I actually agree that Duncan traveled, AFTER he had been fouled three times. One foul was a blatant push and another was a rake across the arm. His pivot foot definitely moved, but seriously, there were three horrible no calls there! OT! Still, if we could make free throws it wouldn’t have been an issue. As I said elsewhere, in a comment that has since been hidden, we’ve been saying pretty much all year that missed free throws was going to jump up and bite us this year and it almost happened tonight, and, honestly, it probably should have! So frustrating. If I’m coach B I’m just DYING!
B1G officiating needs a total makeover. Whoever is running that department needs to be fired or do a complete re-evaluation. So many bad, game impacting calls every game I watch.
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On the bright side, Michigan is 2-0 in Overtime!
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Duncan definitely travelled - the mystery is why the five slaps across his back and forearms that were clearly made with the intention of sending him to the line, all prior to his travel, were ignored. Like, if Duncan cleanly dribbled out of that, Pitino would have gone nuclear on the refs and would have been right to do so.
Past that, there really isn’t a criticism to level against Michigan that doesn’t involve the performance at the stripe. This game was close, and Minnesota got a big lead, because we are one of the few teams in history where getting in the 1&1 bonus is a significant penalty for us. If Matthews could become a 65% shooter at the stripe he’d score 20 more than he didn’t. When are we going to see teams start “Hack-a-Wolverine” whenever Simpson or Matthews touches the ball?
Some flukey stuff here too - that Washington kid re-inacting the Magic/Bird McDonalds horse commercial, the normally reliable at the rim Matthews missing everything…
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Conference officiating doesn’t exist in basketball, it’s an NCAA issue, not a Big Ten one.
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More than any player in recent Michigan vintage, Matthews reminds me of a large breed puppy that you can see what’s coming, but can’t stop tripping all over himself.
It’s all there - a smooth as silk jumper, phenomenal defensive highlights (steals, chase-down blocks), a developing three point stroke, good passing vision and an unselfish streak…and yet constantly undone by the routine - dribbling, paying attention to his man when he doesn’t have the ball, free throw shooting…
The conference does assign official teams for games though, IIRC. Obviously you’re somewhat limited based on official geography, but it’s consistently bad every conference game I watch. And it seems like we get a lot of the same officials.
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I really do think it’s similarly bad across the country. It’s at an unacceptable level IMO.
Are you saying him thinking too much affects the consistency of his mechanics, or it’s an intrinsic lack of muscle memory?
The thing I don’t get about the officiating is that we see things that NEVER get called go against us. Obviously Duncan’s play today is whistled and QUICKLY usually in 99.9% of instances. He did travel but only after that idiot looking at the play didn’t call any of the fouls for whatever reason.
We had a 3 seconds in the lane called on Wagner today. I watch a ton of B1G hoops and I don’t think I have seen that called all year. Haas can set up camp in the lane and not get called EVER, but then we do? Same jackass official I think too.
Not to mention the replay Zapruder-ing from the first Purdue game and/or any TV Ted appearance and its just a shit show with the officials out there.
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His comment about recognition early in the game was telling. I wonder what the “challenges” are?
Up until a few weeks ago, I was pushing the narrative with my brother (fellow M grad) that this team was overachieving. But if I were pushed to name an issue that runs across almost the whole squad, it might be that almost every player on it is erratic, struggles with confidence. It’s only MAAR who I might say I find truly steady–and steadying–for the team. (Would add Robinson to this shortlist, but for one big deficiency.) Every one of the rest of them has long, tentative stretches where confidence, much as anything, looks like the issue. No one gives up; no one hangs their head for too long, to everyone’s credit. And I firmly believe that playing great D is really grounding, and gets players back into games quite often when the shots aren’t falling. But. . . it’s not just years, but this team seems very young. Will a couple of these guys really get on a roll now?
A parallel question, maybe for Dylan–is it possible that placing more emphasis on D this year has this team a little less adept with Beilein’s offense than it might be? He seems to be hinting in this presser that the questions are more basic than that. But I wonder.
