1. Whew.
2. Both teams made great defensive adjustments in the second half. We doubled on Pardon, and did so with Iggy, who hasn't been the double teamer in games past, leaving their non-shooter (Gaines) open; they sagged off Simpson and left him open. Pardon scored 4 points in the second half, Gaines did not attempt a 3, even when open, and Simpson did--5 of them--and missed them all. The game turned into a slog fest, which is the way we could lose. We almost did.
3. What to do about Simpson's shooting going forward? Beilein's answer after the game was to encourage him to keep shooting, and to be fair, 3 of those 5 looked good from where I sat, but after about 100 3s over his career, he's never going to be a great shooter, or even an especially reliable one. And yet, you want him in the game, because he's so good defensively in setting up the offense, and in getting to the hole and finishing if he's played conventionally. This may seem off the beaten path, but I wonder whether, if teams back off, we could use him as we have used non-shooting bigs in the past, i.e., to make dribble handoffs and screen if his man doesn't come up, or have the option to take it to the rim if you bring his man out. He's smaller than most guys screening, but he's thick, he's tough and he's smart, and I'm guessing, just guessing, that you get some very open looks for guys like Poole or Iggy coming off them. Food for thought.
4. Jon Teske cannot continue to play 31 minutes plus, as he has the last 3 games. Big bodies are not built to do that. Tonight, he would likely have played more had not the ridiculous hook and hold "flagrant" been called, as the fouls he committed shortly thereafter would have been his second, not his third, but in any event, as good as he has played, we need to play him less (26-28 minutes per game), not more. That means either (a) Austin Davis has to play better (Pardon is a bad match-up for him, but he played badly), (b) Isaiah Livers has to recapture his earlier season form (he's been a non-factor the last few games), or (c) one of the freshmen bigs (likely Brandon Johns has to step up and give us minutes. (c) is preferable, and would likely help Livers to regain his form as well, but while it's nice to talk about, Johns needs to make it happen.
5. I thought Jordan Poole played really well defensively for most of the evening, and made key offensive plays at the beginning and end of the game. I thought Charles Matthews played very well defensively too--on offense, though, not so much. Maybe he wasn't in rhythm because he sat so much--however, he did absolutely nothing in the half court offense throughout the game while he was in (his lone basket was on a run-out, he would have been 0-2 from the line but for a lane violation, he had no assists and 2 turnovers). It is a testament to this team's resiliency that it can win a game like that on the road with that little on offense from a primary offensive option.
6. There are things for which Eli Brooks can be criticized. That said, he has some stones, as he established last year in the UCLA age, where he hit 2 key free throws in the closing seconds to send the game into overtime, and again tonight with the huge, clutch 3.
7. Iggy, man, he just goes and scores when you need it. It's great to have an option like that. His perimeter shooting has improved so much as well--if he keeps doing that, he's going to be impossible to guard.
8. Survive and advance. Sometime you play clunkers on the road, especially on the offensive end. We did that tonight (Z wasn't the only one shooting badly, Poole missed at least 2 3s he makes in his sleep) AND watched them hit some extremely tough shots to boot, including the end of the half 3 from Law (great defense, he hit a step back, falling away 25 footer) and Derrick Pardon's banked 3 early. When that happens and you still win, you cheer. Beilein was giddy after the game, in the presser and in the hall. Adjustments and teaching moments will come later. Tonight, we're 9-0.
2. Both teams made great defensive adjustments in the second half. We doubled on Pardon, and did so with Iggy, who hasn't been the double teamer in games past, leaving their non-shooter (Gaines) open; they sagged off Simpson and left him open. Pardon scored 4 points in the second half, Gaines did not attempt a 3, even when open, and Simpson did--5 of them--and missed them all. The game turned into a slog fest, which is the way we could lose. We almost did.
3. What to do about Simpson's shooting going forward? Beilein's answer after the game was to encourage him to keep shooting, and to be fair, 3 of those 5 looked good from where I sat, but after about 100 3s over his career, he's never going to be a great shooter, or even an especially reliable one. And yet, you want him in the game, because he's so good defensively in setting up the offense, and in getting to the hole and finishing if he's played conventionally. This may seem off the beaten path, but I wonder whether, if teams back off, we could use him as we have used non-shooting bigs in the past, i.e., to make dribble handoffs and screen if his man doesn't come up, or have the option to take it to the rim if you bring his man out. He's smaller than most guys screening, but he's thick, he's tough and he's smart, and I'm guessing, just guessing, that you get some very open looks for guys like Poole or Iggy coming off them. Food for thought.
4. Jon Teske cannot continue to play 31 minutes plus, as he has the last 3 games. Big bodies are not built to do that. Tonight, he would likely have played more had not the ridiculous hook and hold "flagrant" been called, as the fouls he committed shortly thereafter would have been his second, not his third, but in any event, as good as he has played, we need to play him less (26-28 minutes per game), not more. That means either (a) Austin Davis has to play better (Pardon is a bad match-up for him, but he played badly), (b) Isaiah Livers has to recapture his earlier season form (he's been a non-factor the last few games), or (c) one of the freshmen bigs (likely Brandon Johns has to step up and give us minutes. (c) is preferable, and would likely help Livers to regain his form as well, but while it's nice to talk about, Johns needs to make it happen.
5. I thought Jordan Poole played really well defensively for most of the evening, and made key offensive plays at the beginning and end of the game. I thought Charles Matthews played very well defensively too--on offense, though, not so much. Maybe he wasn't in rhythm because he sat so much--however, he did absolutely nothing in the half court offense throughout the game while he was in (his lone basket was on a run-out, he would have been 0-2 from the line but for a lane violation, he had no assists and 2 turnovers). It is a testament to this team's resiliency that it can win a game like that on the road with that little on offense from a primary offensive option.
6. There are things for which Eli Brooks can be criticized. That said, he has some stones, as he established last year in the UCLA age, where he hit 2 key free throws in the closing seconds to send the game into overtime, and again tonight with the huge, clutch 3.
7. Iggy, man, he just goes and scores when you need it. It's great to have an option like that. His perimeter shooting has improved so much as well--if he keeps doing that, he's going to be impossible to guard.
8. Survive and advance. Sometime you play clunkers on the road, especially on the offensive end. We did that tonight (Z wasn't the only one shooting badly, Poole missed at least 2 3s he makes in his sleep) AND watched them hit some extremely tough shots to boot, including the end of the half 3 from Law (great defense, he hit a step back, falling away 25 footer) and Derrick Pardon's banked 3 early. When that happens and you still win, you cheer. Beilein was giddy after the game, in the presser and in the hall. Adjustments and teaching moments will come later. Tonight, we're 9-0.
