to expect.
Easily said - right?
Jett sounds like a future project upgrade at 3 or 4. I am hoping for a transfer portal with shot making ability & get to the rim shooting & rebounding dude mentality. And really would like a more agile 5 with better lift off around the basket & speed.
Might be asking a lot to see huge step forward next year with Bufkin. He looks like a 2 year project to fill out & refine or upgrade his shot making skills.
#1 - All in on mobile, 6’5”-6’9” players who can score from 3 on the wing & get stop & pop twos off the dribble. We were hurt tremendously by no wing offense. Of course we want some dog in em to play D & get rebounds.
#2 - Dickinson - Solid slow with lapses in judgement in key moments,I.e., late 1st half foul w/bad angle to shooter & buys head fake hanging his arms over the shooter (not an isolated brain lock moment). No need. Would love to see a more mobile, quick twitch with hops muscular 5.
#3 - Diabate needs serious Camp Sanderson muscle upgrade. Cannot snag & secure the ball on passes, rebounds, moves to the bucket. He works hard in there but gets a lot of balls knocked out/taken out/grabbed out of his grasp. Lacks a reliable shot 10-15 feet from rim much less outside the arc. Can’t contribute to opening up the court. Serious development needed.
#4 - Houstan stationary inconsistent shooter. Kudos to him for his defensive development. But did not combine that with ability to be strong rebounding & scoring around the rim. ?Upside? limited? Is there a dude in there? Love the way the way his made three shots ripple the net when he is dialed in. It’s the the quiet ripple a diver leaves when they nail a dive from the 10 meter board.
#5. Bufkin needs Beilein's camp for developing balance & shot mechanics to be a 3 point shooter.
#6 - Frankie is our guy if-
a. he can learn to deliver the ball to shooters like Simpson did. Put it in the hand they are asking you to. Loved it when Simpson did hard high bounce passes that got ball waist to mid torso high where receiver especially the big guys could efficiently quickly do something with it.
b. Can he develop any reliable offensive production beyond assists? Quickness is there to get shots. Can he develop a reliable shooting form ?
#7 - TWill is probably a valuable #6 or 7 guy off the bench who can give you solid minutes as a rotation player.
#8 - Johns - Thanks man for the joy & production you provided in in the 2021 tournament run. Best wishes in your future.
#9 End it where I started it. We need wingmen who are dudes & can spread out the floor & go in battle around the rim at least occasionally.
Agree that High-Low set is an obvious choice with Michigan’s height advantage. I will be very interested to see if TWill gets time at the 4 to play High. Seems to me he has better entry pass skills than Diabate. Also TWill is a better midrange shooter which means his defender has to stay engaged to defend that shot option.
For sure more Frankie time as a disruptive defender & slashing get to the hoop guy with option to drop it to HD at the rim.
I think TWill at 4 needs to get more minutes v. Villanova. Cut or eliminate Johns’ playing time. Also if Houstan misses most of his first shots give more minutes to TWill at the 3. Need Frankie on the floor for D. against Gillespie. He has best chance get in/stay in Gillespie’s pocket & get him out of rhythm. Everyone on the team needs to exert same defensive energy as they did in 2nd half against CSU. Finally, on O. pound the ball into Dickinson at the rim again & again & …. If Houstan starts hot & stays hot then it’s game on for sure.
I wonder if his probability of a monster year is going to happen. But coming back to play with UM’s defensive coaching staff is probably a plus for any of DJ’s next level dreams. And for sure his presence here next year improves UM’s D-line depth which is a good to very good thing.
Thank’s Seth for the very good update re Wolverine’s defensive development & progress.
I agree that spacing on offense is better when D&D are not on the floor at the same time. Has been true all year.
Diabate has no ability to space the floor. No outside shot.
Houstan at this point is better defender than Williams.
Williams ability to fly to the bucket for a followup is way ahead of Houstan. CH does not have that kind of fire in his eye like Williams. It’s why TW got in trouble postgame at UW. TW has serious fire in his eyes at moments.
Go back to Brian’s preview of the Tennessee matchup. I think he nailed it.
