Sunday is going to be a curious one. I mentioned in another thread that I have a quiet confidence going into it.
I’m anxious to see the gameplan. Do they pick Ward as the person to double and try to eliminate? Or do they focus on Bridges?
I just hope when Donnal is in, Beilein goes out of character and encourages him to use up those fouls! Put Ward on the line.
I just want to see us play with energy and intensity. It completely feeds every other aspect of our game. We can compete with anyone if we do that much.
While that’s true, this year’s team has a lack of creators and yet it’s tenth nationally and first in the Big Ten in offensive efficiency, adjusted for competition. I’m not suggesting that creators aren’t important–they clearly are–but plainly you can build a high functioning offense without high level creators. Of course, guys who can create off the dribble are often more athletic than those who can’t create, which gives them a higher upside defensively, so there are other reasons to have them.
Zak and Derrick? I’d also say this is a bubble team and the lack of elite creators would show during the tournament. Also, look at JB’s best offenses and who was at the helm.
I’d say we are a bubble team more because of our defense than offense.
Mo has been creating offense for himself lately, as has DJ. Last night Walton had his creative moments as well. Not lottery pick creativity, but enough to keep the defense honest. This team appears to be developing an identity. Identity is the key to consistency. We will learn a lot on Sunday.
Under JB that means the offense simply isn’t good enough to compensate for assurred bad defense.
I consider Walton a creator, Mo no so much. Creating good shots for your teammates is as important to being a creator as getting good looks for yourself off the bounce.
The offense is fine.
The defense is really bad.
The offense not being able to compensate for how bad the defense is is a testament to how bad the defense is.
We simply don’t agree. The defense is bad but this team would still be on the bubble with a kenpom adjD in that 80-100 range (its in the 130s now) unlike 2014 when they won the league with that same defense.
We are already on the bubble. An improvement to 88th in AdjD would certainly move us off the bubble. Not really debatable IMO.
Michigan is 10th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. That’s not really debatable, either. The offense is fine.
Like I said, we are already a bubble team with a terrible defense. A bump of 130 to 88 probably has us sitting at 16-5 or even 17-4 right now and comfortably in the tournament.
With even decent defensive efforts, we certainly beat Iowa and Virginia Tech, and quite possibly Maryland. I’m not sure how that equates to bubble team–maybe not as good as the '14 team, but way above bubble.
If UM plays “decent defensive efforts” for all of those games then its higher than 88 adjD lol. It certainly does not count for 3-4 wins lol.
He said 2 to 3 (Iowa and VaTech… possibly Maryland). Why did you change that to 3 to 4?
An adjD of 88 is probably two more wins and still on the bubble. Don’t see 3 at 88.
I’d think that a “decent” effort in each of those games is probably worth about 10 to 15 spots in AdjD.
And a low seed with a 10 adjO and 88 adjD isn’t exactly convincing its “the defense” when we saw the 2014 team. Surely, some of it but a dynamic offense cures a lot.