Michigan 92 Hillsdale 68 Final

[Monster]

Here it is, folks! The official season opening game. Check out espn3 or watchespn app at 2pm est.

 

[Michlady]

Banner raising around 1:35

I have Great seats for that

 

[gobluebigjon]

Go Blue!

 

[Michchamp]

Hahaha, Hillsdale SUCKS! Let's crush those flamers.

 

[Michlady]

We also have buck ell on Monday night and Detroit on Thursday

Forgot to charge phone so no posting from game

 

[UMRules06]

Sloppy start for Michigan. Trailing 15-12, and was losing 12-3 at one point. Hillsdale has some kid pulling a Nik Stauskas and making every shot he takes

Get it together Michigan.

 

[gobluebigjon]

Now they are getting it figured out

 

[UMRules06]

I have a good feeling about Chatman so far. Michigan is actually playing defense and getting some steals now. Walton looks like he's ready to take on the leadership role at the point.

40-28 Michigan.

 

[UMRules06]

After a slow start Michigan played much better in that first half. The staples of Michigan basketball under Beilein are continuing with plenty of three point attempts, low turnovers (only 4), and low personal fouls (only had 1 called, until Michigan deliberately fouled a few times right before half).

Of course it's only Hillsdale so hard to make any accurate judgments. 50-33 at the half.

 

[wheels002]

Bad start but when the first 3 fell to make it 12-6 they started rolling. I really like the aggressive active D. I really think Lavert could be the B10 POY this year. he can do it all. You cant defend him. If your in his fave he will drive it and if you stay back he will drill a 3.

 

[gobluebigjon]

let them back in it

 

[Michchamp]

I'm not in front of the TV... Are they just hitting everything they toss up there? Wtf?

 

[UMRules06]

The Big 3 returning players (Levert, Walton, Irvin) have combined for 63 of the 88 total points so far. A little concerned about the depth as the freshmen haven't done a whole lot to stand out this game. I still think Chatman will be pretty good, and Donnal has shown some decent things.

Nobody on the bench has stood out really.

 

[UMRules06]

Austin Hatch enters the game. Crowd gives a rousing greeting. Very cool!

 

[UMRules06]

92-68 is your final. Michigan wins.

 

[uofmdixon]

We looked pretty good. I think we are better in the post than we have been.

 

[wheels002]

We will really have to rely on the big 3 until all the freshman get acclimated. Donnal seemed to get more comfortable as the game went on and started showing what he could do late. Chatman would make a great play then get lost on D the next. He will be good but it will take time.

They showed a roster break down. We have 7 Freshman 5 sophomores and 3 juniors. Team is talented just young and ver inexperienced. It will cost us games early but they will develop.

 

[UMRules06]

Agreed. We went through this last year with Walton and Irvin, and it seems like it might be the M.O. of the program for the foreseeable future. Integrating the freshmen every year into key roles is not an easy transition. We lost a few early games last year while the new freshmen learned the ropes (Charlotte, Iowa State, Duke etc.).

I would expect us to take some lumps early on this season as well.

 

[Monster]

My observations:

Doyle, Donnal, and Wilson - None of them really stood apart. Doyle had a few moments inside where he looked solid. He's very physical and plays hard. Donnal may not be as physical, but he looks like he'll play well in the pick and roll and fights for rebounds. Also has a nice shot. Wilson was very up and down. Like Donnal, he got lost on defense a few times and had his own shot rejected once or twice. However, man to man, his defense was pretty solid. If it were my team, Doyle would start. Donnal and Wilson would fight for the rest of the minutes.

Levert - This guy is good. Seriously good. IMO, he's better than Nik was last year. He looks to be more comfortable getting in the lane and has absolutely no fear of his jumpshot. Also, his added strength is really helping with him to get more rebounds. This will be key for this year's team as I don't think our bigs are good enough (yet) to bang with the biggest of the bigs in the B1G.

Irvin - He's much like Caris. Sweet shot. Driving more and better. Full of confidence even after a poor start. His defense seems to have improved, but I think he was beaten a few times by screens and got lost. Honestly, his offense is good enough looking that I think he has a good chance at 1st or 2nd team all B1G.

Walton and Spike - Either one of these guys could start. I think Walton is a better shooter, but Spike is probably equal to him in the "drive and dish" aspect of their games. Handling the ball, both do it well. Walton is also very good at getting long rebounds and that is an underestimated part of the game for point guards.

Chatman - Is it just me or does he remind you of a Jabari Parker? Maybe not quite as physical, but he's right there. I don't think he has that level of talent yet, but you can see it in his game. He's very active on both ends and just needs his shot to fall. We've seen it fall in Europe, so I know it's there. This kid is going to be special. I just hope it's this year.

Dawkins and Rahk - Not really much to say about them. Dawkins looks like an athletic freak on a few plays. He's quick and has a nice shot, but I think he has yet to fully absorb the team offense. Same can be said for Rahk. Unfortunately, his shot is a bit pathetic, but he drives the lane really well. They both have a ton of potential and remind me a bit of Caris Levert. Everyone saw that potential in his freshman year, but it never really manifested fully. I think a year or two of getting bench minutes will do them some good.

All in all, I think the team underestimated Hillsdale a bit. We left them open too many times on threes and just let them run around screens a straight to an easy layup. It didn't help that they genuinely looked like a good offense. That Cooper kid could be a division 1 player and still be a star. He's good. The Lowry #23 kid scared us in the beginning. He just hit everything.

Basically, I'm so thankful that we have a few games left before getting a real test. The young kids still need to learn and learn quick. And IMO, they're good enough to fake it until they make it. Get ready for a roller coaster, guys.

 

[Monster]

I'll also add that we shot better once we started driving. The first 5 minutes was a collection of horribly rushed shots.