Creighton opens the Old Spice Classic on Turkey Day against the Michigan Wolverines. (As if Creighton fans did not know about this matchup!) If you search for Michigan basketball in Google, you find at the top of your list UMHoops.com, where Maize and Blue basketball is king. Dylan from UMHoops is as excited about this matchup as we are, and to kick off the tournament he answered a few of our questions prior to Thursday’s opening tip.
And although he didn’t want to discuss the infamous Chris Webber timeout in the NCAA Championship game in 1993, Dylan did take some time to talk with White & Blue Review about this year’s Wolverines squad so Creighton fans can familiarize themselves a bit with Michigan before they sit down to a bountiful feast of basketball and all the fixing’s on Thursday.
White & Blue Review: It is early in the season, and that can mean only one thing: unrealistic expectations! If you took a completely unscientific poll of Wolverines fans, what are their expectations of this year’s hoops team?
UMHoops: If I had to come up with a season that would meet most fans expectations, it would probably look something like this:
- 10-2 non conference with one loss coming in Orlando and another at Kansas.
- An improvement in Big Ten record over last year’s 9-9, I think 11 wins would probably satisfy most.
- That puts Michigan at 21-9 after the regular season and probably somewhere around 3rd-5th in the conference.
- Come tournament time, I think Michigan fans would be ecstatic with making the second weekend.
These are obviously lofty expectations but in many ways this is the year for Michigan fans. Last year’s 21-14 season took Michigan to the second round of the NCAA tournament and literally came out of nowhere. With the star power of Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims returning alongside an improved supporting cast, it’s hard to criticize lofty expectations.
WBR: Darius Morris mans the point for UM as a freshman. How many other newcomers will coach Jim Beilein rely on this season to compliment the established playmakers and workhorses Sims and Harris et al?
UMHoops: Darius Morris is the starting point guard for this team, replacing the walk-ons that manned the point for much of last year. At this point, Morris appears to be the real deal. He’s got great size for the point guard at 6-foot-4 and causes problems at the top of Michigan’s 1-3-1 zone. He is a natural point guard with an excellent handle and knack for finding teammates for open shots. The issue for him, especially in this offense, is that his shooting ability is the weakest part of his game.
The other freshman who should make the rotation is 6-foot-5 wing guard Matt Vogrich. He is a dead-eye shooter who went 5 for 5 on triples in his first game. Vogrich has a pure shot but he’s also still adjusting to the college game, especially on the defensive end.
WBR: Taking into consideration the Old Spice Classic field, trips to Utah and Kansas, and a home game against BC, what will UM fans be happy with record-wise once non-conference play is done?
UMHoops: As I said earlier, Michigan fans are very confident this year. I think 2-1 at the Old Spice would be successful, but plenty of people are picking Michigan to win the whole thing.
Utah and Boston College are both good squads and have definite potential for trap games, but Michigan will be the odds-on favorite in both matchups, and it’s not unreasonable to expect a win in both games.
The two premiere games, at Kansas and at home versus Connecticut, will be very interesting. Connecticut is a game that I think Michigan should win, they played them close in Storrs last year and UConn is rebuilding a bit. Overall I think 10-2 or 9-3 should be the expectation for non-conference play, tough as that may be.
WBR: What do people like most having Beilein at the helm? Do fans get frustrated with the 1-3-1 zone instead of playing man to man?
UMHoops: While Beilein received plenty of criticism when he was originally hired, much of it has been silenced. Most of it revolved around ideas that his offense was gimmicky and that he could never recruit at a high enough level, especially in Detroit, for Michigan.
Over the last few years Beilein has essentially put every concern to rest. He has recruited very well, landing several top 100 prospects and just missing on several others. He also still has that eye for talent, finding guys like Stu Douglass and Zack Novak that nobody else wanted and taking them to the NCAA Tournament.
It’s hard to criticize results and the bottom line is that Beilein is winning games.
Michigan’s 1-3-1 zone plays a varied role in their defensive repertoire. They usually start games running the 1-3-1 after a made baskets but Beilein is not hesitant to pull the plug on the zone if it isn’t working. Down the stretch last year, to deal with opposing team’s size advantages, Michigan also went to the 2-3 zone quite a bit. The 1-3-1 is a good weapon against teams that struggle to handle the ball but it hasn’t really been a focal point of much criticism.
WBR: Creighton and Michigan have a common opponent this season in Houston Baptist. Do games against the Houston Baptists of the world improve a team or do matchups like Creighton-Michigan help players and fans learn more about their team more?
UMHoops: I don’t think that games against the Houston Baptists of the world improve teams, but they are definitely a necessary evil. It would be crazy to go out and play a top 50 team every night, especially early on. Games like this allow a team to get more comfortable running their offense, get the bench and freshmen some game experience, and help the team’s confidence levels.
However, Michigan managed to play a bad Houston Baptist team to a sloppy 22-point win. They looked a bit unfocused, and may have been looking forward to Orlando. A game against a team like Creighton on a neutral court will obviously allow fans to understand much more about how their team stacks up against other good teams, which should be much more fun.
WBR: It’s been more than 45 years since these two programs played, with UM winning 81-62 back in ’62. What will it take for the Bluejays to even the all-time series at a game apiece? Where are the Wolverines vulnerable?
UMHoops: Michigan is vulnerable in a couple spots. First, they have a lot of trouble defending 2-point shots, especially when a team can put two big men on the floor who are a threat in the low post. However, Michigan does have the ability to score the ball on the low block, mostly through DeShawn Sims. Their transition defense has also looked suspect against Houston Baptist, so I would at least try pushing the ball up the court a few times.
Michigan has done a great job holding onto the ball this year (and last) so that shouldn’t be a problem. Their defense looked suspect at times versus against Houston Baptist so that remains a bit of a question mark.
Because Michigan’s offense is so focused on the 3-point shot, this team can be very vulnerable when the long range shots aren’t falling.
WBR: What is your end result prediction? Who will win the Old Spice tourney?
UMHoops: I think Michigan wins a close one over Creighton. I think Creighton takes a 3-4 point lead into the half but Michigan pulls away in the end and wins by 5 or 6. I also think that Michigan manages to knock out the winner of the Xavier/Marquette game before falling to Florida State in the finals.