Michigan basketball team still searching for answers after latest defeat
There are three games left in the regular season, and Michigan coach John Beilein is still searching for answers.
Michigan’s shooting struggles continued Tuesday. The Wolverines shot a season-worst 24.6 percent from the field on a night when the defense played well. The performance has left Beilein thinking some players have mental blocks - and thinking about possible lineup changes.
“We’ve got to get the positive,” Beilein said. “We need to maybe bring some guys off the bench. We’ve got to do something. This can’t, we can’t win. You can’t play, it’s not wasted energy.
“But if you see our practices, how hard we work, the stuff we ran today I thought was great. We got great looks, got to the basket. We just can’t make a basket and sometimes we’re tentative.”
The problem, though, is that Michigan isn't sure where to turn for help. Sophomore guard Laval Lucas-Perry has been inconsistent all season has hasn’t scored in two games.
Senior forward Zack Gibson has been productive - but playing him would be at the expense somewhat of Michigan’s most productive player, DeShawn Sims. Senior forward Anthony Wright hasn’t played in three games.
Beilein would like to see freshman Matt Vogrich be able to play multiple positions before giving him more playing time.
“He’s got to do that,” Beilein said. “He’s got to be able to learn to play, we started him on the two and switching him to the three when Eso (Akunne) could not play. He struggled, as many freshmen do, with being a multi-position player.
“If you look at his stats in shooting, it’s tough for a freshman coming off the bench.”
Gibson bright spot
Every so often, Gibson comes in and plays well.
He did it with more efficiency earlier in the season, but he had a good game at Minnesota scoring eight points. He played well again Tuesday, scoring seven points, grabbing two rebounds and having a career-high four steals in a season-high 20 minutes.
“Zack has been a bright spot for us right now in this funk,” Beilein said.
This and that
Michigan freshman guard Josh Bartelstein was in street clothes. … With seven points, Sims moved into 18th place all-time in scoring with 1,511 points, passing Bernard Robinson, Jr., who had 1,505 points. … At the end of the game, when Sims fouled out, the students thanked the senior forward. It was the last game Sims will play in front of the Michigan students as next week is their spring break. They did the same for Gibson when he entered the game for the final time.
Comments
a2roots
Wed, Feb 24, 2010 : 9:53 a.m.
Agree totally that it is late inthe season to be still searching for answers. I am very concerned about the contract extension given. The coach has lost this team and appears clueless. How this coach was deemed worthy of an extension is beyond me. It does not appear that middle of the Big 10 or above is likely for years to come. Too many mac players, a system that is doomed to fail in the Big 10 and a clueless coach incapable of recruiting top of the line talent means more gut wrenching awful years to come.
81wolverine
Wed, Feb 24, 2010 : 7:34 a.m.
It's kind of late in the season for Beilein to still be looking for answers. But, obviously the 3 point strategy should have been scrapped earlier in the season when it was obvious we were NEVER going to start hitting them. I agree with Mick52. Immediately start shooting more higher % 2's. And playing Gibson more does NOT mean that Sims role will be diminished at all. This team needs more height. That's a big part of the problem. Gibson should have been a starter a long time ago. If he had more playing time, Beilein would have discovered he'd score more consistently. Plus it would take some of the rebounding load off Sims. Finally, I'd definitely play Vogrich and Wright more vs. and sit Douglass & Lucas-Perry more. We couldn't possibly have much of a scoring fall off given how lousy the latter 2 have been shooting all season long.
Detroitrocks
Wed, Feb 24, 2010 : 7:11 a.m.
Who cares? Certainly not Michigan fans. The last two home games, the arena was embarrassingly half-empty. Michigan gave up on hoops after they were caught cheating, and is more than satisfied to keep a coach with integrity who at best might get them to the middle of the pack in the Big 10, and an occasional shot at the NCAA (unless they expand the tourny).
Mick52
Wed, Feb 24, 2010 : 2:27 a.m.
They rely too much on the three. I am amazed at how many times players pass up open shots, sometimes in the lane, kick the ball out beyond the stripe for a miss. Threes make offensive rebounding harder because the ball booms off the rim, so being under the hoop doesn't matter. To rely on threes like this, you have to have NBA quality shooters. These guys are good shooters, shorten the shots and making 2s is better than missing threes. I don't get it. If I were a coach, somebody better be averaging over ten rebounds a game. Nobody follows their shot toward the hoop, they take off down court. They are too short. I would play Gibson more and drop a guard. Just for rebounding. He's had some good games but playing mostly when Deshawn is taking a breather.