Michigan's struggles equal average-to-below average grades against Boston College

Posted: Dec 3, 2009 at 12:12 AM [Dec 3, 2009]

Michigan lost its third straight game and looked, at times, befuddled. The same issues continue to follow the Wolverines from the Old Spice Classic.

In a performance John Beilein deemed "poor," the grades follow that logic.

Offense:
For the third straight game, Michigan couldn’t hit a 3-pointer. The offense looked like the Wolverines weren’t sure what they were running. At other times, it looked unaccustomed to  the slicing, dicing and backdoor cutting Beilein's team is. The problems resulted in the lowest output of the season - 58 points. Point guard Darius Morris threw up a complete 0-fer in shots taken from the field, rebounds and assists. Only senior Zack Gibson - hit at least 50 percent of his shots. Decent offensive rebounding keeps Michigan from an F.
Grade: D-

Defense:
The 1-3-1 zone couldn’t contain a slasher again, something that has become an early-season theme for Michigan. Corey Raji had a season-high 24 points and Michigan seemed to be lost early. The Wolverines calmed down in the second half, outscoring Boston College 34-28 and holding the Eagles to under 40 percent shooting (39.1 percent). Michigan also collapsed well in the 1-3-1 in the second half. They also held Boston College to a season-low 62 points. But a loss is a loss.
Grade: B-

Coaching:
Beilein seemed completely flustered after the game and said for the second time in as many games said he needs to do a better job focusing his team. Considering Beilein said that, some of the onus for Michigan’s performance falls on him. But he is not forcing DeShawn Sims and Morris to disappear. This team is young and right now, he needs to improve his team’s “learning curve,” as he put it and also instill more toughness. Playing Gibson a season-high in minutes was a good move, but sitting Harris for the final two minutes of the first half, when the Wolverines were trailing and searching for offense, was not.
Grade: C