Tag: michigan-basketball

Juwan Howard diagnoses Michigan’s road shooting woes

The Wolverines head coach shares what he’s seen in the two road losses, Michigan’s two worst games shooting the basketball.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. —  While Michigan has had a solid offense all year, rated No. 24 at the moment by KenPom, its worst two games this season haven’t been against the top teams it’s faced to this point, per se. The Wolverines shot over 50% from the floor against both North Carolina and Gonzaga — both top ten teams at the time of the matchups — on a neutral court, en route to lopsided victories.

But the two losses on the season thus far were both true road games, at No. 1 Louisville and unranked Illinois.

In those two games, Michigan shot 26% and 44%, respectively, easily the worst shooting performances in the short season.

With No. 10 Oregon coming to town on Saturday, while it is a home game, Howard is looking to diagnose just what has caused the Wolverines’ road woes. noting that there is an obvious disparity on that front.

“I looked at that, too, and those numbers are staggering,” Howard said. “We just gotta stay the course and not think about – ‘Okay, the last two road games that we’ve had, we didn’t shoot well.’ It can’t become a mental problem. We’ve just gotta stay the course and know and trust ourselves and one another.

“I think if we would have did a better job of moving the basketball, I think a lot of those shots would have been a lot easier shots for us. At times it was just too many one-pass/shot or there was an opportunity where we went to an isolation and there was no space.”

But why has it been such a struggle on the road? Does it have something more to do with Michigan or does it have to do with the defense it was facing?

As far as Howard sees it, a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B.

“Give the other team credit, they do a really good job defensively,” Howard said. “I’m not gonna ignore the fact of what Louisville (has) done defensively. They’re a very good defensive team. When you’re ranked No. 1 in the country, you’re there for a reason. Illinois, they’re a very well-coached team.

“Not to get off track, but all the Big Ten games that have been played, every team that has played at home has won. It’s been tough to win on the road in the Big Ten. And I knew that coming in. I recalled that when I played here at Michigan, and going on the road to play at Minnesota, which I thought was one of the toughest places to play. Not discrediting Illinois. It’s a very competitive conference.

“Now, getting back to your question, I think our guys, the shot just didn’t go in for them. But yeah, defensively, they played well defensively. But we also missed some open shots, too.”

So, what does he do to keep this type of thing from happening?

Michigan won’t go on the road for several weeks now, but with it’s next game against rival Michigan State on Jan. 5, Howard is working to continue to build confidence among his shooters.

“Keep encouraging them,” Howard said. “’Shoot it! Let it fly!’ It’s that simple. You have an open shot, let it go. I trust that it will go in, but you have to trust it, too. When the shot doesn’t fall, be patient. Take the next open shot.”

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5 takeaways: No. 5 Michigan loses at Illinois

Five takeaways from the No. 5 Wolverines road trip to Illinois as Big Ten Conference play continues for Michigan basketball.

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Michigan traveled to Illinois on Wednesday night for a conference clash in the Big Ten.

The Illini were inches away from knocking off a Top 5 last week, falling on the road to Maryland by a score of 59-58. Illinois was chomping at the bit for another shot at another highly-ranked opponent, as the fifth-ranked Wolverines rode into Champaign.

The went toe-to-toe in the first half, trading blows for 20 minutes. Michigan trailed 30-28 at halftime. But in the second half, Illinois seized control, building a lead as large as 12 points. The Wolverines used a late surge to get back to within four points with two minutes to go, but were unable to complete the comeback, falling by a score of 71-62.

1. POOR HALFCOURT OFFENSE

Illinois, defensively, was determined to play tight on wing shooters like Isaiah Livers and Eli Brooks, and force Zavier Simpson to create his own offense. It proved to be a sound strategy, as Simpson struggled mightily from the floor (4-of-14) and finished with just 9 points. Michigan’s coaching staff didn’t seem to have an answer, as their halfcourt offense looked stagnant throughout the game. The ball stuck in Simpson’s hands too much, and there wasn’t enough movement from the other four players on the court. Simpson did finish with 8 assists against just 1 turnover, but it wasn’t enough. If future opponents employ a similar strategy — playing off Simpson to stay on shooters — against the Wolverines, they’ll need to have a response.

