1. I was killed for saying this multiple times in January and February, but I thought this was a team that would go the second weekend and no further, and that it was a year away from potentially getting back to the Final 4 and even cutting down the nets. The flaws on offense that appeared as early as Northwestern in early December, continued against subpar competition in late December and then percolated from time to time in B1G (most notably in three second halves against MSU) were there for all to see last night.
2. This loss just didn't hurt much. Not like when Derrick Walton's shot rimmed out in 2017. That team just felt like it could keep going -- it had already beaten three top 15 teams in its last four games, and should have beat a top 5 Oregon team playing a subpar game. This team could have maybe reached the Elite 8 with the right three seed.
3. This was a very good season, but not a great one. Not hanging a banner and going 0-3 against MSU makes it hard to call it great. But 30 wins including a blowout over the potential national champion in North Carolina and a third straight Sweet 16 made this a memorable year. If you don't think this was a very good year, you should stop watching. Michigan has missed the tournament ten straight years before and the odds are we will have another stretch where we miss it multiple years in a row -- if you don't enjoy this season, you will inevitably regret that you didn't when that stretch inevitably hits.
4. Thank you Charles Matthews -- 63 wins in two years.
5. Don't overreact to one game by saying that this team is miles away from a title. Understand that North Carolina lost by 25 to a 7 seed in last year's tournament in round two and may be the favorite to cut the nets down. Also, even if we lose Matthews, this team will be projected AT WORST as a top five preseason team. In college basketball, two seeds just don't bring back everyone but one solid starter. If they do, that's preseason #1 type material -- especially since there is no Duke frosh class in 2020.l
6. But how do we go from very good to great? There are three keys as I see it. Iggy and Poole have to step up as consistent scorers, roles they weren't ready for as freshman and sophomores respectively, which is understandable. Poole needs to be able to put the ball down and create shots for others -- Beilein's best teams have always had two guards that could do so. Pools didn't make the leap that many expected but neither did Tim Hardaway in year two. Teske also probably has another level that he can get to -- bump the 3 PT FG% to 35-38. Simpson is what he is at this point, and I don't expect a big difference offensively in in year four.
7. The second key is for us to develop some depth from within. Whether that's Jalen Wilson or Bajema playing key minutes, or Johns, Castleton and/or DeJulius taking a leap, we need more than two guys that can score. Wilson and DeJulius are particularly important because I think UM should look to play Livers at the 5 next year in certain situations to maximize our offensive firepower. But we can only spell Livers for key minutes at the five if another scorer emerges (if that's DeJulius that slides Poole to the 3 for a 3 guard look).
8. Lastly, assuming we have one or two transfers, we need to get Franz Wagner or a grad transfer that can shoot. Texas Tech is an excellent example -- they landed Mooney, a South Dakota State starter, as a grad transfer. There will be plenty of mid major kids looking to bump up for a year. We need to get one. If not, Franz Wagner is a nice Plan B. If the kid wants to come to the states, he's a must get as he's exactly what this roster needs - a wing that can score from the outside.
9. If we do none of this, we'll still have a very fun year in 2019-2020 -- another top four seed and second weekend visits likely awaits. But if we can do even a couple of the above, we have a chance to play on Monday night in 2020.
2. This loss just didn't hurt much. Not like when Derrick Walton's shot rimmed out in 2017. That team just felt like it could keep going -- it had already beaten three top 15 teams in its last four games, and should have beat a top 5 Oregon team playing a subpar game. This team could have maybe reached the Elite 8 with the right three seed.
3. This was a very good season, but not a great one. Not hanging a banner and going 0-3 against MSU makes it hard to call it great. But 30 wins including a blowout over the potential national champion in North Carolina and a third straight Sweet 16 made this a memorable year. If you don't think this was a very good year, you should stop watching. Michigan has missed the tournament ten straight years before and the odds are we will have another stretch where we miss it multiple years in a row -- if you don't enjoy this season, you will inevitably regret that you didn't when that stretch inevitably hits.
4. Thank you Charles Matthews -- 63 wins in two years.
5. Don't overreact to one game by saying that this team is miles away from a title. Understand that North Carolina lost by 25 to a 7 seed in last year's tournament in round two and may be the favorite to cut the nets down. Also, even if we lose Matthews, this team will be projected AT WORST as a top five preseason team. In college basketball, two seeds just don't bring back everyone but one solid starter. If they do, that's preseason #1 type material -- especially since there is no Duke frosh class in 2020.l
6. But how do we go from very good to great? There are three keys as I see it. Iggy and Poole have to step up as consistent scorers, roles they weren't ready for as freshman and sophomores respectively, which is understandable. Poole needs to be able to put the ball down and create shots for others -- Beilein's best teams have always had two guards that could do so. Pools didn't make the leap that many expected but neither did Tim Hardaway in year two. Teske also probably has another level that he can get to -- bump the 3 PT FG% to 35-38. Simpson is what he is at this point, and I don't expect a big difference offensively in in year four.
7. The second key is for us to develop some depth from within. Whether that's Jalen Wilson or Bajema playing key minutes, or Johns, Castleton and/or DeJulius taking a leap, we need more than two guys that can score. Wilson and DeJulius are particularly important because I think UM should look to play Livers at the 5 next year in certain situations to maximize our offensive firepower. But we can only spell Livers for key minutes at the five if another scorer emerges (if that's DeJulius that slides Poole to the 3 for a 3 guard look).
8. Lastly, assuming we have one or two transfers, we need to get Franz Wagner or a grad transfer that can shoot. Texas Tech is an excellent example -- they landed Mooney, a South Dakota State starter, as a grad transfer. There will be plenty of mid major kids looking to bump up for a year. We need to get one. If not, Franz Wagner is a nice Plan B. If the kid wants to come to the states, he's a must get as he's exactly what this roster needs - a wing that can score from the outside.
9. If we do none of this, we'll still have a very fun year in 2019-2020 -- another top four seed and second weekend visits likely awaits. But if we can do even a couple of the above, we have a chance to play on Monday night in 2020.
