This was probably a great game for Livers’ development, right? I’m trying to find some bright side to get me off the ledge.
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We played awesome. Purdue is a great team. Questions are being answered about who this team is. The future is bright.
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Still, it’s agonizing to be so close to a “yeah, you’re in” win. We were so close to getting a little margin for error, dammit.
I think the overall performance was encouraging. Purdue is really good and shot lights out from three too. Carson Edwards is so good. Really disappointing we lost because it would have been a huge win but I was impressed by how we played.
We couldn’t afford to have those three empty possessions at the end where we didn’t get any good shots off. We had our chances.
What a 2nd half by Livers. He went toe to toe with Vince Edwards. His development could be huge for the rest of the season. Poole is a total wild card but he’s definitely a talent. Teske played great defense tonight. What a game by Simpson too.
Definitely bummed but this team is better than I thought they were at the start of the season and I’m encouraged by the development of the young players.
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Yes, Haas just turns and drops it in, I think.
Oh, I was referring to Z’s foul. I think the announcers were probably right that it wasn’t just a “foul to give” foul. Although Beilein’s teams always give the foul to give too quickly, imo, so who knows.
Well, we just lost a game we probably should have won to the number five team in the country; we should be in every game we play deep into the NCAAs if we keep developing. Our youth let us down, the several empty sets down the stretch. . . but Beilein has way more options and players to address opposing team strategy than he did last year.
Didn’t like Simpson fouling for the sake of fouling simply because M had a foul to give. Had he not, then a questionable foul by Wagner would not have put Haas on the line. Hindsight 20/20 and all.
I think Dakich had it right–Simpson fouled because his man was on the way to the hoop. It was a smart play in my book.
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I think you’re right, I just fret and start counting wins on day one. And now I worry about stuff like playing Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers even…
MAAR and Simpson, and even Matthews to a lesser extent are not great options in end of game situations. The two most equipped players to handle that role are freshman who aren’t quite ready to take the reins: Poole and Livers. Fast forward a year or so and Coach Beilein will have better weapons in his arsenal. Players who can get their own shot, score at all 3 levels and make free throws. The future is bright.
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Maybe it was. I was at the game and from my vantage point across the cour and at the other end of the floor, it appeared Simpson was looking for an opportunity to foul. I very well could be wrong
I think both may have been at play. He was thinking foul, Beilein’s team’s tend to give the foul too quickly, Z may not foul in a normal situation, but knowing he had a foul to give he was more likely to err on the side of fouling.
As to your post above, Iggy or bust! Stone cold killer, just like Nik!
Game recap is up…
I think the foul to give was almost too late, you want to give it in the backcourt IMO. Make them have a tricky side OOB from 2/3 court.
I’m okay with the Matthews drive, he had leverage. Just didn’t make the play.
Beilein said after the game he was hesitant to use a timeout on the Matthews drive possession because Purdue had just completely locked Michigan out of its set the last time they called timeout.
Plan was to inbound the ball the halfcourt and then use the timeout and then run a play from the SLOB if Haas had made the second.
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Definitely true we got locked out of our set out of that timeout - the team looked like the dog ate their homework on that one. They are a great defensive team, but it’s frustrating we didn’t have more confidence in our ability to get into something good inbounding with 18 seconds left. And personally, I’d take a lukewarm possession ending with a decent if not great shot as long as it’s the last one, I just hate opening the door to losing in regulation, but I guess I’ve made my view on that pretty clear at this point.
As to the timing of the foul, I don’t think we defend inbounds well enough for the spot to have mattered. I like to give the foul with 3 seconds left, if possible, but it’s hard to time. I find that Coach B teams rarely let 2 seconds come off the clock before fouling. I’ve seen a lot of teams that are able to get more clock run than that.
They denied the inbound to X, and we somehow never could get into the play.
Beat MSU and I couldn’t care less about this game. Lose that and this will sting down the road.
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I really believe the role Jordan Poole had at La Lumiere has helped his play in college. He was a 6th man on a super team for those who did not know and would come in a be an offensive spark similar to his role this year. I believe his time coming off the bench for that team he learned to play comfortable not as more of a role player FWIW.
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JB said in the postgame that he was actually thinking of letting MAAR run the point and playing Poole at the 2 but then Simpson hit back to back threes so he didn’t go to it
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Not sure if anyone remembers, but late in the game, maybe on the three he hit to put us up four, Rahk smashed his foot into his defender and came up a little lame. Then, Carsen Edwards outran him aaroind some screens to hit one shot (Rahk is rarely outrun), and he stumbled and fell on Edwards second.