GAME 20 MICHIGAN: Simply Overmatched

[fluoxetine]

more shots for Myles and Cliff.....if we finished more in transition and hit more free throws yes it would be closer, I dont this team needs to be taking many 3s, Ron is 1-30 or so.

They need to take 3s. It's like people forget they're worth 50% more points. An offense centered around the mid-range game can never be more than mediocre and that's if they've got great mid-range shooters.

Should Ron, specifically, be taking threes right now? I don't know. But all the other guards should be. A huge part of the reason our offense is so bad is because we are not a credible threat from three, and that's much more because we refuse to take them enough than because we don't hit them

 

[fluoxetine]

Paul technically grabbed the rebound anyway on the CM air ball. It didn’t hurt us. There was plenty of time to get off another shot but we didn’t execute. The two JY makes at the end were in garbage time. We took 10 3s when it mattered. They weren’t great looks because the wrong people were left open to attempt shots that were outside their comfort zones. They didn’t let JY (best 3 point shooter) get a 3 off other than that one in transition that he missed.

Presumably we'd get more looks if the strategy wasn't "beat'em with the worst shot in the game" though? Michigan's 3 point defensive stats are good but not remarkable, other teams have managed to find looks.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

They need to take 3s. It's like people forget they're worth 50% more points. An offense centered around the mid-range game can never be more than mediocre and that's if they've got great mid-range shooters.

Should Ron, specifically, be taking threes right now? I don't know. But all the other guards should be. A huge part of the reason our offense is so bad is because we are not a credible threat from three, and that's much more because we refuse to take them enough than because we don't hit them

In other games maybe but not against such a good defensive rebounding team. We needed to score period. Not being able to finish lay ups ultimately did us in.

 

[bac2therac]

I get it, their defense is good, but you have to do something to generate looks anyway. If you're just going to fire away from midrange you might as well give up, there's just no hope doing that.

We dont have 3 pt shooters like Ricky Shields or Quincy Douby...or even Myles Mack

 

[fluoxetine]

It doesn't matter. Taking the three isn't some magic strategy to turn us into the Golden State Warriors, it's just a better strategy than taking midrange shots.

 

[fluoxetine]

This year we are
142/332 on "far 2s" - 0.855 pts per shot
122/377 on 3s - 0.97 pts per shot

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Presumably we'd get more looks if the strategy wasn't "beat'em with the worst shot in the game" though? Michigan's 3 point defensive stats are good but not remarkable, other teams have managed to find looks.

Since Izzo exposed the blueprint to break down our “great” offense, our 3 point shooting has been pretty poor. It wasn’t going to win us this game.

I had hoped maybe Pike would’ve come out swinging with the old WVU / VCU style trap press in the second half. That’s the one style where I think Mathis could be effective right now despite his recent poor play. JY, Tez, and Caleb in the middle with his long arms could be interesting running a press. We had no foul trouble and I thought we had a good opportunity to try it on a team where the scouting report says they are prone to turnovers. Oh well.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

I get it, theres some here who think its 1990 and then theres others who know its 2021. Analytics matter. Pay attention to what @RUsojo says here. Truly saves me time from posting my thoughts as i share pretty much of all his here haha

 

[Loyal_2RU]

Another take away:
Cliff played well. Held his own

 

[sct1111]

The final five minutes was clearly a good bit of fool's gold. Michigan had their foot off the gas.

I don't buy that we missed a few open threes that could have brought it to 1 or 2 possessions in the last 5 minutes.

 

[Kbee3]

Another take away:
Cliff played well. Held his own

Yeah...some improvement.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Jacob Young exposed Michigan’s weakness. Michigan was totally out of sorts offensively when we pressured Smith.

we played A- defense and D offense.

I left the game thinking if we rematched them today on their court we would win.

pike will make adjustments offensively. I don’t know if Michigan could adjust with Smith being out of the picture.

 

[CERU00]

The other thing I think people miss is that Michigan even with their size they can all drive. They all are true triple threats. A lot of our guys cannot drive under control. Plus they are smart. The ability to drive effectively with their size from every player makes them good offensively. Plus they play great defense. We have very good players but not elite player. That’s the difference right now.