2. BULLIED IN THE PAINT

Michigan struggled with the quickness of Illinois’ guards and the physicality of their bigs throughout the night. Dribble penetration led to buckets for the guards, and offensive rebounds led to more buckets for the bigs. The Wolverines were out-scored 44-26 in the paint. In addition, the Illini protected their rim very well, finishing with 6 blocks as a team.

3. WOLVERINES STRUGGLE ON THE GLASS

The Illini have been an outstanding rebounding team all season, and that continued on Wednesday night. Illinois leads the nation in rebounding margin, entering the game at plus-15.7 per game, and they were right on pace as they out-rebounded the Wolverines by a 44-28 margin. The offensive glass, in particular, is where Illinois did their damage, as they tallied 15 offensive boards while surrendering just 6. Michigan finished the game with zero second-chance points.

4. THREE-POINT SHOOTING VITAL

In Michigan’s only other loss this season, at Louisville, they shot a dismal 16 percent from behind the three-point arc. On Wednesday, it was a strikingly similar showing as the Wolverines were just 3-of-18 from deep to finish at 16.7 percent. It’s clear that the three-point shot is key to Michigan’s success. They can beat anyone in America when it’s falling, but are susceptible against any team when it’s not falling. The Wolverines need to fins other ways to score when their perimeter game is taken away like it was against the Illini and the Cardinals.

5. POOR BENCH PRODUCTION

Michigan has gotten solid production off the bench in recent outtings, but that came to a grinding halt against Illinois. David DeJulius was limited to 7 points on just 3-of-7 shooting, and that was the most the Wolverines got off the bench. Colin Castleton, Brandon Johns Jr. and Adrian Nunez combined for just 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting off the bench. It will be tough to win Big Ten games, particularly on the road, with just 9 bench points on 4-of-11 shooting.

Halftime Analysis: No. 5 Michigan at Illinois

Halftime analysis of Michigan basketball’s road trip to Illinois as conference play rolls on in the Big Ten.

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Michigan traveled to Illinois on Wednesday night as league play continued in the Big Ten Conference.

After a back-and-forth affair in the opening frame, Illinois leads the Wolverines at the break by a score of 30-28.

NEGATIVES:

  • The Wolverines’ early-season rebounding woes reared their ugly head against Illinois. Michigan was out-rebounded 22-14 in the half, and allowed the Illini to grab 8 offensive boards. Conversely, the Wolverines only had 3 offensive rebounds themselves. It wasn’t all that surprising to see Illinois control the glass however. The Illini lead the nation in rebounding margin (+15.7 per game).
  • Dribble penetration was a major problem for Michigan’s defense in the first half. Wolverine defenders were consistently beaten off the dribble, and it led to 26 points in the paint for Illinois. Michigan will need to close down those driving lanes in the second half.
  • The Wolverines have shot well from three-point range in every game except the loss to Louisville, but Michigan is struggling in that area tonight. The Wolverines were just 2-of-12 from deep in the first half, a dismal 16 percent. Ironically, Michigan’s final percentage from three-point range against Louisville was….16 percent.

POSITIVES:

  • Despite the negatives listed above, Michigan will only trail by 2 points as the second half begins. If the Wolverines can improve in the areas listed above in the second frame, they’re well within striking distance to take control of the game.
  • A couple individual Wolverines were solid in the first half. Jon Teske has 9 points, but needs to be better on the glass after he was limited to just 2 rebounds. Zavier Simpson has 4 points, but more importantly has 3 assists while committing no turnovers. Michigan needs guys like Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner to pick up their games however.

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Where Michigan basketball ranks in latest AP Top 25

Despite a loss to No. 1 Louisville, the Wolverines remain in the Top 5.

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After beating two top ten teams in the AP Top 25 during Thanksgiving, Michigan basketball vaulted up from unranked to No. 4 overall. But after losing to No. 1 Louisville, could it hold onto a high-end ranking?

Turns out, the answer is yes.

After the loss in Kentucky, the Wolverines managed to take down a solid Iowa team in Ann Arbor, meaning that the maize and blue remained one of the few teams either in the one-loss category or unbeaten. Thus, Michigan only dropped one spot to No. 5 in the latest AP Top 25.

