Michigan handled Michigan State, 82-72, Saturday and continues to improve. Here are day-after the day after thoughts …
First off, watching the film … this was no fluke. The most impressive part was the mental toughness they showed every time MSU made a run. Whether it was junior Moe Wagner hitting a big three, senior Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman with an and-one drive to the hole … they silenced the crowd each time it was ready to explode.
Sophomore Zavier Simpson made huge plays, too. He’s a bulldog, and as one high-level Big Ten point guard pointed out even last year, ‘the last guy you want guarding you.’
The craziest part about it (having been there) was watching the crowd reaction down the stretch. They were resigned. That student section is usually hopping up and down like Wisconsin fans engaging in ‘Jump Around’ at the end of the third quarter of a football game. Even when the Spartans scored to cut it to 69-63 with around three minutes remaining, it was quiet in there … like they knew what was coming.
There were still a few kids jumping, but they weren’t all that into it and looked like they just had to pee.
And what came next was the Wagner behind the back ankle breaker against Ward, followed by (as one astute poster witnessed) an action we hadn’t seen before, it appeared, when redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews used a pick and got through a ball screen and to the rim to thrown one down with authority.
We’ve seen our share of MSU highlight reel dunks and plays down the stretch of big wins in Crisler, mostly during the Ellerbe/Amaker years, early into Beilein’s tenure. It’s deflating … and this weekend, it was Michigan doing the rubbing in, including frosh Isaiah Livers with seconds remaining.
This was not a fluke, folks. Michigan was the tougher team, more focused and played with poise despite an unfriendly first half whistle. Wagner had huge scratches on his chest and Matthews a bloody nose within the first five minutes. It was even worse in the postgame. Wagner looked like a bear had clawed him.
That’s been commonplace up there. Nik Stauskas laughed and rolled his eyes while showing off his battle scars after a win there a few years ago. Jordan Morgan brought out his ripped jersey.
It’s different there, almost to the point that the environment makes Indiana fans look somewhat sane. Even if they’re getting the whistle, they act like every 50-50 call, even some that obviously shouldn’t go their way, is the biggest travesty known to man.
That starts at the top. Tom Izzo has had great success there, and there’s no denying it. But there’s another reason his home record is so good besides the fact that he’s a great coach. It’s intimidating to the officials, too, and every play is the end of the world.
The way he reacts to them is unparalleled (with the exception of Bo Ryan at Wisconsin … who, not coincidentally, also had a great home record. Stunning how that works). And it works. Dan Dakich said he’d tell Bob Knight during crucial points in games, ‘maybe you should stand up and get us a call here,’ or something to that effect … yeah.
If Michigan head coach John Beilein goes off ONCE like those two do/did all game, he gets a technical foul. For the record, though, there’s no other way we’d rather see him act during a game.
It rubs off on the players, and every time something doesn’t go their way, they look to the bench to cry about it. MSU sophomore Cassius Winston did it twice, Izzo responded, and it resulted in Wagner picking up a phantom foul with three minutes remaining in the first half after Winston got caught under the rim.
That was big. MSU bolted to a three-point halftime lead with him on the bench. But all the Spartans’ crying also seemed to affect their focus, as BTN analyst Jess Settles noted after the game.
“Tom Izzo is the one that needs to chew on the refs. He’s the one that needs to use that psychology,” Settles said.
“Players need to keep their mouths shut, get back on defense and do their job. Several times today, there was too much whining and too much complaining.”
East to say, though, when they see their coach doing it on the regular.
****
Hearing Beilein talk in the press conference before the game about not hating anyone, just loving Michigan … all class. In the pregame, Izzo talked about having learned to control his emotions in the rivalry “because of how I feel about the University of Michigan.”
There’s a hatred there that also rubs off on the players and fans, and they embrace it. That’s also prompted the physical play and a pride that comes with it. Sophomore Miles Bridges essentially mocked Michigan after the game for their lack of it, even after a loss (“we got out-toughed, and that team isn’t known for being tough”), while Izzo talked about it in his pregame show.
“This team is a little better defensively, not as good a free throw shooting team,” he said when asked to compare it to past Michigan teams.
“Two things John Beilein’s teams have always done is not foul, not turn it over much … those two things haven’t changed this year. They’re pretty good at it. I don’t know what the reason is. I wouldn’t call them a physical team over the years. Maybe that’s why.”
