1. Yes, we hit a lot of 3s. And shooting that % is unusual no matter the defense. However, those shots were WIDE open--we had great ball movement, executed the offense perfectly, and hit guys in rhythm and with passes in just the right spot. As disjointed as the offense looked in the first two NCAA games, it looked that in sync tonight...and then some.
2. The evolution of Charles Matthews continues. Sure he hit some tough shots, but he was under control, did not (with one exception) simply drive head down into and try to finish over their bigs, and took advantage of his match-up agains a bigger, slower player. When he plays that way on the offensive end, we're an incredibly hard guard for any team.
3. I thought TAMU's scoring prowess in the second alf was misleading. With that kind of lead, we focused overwhelmingly on stopping 3s and not giving them free points (with the clock stopped) at the line, and thus paid less emphasis on preventing entry passes into the post, and never helped once the ball got there. When the game mattered, we stuffed them n the defensive end.
4. It's getting to be old hat, but it's worth noting again how incredibly difficult it is for teams to run their half court offense against Xavier Simpson. Mo Wagner and Duncan Robinson are dramatically improved on the defensive end, and Matthews is a stud there, but all that said, we're a top 5 defense because of Simpson. He's just phenomenal.
5. For much of the year, we've struggled against zones. Tonight, we completely carved up one with a great deal of length by putting playmakers like Wagner and Matthews in the middle and attacking. Playmakers in the middle of a zone--what a concept. And when a play worked, as with the Matthews and MAAR match-ups in the second half, we just kept dialing it up.
6. Another data point in the evolution of John Beilein--we're yanking people (Poole twice, Watson once, Livers once) for defensive mistakes. Guys are not allowed to play through them and make it up on the offensive end. He trusts his bench more, and he trusts his team's ability to win even when shots aren't falling by locking down. Beilein's willingness to continually change is pretty impressive for anyone, much less for someone older than me (Yes, there are such people).
7. One thing I don't get--Beilein almost always comes out of halftime and runs a play for someone whom he wants to get going for the second half. Often, that player is Wagner, and today was no exception. You'd think opposing coaches would catch on. They keep not doing so.
8. Teams are generally who they are over a substantial number of games. Seeing TAMU through the prism of one game (against UNC) instead of an entire year, as many pundits did, was a mistake. So too was assuming that Michigan, a 36/37 percent 3 team through 35 hames, had suddenly regressed to being a 25% or so shooting team based upon two games in Wichita..
9. That was an good old fashioned beat down. Hope it continues. Go Blue!
2. The evolution of Charles Matthews continues. Sure he hit some tough shots, but he was under control, did not (with one exception) simply drive head down into and try to finish over their bigs, and took advantage of his match-up agains a bigger, slower player. When he plays that way on the offensive end, we're an incredibly hard guard for any team.
3. I thought TAMU's scoring prowess in the second alf was misleading. With that kind of lead, we focused overwhelmingly on stopping 3s and not giving them free points (with the clock stopped) at the line, and thus paid less emphasis on preventing entry passes into the post, and never helped once the ball got there. When the game mattered, we stuffed them n the defensive end.
4. It's getting to be old hat, but it's worth noting again how incredibly difficult it is for teams to run their half court offense against Xavier Simpson. Mo Wagner and Duncan Robinson are dramatically improved on the defensive end, and Matthews is a stud there, but all that said, we're a top 5 defense because of Simpson. He's just phenomenal.
5. For much of the year, we've struggled against zones. Tonight, we completely carved up one with a great deal of length by putting playmakers like Wagner and Matthews in the middle and attacking. Playmakers in the middle of a zone--what a concept. And when a play worked, as with the Matthews and MAAR match-ups in the second half, we just kept dialing it up.
6. Another data point in the evolution of John Beilein--we're yanking people (Poole twice, Watson once, Livers once) for defensive mistakes. Guys are not allowed to play through them and make it up on the offensive end. He trusts his bench more, and he trusts his team's ability to win even when shots aren't falling by locking down. Beilein's willingness to continually change is pretty impressive for anyone, much less for someone older than me (Yes, there are such people).
7. One thing I don't get--Beilein almost always comes out of halftime and runs a play for someone whom he wants to get going for the second half. Often, that player is Wagner, and today was no exception. You'd think opposing coaches would catch on. They keep not doing so.
8. Teams are generally who they are over a substantial number of games. Seeing TAMU through the prism of one game (against UNC) instead of an entire year, as many pundits did, was a mistake. So too was assuming that Michigan, a 36/37 percent 3 team through 35 hames, had suddenly regressed to being a 25% or so shooting team based upon two games in Wichita..
9. That was an good old fashioned beat down. Hope it continues. Go Blue!
