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March 5, 2013
Borton's Blog: Who's Hot/Not
John Borton
TheWolverine.com John Beilein's squad experienced more ups and downs in the last handful of games than the pushup-producing Oregon Duck did when his football team faced Arizona. The Wolverines featured risers and rough-spotters over the course of going 3-2.
Here's a look at the most recent temperature gauge for the Wolverines, featuring the last five games.
Who's Hot:
Trey Burke -- The sophomore point guard willed the Wolverines to victory over Michigan State, after telling them in a players-only meeting they needed to be tougher. He's been plenty tough of late, averaging 22.4 points per game and just over six assists in that five-game stretch.
Burke shot an incredible (especially for a guard) 56.9 percent in that five-game skein, connecting on 47.4 percent (9-for-19) on three-pointers. He also shot a solid 85.3 percent from the free throw line (29-for-34), helping the Wolverines close out wins. He'll need more help come tournament time, but continues playing at an extremely high level.
Glenn Robinson -- Robinson seemed to disappear for a stretch, but he's coming back, thanks in part to becoming more active around the basket and benefiting from Burke's feeds. The freshman represented Michigan's second-leading scorer over the past five contests, averaging 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing. He shot 57.6 percent over that stretch and 84.6 percent at the line, although he missed all six three-point attempts in that span.
Jordan Morgan Morgan announced his return in earnest against Michigan State, giving MSU big man Derrick Nix fits around the Spartans' basket. Morgan has played an increasing role as he gets stronger after being out with an ankle injury, and is 7-for-11 from the field, averaging 4.4 rebounds a game in the last handful. His defensive presence makes a difference, though - just ask MSU.
Who's Not:
Tim Hardaway, Jr. -- Hardaway should have been the undeniable hero of Michigan's win at Wisconsin - and would have been, had the Wolverines won. But ever since a half-court bomb nullified the junior's clutch three-pointer and the Badgers won in overtime, Hardaway has been searching for answers.
He went a combined 4-for-23 in the two Michigan State games, and is shooting just 31.1 percent over the last five, 16 percent (4-for-25) from three-point range. He has rebounded well, averaging a team-best 5.4, but getting his shooting touch back will be essential to the Wolverines' hopes heading into tournament time.
Nik Stauskas The Spartans had Stauskas in stitches, and not due to Tom Izzo's rapier wit. An opening-moments head-splitter sidelined the freshman for all but four minutes of the MSU game, at the end of a tough five-game stretch.
For many, shooting 33.3 percent from three-point range is acceptable, but not when you spent the first half of the season over 50 percent. Stauskas also turned the ball over 10 times with five assists in the last handful of contests, figures he'll want to flip.
Hot And Cold
Mitch McGary -- McGary enjoyed one of his best games of the season in the rematch against the Spartans, with 11 points and four rebounds, not to mention a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch. But an overall 3-for-10 effort at the line and 10 turnovers against two assists in the last five games give him some areas to polish up.
Caris LeVert -- LeVert also turned heads against the Spartans, playing 30 minutes of action with eight points, a pair of steals, and some very solid defense. But the freshman is a better shooter than his numbers show of late - 7-for-23 (30.4 percent) from the field, 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from three-point range.
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