Michigan Basketball

Why This Sweet 16 Michigan Team Makes Zero Basketball Sense

... earned a trip to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. But there's sometthing about these Wolverines that truly qualifies as March Madness. Michigan has made more 3-pointers than any major conference school this season. They pour in 9.5 treys per game and have knocked down 22 in the NCAA Tournament, best of any team still alive. Now, here is what’s so counterintuitive: At just under 64 possessions per 40 minutes, the Wolverines have played to the 344 th slowest pace in Division 1, slower than every major conference team except Virginia. To get an idea of how backwards this is, first take a look at the nation's highest-scoring team in UCLA. The high-octane Bruins have made just five less threes than Michigan this season but play at the third-fastest pace among all major conference teams. MORE: Key stats to Thursday's Sweet 16 games. Michigan's pace becomes ...

Michigan Basketball Recruit Isaiah Livers Predicts Wolverines Title

... Nelsen / Special to the DFP. Kalamazoo Central's Isaiah Livers, a future Wolverine, is awarded the 2017 Mr. Basketball award Monday Mar. 20, 2017 at the Detroit Free Press. (Photo: Mandi Wright, DFP). 1 CONNECT TWEET LINKEDIN COMMENTEMAILMORE. Isaiah Livers plans to suit up for the defending national champion in basketball next season. And the Michigan signee is not afraid to say it. “How they’re playing right now, I don’t see anybody in the country beating them,” said Livers, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward and this year’s Mr. Basketball winner from Kalamazoo Central. “I’m putting pressure on them. I think they can do it.”. The Wolverines, considered an NCAA bubble team late in the season before a surprising Big Ten tournament championship run, are four victories from the program’s first national title since 1989. Michigan (26-11), the No. 7 seed in the Midwest Regional, faces No. 3 Oregon (31-5) in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo. The winner advances to the Elite Eight to meet ...

After Traumatic Plane Crash, Michigan Basketball Can't Lose

... such a traumatic real-life event might seem silly if it wasn’t for this: Michigan has played exceptionally well since March 8. The Wolverines (25-11) eventually made it to the Big Ten Tournament and then won four games in four days, beating Wisconsin by 15 points Sunday to assure an NCAA bid that had seemed relatively uncertain just a few weeks before. After a hot-shooting 92-91 win over Oklahoma State on Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Michigan has won six in a row entering Sunday’s 12:10 p.m. NCAA second round game against Louisville (25-8) and is playing as well as any team still playing. “Obviously, a lot of people want to say that was a big moment in our season,” senior Duncan Robinson said. “I think it was, but I wouldn’t point at that as being the sole reason. I think before that we were playing ...

A Sweet Sixteen From Not Too Long Ago

... for the NCAA Tournament. Due to the team’s late season semi-swoon, the South Dakota Jackrabbits were a trendy upset pick in the first round. No such thing came close to passing; Michigan won, 71-56, earning them a matchup with VCU in the Round of Thirty-Two, in which—you guessed it—VCU was a popular upset pick. “Michigan won’t be able to handle VCU’s kinetic press,”; “The Big Ten doesn’t have teams that play the way VCU does,”; “VCU is a tournament hardened team, Michigan isn’t,” said a disconcerting number of pundits in anticipation of The Round of 32. In the end, Mitch Mc Gary revealed a shockingly sophisticated and devastating high-post game that led to a 78-53 Michigan win. Next came the Kansas Jayhawks, the one seed out of the region. Freshman sensation and presumptive number two pick in the NBA draft Ben Mc Lemore would roast Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glen Robinson III—the thinking went—while senior behemoth Jeff Withey would put out-of-almost-nowhere freshman ...

Jet Carrying Michigan Basketball Team Had Mechanical Issue Before Failed Takeoff

... Michigan. The elevators are the primary means of controlling the airplane's pitch. Courtesy of NTSB. The flight data recorder showed that both elevators moved normally two days prior, when the plane was flown to the Willow Run Airport, but during the taxi and take-off roll on the day of the crash, the right elevator did not move, according to NTSB. The NTSB statement said. "During takeoff roll, the left elevator began a large airplane nose-up movement (consistent with rotation) at an airspeed of about 152 knots and continued for five seconds to about 166 knots. There was no change in the airplane pitch attitude during this time. The airplane data then are consistent with the takeoff being rejected. The maximum recorded airspeed was about 173 knots.". The plane went through a fence and over a service road before coming to a stop, from what could be seen at the airport, and the NTSB confirmed ...

New Big Ten Coach Loves How Michigan Basketball Is Playing, A Safe Flight, Spring Football, And More

... elite and nobody talks about is they’re an unbelievable passing team. They play so fast. [Guard] Frank Mason is so fast. He would be my pick for National Player of the Year. I said it back a month ago. He’s special. “[Guard] Devonte’ Graham doesn’t get enough attention. Everybody talks about [freshman forward] Josh [Jackson], and he is a lottery pick, a top-5 pick, but they’re so fast and they pass it. That could cause Michigan problems. We hurt Michigan a little bit in transition the way we played, and Kansas has another gear that we didn’t have, so that could potentially go Kansas’ way, but it wouldn’t shock me either way.”. Safe flight. The Wolverines had one last film session on Tuesday in Ann Arbor to acquaint themselves with Oregon before leaving for Kansas City. It was the team’s first flight since returning from Washington, D. C., after winning the Big Ten Tournament. Hello Kansas City! 〽🏀 is here. Flight to Sweet 16 was great. Thanks once again to @Delta #Go Blue #March Madness. — ...