But the road doesn’t get much easier. Though it takes on an unranked Illinois on the road on Wednesday, the Wolverines host No. 10 Oregon on Saturday. There are no ranked teams for the rest of the month, as is usually the case in mid-to-late December, but in January, Big Ten conference play resumes, with No. 16 Michigan State, the former No. 1 team, starting the schedule gauntlet in earnest, with the game being in East Lansing on Jan. 5.

Full rankings:

  1. Louisville
  2. Kansas
  3. Ohio State
  4. Maryland
  5. MICHIGAN
  6. Gonzaga
  7. Duke
  8. Kentucky
  9. Virginia
  10. Oregon
  11. Baylor
  12. Auburn
  13. Memphis
  14. Dayton
  15. Arizona
  16. Michigan State
  17. North Carolina
  18. Butler
  19. Tennessee
  20. Villanova
  21. Florida State
  22. Seton Hall
  23. Xavier
  24. Colorado
  25. San Diego State

5 takeaways from the Big Ten-opener for No. 4 Michigan

No. 4 Michigan bounced back from their loss to No. 1 Louisville with an impressive 103-91 victory over Iowa to open Big Ten Conference play.

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Hosting Iowa for their Big Ten season-opener, No. 4 Michigan bounced back nicely from their first loss of the season at No. 1 Louisville by defeating the Hawkeyes by the score of 103-91.

The two teams traded blows early in the game, before the Wolverines ended the half with a 7-0 run to take a 50-38 lead into the locker room. In the second half, Iowa got within 78-71 but Michigan’s offense was too much as they pulled away again, improving to 8-1 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes fall to 6-3 on the season.

Five takeaways from the Wolverines’ victory:

1. BACK TO (SHOOTING) FORM

Michigan had an ugly shooting night against Louisville, finishing at just 26 percent from the floor and 16 percent from three-point range. However, the Wolverines returned to form against Iowa, shooting 32-of-58 from the floor (55 percent) and 10-of-24 from deep (42 percent). It was a welcome sight, and a product of better ball movement and fluidity on offense than Michigan had against the Cardinals.

2. SHARING THE WEALTH

As mentioned above, the Wolverines’ ball movement was noticeably better on Friday night, leading to 21 assists on 32 made shots. As a result, Michigan was able to get several guys going offensively, finishing with an impressive six players scoring in double figures (Franz Wagner, Jon Teske, Zaver Simpson, Isaiah Livers, Eli Brook, Brandon Johns Jr.). The offensive outburst led to the Wolverines scoring their most points in a Big Ten game since 1998, when they scored 112 against Indiana.

3. BATTLE OF THE BIGS

Iowa center Luka Garza, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, had a career-high with 44 points and added 8 rebounds to lead the Hawkeyes. Michigan had no answer defensively for the Iowa big man, and Wolverines center Jon Teske picked up four fouls trying to defend Garza. However, Michigan countered with the combined efforts of Teske (16 points, 5 rebounds), Brandon Johns Jr. (12 points, 8 rebounds) and Austin Davis (8 points, 3 rebounds). The Wolverines will need to tighten up their post defense moving forward, but it was good to see the response from Michigan’s big men on offense.

4. OWNING THE BOARDS

One area that Michigan appeared to struggle in early this season was rebounding, but the Wolverines have seemed to correct that as of late. Michigan held their own on the glass throughout the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament — out-rebounding their opponents by 10 over the course of three games — and that trend continued against the Hawkeyes. The Wolverines won the rebounding battle 38-30 over Iowa. It was a team effort to win on the glass, as five Michigan players finished with five rebounds or more.

5. YOUNG WOLVERINES BREAK OUT

A pair of young Wolverines had their best outings in maize and blue uniforms, as freshman Franz Wagner finished with a career-high 18 points to lead Michigan in scoring. He was aggressive throughout the game and went 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Brandon Johns Jr. also had a career game for the Wolverines, scoring 12 points (career-high) and adding 8 rebounds (tied career high). John Jr.’s minutes off the bench were vital with fellow sophomore Colin Castleton being limited due to a non-serious first half injury, and junior Isaiah Livers struggling with foul trouble.

Halftime Analysis: No. 4 Michigan vs. Iowa

Halftime analysis from Michigan basketball’s Big Ten opener against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the friendly confines of the Crisler Center.

