hfhmilkman
Member
Greetings. I am a UM fan. But wanted to share my thoughts on the team and how to beat the team. UM is the 2018 version of Virginia. They play great defense, do not turn the ball over, do not hit the offensive boards hard because they want to protect the transition game. They are also a very inconsistent perimeter team. Ergo, if they do not have layups they are prone to very long scoring droughts. It does not mean an upset is likely. There are still huge obstacles in that the Grizzlies rotation of 7 are guards is matched up against a power conference team with big fast frontcourt players. This height and athletic ability leverages into great defense, but not necessarily good offense. UM built their resume earlier in the year when the perimeter game was clicking.
First thing you need to pull an upset is senior leadership, preferably senior guard leadership. I see 2 seniors and 2 juniors who have seasoning from last year. The virtue of defense is it does not have an off night. UM is very good at denying 3pt shots as Beilein plays the percentages. Some guards are going to have to take contested shots late in the clock and make them. Limit the possessions, hope for a hot night by a senior guard who knows this might be the last game of his career and get some breaks. MSU had UM's number because they had the Player of they Year at PG who made all of the right decisions with their isolation ball with a high pick. So 60 is going to have to be enough to win.
On defense the key is to induce a bad hair day. If UM has a couple guys who are hitting the 3pt jumper it is over. Try to make the first few uncomfortable and than hope the mental blocks take care of the rest. When you are playing 5 guards, there will be some open perimeter looks. That is the thing with bad perimeter teams. They can go 2 for 20. At all cost do not give up easy baskets be it TO's, offensive rebounds, or risk taking on defense. If it is a bad hair day even short jumpers stop falling. But dunks and layups are immune.
To do this switch everything. Despite having a mobile seven foot one center, UM never posts up. Also the guards are not adept at post entry passes. Teske is a great low post defender. But sans a big man to defend he may be a liability as he has to match up with a guard that he cannot exploit on offense. You may see a lot of Livers at the 5 as he has guard mobility but center size. The PG Xavier Simpson might be the best perimeter defender in the Big10. But he does not have a 3pt shot off the dribble. So even one on five switches confound UM. Unlike last year there is no go to shooter. Wagner despite playing poorly against Montana last year bailed UM out in other games. Poole was supposed to be that guy and has faded during Big10 play.
UM in my opinion is really not a #2 seed. They are more of a #4 seed. Their best victories were in Dec. Because of their great defense they have managed to grind out wins. Poole and Brazdekis just need to figure some things out. But it has not happened this year yet. So they are no pushovers. This is a team that probably is year away from a tourney run. The west is kind of strange in that there are a lot of teams like UM. They are very good on defense and spotty on offense. Texas Tech, FSU, and Syracuse all can play the confounding defense yet be incapable of hitting a shot.
We love this tournament because anything can happen and its one and done. I hope everyone enjoys the tournament.
First thing you need to pull an upset is senior leadership, preferably senior guard leadership. I see 2 seniors and 2 juniors who have seasoning from last year. The virtue of defense is it does not have an off night. UM is very good at denying 3pt shots as Beilein plays the percentages. Some guards are going to have to take contested shots late in the clock and make them. Limit the possessions, hope for a hot night by a senior guard who knows this might be the last game of his career and get some breaks. MSU had UM's number because they had the Player of they Year at PG who made all of the right decisions with their isolation ball with a high pick. So 60 is going to have to be enough to win.
On defense the key is to induce a bad hair day. If UM has a couple guys who are hitting the 3pt jumper it is over. Try to make the first few uncomfortable and than hope the mental blocks take care of the rest. When you are playing 5 guards, there will be some open perimeter looks. That is the thing with bad perimeter teams. They can go 2 for 20. At all cost do not give up easy baskets be it TO's, offensive rebounds, or risk taking on defense. If it is a bad hair day even short jumpers stop falling. But dunks and layups are immune.
To do this switch everything. Despite having a mobile seven foot one center, UM never posts up. Also the guards are not adept at post entry passes. Teske is a great low post defender. But sans a big man to defend he may be a liability as he has to match up with a guard that he cannot exploit on offense. You may see a lot of Livers at the 5 as he has guard mobility but center size. The PG Xavier Simpson might be the best perimeter defender in the Big10. But he does not have a 3pt shot off the dribble. So even one on five switches confound UM. Unlike last year there is no go to shooter. Wagner despite playing poorly against Montana last year bailed UM out in other games. Poole was supposed to be that guy and has faded during Big10 play.
UM in my opinion is really not a #2 seed. They are more of a #4 seed. Their best victories were in Dec. Because of their great defense they have managed to grind out wins. Poole and Brazdekis just need to figure some things out. But it has not happened this year yet. So they are no pushovers. This is a team that probably is year away from a tourney run. The west is kind of strange in that there are a lot of teams like UM. They are very good on defense and spotty on offense. Texas Tech, FSU, and Syracuse all can play the confounding defense yet be incapable of hitting a shot.
We love this tournament because anything can happen and its one and done. I hope everyone enjoys the tournament.