How did Kris Murray only play 18 mpg while being Iowa’s second best player?
I think there’s a lot of different ways to come at this without making it a comment about somebody’s character, and I’m not sure that anyone’s doing that here and now. What I do know is that it’s not just been martelli or Jones in a press conference. There have been so many different ways in which this has been expressed this year by so many different people. I have seen multiple people in the Michigan media community unwilling to say it but willing to say stuff like “player x was really notably engaged today”, which implies that it’s not always the case, but who are unwilling to say the same exact thing expressed as a negative instead of a positive. I don’t know how you watch this whole season without noting that some games stand out in this area and some games don’t. I don’t know how you could have watched the loss to Indiana without noting that seemingly every player on their team was willing to sleep walk to a loss save for Xavier Johnson, who was the catalyst for a massive upgrade in defensive intensity.
I don’t think this is about any individual or group’s willingness or unwillingness to try hard. I think a bunch of factors go into it.
So…after that loss I took a couple days off from Michigan coverage because I was busy with work and I was frustrated by the team and by the negativity around them. I was thinking about why this team gets me so frustrated and I think I figured it out - because they remind me of something.
Back story time - I’ve been going to football games at Michigan since I could walk and throughout the 80s growing up we always went. But I didn’t get into basketball until the late 80s when the Pistons were good. My first memory of Michigan basketball was when Rumeal hit those famous FTs - we were on a family spring break trip and listened on the radio in the car when I was in the 8th grade. From there the Pistons won two titles and Michigan brought in the Fab Five all while I was in HS. One of the best dates I ever went on was when I took a girl I liked to see them play our senior year after we both found out we had been accepted to Michigan. My high school years cemented my Michigan basketball fandom.
My freshman year was Juwan’s junior year and those guys were kings on campus and I was hooked. I joined the basketball band the following year and expected to cheer on Ray, Jimmy, and the #1 recruiting class from right under the hoop. That was my first real experience with the program and I couldn’t have been more excited. But that team ended up being really, really frustrating (17-14, 9 seed) and we got to spend 12 hours in Dayton getting beat in the first round despite a 3 point lead with 24 seconds left. The following year was more of the same. Those teams remind me a lot of this one:
- Veterans who are good but are best as supporting players than stars (Ray/Jimmy = Eli/Devante)
- Big guy who looks dominant at times but disappears for stretches (Taylor = Dickinson)
- Star freshman ranked in the top-20 who is good, but very erratic and not quite as dominant as we had hoped (Baston = Diabate)
- Ultra-hyped freshman already being talked about as an NBA pick who struggled to find his role and consistency (Ward = Houstan) (Yes, I know Ward got hurt but he went from the next Webber to someone who didn’t have a true position and never found consistency)
- Other well regarded recruits who couldn’t figure out how to turn their HS talent into productive college play in part because of their lack of a jump shot (Conlon/Mitchell = Collins/Bufkin)
Those teams got me excited and ripped my heart out. I think the common thread is that you need a leader on the floor capable of getting his own shot - putting the team on his back. Eli and Devante are good players but they’re both better glue guys and not able to quiet the crowd or stop a rally by themselves consistently. Hunter needs someone to feed him the ball. There is no Walton, Simpson, Stauskas, or Jalen on this team who can make a big play when everything is falling apart. There wasn’t on those mid-1990s teams either depending on your opinion of Louis Bullock.
Sorry for the TL:DR post…felt like sharing that thought after a couple days of reflection. I hope we make the tournament tomorrow for many reasons - even if I’ll be expecting another trip to Dayton. This time I’ll be better prepared to be disappointed.
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Didn’t we also blow a double-digit lead in that 1995 NCAA loss, too?
Loved the story! Thanks for sharing man. I wish I could have made more trips to Crisler to see games as a kid, but making that trip from Indy while playing every sport as a kid was just a special treat.
Well, we were a 3-seed and got upset by #6 Texas but I don’t remember having much of a lead. I think it was pretty back and forth.
I thought that was the year we lost to Western Kentucky.
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Yup, that’s right. Totally shocking loss. Great story, AC – I remember feeling the same way about that team.
Western Kentucky was the 94-95 season. The full game is on YouTube and amazingly Bill Raftery is on the call.
In the 95-96 season we lost to Texas in Milwaukee. We are least flew to that one and got to spend an extra day there. I sat next to Travis Conlon on the flight home. I did have the seeds all wrong though. We were a 7 and lost to a 10.
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I thought you were talking about 94-95 (I don’t think Jimmy or Ray was there in 95-96).
No, they weren’t. They had Fife, White, Traylor.
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Why does MSU have a kids’ menu maze on the side of their unis?
I’m going to push back on one thing. Eli constantly hits big shots to end runs . The team just doesn’t always reward his efforts
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But I think what AC1997 is correct, Eli should be a glue guy on a championship level team. He’s been forced into an outsized leadership role. It’s been so long since we’ve had a bucket getter who can find his own shots. I really hope Jace is that guy. From what I’ve seen from his highlights, his biggest strength seems to be off the dribble 3s.
Looks like Sparty may not have the legs. They’ve managed to muck the game up so far but I wouldn’t be surprised if PU pulled away.
Presumably you mean Jett here
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No way dude, Jett’s a loser. Jace has that sweet turnaround midrange jumper. (argh yeah I meant Jett, my bad)
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Lol…thanks for clarifying. I was trying to figure out how to reply without insulting Jace’s abilities.
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God bless you, Tracy. At least someone is making our case on air.
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Did Izzo fall asleep on a waffle iron? He has a mysterious row of marks.