Yep – I agree with this and do think that U-M is going to be very good to elite defensively. Just trying to nit pick a bit. Also until we see them play it kind of feels like the freshmen are just used as wild cards in a card game. Ah yeah well pencil in this one here and that one there, etc.
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Obvious answer but it depends. Ideally by that point one of Williams/Bufkin/even Zeb has emerged into a playable guy and you can stick Houstan/Johns (but ideally Houstan) at the 4. Then you have Jones/Eli/one of the 3 I mentioned above to defend Purdue’s perimeter guys. A common theme this offseason has been that we expect Michigan to have a deeper bench this year so I think that’s the right answer.
Also, it depends on if Ivey is they guy we all think he’s going to be. Because if he’s not and he’s still a 26% 3-point shooter, then let Houstan play Ivey, sag off him and force him to shoot over him.
But if you’re telling me that Ivey is the top 5 player we expect, and you’re asking me to assign roles based on our projected starting lineup with Houstan and Johns, then I let Houstan stick to Stefanovic or Hunter. If Purdue beats you by Stefanovic going off from 3 or Hunter having a career day, then you live with it. But I don’t think you let Ivey be the one to beat you. And in reality, if the scenario we’re working with is “projected top 10 Purdue’s 3rd guard may cause us matchup problems”, I think that says good things about where we expect to be defensively.
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I am high on a lineup with Caleb at the four with Bufkin at the three. No doubt. I also don’t know how much we will realistically see that.
I’m just pointing out that perimeter defense could be an issue for this group against teams with multiple guards and wings because UM is going to be primarily playing a true power forward and a three man who is more like a college combo forward in my opinion.
That’s a notable shift from last years team which had one of the best wing defenders in the country.
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“One of the best wing defenders in the country? He wasn’t even one of the best in the Big Ten.”
-Media and Coaches
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Didn’t set out to. I meant to point out that the defense improved and the turnover count fell, and that the same can be expected this year. As you said the other day, it’s good to have your starting 5 play together lots during the year so there’s a cohesiveness come March, and for this particular group, they were just at the outset of that process.
Right. Not from the beginning.
Given Devante’s wingspan, can’t you put him on at least some of the wings and expect good defense at the spot?
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I think so. I think he has a chance to be decent against 6’4 - 6’5" guards due to his wingspan (It was 6’7" right?). But yeah perimeter defense will definitely be a place that can be picked on depending on the type of wings/forwards the opposing team has
Maybe, but I look at it more as giving him the tools to guard his position effectively. He measured at 6-6 wingspan I believe.
For comparison, Trey Burke had a 6-5.5 wingspan and we weren’t talking about how he should guard wings.
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And another issue with putting Jones on a wing means Houstan or the 3 has to guard a guard, so theoretically an even smaller and quicker player. Would have to be a very specific matchup but I would guess Eli is will be the best man to man defender we have. Devante can make hay off ball
My thing with this is that there’s probably less than 10 teams in college basketball where their 1-3 are all major on-ball scoring threats, so you can get away with some goofy matchups swapping perimeter players around.
But yeah, definitely not even close to guaranteed that Jones can guard taller guards and we definitely don’t have anyone built to shutdown a 6’7" perimeter playmaker.
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Zeb or Barnes or most likely Bufkin are all a little thin but man, seems like one of those guys would take it into his head that D is his ticket onto the court.
I agree that a guy like Calvert Cheaney is a problem (that one’s for the Bullets fans here). But that’s a very limited problem. As said above, it is nit picking.
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@umhoops you’ve been high on Bufkin for a while now but does that include his defense? I think we all agree that the most tantalizing offensive lineup is Jones-Brooks-Bufkin-Houstan-HD because it allows Houstan to play his best position and put four shooters on the floor.
Does the above question about wing defense have a potential answer in Bufkin as well? Is he too skinny or unrefined or whatever, or simply not an ideal option to guard 3s even if he adds a bit of weight?
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I agree 100% with that. Zeb seems like he has the raw traits to be a plus defender and that is a path to the court. I’m not sure about Barnes, but being a plus wing defender can get you on the court even before you’re ready in other areas of your game.
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Maybe you should ask Silverblue since he only lives a few blocks from Kobe’s former high school.
Bufkin could definitely be an option if U-M rolls with that lineup. At this point it is tough to say if they play big all the time or go small a lot.
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So no Marble,Akins,Sissoko mentioned guessing Izzo still goes with a 9 man rotation.
lack of Akins might concern me as an MSU fan, I think he’s the key to their ceiling
but it’s very early
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I think the implication is that freshman #2 is Akins
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