MICHIGAN'S MEN'S BASKETBALL: 2015-2016

[The Oracle]

Yup, see a beatdown going on there.

[hack]

I think so too. Luckily I will be out of town and therefore unable to spend money on it.

[iam416]

I'd be surprised at 13.

[Hannibal]

I would be pleasantly surprised by 13 wins. With that said, we haven't seen yet what this team can do with a healthy backcourt and not-shit play out of the center position since 2014.

[hack]

Reintegrating Caris will be a concern. That needs to happen without Walton stepping back. Ball movement must be preserved. Heroball only as needed. I think Beilein knows all that though.

What's nice is that Donnal is getting comfortable. It no longer feels fragile, as if a bad spell could send him back into his shell. I don't know why we're not seeing more pick-and-pop with him. He's got the shot. I'm sure Beilein has considered it.

[*JD*]

I would be pleasantly surprised by 13 wins. With that said, we haven't seen yet what this team can do with a healthy backcourt and not-shit play out of the center position since 2014.

Donnal's been playing at J-Mo-level since B1G play started. Maybe he's not quite as much of an all-around defender but his averages are 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. He's also shooting 58% in conference. He won't be showing up on anyone's draft board but he's at least become a presence.

[WM Wolverine]

Interesting he was reclassified to a junior from redshirt sophomore before this season. So we only have him for another season after this one.

[Hannibal]

Can they re-reclassify him?

[The Oracle]

100%. I think it was used as a motivator more than anything.

[Cody_Russell]

Ok win over Rutgers tonight. Michigan missed a lot of open shots.
Next game is vs Penn St at Madison Square Garden, then vs IU next Tuesday.

After watching IU last night, I think Michigan can definitely beat them... especially at home. Really, they are similar teams.
IU is a little more athletic, Michigan is a little better at shooting (Walton, Dawkins, and Robinson are 3 of the top 10 best B10 at 3 point range.)
Of course it will be interesting to see Max play Michigan for the first time.

[*JD*]

It was interesting to see Corey Sanders on Rutgers. He was somewhat of a recruiting target for Michigan a couple of years ago. He's super-athletic but erratic. He reminds me a bit of Iverson (the #3 probably helped) which is both a compliment and a criticism. For a team like Rutgers, he could be a guy that eventually gets them a few wins.

[Hannibal]

Yeesh. That wasn't pretty. If I didn't know better, I would say that Irvin reaggravated his injury. His shot was badly off last night and he basically abandoned it in the second half. Nice to see that he's a complete player. I wish that I could see the team with everyone healthy now that the 5 spot is no longer a huge boat anchor. Hurry back, Caris!

[Cody_Russell]

I wish Dawkins could get more playing time. Is he not good on defense?
From what I see, he doesn't do anything that bad defensively...

Dawkins nearly made a Sportscenter top play with a dunk that barely missed. The leap and look of that missed dunk was incredible.
Dawkins is also a top 10 3 point shooter in the B10.

[The Oracle]

Who's he going to play over? If his shot isn't falling, he's just a couple steps above useless out there. I like his role where it's at right now. And no, he defense isn't great either, but probably not THE factor.

[*JD*]

I think Aubrey going to the bench was more a case of Duncan Robinson being too good to not start and Beilein wanting to have at least 2 good ball-handlers out there at all times. I don't think Aubrey is that good with his dribble and is doing very well in the role he has right now. Without Caris, there isn't a lot of scoring coming off the bench.