You won’t find me getting upset on here…ever.
Okay, well do you at least see my point?
That was hard to watch. What in the world happened to Levert today? Didn’t even look like he wanted to play. Chapman, donnal, spike cannot play against good teams. I’m sticking by this, playing dj a lot these next 4 to 5 games will pay off big time down the road. 3 losses now is no big deal, with the nice big ten schedule we have the tournament should happen. MAAR may need to start now instead of Dawkins. Then come the rebounding problems but then again tonight Dawkins started and it didn’t help one bit. Irvin was a big let down tonight. These players do know that while running offense they can make plays right? Every time I pass is made, they just look to pass media rely before an attempt to do anything even goes through their mind. First 3 plays of the game when we were slipping all these screens and not setting them I knew bad news was on the way. It’s a shame. I love beilein a whole lot, but he must find a way to get guys with higher ceilings to play the 4 and 5 spot. Dj must play more, his length and athleticism is a must and Doyle nor Wagner have done a stellar job on defense. Starting to buy in to this negative talk about beilein and recruiting. Why do big time guys not want to play for him?
Not saying his shot was finally falling, but how was Irvin “a big let down” tonight with 9pts, 9 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal? He was one of the bright spots.
People have been saying we have way too many one dimensional players. I just don’t think it’s true.
If you’ve seen my other posts I am one of a very few Irvin supporters. I mean that by his shot. It isn’t coming out of his hand correctly or consistently at all, hence how he hit the top of the backboard in a corner three. What we saw last year is no fluke at all in the development of his all around game, I love it. He had some great drives last night using his size to get some really good shots.
Wow, that game was garbage.
Unfortunately, even if Walton had played it would have had no effect on the bigs getting pushed around like paper dolls inside and on the glass. Someone on MGoBlog pointed out that SMU beat Yale by 2. Helps put things in perspective.
The program Peaked 2 years ago. There’s no quick fix. We are recruiting good enough to slow the decline of the program but not stop it…
1 Like
That was real bad, they missed Walton but SMU also lost Kennedy in the 1st minute. Little did we know his replacement was going to rip the rim off last night. Donnal/Wagner/Doyle and Bacari should all walk home after that performance. DJ can come back on the flight because he didn’t play until late.
I think they need to shake up the starting lineup again I thought Robinson should come off the bench but he should start because they’re not getting anything from Dawkins. So if you look at the starting lineup against good teams they have often had poor starts. Without Walton, a struggling Dawkins, Irvin who’s shot isn’t falling and Doyle who isn’t really a threat to score something needs to be addressed.
I wrote in the preview that Tolbert was the scarier player for Michigan. Very similar to Farr at Xavier where he doesn’t try to do anything other than crash the offensive glass. Kennedy would have gotten post touches which generally are lower percentage rather than having Moore break down U-M’s defense and lob it to Tolbert every trip.
Not that Kennedy isn’t a great player… but at the end of the day Michigan’s bigger problems defensively are still stopping dribble penetration. SMU was actually playing a pretty small lineup, Michigan just couldn’t keep guys out of the paint which draws help and then leads to the drop off passes to Tolbert.
So many issues with this team defensively. Stopping DD penetration has been a problem for a few seasons now. We have no one who can stay in front of their man consistently. Walton is the best of the lot, but he repeatedly gets bullied by bigger guards ( I.e. Newbill, Russell, Harrisons ) where his size is a concerted liability. The absolute ineptness of our bigs is comical. How does a 6’ 7" power forward like Tolbert just completely dominate the game? Incredible that a program like M has no answer for bigs with a high motor and relentless effort. We put a body on no one, box out no one, and then say how “great” the opponent played. Ridiculous for a team to get 20 total rebounds in a full game. That’s 1 every two minutes!! To hear JB say “they run a lot of things you just don’t see in college” makes one wonder what he saw on film in preparation for this game? I saw a team that barely beat Yale for goodness sake. C’mon.
1 Like
Where’s this schtick coming from that SMU isn’t a good team? One close game against Yale? I get that they haven’t played anyone, but they are obviously talented.
