I was (rightfully) concerned Eli Brooks could not stop Cam Thomas. That proved to be true, but Thomas scored 22.9 a game this year, so not many people have defended him very well.
But I have to give credit where it's due - Eli played an outstanding game on offense yesterday. In fact, going back, I can only think of a select few performances by Michigan guards over the years that were as good as that one - Garde Thompson against Navy, Rumeal Robinson against UNC in 1988, Trey Burke against Kansas, Nik Stauskas against both Florida and Kentucky, and Derrick Walton against Oklahoma State. It was up there with those.
Kudos to Franz. In the first half, I was sending some not-so-complimentary texts about his play. He just didn't seem "into" the game. But man did he close it out strong. Making shots was one thing - and very important - but the play of the game for me was the outstanding one-on-one defense he played on Thomas to get a key stop when we were up 6.
Aside from his two offensive fouls, I thought Hunter was great yesterday. He competed hard defensively, hit his free throws, had a few key baskets underneath, and made a few really good passes out of the post. He wasn't perfect, but much improved when it came to passing the ball and making quick decisions.
The other player of the game besides Brooks was Chaundee. Not only did he knock down several threes and look good doing it, but his takes to the rim were strong, and he had a great cut along the baseline for a catch and dunk. It's really nice to see him "back," let's hope it continues.
Terrance Williams had a couple nice plays - nice cut to the basket for a score from Hunter, and a nice tip in. I think we need to strongly reconsider allowing him to have any role bringing the ball up the court, though. That's not his forte.
It was smart that we did not feed the ball to Davis in the post yesterday. Their defense was far too fast for that. But he contributed anyway.
Johns was good, too. Aggressive with the ball, and had that huge block. We keep running that play for him where Smith comes off a ball screen and then throws it back over his shoulder to Johns for an open three. He's gonna make one of those soon, I can feel it.
Last, of course, Smith struggled yesterday. It's understandable, though, as this is the tallest, most athletic backcourt he's seen all year. We'll need him to play better moving forward.
That was a great, great win. There is no way LSU is a #8 seed - more like a 4/5 at worst. Thomas was fantastic, and I can see why Will Wade made a "strong ass offer" to Smart. He's a talent.
I may be way off here, but I think we just may be headed to the Final Four. I like our chances against FSU, and Bama will be a challenge - hopefully UCLA can knock them off somehow.
Anyway, what a great win! I was on the edge of my seat all game long, never really relaxed until it was 80-70, and then that late Smith travel made me nervous again. Thankfully we came up with a huge stop, and that was that.
But I have to give credit where it's due - Eli played an outstanding game on offense yesterday. In fact, going back, I can only think of a select few performances by Michigan guards over the years that were as good as that one - Garde Thompson against Navy, Rumeal Robinson against UNC in 1988, Trey Burke against Kansas, Nik Stauskas against both Florida and Kentucky, and Derrick Walton against Oklahoma State. It was up there with those.
Kudos to Franz. In the first half, I was sending some not-so-complimentary texts about his play. He just didn't seem "into" the game. But man did he close it out strong. Making shots was one thing - and very important - but the play of the game for me was the outstanding one-on-one defense he played on Thomas to get a key stop when we were up 6.
Aside from his two offensive fouls, I thought Hunter was great yesterday. He competed hard defensively, hit his free throws, had a few key baskets underneath, and made a few really good passes out of the post. He wasn't perfect, but much improved when it came to passing the ball and making quick decisions.
The other player of the game besides Brooks was Chaundee. Not only did he knock down several threes and look good doing it, but his takes to the rim were strong, and he had a great cut along the baseline for a catch and dunk. It's really nice to see him "back," let's hope it continues.
Terrance Williams had a couple nice plays - nice cut to the basket for a score from Hunter, and a nice tip in. I think we need to strongly reconsider allowing him to have any role bringing the ball up the court, though. That's not his forte.
It was smart that we did not feed the ball to Davis in the post yesterday. Their defense was far too fast for that. But he contributed anyway.
Johns was good, too. Aggressive with the ball, and had that huge block. We keep running that play for him where Smith comes off a ball screen and then throws it back over his shoulder to Johns for an open three. He's gonna make one of those soon, I can feel it.
Last, of course, Smith struggled yesterday. It's understandable, though, as this is the tallest, most athletic backcourt he's seen all year. We'll need him to play better moving forward.
That was a great, great win. There is no way LSU is a #8 seed - more like a 4/5 at worst. Thomas was fantastic, and I can see why Will Wade made a "strong ass offer" to Smart. He's a talent.
I may be way off here, but I think we just may be headed to the Final Four. I like our chances against FSU, and Bama will be a challenge - hopefully UCLA can knock them off somehow.
Anyway, what a great win! I was on the edge of my seat all game long, never really relaxed until it was 80-70, and then that late Smith travel made me nervous again. Thankfully we came up with a huge stop, and that was that.
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