GBMWolverine Basketball Recap: Duke

Posted at 12:00pm — 11/23/2011

GBMWolverine Basketball Recap: Duke — Duke Beats Michigan

Up Next: Tonight
Site: Lahaina, Hawaii (Lahaina Civic Center)
Event: 2011 EA Sports Maui Invitational
UCLA vs. Michigan
Third Place at Maui
7:30pm – 9:30pm
DirecTV Channel 206
ESPN

Duke has never lost in the Maui tournament and the streak did end when Duke beat Michigan. It was an entertaining game to watch as the recent Duke/Michigan match-ups have all been.

Duke plays everyone and will have played 7 games in 12 days after tomorrow’s finale. Duke is loaded with talent, even considering the talent that left after last year’s success. The Dukies can hurt a team inside or outside. The strength of the team is offense, and the defense is not elite. Michigan showed good players can take Duke defenders one on one and score routinely.

Today’s preview mentioned there likely would be a foul shoot margin greatly in Duke’s favor. Even discounting the end game fouls, Duke enjoyed a margin few teams can overcome.

Michigan played too soft on the defense, both inside and outside, and Duke’s good shooters were appreciative. It is hard to win when the opponents make over 50% of three point opportunities. The rebounding was typical Michigan, more by how events dictated than by design.

Michigan got off to a slow start, but had some very good spurts in the second half. The team speed, while not blazing by any means, is sufficient to cause concern for other teams.

At the end Michigan had a chance to cut the lead to less than five points, but some threes went awry. Strangely when Michigan was down 10 and time was running out Michigan was still playing zone.

Trey Burke is a very different point guard than the departed Morris, and that is not necessarily good or bad, just different. His skills are obvious and he is playing like a sophomore even with only a few games under his belt. Hopefully, his upward mobility keeps going and no slump periods of length occur. But he is a freshman.

Hardaway got off to a rough start, but like the team his second half was much improved.

The bottom line is Michigan competed and Duke could not blow the wolverines out the door. Shooting and having more options made the difference.

Smotzy’s total improvement this year will tip how well Michigan can play with big time teams. He has his moments offensively but still needs to be serious about becoming the total player that expends the energy and movement needed to be a complete player.

The inside game makes an appearance now and then, but last night proved that if Michigan takes good two point options nice things can happen.

Tomorrow, Michigan plays Kansas or UCLA according to what I can make out of the bracket, enough said. Winning two of three in this big boy tournament would be very positive and a stepping-stone for other tough games coming up soon.

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Written by GBMWolverine Staff

Go Blue — Wear Maize!