No comment re Villanova matchup til I see Brian’s preview. He gets this UM 2021-22 edition of this Bball team.
When I get down on Houstan my son reminds me “He’s a high schooler. He‘s 18. He’s helped win some games this year. I am not go going to get down on him.” But as has been pointed out here, he is limited athletically to being a catch & shoot guy. This did not fit the scheme for this game. For sure CH could benefit from some continued development.
IMHO - I was sorry to see DJ take that elbow to the back of his head which I fear was a second concussion. But … it put Frankie Collins on the floor for more minutes. For tonight FC was significantly needed. He had the speed & quickness- hands & feet - to keep up with Tennessee’s quickness & speed. I don’t think Devonte was not going to be able to hang with the Tennessee guards.
Recent Comments
UM Men’s Basketball Team demolished.
Can you spell r-e-b-u-i-l-d?
There is one positive characteristic of this UM Bball team.
Consistency.
1st half - They play sorta well to very well.
2nd half - Gone like the wind.
“Turn out the lights. The party’s over.”
Done.
It is painful to compare & contrast the turnaround of UM football to UM men’s basketball.
UM football’s legendary development of & change in culture has been awe inspiring. Athlete focused teaching/coaching. Coaches-staff-players laser focused on “..the team, the team, the team…” A defensive strategy that was/is cutting edge & relentlessly disruptive. Offensive strategy that was balanced & did whatever was needed to put points on the board.
It was inspiring to see how the coaching staff constructed a championship roster by recruiting, retaining, developing, & transferring in players who fit the schemes & culture created by the coaching staff.
VS.
UM men's basketball team devolution has been demoralizing (understatement). A mystifying roster of players who appear to have no chemistry or structure for working together as a team. Whatever we enjoyed as a consistent Sweet Sixteen or better championship pursuing teams in the latter Beilein years has disintegrated into a bottom feeding/dwelling team. Effort is variable. Leadership within the team is hard to see. Player development into a team structure & strategy appears lacking. Where's the cohesion-synergy that you see in winning teams?
Thanks for persevering.
Thanks for your service including this video.
IT IS AN AWESOME Retrsospective.
Wolverine football is BAAAAAACK!
”Don’t talk about. BE about it.
Thanks Ace. Missed you.
“more play-action and more McCarthy runs would've been greatly appreciated”
YESSS!
Michigan got too cutesy in the 2nd half. was yelling at TV but Sherrone ignored me.
Brian, thank you for everything you & your team do. The information, storytelling, education, analysis, & truth you share in the blog is the best!
GO BLUE!
NATIONAL CHAMPS!
WHO’S GOT IT BETTER THEN US?
NOBODY!!
…
Michigan 34 Washington 17
Time of Possession: Michigan 36 minutes Washington 24 minutes
Rushing Yards: Michigan 275+ yards. BC goes for 150+ yards. DE breaks for 60 yard +/- 20 TD run. Washington <100 yards.
Passing Yards: Michigan 200+ yards.
Washington 250-275 yards. Michigan D gets 4 sacks on Penix. 1 of those is fumble sack. WJ, MS, or RM get 2 interceptions between them.
Too much much dribble-dribble-dribble offense. More passing-spacing-distributing the ball please.
Lack fundamentals of rebounding especially on defense. Numerous times there was no block out by UM defenders on the shot. UM defenders got themselves pushed into positions under the rim while surrounded by Gators rebounding the ball.
UM defenders are unable to discipline themselves to the principle of verticality when defending shots resulting in unnecessary fouls. DO NOT JUMP INTO THE PLAYER YOU ARE DEFENDING.
Time for the Juwan head coach experiment to end. Move on.
Welcome Deyvid. Can’t wait to see you cracking the Bucknuts OL. Cave in the middle of the other team’s OL Dude. Kaboom!
1. JJ is the real deal. Heisman waiting for him in NY if he gets more RPO mastery & options.
2. Roman Wilson is our receiver go to.
3. Or maybe it’s Cornelius Johnson?!
4. And then there's Colston Loveland in search of his ceiling.
4. The passing game & Oline will lead to 1,000 yard seasons for BC & DE.
5. If Dline & Linebackers can get sacks, can you say National Chsmpionship for University of Michigan?
6. If Will Johnson gets & stays healthy he will be in NYC at Heisman Ceremony.
7. Message to Ohio - UM Wolverines are back.
Yes. Well said.