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I watched the lane pretty intently from the Wagner three second call on. McBrayer, I believe it was, was in the lane for about five seconds, or more, later in the game. No call. I replayed the Wagner three second call, and maybe I counted slowly, but I swear I had only gotten to two before the whistle blew. Now, Wagner wasn’t making an attempt to get out of the lane, so he wouldn’t have been out in the allotted three seconds, but the whistle blew, according to my count, at two or just a fraction more than two seconds. Plus, USUALLY the official warns the kid. PLUS, seriously, how often do you see three seconds even called. I know we wouldn’t have a game without the officials, used to tell that to my players all the time, and I know they have a very difficult job, but basketball referees just DRIVE ME CRAZY.
He thinks about his mechanics every shot and you can see it in his face. He tries to make it perfect every single time instead of relying on muscle memory and in doing that thinks way too much. If I had to guess, it’ll be next year before he straightens this out. When he doesn’t think, he’s got a very nice looking shot. If he misses his first hot or two, he naturally starts thinking every time he shoots the rest of the game. I believe it will get worked out. I don’t want to give any excuses, but calipari shattered any confidence Matthews had and that still bothers him to this day.
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Let me just offer this. It took Derrick Walton three and a half years to become the exceptional player that became over the last six weeks or two months last year. Derrick had a very good career at Michigan but it was over that last period where he just took over, allowed his ability to just blossom and put the team on his back. Derrick decided to “just play.” He wasn’t thinking, he was just playing, and he was firing on all cylinders. And, of course, his confidence just skyrocketed. I see these young kids thinking too much. I think sometimes they’re afraid to make a mistake. I think that’s happening to Isaiah. I think it happens to Charles, and he has SO much natural ability. I think, while Eli ran the team pretty well early, that after he started missing shots, he stopped shooting, even though Coach B TELLS him to shoot. I think it happened to Z for a while. I hope it doesn’t happen to Jordan Poole, but I see him a little more hesitant lately, too. It’s such a fine line. Yes, Duncan is struggling with his shot, but he knows where to go and what to do almost always. MAAR knows what to do and where to go, ALWAYS, at least I think so. Pretty much Moe, too. I think MAAR can just take over games. I think when we need a hoop he can get it, but perhaps he defers too much.
I absolutely think Coach B is a great coach. He’s an offensive genius. I really admire him in so many ways, but I also think he’s pretty controlling with that offense. Controlling to the point that sometimes rather than “just play” guys are thinking too much. It’s such a fine line. How much do I demand they run the offense perfectly, and how much do I encourage them to just play? Do I coach them too much? Do I coach them enough? It’s such a fine line. I’ve always thought that, a lot of times, the pursuit of perfect offensive execution, may contribute to some those rather long stretches where we don’t score. I don’t know, just my thoughts. I may be completely off base. Again, I’m glad Coach B is on our side. I love our kids, and only want them to be the best they can be. I’m absolutely certain that’s what coach wants, too, even beyond wins and losses or championships, and that’s another reason I respect him so much. He just wants the kids to be all they can be, as people and as players.
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A few friends had a huge argument about this. Personally, I come down on the side of saying that there are officials the BIG assigns to these games and there are officials they do not. So while we may not have exclusivity, it doesn’t mean it isn’t still the same guys performing abominably game after game after game. The guys they choose absolutely suck - for the most part.
Correct. There are not conference crews like football.
Look at today’s crew: Oglesby called a Horizon, American, and SEC game in the last couple of weeks. Scirotto called Horizon, MAC, MAAC, American East games. Beaver called American, MAC, Horizon, etc.
A guy like Mike Eades calls ACC, Big Ten, A10, Big East, etc. Higgins will call B12, B10, ACC, Pac 12.
Guys are mostly free agents and can officiate games in whatever conferences.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman started the season 34-of-37 from the line. He’s just 13-of-22 since he hit the game winning free throws vs. Maryland.
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Even without you giving the numbers, I knew he’s been below average since that game.
It’s almost as if being clutch hurt his confidence. Really weird.