Post game analysis-this team

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Linusvanp3lt

Member
Sep 25, 2012
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So you think Niang gets too much props, while I think Ejim gets too much props. I think Kane is our star player, and I've said it since day 1. Just love them for what they are. That's why this team is great, someone different is going to have a big game almost every game. No need to pick and choose which one "deserves" more props

Thread Name, post game analysis-this team. Provided analysis. Team is pretty good. 7-10 seed looks more likely after the big win yesterday. I think the someone different argument doesn't really hold true. To beat ranked teams Ejim will have to play big, especially on the glass.

The framing of analysis as nit-picky is annoying, and counterintuitive for both a message board and this specific thread in general.
 

Linusvanp3lt

Member
Sep 25, 2012
156
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Niang needs his 3-point threat from last year to return. When that happens, he is impossible to guard and opens the rest of the team up so much. I completely disagree with the poster that thinks he has reached his ceiling. It's early and he's only a sophomore. I think most players improve the most going into their junior year. Niang has a ton of upside that will continue to grow.

I love this team and think they will be better than last year's team. Just looking at the michigan game and comparing to almost all the big games last year, the biggest difference so far is defense. Last ear we were unable to close out a game. Even if we won, it was scary right to the end.

My concern is his defense and rebounding. It's substandard for a 4/5 in the Big 12 by a margin. His offense is above par though so he nets out as an effective player. He didn't have the best offensive game for most of the day yesterday, but that happens. Not getting on him for that.
 

4theCYcle

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2013
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Urbandale, IA
I'll give my two cents worth. Some of this may have been touched on.

I'm stoked at the hustle on defense. We seem to move our feet well and the physicality behind rebounding is awesome. We may be undersized at times, but our group can get boards. Kane will continue to pose match up problems. I'm glad he came around after he made some careless turnovers and stepped up on the FT line. It looks like Naz could be the go to guy on 3's when we need him. Most importantly of all, Ejim is such an asset on this team. We would not have won without him and thats easy to see. Did he get even faster under the basket? His quickness has improved and is even harder to guard. His knee looked 100% to me. Niang came around when we absolutely needed him the most. He played smart the last 5 minutes of the game. I hope he stays out of foul trouble, but that's a long shot.

Some things I noticed we need to improve on: our transition D needs to get back a little quicker, although Michigan is a quick team. Our D did get more aggressive as the game got down to crunch time. I'd like to see us run the floor more, as we struggled in our half-court offense and seemed a bit lackluster when passing, causing turnovers. Our guards didn't seem to get that many open shots at times too, as the offense seemed stagnant. I'm not sure if were confused or just couldn't get open looks.

One thing that Michigan seemed to execute well was the backdoor cuts to the basket. Our help side always seemed to be late and they had that cut to the basket many times.

Those aren't even that big of problems and can be easily worked on. These guys are A LOT further than last year in team chemistry. I love the potential and can not wait for the Iowa/Iowa State game. Hawk fans should be a little worried.
 

Snyder21

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2012
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Sioux City, IA
I'm excited to see Matt when he has a couple more games under his belt. Players were telling him to shoot the whole game but Stauskas is long and athletic and wasn't giving him an inch. You can just tell by the way the guys want Matt to shoot that he must be lights out. I think he's going to be our 3pt leader by the end of the year
 

cyclones500

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Jan 29, 2010
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I'm excited to see Matt when he has a couple more games under his belt. Players were telling him to shoot the whole game but Stauskas is long and athletic and wasn't giving him an inch. You can just tell by the way the guys want Matt to shoot that he must be lights out. I think he's going to be our 3pt leader by the end of the year

Not to sidetrack the thread, but Stauskas impressed me more than any U-M player in that game. I mentally viewed him as purely an outside-shooting threat, but he plays good defense and that drive & slam was impressive. He could become one of those "Hasn't he been playing for six years?" guys.

Back to your post — Thomas didn't seem to get many in-rhythm shots in that game. Forced a couple instead of flowing through the offense (sometimes a result of half-court sync of entire team), and the open looks he did get clanked, even though his shooting motion looked solid.

In big-picture, he's going to be gooood.
 

jcats322

Active Member
Oct 6, 2007
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I know a lot of people have said that this team is ahead of the last two as far as development and I completely agree. But think about this... What if they are not? What if they improve on the same curve as the last couple of teams? That thought is almost scary to me.
 
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NATEizKING

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Feb 18, 2011
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Naz appears to have a confidence that has only been beat by McThree. Thug Lyfe and Babb were more hesitant than Naz has looked through three games. They weren't afraid to shoot and hit big shots but Naz doesn't need to be as open as they usually were. Naz deserves the start.
 

Ficklone02

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Apr 11, 2006
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City by the Bay
I know a lot of people have said that this team is ahead of the last two as far as development and I completely agree. But think about this... What if they are not? What if they improve on the same curve as the last couple of teams? That thought is almost scary too me.

I think we actually have more ability defensively than the last two teams, & having Kane at point is an upgrade over Korie IMO & the "point" situation two years ago as well obviously. I'm with you, I think we have some potential here.
 

Psiclone

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Apr 11, 2006
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Don’t know what this win says about some of our players. Proud of the win, but looking forward I can’t help but think why SDW or anyone else didn’t play. Clearly other players are more skilled but are the guys on the bench that far behind? Win with what you got thats what we did, hopefully others can prove themselves before conference play. Theres plenty of teams in the big 12 that are better or equal to Michigan, we should get better though.

Fred really, really wanted to win this game. I think he realizes how important Vaughn is in order for us to get to the next step sooner rather than later. A Vaughn commit can open the floodgates to more highly ranked players. Right now, there is a big drop off after the 7th man. They will improve, however, and will be needed when we have foul trouble.
 

Stormin

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Apr 11, 2006
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I would start Niang, Ejim, Kane, Thomas and Naz. Bring in Hogue off the bench. A lot depends on the mental outlook of the individuals though. Some guys don't have the mental toughness to come of the bench. Naz could be a huge lift off the bench. No doubt they all get big minutes along with Morris. Percy and Edozie and SDW and Bluford are next in line and must be ready as well. The minutes must count.
 

Go2Guy

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Mar 18, 2006
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If Ejim's knee is of any iota of concern, I'm ok with bringing him off the bench and starting Naz. So far Naz is something like >60% from trey.