Game 9: Iowa at Michigan Recap

So Michigan and Iowa are in a bit of a tussle until, of all people, Austin Davis took over the game. That was a beautiful thing. You can’t stop Austin Davis when he’s in that mode, that zone, you can only hope to contain him.

Where’s the damn 5 key plays: Austin Davis over segment?!?!?!

2 Likes

Yeah, it was McGary sitting in the middle I remembered. Facts are tough things to get around, but I think that Boeheim’s zone was causing terror beforehand and that for some dazzling stretches we really handled it. I’m stickin’ to my happy fuzzy memory!

Timmy, Nik and Trey couldn’t hit open shots. Thank God for Mitch and the bench that day.

I think we handled it for exactly enough possessions to win and not any more at all. That was an incredible slog of a game.

I’m not sure you can even call the Syracuse zone that year and whatever the heck Iowa was running the other day the same defense. They may as well have been playing different sports entirely.

1 Like

Maybe. But if you get a really smart, tall passer there in the middle, in my probably reductive view, and guys who know how to rotate around it, you can make some hay. I guess it forces you to hit your shots from the outside. . .

1 Like

No doubt. That’s a great way to do it. And we did that with McGary vs Syracuse. But Syracuse and any decent zone makes it harder to get into the middle than Iowa. They also don’t really have intimidating length

1 Like

That’s why Izzo played Ben Carter against them while sitting Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson most of the game. If that smart, tall passer is a good player like Teske, it’s a better strategy.

1 Like

MSU lost and Carter wasn’t much of a zone buster; two points, two assists

1 Like

Yea that zone was literally the worst run zone I’ve ever seen in college hoops.

The was the point of the criticism. Jackson was a far better shooter/option than Carter. [and he had actually played more than 5 minutes a game] . Izzo over-thought it and beat himself.

LOL, I understand that. Hence my remark about it being a better strategy if you are using a good player.

Huh? Reread your two posts about Jackson.

You think I was praising Izzo’s decision? Come on. He obviously outsmarted himself.