Browsing mgoblog – why do I still care about this game!? – somebody mentioned that there were 5 total fouls called in the first ten minutes, which sounds about right. I distinctly remember that there were no whistles at all until the first media timeout.
So that would mean 41 fouls in the remaining 30 minutes of game play, or approximately one every 45 seconds. And it’s not like Collins pulled an Izzo and started fouling with five minutes left. There were probably three intentional fouls – two by Michigan and one by Northwestern.
Dean had them there for so many more years, don’t forget. You had guys who were stars as freshman and were then there for a bunch more years. If only college basketball could still be like that today!
And yes, it’s no coincidence that so many UNC players under Dean went on to be coaches and good ones, in their own right. My HS coach legit would have been a college coach if he had wanted that life - he’s good friends with everyone else from that tree, he just ran a summer camp instead that was started by his family and run before him by his dad, who is an all time UNC bkb legend. He was a ridiculously good coach for the HS level.
Wow, that reminds me of how electric the first 10 minutes were. Some of the best shotmaking I’ve seen in a Michigan game from both the teams on the floor. And then the refs smoked meth or something.
Garrison was on that crew and was the Michigan kryptonite for that team. Szelc and Rob Riley both were on that crew and both did the game last night. If I remember correctly those 2 were the ones responsible for tossing JB. Word came out that he was saying they “don’t belong in this league.”
Szelc always has a couple of games each year that go completely sideways under his watch, so this is in his DNA. I actually thought he was probably the lesser of the problems as the other 2 could not just stop blowing their whistle. Its funny because the play before the first media timeout where Collins was going nuts was absolutely a foul on M that was not called. Almost like they decided that if a coach wanted that called then they would just call everything.
What made this one of the weirder #refshow games I’ve ever seen was that despite the overall volume of calls and complete clunker of a game it became as a result…the team fouls were pretty even and more odd was that a high percentage of the fouls were off-ball or offensive. This wasn’t a bunch of fouls being called on takes to the hoop - it was block/charge, moving screen, hand-check, tripping, etc. Those are the types of things that happen in every game but don’t usually get called because refs know that’s stupid. It is like a football crew deciding in one random game that they will actually call all of the holding by both of the offensive lines and neither team can get a first down as a result.
One final thing about the officiating, I think a big part of it is how Northwestern plays. They’ve been in other games like that. The MSU at NW game had 49 fouls, they committed 31 fouls in 2OT against Maryland, 21 fouls in their road win at Maryland.
I think it’s part of the way that they are able to control the flow of a game and stay close.
And then the lack of calls like the early one I mentioned or the one when I think it was TWill got shoved out of bounds. All the off ball/moving screen stuff gets called but none of the stuff that directly impacts a play.
Then I look at the Purdue/ILL game 10 days ago as a contrast. If that game would have been called like that, there wouldn’t have been anybody left in the 2nd half with as physical as that game was. Just strange to use those 2 games as an example of how different games in the league can be called.
I agree. All of their players initiate a ton of contact both on offense and defense. I noticed it when bench guys like Young and Greer came in and every time they touched the ball they were bodying into defenders trying to get them to push back. You could tell Hunter was getting frustrated with Young throwing his body backwards on every post possession.
Kinda disagree with this. This forum is overwhelmingly positive. I think it’s ok to point out things even if it’s negative.
When he posted i was seeing the game the same way and I’ve probably one of the more optimistic posters you could meet over the years ( although I genuinely felt that way in all those moments , wasn’t just being a homer).
I’m thrilled they recovered but I thought things needed to be settled down with a TO too right around when he posted and was confused by the lack of action.
Over all this is the first team in quite a while that I’m sad to say I don’t feel good about down the stretch. Something is just off about their chemistry but I guess that’s to be expected with so many new faces.
Hoping I’m wrong cause theoretically they got the horses to get to the second weekend. You never know.
I remember Garrison but I’d forgotten about Riley. Garrison had that pattern where Michigan was like 0-3 in his games and 19-1 in all others or something like that. I think I remember Szelc mostly because of his name, honestly (as in, how do you pronounce that?)
And, yes, I agree; Collins was right to be upset about that call. But there should be some happy medium between calling nothing and calling everything whether it impacts the play or not.
I meant to mention that having watched the replay, you made a great point here. Jones was 100% all over it. The shot had no chance. Jones had literally perfect defense on the 3 point shooter there - no fouling, but also nowhere to go to get the shot up. I wish I had bionic eyes and could have seen it clearly live because it turns out there was nothing to worry about at all. It wasn’t close for a good reason, Jones turned it into a below the bottom of the barrel look.
Unfortunately, the announcers didn’t notice it or call it out. The forum has been relatively negative on Jones a good part of the season. Dylan has been trying to temper the posture by providing perspective as he always does. The blind graphic of Smith vs. Jones is another example of his leadership on helping us see things for what they are instead of being emotional. Jones has really grown into his role, and is playing consistently well for at least the last 4-5 games, if not more. Bottom line, he was a huge difference maker in this game down the stretch. Three plays come to mind: the driving layup to the basket, the three-point rainbow shot, and the near block at the end of the game. Jones was the MVP.