I don't know, I saw lots of threes and lots of easy dunks or put backs around the basket. I came away feeling like I could count their misses on 1 hand.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Bac is results oriented, Ohio State in a 5 game series with Michigan would win 3 games to 1.

I don't see how you are approaching this as if they could have played better and won by 30.....it's ridiculous

I have Mathis driving past Michigan defenders 3 separate times, missing 3 separate layups, but Michigan has played great defense.....RU took a long time putting JY into the game to run and force an isolation/switch, where Dickinson was put on ice skates and Wagner is not good on defense either. Don't be fooled by RU playing 4 on 5 offense with Mulcahy refusing to have any goal of trying to score.

Will Ohio State miss 1 and 1 FTs....if Michigan can't stay in front of Mathis in limited minutes and couldn't stop Young, why is that great defense???...(Hint, it's not)

Michigan has played a very limited schedule missing 3 full weeks and no true contenders in the B1G. If you think they're going 19-1 over 20 B1G games, good luck with that one.

I don't believe Michigan is better than Iowa, Illinois or Ohio State. They all have specific weaknesses that can be exploited and I don't see any of them as a Final 4 lock. There is a drastically different way that a Gonzaga attacks on offense and Baylor plays defense that is miles better than Michigan. Maybe Michigan improves but they have a specific size advantage over Ohio State but I would be shocked if Ohio State struggles to score vs Michigan Sunday.

But, if Michigan is the clear best B1G team and bac believes that RU playing 4 on 5, missing layups, missing FTs and 1 to 10 from 3 before the game was over and it was only a 12 point game, then RU is drastically better than you believe. RU with one more complete/functional offensive and defensive player who can dribble shoot pass and play reasonably good defense, has RU right there.

Right now you have dribble, no shoot, good pass and not good or consistent enough on close outs with Mulcahy

You have dribble, refuse to make pass, shoot and can play good to great defense (but mostly if he's scoring) in Mathis.

Both of those players have the ability or inability to do what Caleb can do. Caleb plays a complete basketball game on both ends and even if he's not making shots, it's not like he's turning down shots or not taking what the defense gives....he plays defense, rebounds and competes with an edge.

You're giving Michigan way too much credit for great defense playing 5 on 4 with Mulcahy not as a threat to score or Mathis with no goal of giving up the ball and he still had 3 layups or shots at the rim and missed all 3. .....but I guess that's great Michigan defense......

 

[Duff366]

I get it, theres some here who think its 1990 and then theres others who know its 2021. Analytics matter. Pay attention to what @RUsojo says here. Truly saves me time from posting my thoughts as i share pretty much of all his here haha

You are not wrong. I hate how prevalent the 3 is in the game. Feel like it takes away from the strategy and beauty of the game. No variety, just chuck it around the perimeter for an open 3. Why is a long range shot worth more than a beautiful post move. Probably the post move takes more skill at this point, as everyone (at least in the NBA can drain the 3)

Heard an interesting idea for the NBA, move the 3 back to 25 feet and take it away from the corners. Just a solid line. This way the best shooters (Curry, Harden, etc) can still be in demand, but put more of an emphasis on mid range and post play.

Analytics are ruining sports in general. Baseball is ruined (home run or strikeout) football (the running game has been de-emphasized)

 

[Local Shill]

We hit 2 wide open threes instead of missing 10 of them and UM doesn’t get garbage shot at end of the half and we win. Beat Maryland

Fantasy to say RU wins if those things happen/don't happen.

 

[RUsingsing]

At the end of the day, it’s a 7 point road loss to #3. Shake it off and beat Maryland.

Exactly. Despite our poor 3-pt shooting and woeful FT %, it was only a 7 pt loss. Need to win these games to join the top tier of the league. Till then it’s middle of then pack.

 

[mikeyo]

Under 40% from the floor, 62% from the stripe and not so hot from the 3.

