U of M MEN'S BASKETBALL 2016-2017

[Da Geezer]

true.

The shot-blocker they lost was the guy who was from Canada that SI did a story on. Really good story.

[WM Wolverine]

Good season, outside of that awful stretch in January (Illinois, Ohio State, etc.), they played right at expectations; Sweet Sixteen and one of the top teams in B1G. Good talent but not good quite enough for FF caliber. Team really lacked depth (Aubrey Dawkins could've helped) and a go-to scorer who could score points in a half-court set.

Oregon impressed me, they were down their shot blocker and M still couldn't get into the lane or anything inside.

[hack]

Weird season. In a way it's their own fault. They could have had a downhill run and more rest. But, on the other hand, it was a lot more fun than your typical S16 season because the light went on late and it was such a furious comeback just to meet preseason expectations.

[hack]

Well, still a good season.

Need better depth on this team. Memorable run.

Agree about depth. A factor not often mentioned.

[Kstat]

Agree about depth. A factor not often mentioned.

Every minute mark donnell spent this season was a wasted one. Supposedly there's a lot of incoming talent, which is good because this team badly needs a third big that can play.

If they get Wagner and Wilson back, I'll be very excited for next season. They could win the B1G with the amount of weapons they have coming back.

I'm sad to see Walton go but I stand by that the two most gifted players on this team are Wilson and Wagner. They have NBA lottery pick ceilings. MAAR hasn't hit his yet either, IMO. He's better than Irvin at what we wanted Irvin to do. Robinson also impressed me with his improved movement off the ball. Would like to see him add a post move or a twener shot this summer.

[Cody_Russell]

MAAR was not better than Irvin over the last few weeks. So inconsistent on offense...
Hopefully MAAR looks at his performance last night and works hard enough to take a huge jump during his senior year.
1-6 shooting, turned it over a lot, and gave up a lot of points.

[Kstat]

Irvin was really good last night and MAAR was really bad... neither performance was representative of the season as a whole.

He scores at a better rate than Irvin does. His summer project is going to be to be a better passer in traffic.

[Hannibal]

MAAR was viewed as a pretty low ceiling guy coming in, so he probably doesn't have much more upside.

[Kstat]

A lot of beilein guys come in wth a low upside. I prefer to judge them on what they show after they get to AA. He's a good outside shooter and an excellent slasher. He puts points on the board and does it at an effecient clip. Where he fails is too many turnovers and not enough assists. I believe he can be better at that.

When Irvin's shots go to MAAR next season, he's going to score a lot of points.

I'm excited to see where Simpson takes his game next year. Walton did him a gigantic favor by showing him the blueprint on how to run this team. He's not the same type of guard as Walton but he can aspire to lead like him.

[Hannibal]

IMHO this year's result should at least be next year's goal. Sweet Sixteen seed and then at least win a couple of tourney games after that.

[Kstat]

IMHO this year's result should at least be next year's goal. Sweet Sixteen seed and then at least win a couple of tourney games after that.

If their new kids can contribute off the bench and they don't lose Wagner or Wilson, sweet 16 should be the bare minimum requirement. They're going to have a ton of firepower and two bigs auditioning for the NBA. It should be a better roster.

Yes being super young at PG is a concern, but they will be super experienced at every other spot on the floor which should even it out.

[hack]

With Simpson and Matthews we have a much better shot at containing slashers. The B1G doesn't have a ton of those guys, but that's what really hurt against Oregon. Irvin limited Brooks but MAAR isn't the guy for that job.

I agree it should be a better roster. And it will be a roster that has already committed to defense. This season was in part about learning how to make that commitment. Oregon hopefully taught them a few lessons about making it on every single play. I agree that with the two bigs back that the Sweet 16 is a reasonable expectation. If Simpson is a learner I could see this being an awfully good team.

Lastly, Donlon has to stay. I don't know if he'll get offers. Maybe it would take another year. But he did amazing work this year and will be an HC candidate before long.

[Hannibal]

I have hopes for next year but they are tempered by the memory of two absolute dookies that Beilein put up following a promising season (09-10 and 14-15).

[hack]

Lost Stauskas to the NBA, McGary to injury, LeVert to injury. So, two ifs. If he keeps Wagner and Wilson, and the team is healthy, no reason to expect that. The bigger if is leadership. Beilein's teams have been bad when they have no strong on-court leader. Somebody has to step into Walton's shoes there.

[*JD*]

Well, it was a hell of a run by this team, that was a shot going 1-2 inches further or a rebound away from not being over just yet. I have to say I'm proud of everyone on this squad. I'd say they still almost won last night while playing maybe their C+/B- game. That's the mark of a good team.

Looking to next year, I do feel decent about X taking over. I'm hoping he makes a Darius Morris-like leap from Freshman to Sophomore. We don't really need him to be a big-time scorer, just to make enough buckets (and FT's) to keep the other team honest. With everyone else back and healthy, I think they're a Top 15 team with a chance to go at least one step further than they did this year. PG is the one question mark. Even if X does become a solid starter, depth is a bit of a question. Does MAAR back him up? Is Brooks going to be ready to run this offense for 10 minutes a game as a Freshman? Do they look to add a graduate transfer?

If they add Mo Bamba, an Elite 8 run is the floor. The team could truly be special.

All in all, a really good season. It's fun to see a team get past their struggles and keep growing through the year. I'll hopefully remember than more than the heartbreak of last night and what could have been. A match-up with Kansas could've been fun, even though they look unstoppable right now.