IMHO in order for UM to hoist the BCS Championship trophy, we will need more smash face pinballin’ linebackerin’.
UM was a life suck on…
Yess!
UM was a life suck on D last year especially. More Grit. Determination.
Nose in the offensive player’s chest. Stay grounded & vertical on the shot w/block attempts targeted 9-12” from shot release point. Maybe deflect it - for sure disrupt shooter’s visual field. Block out with ferocity unknown to humanity. Give no ground.
Ok. So the Michigan Basketball team is pretty well gutted. Now what? The 2022-2023 roster was questionable to begin with. Who gets to replace Howard & start over. Can you say, “Hot mess?”
FWIW - Didn’t attempt or need to bash Jett. He seems like a nice young emerging adult who enjoyed playing offense & shooting 3 point shots. I did not see much evidence that he had the grit & grind to play the defensive side of the game. Also did not rebound with intensity & fire. Did not show early signs of being the guy to go to during winning time when you needed that clutch bucket. Maybe that will come with age, training & experience in the NBA. The again maybe not. I have my doubts about his grit & grind potential.
Sorry. There is nothing to thank Jett for. He played half the game if basketball. He did not play D. He disappeared at winning time in many games. He was passing time in the year he needed to get to the NBA.
No crying here. I am glad Juwan & Jett got to spend a season together as Dad & son. Jett probably has a great future where an NBA team needs offense & has a scheme that gets him open for shots. Defense optional. Michigan needs players who come to grind it out & excel as defenders & scorers. Slashers, 3 point drainers, & in your face defenders.
Sobering & very distressing to ponder the low ceiling for Michigan’s Bball roster.
Jett a lot of offense early. Not sure he has the grit to get down & dirty, i.e., “I really wish I could skip playing D. It’s too hard.” Often looks like he can be a game winner early in the game. But he seems to disappear or be easier to shut down later in the game.
Kobe’s ball handling is insecure. His D improved but he can be pushed around. Shooting has been improving. Has got to get stronger.
Tschetter - Where is any evidence of championship potential or actual athleticism? Get with the long short generation. Shorter shorts are not working for you.
Khayat - Have no clue what his potential is? Do you?
TWill2nd - Thanks for your service.
Dug no O M. - My early season dismissal of his shooting potential was wrong. His ability to make shots especially 3s & free throws improved far beyond what I could ever have predicted. Size wise he will be erased if we ever make it to Elite 8 -Final Four during his tenure as player.
Jace - love his energy & toughness. We saw his ceiling early.
Terence R Jr. - Made some progress- but has some serious shooting woes everywhere on the court.
HD - lacks speed-agility - mobility- springs to take us where we want to go - Final Four where we hoist the winners trophy with all the Maize & Blue graffiti flying around This Final Moment. He could be a supporting cast member for that reality tv episode.
And other names & faces who don’t have obviouslyhigh ceilings.
Juwan’s roster management? He gets a C for this group. Player development? B- Balanced Offense & Defense? B range
How do we get out of this pit?
Spare me a lot of words. Joe Moore offensive line & Jesse Minter’s D deliver 41-17 victory vs. TCU. Run all over a BIG 12 D. Go Blue!
Gus & Joel were complete Homers. When Gus made late 3rd or early 4th quarter comment that Ohio is a team that won’t give up, that was pure uninformed b _. By that point the UM smash fest bros had their feet on the Ohio ferrets’ necks.
JJ & receivers left a lot of yards on the field Sat. For example, JJ’s laser throw to wide open Loveland late game. And doesn’t punt pass it to wide open Loveland when L’s defender leaves him on JJ’s rollout to sideline. JJ’s failure to see other open receivers in space.
JJ has some room for growth in finding-seeing the open target on the field.
Andrel’s failure to snatch ball thrown to his hands on goal line. Other dropped balls.