Is that because OF Michgian or beacuse of us?

Michigan is an elite defensive team. Long and athletic. And they
can shoot

 

[mikeyo]

This recap is way off base....Michigan played OK....if they play a team that can knock down some shots and don't give up a ton of offensive rebounds, they're beatable.....I don't see a Final Four team there at all.

In any event if they are, then RU is much further along than we all believe. I think watching Iowa dismantle Wisconsin tonight shows that if you get open looks against them and make them, totally different ball game.

Ohio State will undress Michigan Sunday unless they play wayyyy better than the last 2 games.

Don't forget, they were off for 3 weeks They will be ready for OSU

 

[mikeyo]

Since Izzo exposed the blueprint to break down our “great” offense, our 3 point shooting has been pretty poor. It wasn’t going to win us this game.

I had hoped maybe Pike would’ve come out swinging with the old WVU / VCU style trap press in the second half. That’s the one style where I think Mathis could be effective right now despite his recent poor play. JY, Tez, and Caleb in the middle with his long arms could be interesting running a press. We had no foul trouble and I thought we had a good opportunity to try it on a team where the scouting report says they are prone to turnovers. Oh well.

One of these days, a player as good as Franz Wagner will come
here. Until then.....

 

[bigmatt718]

That's my biggest takeaway tonight. Assuming we finally make the Dance, Pike needs to step up the recruiting. A roster of gritty players with a chip on their shoulder is just not gonna get you to the next level.

Exactly. Our ceiling right now is probably Sweet 16 until we start recruiting better. We're a good team with the player development we have, but we won't become a great team until we start bringing in top tier talent on a consistent basis.

 

[RUJMM78]

One of the most impressive aspects of this game is Young once again being the leading Rutgers scorer.With all the complaints about playing out of control Young still remains Rutgers most consistent double digit scorer.and best 3 point shooter.I would start him because Rutgers needs another scoring threat on the court.

 

[richthedentist]

And draws fouls and forces the defense to adjust to the inside game which opens up the guards on the perimeter. Guy has the best hands on the team and is a great passer - feels like we don’t capitalize on his ability enough.

He had only 1 foul and still Pikell only played him 24 minutes that is not enough!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rufeelinit]

Same old Same old when it comes to RU deficiencies and shortcomings rearing their ugly heads particularly against good competition. Been quite awhile since this team overachieved in a individual game. The 9pm hour has not been kind.

I do think Michigan is very good but I also think that the top four of them along with Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State are in class clearly above the rest of the conference. They can beat each other on any given night but none seems head and shoulders above the others.

We are clustered with several other mid level conference teams and will have the opportunity over the final stretch of games games to prove that we are a top half program in this conference. 10-11 conference W's is in reach and will represent an accomplishment but it is not going to be easy.

 

[RU#1fan]

Harper and Baker shooting 6 for 22 on FGs is the reason we lost. Absolutely pitiful.

 

[LotusAggressor]

I just don’t get why we don’t feed Myles as the first option for every trip on offense. He always has a seam to the basket.

Guy is so open all the time but they force guard play.

Because he's below average low post player who's a poor foul shooter. Not the greatest qualifications for a first option.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

[



Iowa and Michigan are better than RU. Michigan is better than Iowa although Iowa can certainly beat Michigan. I think Michigan is well coached as is Iowa....more balance on Michigan, they wont put up 90 like Iowa but they dont have to because their defense is probably the best in the conference

I am not sold on Michigan still.

how will they play against Illinois, OSU and Iowa?

Let’s talk after that.

RU played offense like a chicken without a head. The last 15 minutes of the game Jacob Young defused the Michigan offense.

Michigan is not elite....yet.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Because he's below average low post player who's a poor foul shooter. Not the greatest qualifications for a first option.

He is a passer and things open up when he gets the ball. He should be option #1, not necessarily as a scorer

 

[Roy_Faulker]

He is a passer and things open up when he gets the ball. He should be option #1, not necessarily as a scorer

This is exactly what I meant. Force feed him and make the defense collapse. It will open up the guards either slashing to the basket or for 3 (assuming they can make them). He will draw fouls - wouldn’t it be nice to have the other team’s bigs in foul trouble for once?