Duncan Robinson Is Full Of Questions

... Michigan answers. Mark Snyder , Detroit Free Press Published 12:19 p.m. ET March 21, 2017 | Updated 8:35 p.m. ET March 21, 2017. Michigan basketball coach John Beilein speaks with reporters Tuesday, March 21, 2017, in Ann Arbor. Video by Mark Snyder / DFP. Michigan Wolverines forward Duncan Robinson talks with reporters after the 73-69 win against Louisville on Sunday, March 19 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in the second round of the 2017 NCAA tournament. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, DFP). 59 CONNECT TWEET LINKEDIN 11 COMMENTEMAILMORE. Duncan Robinson's mind was racing, even as an 11-year-old. His Little League team in Rye, N. H., was preparing for the state playoffs, and he was getting some extra work by spending an hour with a baseball instructor. But his attention soon shifted. “He had this pitching machine, and Duncan wanted to go over and see the inner workings, the lever system and all that, he was very curious about that,” Robinson's mother, Elisabeth, recalled. “When I arrived to pick Duncan up, they were looking at ...

Oof! Michigan Basketball Loses Heartbreaker To Oregon, 69-68

... Michigan Wolverines guard Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman drives against Oregon forward Kavell Bigby-Williams during the first half Thursday, March 23, 2017 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City in the NCAA tournament. Kirthmon F. Dozier, DFP. Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. drives against Oregon forward Kavell Bigby-Williams during the first half Thursday, March 23, 2017 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City in the NCAA tournament. Kirthmon F. Dozier, DFP. Michigan Wolverines guard Duncan Robinson drives against Oregon forward Jordan Bell during the first half Thursday, March 23, 2017 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City in the NCAA tournament. Kirthmon F. Dozier, DFP. Michigan Wolverines forward Moe Wagner drives against Oregon forward Jordan Bell during the first half Thursday, March 23, 2017 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City in the NCAA tournament. Kirthmon F. Dozier, DFP. Michigan Wolverines guard Zak Irvin drives against Oregon ...

Football School? Michigan Basketball Tradition Restored

... Webber, Jalen Rose, coach Steve Fisher and the Ed Martin scandal, their impact on college basketball was huge - and unforgettable. Even to some of Michigan’s legendary football players, basketball mattered. Bennie Oosterbaan was a basketball All-American, and coached the Wolverines in both sports. East Detroit’s Ron Kramer averaged 17 points and nine rebounds per game for the UM basketball team in 1950 s. And Tom Harmon started two seasons for the Michigan basketball team. Yes, he wore No.98. It’s just there was a lull after the Fab 5, and it was a long one. But obviously, that time is over. While Michigan’s run to the Sweet 16 of NCAA tournament this year was unexpected, it continued a recent trend. The Wolverines advanced to the NCAA championship game in 2013 before losing to Louisville. A year later, Michigan won the Big Ten regular season title before getting to the Elite Eight ...

Complete Breakdown Of Michigan Basketball

... game that, at the time, was a must win to get into the Big Dance. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports. Xavier Simpson (G): 6'0' 180 lbs. Notable Stats: None. Strengths: He only plays a few minutes a game, but he spells the most important position on the team. We must know about him! A relative unknown Wolverine, this freshman is more than meets the eye. His greatest asset as a bench player is that he is not a liability on defense. Beilein has consistently played him at the end of tight games when he has the lead. You don't do that with players you don't trust with something. He has held his own on defense and is an excellent ball handler. He doesn't contribute much on the offensive floor, but he gives Walton and Abdur-Rahkman the little breather they need. Plus, it's March. You never know when a freshman is going to go off and explode onto the scene. Weakness: He's still adjusting to the speed of the game as well as Beilein's system, but that will come with experience. He doesn't have a great shot or vision yet. Best Game of the Year: February 7, 2017 vs Michigan St. Many argue this was ...

Michigan Basketball Typifying Total Team Effort In Ncaas

... and three steals. But the only numbers that really mattered were the ones at the end: 73-69, the final score. Everybody on this team knows that anyone can go off on any given game, which is what really makes this team so dangerous. Michigan Wolverines forward D. J. Wilson scores against Louisville forward Mangok Mathiang during the second round of the 2017 NCAA tournament Sunday, March 19 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, DFP). Now the team will prepare for an even bigger spotlight and new unknowns. The entire Michigan fanbase will be watching, even as spring practices get underway for football and the baseball team starts to emerge (ranked last week in the top 25). Free Press sports writers Jeff Seidel and Mark Snyder react to Michigan's 73-69 win over Louisville in the second round of the NCAA tournament Sunday, March 19 in Indianapolis. Video by Mark Snyder, DFP. But this is a team effort. Michigan basketball is ...