Recording The Pin Down tonight... Need some questions

Michigan Basketball
1

Post 'em here if you’ve got em.

2

Analyze the Omoruyi lobs from Wednesday night:

  • What action did Rutgers run?
  • How was Michigan trying to defend it?
  • Why didn’t it work?
  • What can Michigan do on Sunday to stop Illinois from doing the same thing ad nauseam?
4 Likes
3

Convince me that Frankie Collins can become as effective a point guard as Xavier Simpson. Collins is taller and springier, seems as quick and has a large enough frame to become nearly as solid as X was. Can he learn to be as problematic a defender as Simpson was as a sophomore? Frankie’s handle and energy seem comparable to X as a freshman. Can he develop the court vision and passing that made Simpson great? Is his shooting doomed to be even worse than X’s?

4

Why did Michigan go away from the zone against Rutgers? Was it because of the matchup, or does playing zone make Phil Martelli want to slap somebody? What was St Joseph’s defensive profile when Martelli was there? Will he have Michigan play drop coverage the rest of the way, especially against Sparty on Tuesday?

1 Like
5

The move to drop has still lead to easy buckets at times for teams. Is Hunter worse at playing both on the drop this year?

6

What do you do with the Frankie Collins problem? Do you just roll with Brooks, Jones and Bufkin as your three guards? Or are there ways to start possessions with him off the ball and catch on the move so he can attack the basket? Just doesn’t seem like he’s able to initiate the offense.

1 Like
7

What did you think of Michigan’s ‘small-ball’ look with Caleb at the 4 and DJ, Eli, Kobe all on the court together? It was obviously a product of the suspensions, but do you think it can/should be used more going forward especially against teams with 4s Caleb can matchup with size-wise? Creates the sort of spacing last year’s team was known for that we haven’t seen at all this year.

1 Like
8

This probably an impossible question, but if Michigan makes the tournament, are you rooting to be a 10 seed or lower? CBB seems very top heavy this year and I think you avoid the 8/9 game like a plague.

Also, what are two teams in some of the mock brackets that you like for Michigan and what are two teams you think would be miserable matchups for Michigan?

1 Like
9

It is by far their best option to have Caleb play the 4 more often than not. It always has been in my opinion. That is also difficult to do in large doses with Diabate and Dickinson on the same roster.

1 Like
10

Caleb seems capable of guarding the 4. He’s at least quick enough to stay in front of his man and he seems to be able to put a body on someone and rebound. He just doesn’t seem to have the quickness to stay in front of 3’s that have the ability to put the ball on the floor. I guess my question is do you see the same thing?

11

How can Hunter win the matchup against Kofi? He didn’t fare well last year and was out for the earlier game this year. To me, it feels like he needs to pull Kofi away from the basket with his shooting, then on defense avoid letting him catch it on the low block and get help (from a Moussa double) to force a pass. Does that seem right, and any other thoughts?

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12

Isn’t that what Cam Krutwig did, pull Kofi away from the basket by hitting mid range jumpers?

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13

Was there any notable difference in offensive playcalling under Martelli? I thought there were sets they were running quite often that I hadn’t seen much previously. Could be a Rutgers scouting thing too, though.

1 Like
14
  1. If Michigan makes the tournament, what will have gone right?
  2. If Michigan misses the tournament, what will have gone wrong?
  3. The path for Michigan making the tournament seems relatively clear at this point… do you think they do it or not?
1 Like
15

  1. Are there any 2023 recruits to keep an eye on?

  2. Now that the season is almost over, who do you see playing major roles on the team next year of the 2021 recruits? And what roles would they fill?

1 Like
16

Dylan,

I’m fascinated by the incongruity between Wisconsin’s conference efficiency margin and their actual record. After another narrow win last night, I’m curious at what point do you go from saying a team is outperforming their stats to just saying that they’re awesome in close games? What makes Wisconsin good a winning close games? Are they who their record says they are, or are they who the fancystats say they are?

Thanks,
Will

1 Like
17

Is our resurgent 3PA defense actually a good thing or is it merely a product of awful 2pt defense lately?

Also, is Jace ready?