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Coming off its first loss of the season at No. 1 Louisville, the fourth-ranked Michigan Wolverines welcomed Iowa to the Crisler Center.

After facing three straight teams ranked in the Top 10, the unranked Hawkeyes are no slouch for Michigan either. Iowa already has wins over Texas Tech and Syracuse this season.

After trading blows early on, Michigan’s hot shooting eventually allowed them to pull away towards the end of the half. At the break, the Wolverines lead by a score of 50-38.

POSITIVES:

  • After finishing with 9 points, 3 assists and 4 turnovers against the Cardinals, Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson got off to a fast start and looked more like himself in the first half against Iowa. At the break, the senior is already up to 7 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal. The senior and has 2 turnovers.
  • The Wolverines got off to a great start shooting the ball, which was a welcome sight after they struggled so mightily in that department at Louisville. After opening the game by shooting north of 60 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range, Michigan ended the half 17-of-31 from the floor (55 percent) and 6-of-13 from deep (46 percent).
  • Freshman Franz Wagner was active in first half for Michigan. While he only attempted two shots, making one, Wagner was assertive on offense and got to the free throw line on several occasions, going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe to finish the half with 8 points.
  • Brandon Johns Jr. provided some nice minutes off the bench for the Wolverines. At the break, he’s up to 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. It was perhaps the sophomore’s best half of basketball since donning a Michigan uniform.

NEGATIVES:

  • Iowa’s Luke Garza came into the contest as the Big Ten’s leading scorer at 20 points per game, and third in the conference in rebounding with 10 per game. Michigan did nothing to slow down the Hawkeye center’s fast start to the season, as Garza finished the first half with 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and added 4 rebounds. It didn’t matter who coach Juwan Howard had guarding Garza, the Iowa big man had his way.
  • Sophomore Colin Castleton left the game with an injury early in the game after he took an elbow to the mouth from Garza on a rebound attempt. Castleton did return to the game with 2:30 remaining in the half, sporting a cut lip. He went to the free throw line shortly after and converted both of his foul shots.

Michigan basketball announces three-game series with Kentucky

The two big time programs will meet starting in 2020.

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Pack your bags, Michigan fans — you’re headed to London to face a basketball blue blood.

Per a release by the Michigan basketball program, the Wolverines have announced a three-game series with Kentucky, starting in 2020-21, with the first game taking place in the UK capital city. Then, a home-and-home between the two.

Read the whOle press release:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan and the University of Kentucky have signed a three-year men’s basketball deal that will take both teams to London, England, in the 2020-21 season as well as a home-and-home series for the following two campaigns.

The first year of the three-year commitment will feature a neutral-site game at O2 Arena in London in December of 2020. The London game will be hosted by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and serve as a fundraiser for the Hall.

This will be the first NCAA Division I college basketball game to be played at O2 Arena, one of the world’s most popular venues. All further details on play date, game time, television partner, ticket pricing, ancillary events and ticket on-sale will be announced in January of 2020.

Following the game in London, Michigan and Kentucky will then play a home-and-home series starting in Ann Arbor at Crisler Center in 2021 followed by a return trip to Lexington and Rupp Arena in 2022.

“When the idea of playing Kentucky came up, we knew it would be an exciting opportunity, not only for ourselves, but for our fans as well,” said U-M coach Juwan Howard. “What a unique three-game series. First, we get to showcase collegiate basketball overseas in London before playing that traditional home-and-home series in front of two of the nation’s best basketball environments. We cannot wait.”

Michigan has traveled out of the United States in the regular season five times previously but will be playing its first game in Europe. All five previous trips have been to the Caribbean, with the most recent trip happening a week ago in Paradise Island, Bahamas, where the Maize and Bluecaptured the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis championship. U-M also appeared in the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2015-16, the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic in 1997-98, the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands in 2002-03, and the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in 2013-14.

U-M and Kentucky have met on seven occasions with UK holding the 5-2 all-time series advantage. The Wolverines and Wildcats will meet up for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign when Kentucky came away with a victory over U-M in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional final.

Prior to the 2014 meeting, the two squads had not met since the 1992-93 season, when Howard and the Wolverines defeated Kentucky in the Final Four in New Orleans.

