I was screaming for him to take it to the rack the entire second half, and when he did, and did again, and did again it was great and won us the game, and hopefully was confidence building that he can take it to the hole more often. he has gotten blocked a lot over his career, but when the shot mechanics are somewhat off, it is the best play and he has the skills to get the bucket, contact or both.
Glad he’s on the team for this ride, and his passing is probably the best on the team when the actions are run well. That aspect of his game will certainly be missed next year. More than anything I hope when our season ends that he feels proud with how his final game went.
How about the job he’s done defensively recently? Dare I say he’s been the defensive stopper?
He’s just completely shutdown his guy and has become a huge asset on that end of the floor right now. He’s taking on anyone 2-4 really and locking down. I feel like he’s led to steals with his activeness even if they aren’t credited to him.
Irvin played every second of today’s game. In addition to his defense, he made the game tying basket and also our only fgs in overtime. He had a bit of a slump during the third quarter of the big ten season, but he’s playing well now. Good for Zak.
I often get upset when zak tries to do too much or try’s to take the hero shot but I saw something today that made me get it more. When it was really tight and we needed a big basket, no one wanted the ball. I kept screaming for Walton to go get it as Id prefer he have the ball in those spots but he refused. He kept giving it up or standing away from the ball. Zak HAD to go take those possessions. I was very happy with the win but it worried me everyone else seem scared.
I’m just really glad zak decided to go to the rack in those moments. Whenever he try’s to pull up deep with a hand in his face its not a good look and he missed on both of them late. Love that he decided to attack the rim in those other possessions, that’s the look we need out of him in big moments. Smart decisions. Can’t waste a possession that late in a tight ball game.
He’s generally good driving to the basket, especially against a bigger, slower guy like Swanigan, and he’s great at that curl shot at the top of the key after he gets a pick. He’s awful at shooting deep jumpers off the dribble with a man in his face.
Definitely not trying to re-hash an old subject but that’s exactly why I was 100% okay with Zak taking the last shot at Northwestern.
He takes the big shots for us. I have never minded him being that guy, even when he was struggling.
He’s never shied away from that and more importantly, he’s hit some huge buckets for Michigan over his career.
Also, speaking of him taking it to the basket, his footwork on the first OT bucket was awesome. That’s what makes Beilein such a great coach. How many team’s guards are that fundamentally sound?
I am as tough as anyone on Zak but as mentioned above he gives consistent effort on the defensive side of the ball. And when he plays within himself taking shots in his sweet spot, which are getting to the rim and going to his right for the mid range jumper he can be very good and confident. The leaning left falling away shot is one that is ill advise and should be avoided.
It’s not just that he is struggling, it’s that he simply isn’t a good three point shooter. There were better options in that scenario than a deep (at least a foot behind the line) Zak Irvin 3pt shot. That’s all many of us were saying and I still think that’s true.
edit: Despite that being true, I give Zak a ton of credit for how well he has been playing.
Irvin is doing a good job of playing within the system the past 3-4 weeks, and the system is doing a much better job playing into Irvin’s game. He’s still an aggressor, still helps facilitate the offense but the dynamic has changed a LOT since December/January — Walton has become another alpha option in the offense, Wagner’s become more assertive on the perimeter and Wilson/MAAR/Robinson seem to have found a comfort level in supporting roles.