They are a top ten team in the country in offensive rebounding and shooting – pretty good combo.
Schlick? When you let 6th men like Tolbert and Farr dominate you offensively and on the glass, you have major problems. A program like M with all of its inherent advantages and resources should never be caught without a serviceable big man. SMU is a solid team, not a great one by any means. They toyed with us, WITHOUT their best player. And that’s a fact. Do you think their 6’ 7" Dynamo would have done this against Purdue, Maryland, or MSU?
I’m just saying it is what those two guys do. They are two of the best in the country. Tolbert had 6 offensive boards in each of the three games before last night. It shouldn’t be shocking that one of the best offensive rebounders in the country does a good job on the offensive glass against Michigan which is not a good reobunding team right now.
Of course they are very good but they should not blow out Michigan, especially without their starting center. Last year this team was embarrassed at Arizona and this was basically as bad – but SMU is not last year’s Arizona.
There was a concerted effort to circle the wagons and shun the non-believers when JB offered Davis (whose next best offer was, what, Toledo?) but after this kind of performance – and the performances against Xavier and UConn – it’s difficult not to think that the huge neglect of big-man recruiting is going to drag the program down. A few reasonably smooth 2-guards won’t fix the problem.
1 Like
My point is that Michigan needs to improve defensively… by a lot and quickly. That much is obvious. Personally I’m far more worried about the perimeter D than the post D.
But losing at a top-20 team that is designed to exploit every matchup problem you have isn’t the end of the world. It is December. There are a lot of games left.
1 Like
You can not be an institution like M and continually get beasted by players who don’t even start for their respective teams. We all know where the accountability lies, like it or not. NO WAY Tolbert or Farr do that to PU, MSU, or Maryland. NO WAY. Wonder what SMU sos is and will be? I guess Yale has better bigs and film preparation, they seemed prepared to play.
1 Like
My issue is that we weren’t even putting a body on him.
Did we fail to practice that beforehand? Time and time again Doyle and Moe were just turning around without boxing out - something a middle schooler would work on.
Let alone that we gave up 7 offensive rebounds to Brown/Foster - “wing” players.
If you’re going to suck at rebounding and defense, then the offense can’t suck as well.
That team did beat Yale by 2 and TCU by 5. Neither are good teams. They made us look like a bad team.
2 Likes
Yes, there are more games left and it is just one game… but this has been a reoccurring theme under Beilein for 9 years with regards to a lack of emphasis being placed on defense and rebounding, which has led too putrid results in those areas. Too Beilein’s credit he has found ways to win without fielding teams who were good in those areas, but most of those teams were loaded with NBA talent. The wealth of nba talent in the program has dried up, and these weaknesses on the boards and defensively are magnified even more. Beilein has had a great run, but I would like too see him retire. Lack of recruiting, and lack of emphasis placed on defense and rebounding make it nearly impossible for him to take the program back to where he had it just 2 years ago.
1 Like
Yes – and five of those games are against Purdue, Maryland, and MSU. If M loses all of those, they will have zero real resume wins.
Although I’m more worried that M makes an utterly bad OSU team look elite when we inevitaby lack a physical answer for Giddens/Thompson/Tate/Loving/Bates (all of whom average >5+ rpg).
1 Like
Dylan for myself I do believe SMU is a good team. I think Michigan made them look better than they actually are. I don’t have a problem giving credit to the opposition I do have a problem tipping my cap to every real good opponent though that pushes Michigan around.
I am not sure what we will necessarily learn against Bryant, Northern Kentucky, Delaware St, and Youngstown St. As you said they need to get better on the perimeter defensively but maybe they will look better just based off the poor competition.
Are they just a poor match for the rules that have been implemented this year? These guys seem to lack any quickness either to create their own shot or guard somebody. Watching the first 10 minutes MAAR was the only one who got to the hoop. Does Dawkins not have any quickness? Irvin is still hampered defensively you can see how he moves. As mentioned the bigs were no match.