Michigan and Kentucky will meet each other in on-campus contests for the first time since 1970, as UK will make just its second-ever trip to Ann Arbor in 2021 and U-M will travel to Lexington for the fourth time in the history of the two programs.

Michigan is 0-1 in Ann Arbor and 1-2 in Lexington against the Wildcats.

5 takeaways from No. 4 Michigan at No. 1 Louisville

Five takeaways from No. 4 Michigan’s first true road trip of the season, as they battle No. 1 Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

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Michigan’s jump from unranked to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll was the largest leap by a team in the 70-year history of the poll. The Wolverines spot in the Top 5 was challenged right away on Tuesday night.

Louisville, hosting Michigan for the ACC/Big Ten challenge, came in as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll. In addition to the challenge of playing the top team in the country, it was also the Wolverines first true road game of the season.

Michigan got off to a dreadful start, missing nine of their first ten shots and finishing the first half on 6-of-30 shooting (20 percent). Louisville led at the break, 28-18.

The Wolverines began the second half with a miniature spurt, cutting their deficit to 30-24, but Louisville responded to stretch the lead back to as many as 16 points.

Michigan was never able to make a run and put a scare in the Cardinals, as they fell by a final score of 58-43.

1. WOLVERINES GO COLD ON OFFENSE

In their win over Gonzaga, Michigan shot 54 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three-point range. In the win over North Carolina, the Wolverines were 50 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three. But against the Cardinals, Michigan struggled mightily from the floor, shooting an ugly 26 percent overall (15-of-58) and just 16 percent from deep (3-of-19).

2. FATIGUE A FACTOR?

The Wolverines played three games in three days in the Bahamas to win the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. It was an exciting run, but playing three games back-to-back-to-back challenges a team’s stamina, especially this early in the season. Perhaps Michigan hasn’t fully recovered from that run yet. The shooting woes could have been a result of tired legs. Still, give the Cardinals credit for playing very good defense throughout the contest.

3. LIVERS, SIMPSON MUST BE BETTER

Isaiah Livers had a very poor performance, finishing with just 3 points on 1-of-9 shooting. He had 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Livers’ shooting ability is far superior than what he showed against Louisville, and Michigan struggled to score as a result. Meanwhile, senior point guard Zavier Simpson struggled as well. He finished with 9 points on 4-of-11 shooting, but the bigger issue was that Simpson had only 3 assists against 4 turnovers. Coming into the contest, the senior led the nation in assist percentage. The Wolverines rely on Simpson’s ability to create on offense, but he was contained well by the Cardinals.

4. JON TESKE STAYS CONSISTENT

Jon Teske continues to be very reliable for Michigan. He finished the night with a double-double, scoring 18 points and adding 10 rebounds. Like the rest of his team, Teske did struggle with his shooting however, finishing just 6-of-18 from the floor. Still, the big guy has been a steady presence on the floor all season long. He was the MVP of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, and was really the lone bright spot for the Wolverines in this game.

5. NOT AN UNEXPECTED OUTCOME

It was disappointing to see Michigan shoot as poorly as they did in this game, and the final score is a bit ugly. However, this isn’t an entirely unexpected outcome in this game. Louisville is a really good team that’s already generating Final Four buzz. The Cardinals are the No. 1 team in America for a reason, and this was an extremely tough place for the Wolverines to play their first road game of the season. Michigan’s start to the season remains very impressive, despite this loss, and it’s a defeat that can be used to keep the team motivated to continue improving.

Halftime Analysis: No. 4 Michigan at No. 1 Louisville

Halftime analysis of No. 4 Michigan basketball in their matchup with No. 1 Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten challenge.

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After an unprecedented jump in the Associated Press poll, from unranked to No. 4, Michigan traveled to Louisville on Tuesday to play their third consecutive game against a Top 10 opponent.

The Cardinals, hosting Michigan for the ACC/Big Ten challenge, came in as the No. 1 team in America. As if facing the top-ranked team in the nation wasn’t difficult enough, this is also the Wolverines first true road game of the year.

Michigan struggled to find its footing in this game, and they trail at the break by a score of 28-18.

