All it took was Coppin State for Michigan basketball to get some A's
Michigan saw a non-big name opponent, and for the first time all year looked like the Wolverines team a lot of people expected in the preseason.
So in its 76-46 win over Coppin State, Michigan finally earned some A's for players other than Manny Harris.
OFFENSE
All it took for Michigan was to play an opponent not in a major conference or a brand name to rediscover its offense. Sophomore guard Stu Douglass had his best game of the season and the Wolverines blew out a team despite not getting double-digits from Harris for the first time this season.Â
Michigan's Laval Lucas-Perry, right, and Anthony Wright, left, applaud teammate Manny Harris after he slammed home a dunk during first half action of the Wolverines win Tuesday over Coppin State.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
More importantly, the offense looked crisp, from a back-door pass from DeShawn Sims to Harris early in the game to a bunch of extra passes throughout. Michigan even made smart skip passes across the defense. Three-point shooting still wasn't great (33.3 percent) but it was better.
GRADE: A-
DEFENSE
Michigan forced Coppin State into 19 turnovers and took the Eagles out of the game before the second media timeout. Part of that was due to defense. Coppin State only hit 33.3 percent of its shots for the game, including an abysmal 29.6 percent in the first half. Even Northern Michigan and Wayne State - Division II schools - scored more on Michigan than Coppin State’s 46 points. Michigan may have only had six steals, but they were in control on both ends from the beginning.
GRADE: A
COACHING
It helps that Coppin State looked like Michigan’s second-worst opponent of the season behind Northern Michigan. Yes, Wayne State looked better in the exhibition game than Coppin did. But Beilein made the right moves. Keeping Stu Douglass in the starting lineup helped knock him out of his slump. Darius Morris has more assists than turnovers coming off the bench again. His tweaks, at least for a night, all looked effective. He even pulled enough guys early enough to get the walk-ons and deep bench players a few minutes. Most impressively, he kept his team from being lethargic in a getaway game.
GRADE: A
Comments
InRichRodWeTrust
Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 8:28 p.m.
I think douglass hitting 6 out of 10 and Lavell hitting 2 out of 3. Shows you the rest of the players will get their shot back. "Michigan basketball: No easy way out" video http://www.youtube.com/user/InRichRodWeTrust
tulsatom
Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 12:47 p.m.
After playing a very tough schedule so far, this game must've been good for the psyche of the team. After a respectable loss to #1 Kansas, this team might be playing their best just as the Big Ten schedule starts. U-M will be hard pressed (no pun intended) to make it to the NCAA tournament due to their brutal non-league schedule and record unless they finish in the top four or five teams in the Big Ten (in my opinion), which will be hard this year since the league seems to be as tough from top to bottom as it has been in awhile. Jay Bilas says U-M is a tournament team and I hope he's right.
wersch213
Wed, Dec 23, 2009 : 12:35 a.m.
Bring on the Big 10...battle tested and I team to be reckoned with because they can beat anyone in the country when they hit 4-5 more of their 3-pointers per game. Anyone who says otherwise is scared in their wet diapers