Video of The Day 2/23

Trae Waynes solidified his spot as the top CB prospect in the upcoming draft by posting the fastest 40 time of any defensive back at 4.31. He made himself a lot of money today by not only ensuring himself as a first round pick but also a quick 100k paycheck from Adidas for running the fastest 40 in their shoes.

NFL Draft Prediction: 13th Overall by the Saints

Recap: Michigan 64 - Ohio State 57

In the midst of a five game losing streak, its longest since 2011, the Michigan Wolverines welcomed the 24th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to the Crisler Center this past Sunday. A season ravaged by early NBA entries and injuries has forced John Beilein to play Michigan's freshman and walk-ons big minutes. While they've played hard and have been competitive against the Big Ten's best, they seem to be running out of gas. However, Sunday, the Wolverines controlled a game from start to finish against one of the Big Ten's best teams.

   

Sophomore shooting guard Zak Irvin pumps up the crowd (Photo from The Detroit Free Press)

First Half

Michigan started the first half quickly, seizing control of the game from the outset. Zak Irvin started hot for the Wolverines, pouring in a quick eight points to jump-start the Wolverine offense. They would not relent for the entirety of the first half, as Irvin added four key assists in the first frame, as he showed off his improved court vision by finding Michigan's big men off of pick and roll plays numerous times. Spike Albrecht, playing with a hip injury that will require surgery in the offseason, played a gritty 38 minutes, and hit two big three pointers late in the 1st half to stretch the Michigan lead. Ohio State freshman and sure-fire NBA lottery pick, D'Angelo Russell, struggled to get open looks against Michigan's changing defenses, as they switched between primarily man-to-man and a 2-3 zone that prevented Russell from penetrating and making plays inside the paint. Michigan went to the locker room in full control, up by a surprising 16 points.

Second Half

Ohio State dominated the first ten minutes of the second half, going on a 14-0 run at one point to cut the Michigan lead to three, 49-46. The run was jump started by Russell, who managed to beat his man off the dribble time after time, getting into the lane with relative ease, while also pouring in a couple of triples. However, Zak Irvin hit another huge triple to extend the Wolverine lead to six, and Michigan would never look back. Spike Albrecht played another great half of basketball, finishing with 16 points, 5 assists, and zero turnovers. Ohio State exclusively ran a full-court man-to-man pressure defense in the 2nd half, designed to force the ball handler into feeding the ball towards the sides of the court where Ohio State could unleash their highly effective trapping defense. Despite the intense pressure all afternoon, Albrecht was flawless at beating the pressure and getting into the half-court to initiate Michigan's offense. Other big contributors were the aforementioned Irvin, who stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points (3 triples), 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, and freshmen Ricky Doyle and Kam Chatman, who combined for 14 points and 8 rebounds.

State of the Current Team

Sitting at 14-13 (7-8 in the Big Ten), Michigan will almost certainly miss its first NCAA tournament since the 2010 season. Despite the obvious disappointment, the fact that Michigan has stayed above .500 and is competitive in almost every game despite being forced to play five freshman and two walk-ons significant minutes speaks volumes to the coaching abilities of John Beilein and his fantastic staff. Injuries to Derrick Walton III and Caris LeVert certainly derailed any hopes of a successful season, but pending their return next year (Walton, definitely, LeVert is more of a toss-up), this team can be extremely dangerous in the Big Ten title race. Add in transfer Duncan Robinson, who reportedly could be the best Michigan shooter Beilein has ever had (including Nik Stauskas, yes), and Michigan could be a dark horse to make some noise in the NCAA tournament next year.

As always, Go Blue!

What's wrong with Michigan Basketball?

Tuesday night in Columbus figured to be a raucous environment. Ohio State, coming off a close loss to Indiana last weekend, and in desperate need of a victory, would be ready to roll. Michigan, on the other hand, was in the midst of a two game win streak over the last-place teams in the Big Ten, Penn State and Minnesota. Many were hoping Michigan had turned the proverbial "corner," but as we saw in OSU's drubbing of the Wolverines last night, that's not the case. Here are a few reasons why Michigan continues to struggle:

                                       Michigan Freshman Center Ricky Doyle

1) Michigan is once again one of the youngest teams in the nation. The starting rotation consists of three underclassmen, with four more playing meaningful minutes off the bench. John Beilein has a history (especially at Michigan) of winning with players that are lightly or under-recruited coming out of high school (Zack Novak, Stu Douglass, Trey Burke, Jordan Morgan, and Nik Stauskas come to mind). However, the new freshman class of six has developed at a slower pace than previous classes. Forward Kam Chatman, a consensus top-30 national prospect out of high school, has struggled to adjust to the speed and physicality of the college game. Aubrey Dawkins, while providing key shooting off the bench, is a one-dimensial player, and teams will start to adjust to his offensive tendencies (outside shooting, and more outside shooting). Ricky Doyle has been a bright spot, becoming Michigan's most effective big man. Despite his success, he still lacks rebounding toughness and an ability to finish around the hoop against contact. In time, these three can be key contributors, as well as the other three freshman, but patience is key.

2) Losing five starters early to the NBA draft has drastically set Michigan back. Back-to-back Big Ten players of the year, Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas, left for the NBA draft as sophomores, as did Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III. Tim Hardaway also bolted following the 2013 Final Four with a year of eligibility remaining. NCAA tournament success that Michigan fans have been blessed with the last two years has suddenly become the bar for success for this program, and realistically (unless you're Kentucky or Duke) cannot be repeated when you lose such integral parts of the program early to the NBA.

3) Despite solid freshman seasons, Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr. have failed to take the necessary leaps forward to be able to carry this team through its youth struggles. Irvin, while being a key scorer for this Michigan team, has shown to be one of the streakiest shooters Michigan has had in recent memory. When shots aren't falling, we also see defensive lapses and careless turnovers, which led to a benching in the second half by Beilein in last night's game. Walton Jr. has dealt with a recurring toe injury, and looks to be a shell of the player we saw in high school and throughout last year. He had a fantastic game on Saturday against Minnesota, but was almost invisible last night. When healthy, I think he has the potential to be the Big Ten's best point guard, but he needs to get healthy and gain confidence back in his shot and finishing ability around the hoop.

4) Last but not least, Caris LeVert. Projected by many, including ESPN, as a preseason first team All-American, LeVert has not lived up to the hype. A summer injury to his foot forced him to miss eight weeks of crucial development time this summer, and it certainly is showing on the court. Streaky shooting, questionable decision making (turnovers!), and at times, horrendous defense have characterized his junior season. The most troubling of those three is the lack of intensity and focus he shows at times on the defensive end, which could be an issue of effort. At a lanky 6'6", he is the primary defender Michigan uses to defend the opposition's best wing or 2 guard. He has the talent and quickness, but the focus needs to be there 100% of the time for Michigan to at least be a decent defensive team.

These issues have so far led Michigan to a mediocre 10-7 record, and at this point, a berth to the NCAA tournament looks unlikely. Patience will be key with this team, and they will win their fair share of games, but as we saw last night, we can't expect consistency on a nightly basis from such a young group.