Talking Points: Michigan Basketball Pre- & Post-Op Of Creighton
During his Nov. 11 media availability, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard touched on his team’s response during the practices and teaching moments that followed a near-historic collapse in his squad’s 79-71 season-opening victory over Appalachian State Nov. 5.
“Our team responded very well to our practices we’ve had thus far. We’ve had four and they’ve been locked in. They know and understand who we have coming in, they know the areas that we need to get better at … Our practices are highly competitive but, at the same time there’s a lot of teaching that our guys have truly bought into."
The Wolverines' response was a 79-69 resume-building win over Creighton. In a macro sense, they looked more like the team that built a 30-point lead against ASU than the squad that almost let it slip away. Noticeable progress was made in many facets of the game where improvement was needed, but there were also a few lingering areas of concern that will need to be cleaned up as the Maize and Blue move towards the meat of their out-of-conference schedule and eventually into the ultra-competitive Big Ten docket.
Michigan was plagued with long offensive droughts in both its season-opening victory against the Mountaineers and its exhibition win over Saginaw Valley State. Against Creighton, the Wolverines’ scoring was more steady and consistent—U-M’s longest stretch without a point was 3:29, and they only went two or more minutes without scoring three times in the matchup.
After giving up a 30-5 run to ASU a week ago, the longest scoring streak yielded against CU was just six consecutive points. Michigan surrendered just four points in transition to Blue Jays after allowing 13 on the fast break against Appalachian State.
Michigan also greatly improved upon the foul woes from its opening game. Senior point guard Zavier Simpson was the only Wolverine burdened with three fouls, and sophomore forward Colin Castleton was the only player to commit two. After a game in which he missed extended periods of time in the second half after picking up his third and fourth fouls, junior forward Isaiah Livers was not whistled against the Blue Jays. Creighton shot its first, and only, two free throws 28:37 into the contest. More on this later.
Ball security was assuredly another point of emphasis after Howard’s group committed 17 turnovers against the Mountaineers, which directly led to 20 points. Michigan was better in this regard against CU, giving the ball away only 10 times and surrendering 11 points off of turnovers. Still, there was an unsettling 3:55 stretch late in the second half where the Wolverines turned the ball over five times.
Two troubling trends that persisted for the Maize and Blue both stemmed from their activity in the low post, or lack thereof. After giving up 34 points in the paint to Appalachian State, Michigan was bludgeoned for 42 by Creighton—a regression made worse when considering the Blue Jays’ almost exclusive use of a small, guard-focused line-ups. In two games this season, the Wolverines have been outscored 76-62 in the post.
U-M was dominated on the glass for a second-straight game, giving up a startling 18 offensive rebounds while snatching just four, and was outscored 13-4 on second chance opportunities. In total, Michigan was out rebounded 38-27, and has been outrebounded 71-61 this season—a number that must improve with Big Ten foes and non-conference opponents the likes of Louisville on the horizon.
Here is a look at other key quotes from Howard’s Nov. 11 press conference, and how those talking points translated into action on the hardwood against Creighton.
On the necessity of strong guard play in his offensive system:
“Our offense is generated and starts with our guards, especially the point guard position. Those are the guys that get you into your set and get you organized. They know the offense, they know each and every spot where each and every guy needs to be. I need our point guard to be playing at a high level.
“I have trust with the point guards we have in place, sometimes [junior guard] Eli [Brooks] has a chance to play point guard and [sophomore guard] David DeJulius—they know they’re much needed and their production has to be there in order for us to have our best chance to win a ballgame.”
Michigan benefited from strong performances out its three lead guards, with Brooks, DeJulius and Simpson combining for 41.8 percent of the squad’s 79 points.
In 16 minutes of action with all three sharing the court at the same time, the Wolverines outscored the Blue Jays 36-29, including a 20-14 advantage in almost 10 minutes employing the lineup in the second-half.
Despite not starting DeJulius for a second straight game, Howard put his trust in the three players on full display by utilizing this three-guard combination over the last 7:38 to close out the game. Individually, Simpson was +10, DeJulius was +9 and Brooks +8.
Simpson bounced back from a rough outing against Appalachian State, scoring 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting (66.3 percent), and hit 2 of 3 from beyond the arc (66.7 percent). In 34 minutes of action, he added nine assists and three rebounds, but did commit an uncharacteristically-high number of turnovers for a second straight game with four. He was outstanding in slowing down Creighton’s quick, guard-centered attack in the second half.
After struggling in the season opener, missing all three of his shot attempts and both of his free-throw tries, DeJulius was steady against the Blue Jays. He contributed nine points on 2-of-4 shooting (50.0 percent), seven rebounds and hit all four of his free-throw attempts. In 56 minutes of action this season, DeJulius has turned the ball over just once.
Brooks scored seven points on 3-of-7 shooting in 34 minutes (42.8 percent), but assisted on four buckets and recorded a steal.
On playing his big line-up, which include two of senior center Jon Teske, sophomore forward Colin Castleton and sophomore forward Brandon Johns Jr. on the court at the same time:
“Love it. It's been effective for us. Jon is an excellent passer and high IQ player, always going to make the right play, never going to try to do anything he cannot do. Understands his limitations but also, with his strengths, we’re going to take full advantage of.
“With Brandon and his activity and energy, he’s been ready every time his name has been called on and he’s been able to produce and so has Colin. I wish I could get them all equal minutes but realistically it can’t happen.”
Michigan struggled with Creighton’s speed and floor spacing when using two of Castleton, Johns and Teske at the same time in 15 minutes of action. When utilizing one of these larger lineup combinations, the Wolverines were outscored 30-29, allowed the Blue Jays to hit 14-of-27 shot attempts (51.8 percent), and surrendered nine offensive rebounds. Conversely, the three combined for just seven points on 3-of-5 shooting (60.0 percent) during these stretches.
Teske was far more effective as the only big on the court, scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a critical run in the second half where he scored 10 straight Maize and Blue points.
Howard abandoned the two-big lineup, opting for a three-guard look to close out the game over the last 7:38.
On playing more disciplined and staying out of foul trouble:
“I expect for [Tuesday's] game, that we’ll be a lot more discipline on the defensive end. I can’t have a guy like [sophomore guard] Adrien Nunez and Zavier on the bench for that long. Zavier has been one of our best players, the quarterback of our team. He’s the decision maker, he’s the guy that keeps the engine going. I’d rather have him on the floor than sitting next to me.”
While Simpson did pick up two first-half fouls, and his third with 13:41 left in the second half, Howard displayed trust in his senior point guard to manage the situation and avoid his fourth. Simpson played almost 34 minutes—a six minute increase from the season-opener—and was able to find a rhythm, once again looking like the floor general he’s grown into during his collegiate career.
As a team, the Wolverines were called for just seven fouls after committing 18 against Appalachian State last week. Creighton attempted just two free throws all game and missed both, as opposed to U-M gifting ASU 15 points from the charity stripe. In a contest that Michigan led by just five points with 3:29 left, it’s 10-point advantage from the line was an imperative advantage in a 10-point win.
