Nice job Bailey, again. But how could you possibly not even mention Charles as a contributor? His effectiveness was a huge distraction creating space for Teske.
This isn’t a game recap. This is a spotlight on Teske. No one is taking away from Matthews.
Correct. We will have a story on Charles tomorrow. Plus I talked about Charles a lot in the recap. Plus we will have even more in the days and hours to come 
Why did CM get into this slump, especially being so experienced as a college player? I recall he played well offensively against Villanova and UNC. I think once he couldn’t hit jumpers in the mid-range against Binghamton, that’s where the slump really began. It also seemed like it took time to adjust to the physicality of B1G play. But what I don’t understand, is why his old bad habits of fouls in the first 2 minutes of games and pivot foot issues still resulted game after game. When he hit the GW buzzer beater against Minn, it was the most natural catch and shoot motion he had for weeks. The second half at Indiana, and the Rutgers game he showed flashes of being an NBA guy. But it’s hard to understand his inconsistency. I wonder if it’s because he works so hard on defense, that it exhausts him mentally to shift back on offense. He broke in a new pair of Jordan’s against Wisconsin. He should be like MAAR (with the pink Jordan’s) and continue to wear that pair in superstitious good luck.
Matthews will go down as a polarizing player, like Walton and Irvin. For 3 and a half years Walton couldn’t make a layup in traffic and Irvin at times was a chucking clunker, but those guys eventually cemented their legacies w/a B1G tourney banner and a Sweet 16 run. Matthews has already accomplished a lot, as a starter in a lot of wins, an NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player, and a national final appearance, but he may leave Michigan as having left so much more on the table due to his careless mistakes. Hopefully yesterday is the start of something special the rest of the way.
I agree with your opening paragraph and with your last statement. “Hopefully yesterday is the start of something special the rest of the way.” (Wpb) I agree, as I’m sure all Michigan fans do, as well. As Coach B has told Charles, It’s February, Charles, it’s your time. You can’t wait 'til March. It’s February, we need you now. Note: This is not a direct quote, it’s just my recollection of what JB said in a post game interview yesterday.
As to Irvin and Walton being “polarizing players,” you’re right. I guess they were, but I put that more on fans who often unfairly expect these kids to be too perfect, too often. Walton and Irvin obviously played great down the stretch their senior years. As a fan base we owe them so much. Hopefully we as fans only remember them for those wonderful moments when it counted most and they dominated, and not for the times when they didn’t live up to our incredibly lofty expectations for them.
Let’s hope the Charles Mathews we saw in the second half yesterday, the confident Charles Mathews, hopefully that is the Charles Mathews we will see through February, and March, and into April. That Charles Mathews just played. He didn’t think, he just played, and he played with confidence.
Finally, and I offer this respectfully and I’m guessing you don’t really mean it this way, but I have a problem with using the word “careless” and Charles Mathews in the same sentence, or connecting them in any way. Charles Mathews CARES as much as anyone. Does he sometimes make mistakes? You bet, don’t we all sometimes make mistakes? But Charles Mathews cares. Let’s make no mistake about that.
Now, let’s keep playing hard, and go into Happy Valley and beat what will be a pesky Penn State team hungry for a huge upset.
Again, I mean no disrespect. I generally agree with much of what you posted. Go Blue!!!
When I use the word “careless”, I am using it to state CM at times isn’t giving full attention to what he is doing. I am not stating he doesn’t care.
I agree, fan bases can be tough. Unfortunately, fan bases view coaches and players as machines, and do not calculate the human element enough for bad games played, and mistakes that occur. All of us scrutinize game plans, statistics, and analytics of players and teams. That is a major component of this site.
Standards are very high, especially for an institution and program like Michigan. However, CM has very high standards of himself. He yearns to play at the next level, he was considered an elite player to play at Kentucky, where as pretty much most of his MI teammates would never get a sniff to be recruited by Kentucky.
We all know he “cares”, that’s why he has been a winner, but he himself knows he needs to be held accountable as a leader, for the good of his team, and even his professional future possibilities.
Go Blue!
I asked the question yesterday in the game thread, does Jon have a chance at being the best All Around BIG to player for Coach B at Michigan? We knew he would contribute on the defensive side of the ball but his growth on offensive side of the ball has been a game changer, especially if he can knock down the 3 pt shot at above 35% and now it seems his stroke from the FT line looks improved.
I don’t really think Matthews has been polarizing. I don’t recall many debates about him!
Personally, I take it all as a blessing. He’s inconsistent on offense. Big deal. He’s one of the best defenders ever to play at Michigan.
Absolutely. Charles holds himself accountable and expects to be held accountable by his teammates and his coaching staff. The fans? Well…they have a right to their opinion, I guess.
By the way, I tried to acknowledge my belief that you didn’t really mean Charles doesn’t care. There are very few people, I suspect, who care as much as Charles. He cares deeply. But, it is kind of a pet peeve of mine when people use the word careless when they really mean not paying full attention to detail.
When I coached I emphasized to my players the importance of being “intentional” and “attentional.” It was our intent to pay 100% attention to everything we were doing for the full two hours of practice and also to the entirety of the games we played…always. I would prefer to say someone momentarily lost focus than to say they were careless, but that’s just me.
Again, I respect your posts and your opinions. They are well thought out, excellently composed, and appreciated by me and I’m sure many others on what I think we all believe is the best sports site and forum out there! 
His next step is to develop some threat of a post game. Even if he can create assists out of the post. That will probably come next year.
IMO, Teske would be better served by trying to expand his game in the Mo direction. Not sure if it’s possible, but if Teske could just keep improving his three and get to the point where he can drive against a closeout occasionally…watch out. Might not be possible for him to get that point though.
That seems very ideal but also incredibly unlikely. I wonder what the most consecutive dribbles in a row Teske has taken in a game. I’d love for him to develop a one-dribble baby-hook, just as an occasional counter to post switches. Butttt considering JB’s history of bigs, that’s probably equally unlikely.
I agree. He won’t have the ability of taking anyone off the dribble or the ball handling skill. But a half hook in the post and consistent mid range shot from the elbow would be great additions to his game. But with his great usage of footwork, it would be a shame if he didn’t develop some sort of basic post counters.
Seems a bit stiff to really ever make the multiple dribbles to the rack type move (not to mention the behind the back) but maybe he can look to be a one dribble into a layup type move on screens closer to the basket.
I don’t see Teske ever playing in a sort of Moe face-up and drive role.
If you are trying to mold him gradually, I think the next step would be sort of a one go-to consistent move in the post that can add a few extra points. Throwing the ball in the post just isn’t something Michigan does though (other than in Spain for some reason, maybe because the big man coach was the interim HC! 
)
Beilein has also talked about wanting him to be a better transition target. That isn’t an element of his game yet if you look at the graph in 5 takeways.
A decent post move could set him up for either a short jumper, which he can make, or a quick move to the basket for a layup, which he can also make. Neither option requires much in the way of dribbling.
Obviously, it would never happen in the flow of the offense. But it seems like it could be useful to have that in the toolbox when things get messy and Teske winds up with the ball close to the basket, as happens occasionally. A possession or two a game, I would think.
It seems on some of Jon’s 3 point misses, his shot is a little flat. I don’t know if his arc is higher on makes or if it is just my imagination. Anyone else notice this or have evidence to support or disprove?
I think his shots in general are just flat. Even the ones that go in. So his misses look really ugly.
Yeah, I think he just has poor form in general. Mo looked like he was shooting a jumpshot. Jon looks like he’s catapaulting the ball at the rim.