Exhibition Opener: What do you want to see?

Michigan Basketball
1

Here goes… what are the top things you’ll be looking for in tomorrow’s exhibition game?

2

Can we replace Stauskas and his ability to get to the rim and finish? I know Levert can, but I would love to see Irvin and Walton get to the rim as well.

3

Can Chatman and/or Dawkins effectively shoot the 3?

4

All around defense, specifically big men. Also, while everyone worries about that, we have to remember that our back court wasn’t very good defensively either last year, although it sure looks like they have the potential to be decent.

5

Can the bigs defend/rebound?

6

I have no qualms about the backcourt. It’s going to be one of the best in the conference and country IMO.

Gonna watch the bigs and see how they communicate with the rest of the team on defense, how they position themselves for rebounds, how they set screens, how they roll or pop, and how they position themselves away from the ball. Just fundamentally sound basketball from the big men.

7

This will be my first live look as I missed the open practice, so I’m going to try to soak in as much as I can. But three things I’ll try to focus more on, in no particular order, are (1) what the coaches do for a rotation, (2) who of the new guys look most aggressive/are gamers with the lights on, (3) Austin Hatch get on the floor.

8

  1. I want to see that Chatman will be capable of playing 30mpg at the 4. Having a positional disadvantage at one position can be overcome. Having a positional disadvantage at both front court positions can be crippling.

  2. I want to see the 2 of the 3 young bigs out play Max Bielfeldt. Nothing against Max, because I love the effort he plays with, but he is not a Big Ten level player. If he is any higher than 3rd on our depth chart at any position, that’s not a good thing.

9

What MattD said! 1-4 will be fine. Can the 5’s defend and rebound? This is the key to the team having a chance at being successful. I have a feeling that Doyle especially will be up to the task. Additionally, I am curious to see if Chatman and Dawkins are really as solid as they appear.

10
What MattD said! 1-4 will be fine. Can the 5's defend and rebound? This is the key to the team having a chance at being successful. I have a feeling that Doyle especially will be up to the task. Additionally, I am curious to see if Chatman and Dawkins are really as solid as they appear.
With all due respect to Wayne State, if our 5's can't defend and rebound against them, I guess it will be pretty clear how much we'll struggle this year. On the other hand, if our 5's do well against them, how much will it really mean?
11

I look for our bigs to get few if any touches of relevance tonight. This game will mean even less than Italy as far as a gauge going forward, however as Geoff stated above if we struggle to defend and rebound, look out. This should be a fast break drill against an overmatched smaller school, unless we fall in love with the 3 and refuse to attack the basket. My hope is that we escape injury free and move on.

12

Geoffclarke,

I think insights can be gleaned from seeing the 5’s play against what we all probably rightly assume is lesser competition. Young players that are not ready to play team defense can look confused, silly and out of position by even lesser competition. Do you remember how random and ccnfused Mcgary looked his first few games? My hope is that Doyle and Donnal, at least, are able to play beyond their Freshman/RS Freshman status on Defense and boards…