And the four FTs
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I wouldnāt say that Jones getting a contest excuses Michiganās poor execution in that situation. They still managed to allow a shot that could win the game. His contest being so close also meant that there was a much bigger chance that there were FTs to win the game. Michigan won but it needs to practice foul up 3 more if thatās going to be the approach.
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Good point Dylan. There never should have been a wide open catch behind the arc if everyone knew their coverage and played their role.
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Another arrow in the quiver for Jonesā¦ the team fell apart when Howard benched him just a little too long.
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No question, but if you look, itās a perfect contest. He doesnāt look that close to fouling at all and heās just perfectly in exactly the air space you need to get up the shot. I didnāt watch the replay and think āoh my God, that was so close to a foulā - which 99 times out of 100 there is what you see.
I was definitely down on him and wondered if he just wasnāt fast enough for this level. I am still a little concerned though that success might be matchup dependent for him - we are heading into a harder part of the schedule with potentially faster and more physical guards. We got Illinois without Curbelo, of course. Iām hopeful, but Iām definitely waiting to see how he fares against the thick of the Big Ten schedule. He certainly looks more confident and less worried about proving himself, so one hopes heās just flat out turned the corner.
(and of course, as has been pointed out, Caleb making his shots is pretty key to Jones getting his game off)
I sure hope so. Iām really enjoying his mastery of angles positioning and contortions and all that. Fun to watch those things go up and in and to see him manufacturing FT opportunities.
Hopefully if that situation happened again Hunter and Moussa would be in the game to box out ft rebounds instead of being stuck on the bench with 5 fouls.
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