Probably see some of both because of how much Michigan switches. You want the guy who can guard the post better to be guarding Jackson and the guy who is better at getting back on defense in transition to be tasked with Bridges.
Michigan also hasn’t really shifted Matthews up defensively much at all this season. Key will be Livers (and Duncan) hitting threes to pull Jackson out to the perimeter IMO.
As a side note to this thread, yes Purdue is a damn good team who can win it all this year. However, that sure doesn’t look like a usual #5 team in the country.
To me, that’s what stings most about this loss. If Michigan could sneak into the 5-6 range, they’d have a legit shot of making a run this year. With this loss, it’ll be hard enough to get up to the 7 seed now.
Obviously, getting a high seed is always “hard”, and will require the team to do some “hard” things. However, we still have one more crack at Purdue and OSU (who will probably be in the top 25 this week?), and one at MSU, not to mention whoever we need to play in the Big 10 tournament. Obviously, winning games (on the road) against good teams is “hard”, but it can be done.
Poole’s reminds me of Jalen Rose in that he is just so sure of his supreme basketball ability.
Absolutely. I don’t want to be overly pessimistic, but it’s going to be really hard to win Saturday and at Purdue. I hope for the best but expect Ls in both. Even OSU scares me because they seem to bring out the worst in our teams the last couple of years.
Seems like the kind of Purdue team that almost wins the Big Ten, gets a 3 seed, and loses in the Sweet 16. Very good, great shooting, great defense, great size. I just don’t know if this is the team to get over the hump.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they get knocked out in round 2 either. They’ll also be in a ton of trouble if any of their starters get into foul trouble in a tournament game.
Exactly. The pros clearly value potential as there are countless examples of unfinished players being drafted in the first round. And, if nothing else, Matthews has a pro-style body and potential. And while he would likely be a second-rounder, we don’t know that won’t be enough for Matthew to jump. Let’s just not pretend it can’t happen.
One other thing about last night, I want to say that was the first time we’ve seen Livers at the 3? (Or Duncan at the 3, but point being he came in for Matthews for the first time.)
Within this conversation people are not only not pretending Matthews has no pro potential but also conceding the possibility of him going pro and also expressing their belief that we would still have insane talent on the wings next year, without Matthews.
I for one do not think it is very likely, he leaves after this year,but still a possibility. It doesn’t really matter though because people seem to be willing to admit Matthews has NBA potential and have given opinions on his potential shortcomings…
Duncan back to the bench would not be the worst thing. He could go back to that role he thrived in last season as a 6th man coming in finding his shot.
Yup, several incredibly consistent games in a row should put him ahead at this point, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Duncan is still starting vs MSU with a similar minute distribution as Purdue.
Seems like you’re selling them short a bit. True, no 1&dones, but Dakota Mathias could stick as a 3&D at the next level, somebody will take a long look at Isaac Haas, Haarms has a lot of talent. Their guards have what it takes to make a run. Vince Edwards swiss army knife. They could contend for a NT.
They looked better than I thought they were going into the game. But we looked better than we have in alot of our games this season too.
Every year I find myself thinking, “Man doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of really good teams this season. I mean, look who’s in the top 10.” But I think I’ve just romanticized or overrated teams in the past.
I haven’t watched a ton of Purdue, but based on last night… On-ball guard play still appears to be their weakness. As much as Edwards has improved, he still didn’t seem like a guy who is going to be able to consistently create good shots every time down the floor. Having that elite guard who you can iso/pnr and get a good shot consistently is the most important thing in college hoops.
@bebopson I admitted they’re damn good and can win it all. My point was more they can win it all because there’s no dominant team’s this year. This squad can stack up to everyone else where I don’t think they necessarily could in other seasons.
@bacon141 Honestly, I took it the other way. I understand each game is completely different and strategies differ by personnel, but they didn’t create any easy buckets outside of Haas down low. They won that game simply because they hit some tough threes. I’ve never been impressed with Haas either, so if he’s your source of easy buckets, I don’t trust your team making a run unless you light the nets on fire for 6 games straight.
On the contrary, right through the middle of the year people were still maligning him so thoroughly that it became the source of serious nasty on this board. At the beginning of the year people were wondering if he’d ever contribute at all. It was one of the fastest ugly duckling-to-swan emergences I can recall. . .
If we don’t attack that OSU game with the pride and fury it deserves. . .
I definitely remember the vast majority of posters being extremely slow to the idea that DJ was actually good and quite frankly that is on them. I can’t recall the exact games but I am positive, that prior to the big ten season starting, during one of Wilson’s better games, tv commentators threw the idea of DJ being an NBA prospect “out there” at least once or twice.
The general narrative was definitely that DJ was not good but there was a handful of people rejecting that notion. I remember comparing DJ’s stats to GR3 stats at one point in an attempt to show that DJ compared favorably to GR3.
I remember this as well, though at the time I didn’t put much stock into it. Probably because the prior year, in the game against Maryland, Dick Vitale said there was a spot in the NBA for a shooter like Duncan Robinson lol. My how times have changed 