Then again the best possible way to win - road grader the Ohio front seven with our front line. Get that running game going full smash mouth.
Prediction - Michigan 41 Ohio 27
I will believe Michigan is a great team when (if) they beat the other team from Michigan. Game should not be close. Don't care what they (Sparties) scheme (dream) up. Crush it. No excuses.
McCarthy is THE ONE!
Welcome to the Maize & Blue Collins.
Look forward to seeing you blowing up the edge on D & planting QBs behind the line. Go Blue!
I agree re him being a year 2 contributor or breakout depending on Camp Sanderson progress - ability to create his own shot - ability to defend & crash boards from weak side. Wing 3 point 35-40% shooter would move him up in the rotation.
Baker sounds like downgrade from Houstan. Really hoped we could have landed a wing with more ability to create for self & teammates in addition to solid 3 pt shooter. But that is not going to happen. His reported lack of D is another downgrade from Houstan who was improving as the season progressed. Going to hope for more from T Will & see a big step forward from Bufkin. Maybe Barnes emerges as a contributor?
Increasingly ambivalent about potential for success next year.
He is at least two-three years from being an NBA contributor. He might have been ready to become a better contributor at Michigan. Don’t blame him for taking a shot at the NBA $$$$$$ sooner.
Diabate probably has bigger upside if he gets stronger & develops as a pull up & 3 point shooter. He is also 2 years from being a serious NBA contributor.
Hitting - more please. Hitting w/power - Yes. Hitting - WITH AUTHORITY - IN THE CLUTCH. ABSOLUTELY!
Pitching is adequate. Adequate does not win the NCAA Championship.
Has Hutchins hit her ceiling? Probably. Is she declining? Maybe.
Hope he is all in all the time for work on strength & conditioning & time in film study. Dial it up Deuce.
It’s ok. I hope he gets a good NIL deal elsewhere. Not at all convinced he was that guy who could lead next year’s team.
A shooter who can create his own shot & in sniffin’ distance of 40% 3-point shooter. That’s what I’m talking about.
“The variance with him is crazy.” Concern from the experts best exemplifies my concern re Moussa’s performance & Houstan’s as well. I understand variance in the article is referencing where he falls in draft projections. Both HD & CH need more growth & development to become reliable performers.
Good news. We still need a mobile wing who can get his own shots. And a shooting guard will who can also hit 3s with consistency. We need to make space for HD & bigs to work in the lane. If MD comes back would love to see him develop a solid 10-12’ shot capability to open up the hi-lo game for him & HD.
Like the look of Collier & Jones as perimeter shooters. Release point & quick release were good for both. Looked like Collier has some ability to deliver passes in traffic. Where are the 6’4”-6’7” SGs? Could we have one please?
I would add a wing man to the list. Three needs to get a championship capable team - mobile big man, shooting guard, & wing man. FC looks like he can be that combo guard if we add these 3 player needs to the team.
Juwan & staff need to get better at recruiting pieces-players that fit. I agree with commentary that they got more out of this 2021-2022 poorly constructed team than we had any right to expect.
Easily said - right?
Jett sounds like a future project upgrade at 3 or 4. I am hoping for a transfer portal with shot making ability & get to the rim shooting & rebounding dude mentality. And really would like a more agile 5 with better lift off around the basket & speed.
Might be asking a lot to see huge step forward next year with Bufkin. He looks like a 2 year project to fill out & refine or upgrade his shot making skills.
#1 - All in on mobile, 6’5”-6’9” players who can score from 3 on the wing & get stop & pop twos off the dribble. We were hurt tremendously by no wing offense. Of course we want some dog in em to play D & get rebounds.
#2 - Dickinson - Solid slow with lapses in judgement in key moments,I.e., late 1st half foul w/bad angle to shooter & buys head fake hanging his arms over the shooter (not an isolated brain lock moment). No need. Would love to see a more mobile, quick twitch with hops muscular 5.
#3 - Diabate needs serious Camp Sanderson muscle upgrade. Cannot snag & secure the ball on passes, rebounds, moves to the bucket. He works hard in there but gets a lot of balls knocked out/taken out/grabbed out of his grasp. Lacks a reliable shot 10-15 feet from rim much less outside the arc. Can’t contribute to opening up the court. Serious development needed.