Michigan was the more physical team Saturday, and Izzo seemed to have a problem with it. When asked in the postgame about U-M’s defense pushing out the MSU offense to put them in uncomfortable positions on offense, Izzo responded, “pushed out is a good word. That used to be illegal.”
You can’t have it both ways.
****
Watching the game again … Michigan was 20-for-20 from the free throw line at one point before several misses down the stretch that allowed MSU to hang around. That’s incredible, and one of the things that had to go right for U-M to pull away down the stretch. The misses prevented it from being a 15-point game … but just win, baby.
Michigan’s transition defense, meanwhile, has been phenomenal. Several fans have complained about U-M’s inability to corral offensive rebounds over the years, but as Beilein said last week, ‘it makes no sense to send a guy like Duncan Robinson to the glass for a rebound he’s probably not going to get, anyway.’
MSU has made a living of running after a miss, even a made basket and getting a good look because teams aren’t back. Watch the film of Matthews’ late dunk again … they were all getting back on defense before Matthews had even gotten to the rim.
Beilein was ahead of the curve here (again). It’s a trend, as this article last year shows. Teams are choosing transition defense over offensive rebounding, and U-M is No. 1 in the country at it.
****
There’s been a lot of talk that this is absolutely, positively Wagner’s last year in a Michigan uniform.
We’re not so sure.
Wagner will have a future in the pros, whether it’s NBA, overseas or both. He’s like former U-M big man Mitch McGary, though, in that he loves Ann Arbor and being a college kid. Moreover, he loves being a Michigan basketball player.
We still expect him to go, especially if U-M has a great year (and if he continues to play like he did Saturday). When we asked him after the game if he entered his mind that this might be his last Michigan – Michigan vs. Michigan State game, though, he said, “I wasn’t thinking about that at all. And now I’m thinking about Maryland.”
It’s scary thinking about how good they could be next year with what they’d have back and what they’ve got coming in. Either way, though, this program is set up for great success over the next several years.
Here’s hoping Beilein sticks around for another decade or so to enjoy all the fruits of his labor. Recruits are taking notice ... many of them (like elite, in-state wing Romeo Weems) were front and center, as they always are in this game because Izzo expects his team to win this one at home, and he wants to show them why MSU is a better option.
It might be. But he and the others on hand saw plenty to like about the Wolverines Saturday, too.
First off, watching the film … this was no fluke. The most impressive part was the mental toughness they showed every time MSU made a run. Whether it was junior Moe Wagner hitting a big three, senior Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman with an and-one drive to the hole … they silenced the crowd each time it was ready to explode.
Sophomore Zavier Simpson made huge plays, too. He’s a bulldog, and as one high-level Big Ten point guard pointed out even last year, ‘the last guy you want guarding you.’
The craziest part about it (having been there) was watching the crowd reaction down the stretch. They were resigned. That student section is usually hopping up and down like Wisconsin fans engaging in ‘Jump Around’ at the end of the third quarter of a football game. Even when the Spartans scored to cut it to 69-63 with around three minutes remaining, it was quiet in there … like they knew what was coming.
There were still a few kids jumping, but they weren’t all that into it and looked like they just had to pee.
And what came next was the Wagner behind the back ankle breaker against Ward, followed by (as one astute poster witnessed) an action we hadn’t seen before, it appeared, when redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews used a pick and got through a ball screen and to the rim to thrown one down with authority.
We’ve seen our share of MSU highlight reel dunks and plays down the stretch of big wins in Crisler, mostly during the Ellerbe/Amaker years, early into Beilein’s tenure. It’s deflating … and this weekend, it was Michigan doing the rubbing in, including frosh Isaiah Livers with seconds remaining.
This was not a fluke, folks. Michigan was the tougher team, more focused and played with poise despite an unfriendly first half whistle. Wagner had huge scratches on his chest and Matthews a bloody nose within the first five minutes. It was even worse in the postgame. Wagner looked like a bear had clawed him.
That’s been commonplace up there. Nik Stauskas laughed and rolled his eyes while showing off his battle scars after a win there a few years ago. Jordan Morgan brought out his ripped jersey.
It’s different there, almost to the point that the environment makes Indiana fans look somewhat sane. Even if they’re getting the whistle, they act like every 50-50 call, even some that obviously shouldn’t go their way, is the biggest travesty known to man.
That starts at the top. Tom Izzo has had great success there, and there’s no denying it. But there’s another reason his home record is so good besides the fact that he’s a great coach. It’s intimidating to the officials, too, and every play is the end of the world.