 

[jonS]

As I wrote in your follow up to the Northwestern game , I thought Wagner would hurt us and he did. He's a very good solid player with length and the ability to make 3's. The problem as I saw it last night was that Myles and Cliff were limited in their rebounds and no one else was much of a force. I've often said we miss Akwasi for his physical presence, rebounding and he had a decent outside shot. RHJ just isn't big enough to go up against bigs like Michigan and he's allowed his shooting problems to at times impact his game. Last night Pike's game plan was to take it to the hoop but Rutgers was missing those shots and the refs swallowed their whistle for much of the game. Michigan then limited Rutgers to one shot and Rutgers then slipped farther behind. What I was most pleased with last night was at one point in the second half Michigan got very physical , especially Livers. But unlike the first OSU game , Rutgers did not back off and gave what they got. They would not be intimidated. Sometimes you just have to give the other team credit--Michigan is a legit national contender with no discernible weakness. Rutgers is good -- but they have obvious flaws in their shooting and they don't have a real power forward who can help Myles on the boards. But they are a different team and very good when they are hitting their outside shot. You never know --they could get hot again just like earlier in the year. If so, it could make for a fun March. We're Rutgers fans so you never give up. As Jimmy V. said , you never give up.

 

[bac2therac]

I am not sold on Michigan still.

how will they play against Illinois, OSU and Iowa?

Let’s talk after that.

RU played offense like a chicken without a head. The last 15 minutes of the game Jacob Young defused the Michigan offense.

Michigan is not elite....yet.

Michigan is 10-1 in league. Rutgers us 8-8. You also arent sold on Iowa. Just who are you sold on

Look Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa and Illinois all are elites in this league. They have proven to be rungs up from the rest of the league

Not sure why NjHawk makes this a Michigan vs OSU thing. OSU can beat Michigan. Those 4 at the top have distinguished themselves. Iowa and Illinios would beat RU 7 out of 10 and Mich/OSU 8 of 10.

It as if reality is being denied that there are elite teams in the league and yes its completely true RU is not one of them. Its perfectly fine. RUTGERS is a NCAA team in the 6th to 8 seed range where they also land in the conference standings

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

This is exactly what I meant. Force feed him and make the defense collapse. It will open up the guards either slashing to the basket or for 3 (assuming they can make them). He will draw fouls - wouldn’t it be nice to have the other team’s bigs in foul trouble for once?

Nah - Michigan was awesome with their coverage on him. Had we tried to feed we would’ve simply collected turnovers. He wasn’t open and all the credit to Michigan for containing him to only get off 7 shots (2 in garbage time).

 

[fluoxetine]

Michigan is 10-1 in league. Rutgers us 8-8. You also arent sold on Iowa. Just who are you sold on

Look Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa and Illinois all are elites in this league. They have proven to be rungs up from the rest of the league

Not sure why NjHawk makes this a Michigan vs OSU thing. OSU can beat Michigan. Those 4 at the top have distinguished themselves. Iowa and Illinios would beat RU 7 out of 10 and Mich/OSU 8 of 10.

It as if reality is being denied that there are elite teams in the league and yes its completely true RU is not one of them. Its perfectly fine. RUTGERS is a NCAA team in the 6th to 8 seed range where they also land in the conference standings

Michigan is elite and Rutgers is not, but when Michigan plays like they did yesterday Rutgers can absolutely beat them.

None of those teams beat us 8/10 on a neutral court. 7/10 is about right.

 

[jonS]

Michigan played elite for abourt 33 minutes and let the foot off the gas, no surprise given their covid pause. RU played at a high level in the first half and was still down 9. That is how good Michigan played. Michigan could have won by 20 plus if they had focused, they were still up 14 with 2:49 left!

Michigan is a consensus one seed and 3 overall and you are saying nah not a final 4 contender. Interesting take

The fact that Michgan took down two 6 seeds down rather easily when it came down to it without playing a full 40 minutes should tell you alot.

