Beneficiaries of an 80-70 win over Ohio State, the Michigan Wolverines (8-17, 4-9) under the tutelage of John Beilein have won three in a row and evolved, through a season of resounding defeats, into the best 8 win team in the Country. Still, the true progress of a team over the course of a season isn’t necessarily measured by the obvious metric of wins and losses. For a beleaguered basketball program that remarkably hasn’t been to an NCAA Tournament since 1998, Beilein’s victory over the Buckeyes marks what Blue faithful recognize as the turning point.
Growth in the Arbor
While its two most talented players, sophomore DeShawn Sims and freshman Manny Harris, were the first to grasp the rudiments of Beilein’s coaching philosophy, it’s the development of frosh point Kelvin Grady and borderline Big Ten role players such as Anthony Wright, Zach Gibson, and Ekpe Udoh, which is most responsible for Michigan’s steady progression from conference footnote to a potential conference spoiler.
Where some teams and coaches would have been captured in the vortex of mind-numbing losses, Michigan as remained focused on their next step. Consequently, and evident from the 64-61 loss to Wisconsin on January 22 in the Kohl Center, the entire Michigan roster is playing with greater confidence and, not surprisingly, they’re competing.
With solid ball movement and good spacing, Beilein’s offense is providing uncontested jump shots and layups which, as the season churns, are being made with greater frequency. On defensive end, where Michigan once struggled with missed assignments, slow feet and blown rebounds, the Wolverines are beginning to demonstrate the requisite toughness to sustain forty minutes of defense without significant gaps of intensity.
Until Beilein stocks his roster with better shooters and more players, including Arizona transfer Leval Lucas-Perry, Michigan is thin and understanably prone to scoring droughts, turnovers and defensive lapses. Still, through prolonged losing streaks and disheartening losses, Beilein remained patient and steadfast to his principles and now, in an Upper Midwestern winter, the fruits of Michigan’s collective efforts are in bloom.
Quick Learners
Like Todd Lickliter’s Iowa Hawkeyes who were destroyed in their first meeting with the Buckeyes only to resolutely defeat them in a rematch, Michigan won its grudge match against the Buckeyes through a methodical manhandling of a more talented but less disciplined Ohio State team. As they found themselves in Columbus, Michigan was pressured late in the game but, unlike their first meeting, Blue refused to fold and in the process put a serious laceration in Matta’s quest for a third straight NCAA appearance.
In the six seasons Tommy Amaker, um, coached Michigan, the Wolverines were mentally weak, essentially ran no organized offense and played passive, if any, defense. Amaker placed his fortunes in the hands of the talent his Duke pedigree enabled him to lure to Ann Arbor and the results were a colossal disappointment to Blue fans. A polar opposite of the coaching deficient Amaker, Beilein has started figuratively from scratch in building Michigan’s program upon an organized structure that will soon, not later, ensconce Michigan basketball in its traditional place atop of the conference.
Gauze Please
Losers of 6 of their last 9 games, Tubby Smith and his Golden Gophers (15-9, 5-7) need to make a stand for their season in Williams Arena. In a 77-65 in their last meeting against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Minnesota road the hot shooting and aggressiveness of Dan Coleman, the two Larry’s (McKenzie and Westbrook) and Spencer Tollackson. Since then, Coleman has for the most part reverted to the passivity that in prior seasons stunted his promise and frustrated his coaches while McKenzie has gone into offensive hibernation.
While Minnesota has the ability to overcome McKenzie’s shooting deficiencies with the talents of freshmen Blake Hoffbarber and Al Nolen, they face a much greater challenge when Coleman poses as a maroon and gold wallflower. While Minnesota needs Coleman to fulfill his ability, if there is one player who has the capability to energize Minnesota on defense and to compensate to some extent for the random disappearance of Coleman, it’s Damian Johnson who, along with Michigan’s DeShawn Sims, is one of the most improved and effective sophomores in the conference.
A Better Big Ten
As the season enters its February endgame, tonight’s contest in frozen Minnesota will serve as an appropriate bellwether on the relative progress of two teams in transition. From the state of the programs they inherited, it’s clear Michigan and Minnesota are moving with the current, tacking sail to a day when they will consistently compete, like their bitter rivals Wisconsin and Michigan State, for the conference title.
Until then, if Minnesota hopes to salvage the opportunity presented by a 10-1 start to the season, they need to protect the Barn and beat Michigan. If not, the time may have arrived for Tubby to commit to the development of his underclassmen while Golden Gopher faithful to look forward with promise to Ralph Sampson III and the season ahead. Uf-Da.
My theory with Amaker was that he was trying to run the Duke “system”: a lot of offensive freedom with no set plays. But there’s only one program in the country that gets the players with the combination of athletic talent and basketball IQ necessary to play basketball that way. That program would be . . . Duke.
Left by kj (spartans weblog) on February 21st, 2008