Michigan at UNC Discussion

The opponents could be a starting five of my parents, two brothers and a sister and I’m still rooting for Michigan to get the W. Losing to my family would be a huge blow to the RPI.

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Today will tell a hell of a lot about our team, go blue sorta!

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I predicted 30, sounds like the right general idea. We’re pretty much just what the doctor ordered for a UNC team/crowd looking to bounce back. They’re just too athletic/experienced/good at too many spots we can’t match them at.

Still, some kids are getting really nice run on a hallowed court and certainly showing some potential.

I wish we had a month before any games that matter. I think this team can be good later in the year, I just hope we get there soon enough.

Largest lead was 29… still, I really enjoyed watching the kids finish the game off. Boy, that Livers has some talent! And I’d like to see Davis play some, he’s got some ability, it looks like.

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I’ll say it for the last time, livers needs to be starting and allowed to grow on the job. Kid offers so many more things than Duncan.

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I think Duncan is valuable in short stretches. He becomes a real liability when he becomes fatigued and seems to get fatigued way faster than an average player. Anyway the matchup was tough at the 4 tonight…

Not sure if there is a right answer between Duncan and Livers. This is a 3 or 4 man team right now.

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My big complaint for the game was that Teske played 4 minutes. Mo was a beast but still…Maybe try playing those two together for 5 minutes? I regret that JB did not consult Wolverheel for advice…

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Last year turned around when Coach B finally realized DJ wasnt a 5 and decided to play him at the 4. You could make the same thing this year. Wagner should be the starting 4 with Teske starting at the 5. Also none of the three PGs Coach B is playing is worth a damn. He might as well move MAAR to the starting PG…Doing this would allow Duncan and Mathews to actually play there natural positions with Mathews at the 2 and Duncan at the 3.

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DJ Wilson played the four all season last year. The hidden secret sauce down the stretch was figuring out that DJ was actually a really effective five as well.

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I think the team will be really frustrating all year long for the simple fact that Matthews and Wagner might be the best 2 players on the floor on every given night, but then our other 3 guys are all probably backups on any quality tournament team. Not saying this to trash Duncan and MAAR, but they have always been quality role players and are just not well-suited to be third option types against high major quality opponents. Tonight they combined for 5 points and 3 rebounds in 49 minutes on 1-12 shooting from the floor (1-9 from three).

I love that JB went with the “send a message” lineup for the last 10 minutes and played the freshmen + Ibi. There’s a lot to like between Livers and Poole even though Poole’s shot wasn’t falling and Livers isn’t ready for the physicality down low. I actually thought Poole defended pretty well tonight and had a nice blow by on offense. Watson making shots was great to see too.

Lastly I think JB has to trim the rotation sooner rather than later. There was no rhythm whatsoever at the end of the first half and it ballooned from a 3 point game at the under 8 timeout to a 15 point game as it winded down. No matter who he picks at point guard, they’re not going to suddenly become a star and the constant shuffling is holding the entire flow back IMO. I thought Brooks played well his first shift, and even Simpson and Simmons had their moments but then they would each go out, sit for 15 minutes and come back in very cold. I know Dylan said this was a 7 man rotation in the 2nd halves of games that matter so far…I think the 11 man rotation in the first half every game is hurting the team and should be 8-9 against quality opponents, preferably cutting a point guard and Watson for now.

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We can agree to disagree on that but regardless Coach B was selective with playing Wilson at the 5. My point was that Coach B plays some players out of position. Tonight was a prime example of that. Duncan got burnt time and again. He is much better suited to play the 3.

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I liked that JB let the freshman play a lot late once game got out of hand to get game experience playing against good comp. Game started off good but once Brooks came out the offensive flow left with him. UNC put a lot of perimeter pressure on the team and then won the loose balls. Team defense fell apart starting with Duncan. UNC has been running those back cut picks for ever and we seem to fall for them all. I know the goal is to make the tourney but i would give Brooks, Livers and Poole as much run as possible to get big boy basketball ready. And please somebody tell these guys that those hot pants they are wearing is not a good look.

Now back to the issue at hand. I agree with those that we need to force feed Livers. Duncan get d’d up and he brings nothing because at the four he is not strong enough. Livers needs work on his defense but I will take the lumps with him learning.

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To be quite frank, MSU and Texas will probably be the only games for the rest of the season in which Michigan will face a talent deficiency quite like this. The game sucked for a large portion, but I really don’t think it hampers our chances at the tourney. I think Wagner proved he is a legitimate star. We’ll be lucky to ever have a post player like him again IMO.

The important stuff, like me getting on ESPN for like a minute happened (Sorry if this breaks an anonymity rule)! Honestly facing the team you grew up with as a student of a different school is very unique.

@umhoops I just hope my food suggestions were satisfactory :stuck_out_tongue:

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Swapped to a 6am flight so didn’t have much of a chance to check out the town. Appreciate the recs though.

Agreed. This team will really struggle at the 4 until Livers is ready. Duncan should not be starting and on a really good team he would not be, but when Kam transferred and DJ left early we didn’t have any other options. Hopefully Livers grows up in a hurry.

As for the game, it went exactly as I expected. Once NC laid an egg against Sparty you knew they would shoot lights out against us at home so this game didn’t bother me much. Now if we poop the bed against IU or the Buckeyes then we could be in real trouble.

Your seats were better than mine :slight_smile:

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For me this isnt about Duncan vs. Livers. As Dylan pointed out in his recap, livers doesnt solve the defensive woes. When Duncan is on, his offense is irreplaceable and he has earned every right to start. In a game where the three isnt falling for anyone (besides the first few minutes), a playmaker has to step up. Livers took steps to do this in my book. He had great energy, an emphatic dunk, and crashed the offensive boards. When no one wanted to score, he took the reigns. My takeaway is not that livers should start over Duncan. Its that when the threes arent falling for anyone and we are getting crushed on the glass, give livers some more run. His future is bright!

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