There’s a lot to digest after 13 games of the season that saw the Wolverines win the Battle 4 Atlantis only to lose three out of four games in December.
I think you wanted to add a high major qualifier to that 3 out of 4 stat, right?
Great stuff here, Dylan, thanks. I’d probably ding Simpson a little more for the turnovers and give him an A-. While he is undoubtedly carrying a heavier load this year, many of the turnovers seem unforced and careless as opposed to having to create something. Also, the inability to slow down Pritchard in overtime was costly and still stings, although I think the coaching staff should share some of the blame for failing to make an adjustment.
His shooting has really improved and he is a real threat from 3 now, which hopefully continues and opens up other things.
I think I’d mark down all three a bit more than Dylan did. Maybe Simpson I’d keep an A just because he has a truly incredible load that he’s shouldering. Brooks’ performance in the big games (77.6 ORtg in kenpom tier A games) have me leaning more towards B- territory and I think I’d put DeJulius at a C+ for defensive issues and not creating shots for others. Maybe a B- for both, because that latter point is something that won’t be a huge issue unless it still hasn’t happened by next year. People might say i’m being too negative about the grades, but to me a C is completely meh, so above that is still positive.
I’m almost glad Simpson got humbled by Pritch there because knowing the little guy I highly doubt it’ll happen again… he surely took that one on the chin and will remember that the next time he’s 1-on-1 vs. elite PGs.
That starts with Mr. Winston next Sunday who he has the crazy revenge factor against as well.
Yeah I am really hoping that he takes that matchup personally and shuts Winston down. It would be an ideal situation
Unfortunately taking something personally is not enough to shut someone down. I’m sure by the 3rd game against MSU last year it was getting pretty personal.
Yeah agreed. I actually am more afraid of him taking it too personally and forcing things too much. I have seen him force more this year than I have seen before and I hope he doesn’t play outside of himself. I think he has the capability to shut down Winston if he plays smart
Tough to ding someone for struggling to stop an All-American PG. Not really sure that’s a fair scale to use, especially compared to other players on the roster.
I think the ratings are fair. We tend to focus more on the limitations because as fans we live and die by these guys. But look at where these guys were before the season. People had written off Brooks to nothing more than a part time defensive backup, DDJ hadn’t really hit any shots in miniscule playing time, and Simpson was a guy who couldn’t shoot and might have been hampered as the best player once Poole, Iggy, and Matthews left. Now all three have exceeded most expectations.
I do think Simpsons D has regressed slightly, but I think that’s a function of the burden he carries on offense. I would like to see the turnover rate decrease a bit.
I think you’re totally right. Dylan said it well that no player exemplifies that more than Simpson. He is a great college basketball player and will be sorely missed when he’s gone. He may be one of the most impactful players we see in this program for a long time, and the defensive transformation wouldn’t have been possible without him.
As everyone who is frequent here knows that X is my favorite on this team. As far as turnovers go I do agree that he should not go for the home run pass so often would be a good thing. However a lot of his turnovers attributed to him were not always his fault such as fumbled by the receiver or the recipient not being focused to receive the pass. I know next man up should be ready but Davis or Castleton are not as agile to receive bullet passes as Teske and Livers. Again Dylan another great analysis. Your grades pretty much spot on.
This is a great piece of analysis. It’s hard to grade, and maybe it would be good to clarify or even maybe assign two different grades – are these grades versus production (eg, 1st team all big 10 = A, passable Big 10 starter = B, Nebraska starter = C, Northwestern bench mob = D), or are they versus preseason expectations? Because I want to give Eli an A, but that’s because I was worried he was going to wash out, not bc I expect him to finish the year averaging 16 pts/game and on an All BIG team.