Ohio State struggled with a bad Penn State team tonight before putting them away, didnt look impressive at all.

Michigan is better than OSU , no question. OSU is physically tough but lacks Michigan's depth and overall shooting ability. Michigan has no real weakness and had answers for every defense thrown at them by Pike. . And I like the Smith kid that transferred to Michigan from Columbia. He's very quick and has a better outside shot than last year's point guard. It's too bad Luther Muhammed transferred out of OSU . If he was still in Columbus they would be one helluva team. I liked that kid and thought he was one tough defender.

 

[G- RUnit]

There were many positives.
We only had three turnovers.
Cliff is getting better by the game.
Caleb in first half was quite good.
Myles had another impressive game
Young off the bench was amazing and at times unstoppable.
Defense was very good.
We only lost by 7 on the road to the #3 team in the nation. Make some foul shots and just two more threes... what might have been.

Now the bad.
Offense was atrocious
Ron Harper goes 3 for 10, our leading scorer, misses many little bunnies and wide open threes and has now missed 40 of his last 48 threes and had only four rebounds. Time for Ron to come off the bench? It might be tough to admit but he’s hurting us as much as anybody.
Geo 3 for 12 just as bad. But at least he’s the point guard and we only turned the ball over three times against one of the most athletic teams in the country.
Caleb after a great start reverted a bit in 2nd half.
The Mathis bashing is comical given above.

All in all actually encouraged and if we play like this against a surging Maryland on Sunday we win. Actually we win against most in tourney. Have to shoot better. Harper has to be better more than anybody. Might be time to start JY.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Michigan is 10-1 in league. Rutgers us 8-8. You also arent sold on Iowa. Just who are you sold on

Colgate

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

JY played a nice game and showed that he deserves more minutes. While I wouldn't change the starting line-up, I'd give him more PT and sit Paul longer. Geo, Jacob, Caleb, Ron, and Myles is a good line-up, on offense and defense.

 

[Usbcbowler]

we were walloped when it counted, Michgan went up 17 and the game was over. They let up and credit to RU for fighting back

if people are saying oh well we could have made a few shots and won this game...no, it wasnt happening like that. You just cannot add made shots and then assume that Michigan does the same brainfunk for the rest of the game.

IF RU made their shots and bunnies in the first half, then yes we could have won with a similar effort in the 2nd half but the game was lost in the last few minutes of the first half when the lead grew to 9 and immediatley the first 5 minutes in the 2nd when Michigan showed they were not playing around.

it was a 14 point game with 2:49 left at 63-49. Its nice that RU kept it close but this game was still 11 points when Wagner ended the game for reals with 1.11 left. RU never even got it to 8 with the ball....this game was never in doubt

Let me preface what I am going to say by stating we were beat by a better team.
We were not walloped, Michigan did not take their foot off the pedal. We started trappong them which brought them out of their game plan. No team is going to say OK we are up by 17 lets relax because a few made threes and a few stops and now your in single digits. We have shown in the past we can come back. So I whole heartedly disagree with your comment they let up

 

[LotusAggressor]

He is a passer and things open up when he gets the ball. He should be option #1, not necessarily as a scorer

The problem against Michigan is that they had enough physical players with length to defend him without having to double team. Playing inside out requires effective post play and good 3 point shooting. RU is not consistently good enough at either of those things.

 

[AZBlues]

This year we are
142/332 on "far 2s" - 0.855 pts per shot
122/377 on 3s - 0.97 pts per shot

Hopefully the 3 point shooting will improve, but until I see it, I can't assume that the team will get back to its early season 3 point shooting percentages, or that the recent 3 point shooting will improve much.

In the 12 games we've played so far in 2021 (which is our last 7 weeks of games, so I don't think it's "cherry picking"):

63/228 on 3s- 27.63%, 0.829 pts per shot

(For comparison, the worst 3 pt shooting team in the conference this season so far is Minnesota, at 29.1%. (27.96% in their 2021 games).