POSITIVES:

  • The Wolverines played stellar defense in the opening 10 minutes of the game, limiting Louisville to just 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Michigan wasn’t able to maintain that level of play on the defensive end, but still limited the Cardinals to 28 points on 32 percent shooting.
  • Jon Teske didn’t shoot the ball very well in the first half, but he was the only player you could point to and see production. The big guy finished the first half with 8 points, 6 rebounds and a steal.
  • Rebounding was a concern early this season for Michigan, but they were much better in that department in the Bahamas and are holding their own in this game as well. At the break, the Wolverines have a 26-25 edge on the glass over the Cards.

NEGATIVES:

  • Michigan got off to a very slow start offensively. The Wolverines missed their first five attempts, and made only one of their first 10 shots. Things didn’t improve much for the rest of the half, as the Wolverines shot an ugly 6-of-30 (20 percent) from the floor in the opening half.
  • Compounding the Wolverines shooting woes was another early-season tendency that continues to be a plague: Turnovers. Michigan had five in the first 11 minutes of the game. They have six at the half.
  • Isaiah Livers had a dreadful first half for the Wolverines. The junior has just three points on 1-of-8 shooting. Zavier Simpson stuggled as well, finishing the half with one point, zero assists and two turnovers.

COME TALK ABOUT THE GAME HERE.

Juwan Howard: How Franz Wagner is acclimating to Michigan basketball

With three games under his belt, it’s been a little bit of an uneven debut for the German star.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. —  It was a huge lift to a first-year head coach in Juwan Howard, to nab a Michigan legacy as well as a player that would have likely been considered a five-star recruit had he played ball stateside. Plus, it quelled the loss of Jalen Wilson, who flipped to Kansas after John Beilein departed for the NBA.

While expectations were high for small forward and Berlin native Franz Wagner, the younger brother of Michigan standout Moe Wagner, his progress was derailed after he suffered a wrist injury in preseason training.

Wagner made his Michigan debut nearly a week ago, when the Wolverines tipped off against Iowa State in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, not just getting his first taste of NCAA college basketball, but also coming in as a newfound starter. The former Alba Berlin player has had experience playing at a high-level, but that doesn’t mean he was truly ready to go once he hit the court.

It’s somewhat showed. He had 6 points in his debut, but was held to just 3 points and 16.67% shooting against North Carolina in his second game. He rebounded nicely going 50% from the floor and 10 points vs. Gonzaga, but watching, you could sense the frustration he had as some simple shots — like layups — rimmed in-and-out.

For his new head coach, he sees the first-year Wolverine making progress, but notes it’ll take some time for him to get his bearings.

“He’s played great to me – maybe not to his own eyes,” Howard said. “Because – sometimes the fact that the ball isn’t going in all the time for him, but it takes time. It’s not gonna happen overnight where you just come right in and three straight games and you play the way you probably played in the past where the ball falls right in every time for you or your rhythm is playing, you feel so comfortable out there on the floor. Your conditioning is at an all-time high. Right now, he’s not in basketball shape. It takes time for him adjust to that schedule of change of direction and your body with those different type of movements.

“Yeah, you can run all the quarters you want without practice. You can go out there on the treadmill, prepare yourself for the conditioning. But basketball shape is totally different.

“The cones are undefeated! Well – you can score a lot versus the cones. But, when you have that arm in your hand, or arm in your face and somebody’s beating your body, that’s a different level of play right there.”

But what does he need to do to get to where he needs to be?

Howard says, just keep doing what he’s doing.

“I would say this: Franz competes,” Howard says. “He’s the ultimate competitor. You can tell how he’s defended defensively down there in the Bahamas, how he’s battled things on the board. He’s not making excuses for himself. If anything, he gets down on himself, and I’m like, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You’re not gonna have that. Next play mentality. It’s gonna fall. You’re just not feeling your legs underneath you. It’ll all come back. When it comes back, it’s gonna come back in stretches, where it’s like domino effect. Make five in a row.’ I trust and believe that.

“But it’s not all about making shots. It’s about when he plays, and he’s diving on the floor for loose balls, after having a wrist injury. It goes to show you he’s a competitor.”

He’ll have a prime opportunity on Tuesday night as No. 4 Michigan heads to Kentucky to take on No. 1 Louisville.

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