#4 - Houstan stationary inconsistent shooter. Kudos to him for his defensive development. But did not combine that with ability to be strong rebounding & scoring around the rim. ?Upside? limited? Is there a dude in there? Love the way the way his made three shots ripple the net when he is dialed in. It’s the the quiet ripple a diver leaves when they nail a dive from the 10 meter board.
#5. Bufkin needs Beilein's camp for developing balance & shot mechanics to be a 3 point shooter.
#6 - Frankie is our guy if-
a. he can learn to deliver the ball to shooters like Simpson did. Put it in the hand they are asking you to. Loved it when Simpson did hard high bounce passes that got ball waist to mid torso high where receiver especially the big guys could efficiently quickly do something with it.
b. Can he develop any reliable offensive production beyond assists? Quickness is there to get shots. Can he develop a reliable shooting form ?
#7 - TWill is probably a valuable #6 or 7 guy off the bench who can give you solid minutes as a rotation player.
#8 - Johns - Thanks man for the joy & production you provided in in the 2021 tournament run. Best wishes in your future.
#9 End it where I started it. We need wingmen who are dudes & can spread out the floor & go in battle around the rim at least occasionally.
My two cents.
Michigan’s D was up to the challenge. Their ability to make shots around the rim not so much.
The game was there for the taking.
Brian gets this team & its parts/players as well or better than others. Sam gave Brian a shoutout in the podcast confirming as much today.
No other reports from anywhere else mentioning injuries to any players. ???
Agree that High-Low set is an obvious choice with Michigan’s height advantage. I will be very interested to see if TWill gets time at the 4 to play High. Seems to me he has better entry pass skills than Diabate. Also TWill is a better midrange shooter which means his defender has to stay engaged to defend that shot option.
For sure more Frankie time as a disruptive defender & slashing get to the hoop guy with option to drop it to HD at the rim.
I think TWill at 4 needs to get more minutes v. Villanova. Cut or eliminate Johns’ playing time. Also if Houstan misses most of his first shots give more minutes to TWill at the 3. Need Frankie on the floor for D. against Gillespie. He has best chance get in/stay in Gillespie’s pocket & get him out of rhythm. Everyone on the team needs to exert same defensive energy as they did in 2nd half against CSU. Finally, on O. pound the ball into Dickinson at the rim again & again & …. If Houstan starts hot & stays hot then it’s game on for sure.
I wonder if his probability of a monster year is going to happen. But coming back to play with UM’s defensive coaching staff is probably a plus for any of DJ’s next level dreams. And for sure his presence here next year improves UM’s D-line depth which is a good to very good thing.
Thank’s Seth for the very good update re Wolverine’s defensive development & progress.
I agree that spacing on offense is better when D&D are not on the floor at the same time. Has been true all year.
Diabate has no ability to space the floor. No outside shot.
Houstan at this point is better defender than Williams.
Williams ability to fly to the bucket for a followup is way ahead of Houstan. CH does not have that kind of fire in his eye like Williams. It’s why TW got in trouble postgame at UW. TW has serious fire in his eyes at moments.
Go back to Brian’s preview of the Tennessee matchup. I think he nailed it.
No comment re Villanova matchup til I see Brian’s preview. He gets this UM 2021-22 edition of this Bball team.
For sure Houstan has progressively improved his defense. Working hard to keep his body in front of his man. Getting more physical.
When I get down on Houstan my son reminds me “He’s a high schooler. He‘s 18. He’s helped win some games this year. I am not go going to get down on him.” But as has been pointed out here, he is limited athletically to being a catch & shoot guy. This did not fit the scheme for this game. For sure CH could benefit from some continued development.
Agree on all your comments.
IMHO - I was sorry to see DJ take that elbow to the back of his head which I fear was a second concussion. But … it put Frankie Collins on the floor for more minutes. For tonight FC was significantly needed. He had the speed & quickness- hands & feet - to keep up with Tennessee’s quickness & speed. I don’t think Devonte was not going to be able to hang with the Tennessee guards.