Michigan Battled But Came Up Short Against Purdue
Michigan needs every win it can get, and there's certainly no such thing as a moral victory at this point of the season, but Juwan Howard's group did scrap and keep it close. The six-point win reflects that and should give Michigan some confidence moving forward and against the Boilermakers for matchup No. 2 in five days in Ann Arbor. Here are the three things that stood out to me.
1. Purdue makes it really tough
They just have strengths everywhere. At 7-4, 295 pounds, Zach Edey dwarfs Hunter Dickinson, which is nearly impossible. Then when he goes to the bench, the much more skilled Trevion Williams comes in at 6-10, 255 pounds and steps out, picks and pops and dishes out incredible assists. The 1-2 post punch is a lot for anyone to deal with.
If those two guys aren't dominating on the inside, they'll kick it out to one of several shooters who knock down three pointers at a 40% clip. The Boilermakers have seven guards who shoot it that well and even Williams shoots it at 38%. They just put so much pressure on a defense that normal rotations and approaches don't work. Even if you play a very sound, disciplined possession, they can still burn you. Michigan was actually decent on defense today, holding Purdue to 52% from the floor, but Purdue just seemed in control all day long because just about everything they do, works.
And finally, they have a top-five NBA pick in Jaden Ivey who can just be better than everyone else on the floor when they need him to. That's one thing Michigan does not have this year — a true, go-to killer. Ivey is that guy. The sophomore played 37 minutes and scored 23 points while going 0-for-6 from three point range. He probably just shot threes because it's fun and that's what all guards want to do these days, because he got to the rim at will, which almost always resulted in a bucket for himself or a teammate. He had three rim-rattling dunks on the day and it probably could've been more had he not settled on those six treys.
2. Michigan's rotation was affected, lack of depth an issue
For all the reasons above, Michigan was out of sorts today. Freshman Moussa Diabate started but he only played 17 minutes and was virtually nonexistent as a contributor. He scored just two points and grabbed only three rebounds. His ability to close out and stay connected with shooters was an issue and his length and athleticism was simply neutralized by the massiveness that is Zach Edey and the strength and craftiness that is Trevion Williams.
With Diabate on the bench for 23 minutes, Terrance Williams II earned 18 minutes of his own, but that's where the playing time really stops. Freshman Kobe Bufkin played 10 minutes, while everyone else was in single digits. Against an opponent like Purdue, who can go inside and outside, while playing a very clean brand of basketball with skilled, smart shooters all over the field, it becomes quite clear that Juwan Howard doesn't have much depth or trust in most of his bench.
3. Michigan's defense wasn't great, but did some things well
With the two points being outlined above, Juwan Howard and Michigan should be proud of how they defended in West Lafayette today at times and in some areas. The Wolverines defended the three-point line well against one of the best shooting teams in the entire country and staved off several would-be runs by the most efficient offensive team in the Big Ten.
By putting Diabate on the bench and prioritizing the three-point line, Michigan held Purdue to just 28% from long range (5-of-18). They also bowed up whenever Purdue pushed it out to a double-digit lead. Purdue led for the entire game and got it up to 12 at point, but Michigan wouldn't go away. The fans inside Mackey wanted to explode so badly and step on Michigan's throat, but Howard's bunch just wouldn't let it happen. At the end of the day, a 6-point loss counts the same as a 20-point loss, but fighting through runs and taking away some Purdue staples on their home court is something the Michigan players can hang their hats on.