The way he reacts to them is unparalleled (with the exception of Bo Ryan at Wisconsin … who, not coincidentally, also had a great home record. Stunning how that works). And it works. Dan Dakich said he’d tell Bob Knight during crucial points in games, ‘maybe you should stand up and get us a call here,’ or something to that effect … yeah.
If Michigan head coach John Beilein goes off ONCE like those two do/did all game, he gets a technical foul. For the record, though, there’s no other way we’d rather see him act during a game.
It rubs off on the players, and every time something doesn’t go their way, they look to the bench to cry about it. MSU sophomore Cassius Winston did it twice, Izzo responded, and it resulted in Wagner picking up a phantom foul with three minutes remaining in the first half after Winston got caught under the rim.
That was big. MSU bolted to a three-point halftime lead with him on the bench. But all the Spartans’ crying also seemed to affect their focus, as BTN analyst Jess Settles noted after the game.
“Tom Izzo is the one that needs to chew on the refs. He’s the one that needs to use that psychology,” Settles said.
“Players need to keep their mouths shut, get back on defense and do their job. Several times today, there was too much whining and too much complaining.”
East to say, though, when they see their coach doing it on the regular.
****
Hearing Beilein talk in the press conference before the game about not hating anyone, just loving Michigan … all class. In the pregame, Izzo talked about having learned to control his emotions in the rivalry “because of how I feel about the University of Michigan.”
There’s a hatred there that also rubs off on the players and fans, and they embrace it. That’s also prompted the physical play and a pride that comes with it. Sophomore Miles Bridges essentially mocked Michigan after the game for their lack of it, even after a loss (“we got out-toughed, and that team isn’t known for being tough”), while Izzo talked about it in his pregame show.
“This team is a little better defensively, not as good a free throw shooting team,” he said when asked to compare it to past Michigan teams.
“Two things John Beilein’s teams have always done is not foul, not turn it over much … those two things haven’t changed this year. They’re pretty good at it. I don’t know what the reason is. I wouldn’t call them a physical team over the years. Maybe that’s why.”
Michigan was the more physical team Saturday, and Izzo seemed to have a problem with it. When asked in the postgame about U-M’s defense pushing out the MSU offense to put them in uncomfortable positions on offense, Izzo responded, “pushed out is a good word. That used to be illegal.”
You can’t have it both ways.
****
Watching the game again … Michigan was 20-for-20 from the free throw line at one point before several misses down the stretch that allowed MSU to hang around. That’s incredible, and one of the things that had to go right for U-M to pull away down the stretch. The misses prevented it from being a 15-point game … but just win, baby.
Michigan’s transition defense, meanwhile, has been phenomenal. Several fans have complained about U-M’s inability to corral offensive rebounds over the years, but as Beilein said last week, ‘it makes no sense to send a guy like Duncan Robinson to the glass for a rebound he’s probably not going to get, anyway.’
MSU has made a living of running after a miss, even a made basket and getting a good look because teams aren’t back. Watch the film of Matthews’ late dunk again … they were all getting back on defense before Matthews had even gotten to the rim.
Beilein was ahead of the curve here (again). It’s a trend, as this article last year shows. Teams are choosing transition defense over offensive rebounding, and U-M is No. 1 in the country at it.
****
There’s been a lot of talk that this is absolutely, positively Wagner’s last year in a Michigan uniform.
We’re not so sure.
Wagner will have a future in the pros, whether it’s NBA, overseas or both. He’s like former U-M big man Mitch McGary, though, in that he loves Ann Arbor and being a college kid. Moreover, he loves being a Michigan basketball player.
We still expect him to go, especially if U-M has a great year (and if he continues to play like he did Saturday). When we asked him after the game if he entered his mind that this might be his last Michigan – Michigan vs. Michigan State game, though, he said, “I wasn’t thinking about that at all. And now I’m thinking about Maryland.”
It’s scary thinking about how good they could be next year with what they’d have back and what they’ve got coming in. Either way, though, this program is set up for great success over the next several years.
Here’s hoping Beilein sticks around for another decade or so to enjoy all the fruits of his labor. Recruits are taking notice ... many of them (like elite, in-state wing Romeo Weems) were front and center, as they always are in this game because Izzo expects his team to win this one at home, and he wants to show them why MSU is a better option.
It might be. But he and the others on hand saw plenty to like about the Wolverines Saturday, too.
