GBMWolverine: Michigan Basketball -- Minnesota at Michigan -- Big Boy Ball Triumphs

Posted at 6:00am — 1/24/2011

GBMWolverine: Michigan Basketball — Minnesota at Michigan — Big Boy Ball Triumphs

Again (and again) the Wolverines’ trek through the Big Ten schedule is easy to analyze and predict. Saturday night a fundamental again clearly popped up for display: in the Big Ten size and bulk needed for an inside game is mandatory to compete with first tier league teams.

The argument may be put forward that several players have the height needed to compete in the Big Ten. Evan Smotrycz is listed at 6’9 and about 220 pound, not bad size for a freshman. But Evan spends a good part of his time 22 feet from the rim shooting and screening. He occasionally mixes it up enough to pull off an offensive rebound, very occasionally. On the defensive end, Evan has been a step slow and a little lost getting to a spot. He needs to work very hard on general strength and hand strength in particular. Like many of the Wolverines, Evan has been unsuccessful at holding on to rebounds he has at least a fifty percent chance of gathering. He really has no true, consistent inside game, nothing close, and at this time such a role is not his designated job description.

The other night Evan did what many of the young Wolverines have been doing lately, reaching and grabbing, resulting in cheap fouls that mess up the flow of the game from a substitution perspective. Such bench time for the young inside players (defensive side) puts the Wolverines in a position of hoping the other team does not cash in on the offensive end down on the blocks.

Blake McLimans is a 6’ 10 inch red-shirt freshman weighing in at about 220 pounds, but he has spent the Big Ten season launching shots from beyond (sometimes well beyond) the three-point arc, unfortunately with little success. Again, Blake is another young player that has shown little ability to play inside either on offense or defense.

The two players whose role is to play inside, Jon Horford and Jordan Morgan, are finding the bulk (size) of the Big Ten experienced players does count for something. Morgan gets some buckets on nice feeds from doubled players, especially of course Morris, snags an occasional put back, or makes some nice inside moves for a score. Since the start of the Big Ten he has been a little overwhelmed trying to carry a big part of the inside game on defense and offense. The Michigan shoot and scoot offense only plays lip service in looking inside for Jordan. Still, even if the ball is brought inside, Jordan is somewhat over-matched. Saturday at times it was two against four, with 6’4 inch Novak being the second.

Jon Horford, simply needs more development, skill, strength, across the board. His listed weight of 215 pounds may be kind. No matter, Michigan’s inside guys are working against players 20 to 30 pounds heavier. And the opposing players have far more post skills,

And so Saturday, Minnesota, a team that will fight for the 4th to 6th place plateau of the Big Ten routinely looked inside, went inside, and scored inside, time after time. Michigan looked inside, attempted to drive inside, but could not get inside, eventually settling for another barrage of threes. Some go in and some do not, but more so, inside play gets a team to the foul line; basketball 101.

The rebounding was again gruesomely lopsided with the final total listed at 39-15 by one source and 38-13 by another. It is somewhat amazing that Michigan came within five points with such a lopsided rebound margin.

Michigan made about 35% of the 35 threes launched into deep orbit. Thirty-five percent is about the minimum needed to win on a typical night, but last night required more, due to the great rebounding edge enjoyed by the Gophers and a bulging 23-9 advantage in foul shots brought about by strong inside play.

Darius Morris got off to a rough start including more turnovers from Nolan Ryan fastballs that could break a receiver’s hands. Every Big Ten team can see that Michigan’s best offensive option is getting Morris down the right side of the lane either by simple dribble drive or a pick out on top. Morris greatly favors going to his right, teams know this and simply pinch the middle with better athletes than seen in the preseason. The choices are then to force the ball against a stacked defense, kick the ball to the perimeter, or restart the offense.

So, with big disadvantages, foul trouble on key inside guys, and a tough night for leading scorer Morris, Michigan hung close; sufficient for entertainment value but not for winning.

Not forgotten is the progress that Hardaway Junior has recently displayed. His overall game is becoming more diverse, allowing for an increase in scoring opportunities.

Coach Beilein has made clear that he and opponents both know Michigan’s deficiencies. The key becomes successfully undertaking the action needed to better what is currently on the roster and go and get what is lacking; inside strength.

In football it became clear that defense does count, and in basketball it needs to be clear that low-post play is indeed a necessity for success in a brutal league.

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Written by GBMWolverine Staff

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