Hoops vs Illinois

[thewolverines24]

8:30 PM on FS1. The Illini enter tonight?s contest ranked 12th per KenPom despite losing Terrence Shannon Jr. to an indefinite suspension shortly before Christmas. Brad Underwood revamped his roster with a solid portal haul this offseason, and this group has fit together more effectively and efficiently than last year?s team

KEYS

Individual scoring: This is a ?show me? game for Dug McDaniel scoring over drop coverage and Olivier Nkamhoua scoring one-on-one in the post. Illinois will give you those shots (92nd percentile in ball screen shots allowed, 96th percentile in post-up shots allowed) and dare you to score over its defense. Illinois sticks to that philosophy as strictly as any team in the country, and Michigan?s offensive output will likely come down to how efficiently both players score.

Finding a spot to stash Dug McDaniel defensively: I?m not sure what Michigan does with Dug McDaniel in this game, but it has to figure out something. Or else he has to score so effectively that Illinois has to change up and play Harmon as an extra guard.

Block out at every position: Defensive rebounding is paramount in this game because every player on the floor other than Domask, who will likely lead the team in shot attempts, can crash the offensive glass and secure a second chance. This isn?t a situation where you have to keep one or two guys off the glass; it puts pressure on the entire defensive lineup (and Michigan?s defensive lineup has some rebounding holes).

BOTTOM LINE

The Wolverines are coming off one of their better performances on Monday, with Illinois coming off of a disappointing home loss to Maryland. The KenPom line has Illinois as 80-75 favorites on the road, giving Michigan a 33% chance of the home upset. The Wolverines play four of their next six games at home, so if there?s a chance to create a bit of a home spark, this might be it.

GO BLUE!

 

[thewolverines24]

Down 1 at half. 37-36. Didn't expect this but pleasantly surprised!

 

[biggunsbob]

Go Blue. Down 37-36 at half. Biggest Illinois lead was 11-2. Michigan only lead 2-0. Michigan is matching Illinois intensity. I see the real issue we are trailing is defense rebounding. To many offensive rebounds for Illinois. Wish we could hit more 3?s also.
Hanging tough.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Go Blue.

Just got into the house and turned on the game for the second half.

Team is playing better than was expected. Let?s see if they can manage to not shit the bed in the second half as they have sometimes been doing.

 

[tinselwolverine]

It does look like, as we have often seen, the wheels are coming off the wagon in the second half.

 

[biggunsbob]

Michigan was down 1 and dug dribbled the whole shot clock and missed. Then Williams missed a nice look from the corner. He can?t buy a bucket tonight and then Illinois hits them with a 10-0 run to open game up sadly.

 

[biggunsbob]

Another terrible box out off an Illinois shot. 17-2 run still on going.


This team seems really bad on the boards. Like really bad.

 

[biggunsbob]

Reed jr is one of the biggest kids on the court but he plays so soft. Drives me crazy.

 

[biggunsbob]

Michigan will need a big run to get back in this game.

 

[biggunsbob]

Team is so lazy when it comes to rebounding.

 

[biggunsbob]

Howard now 0-7 against an Illinois team coached by Brad Underwwood. How poetic an offensive rebound by Illinois off the last shot of the game as Michigan was out rebounded by 10.