John Beilein has demonstrated an ability to adapt in the past. All brilliant coaches do.
In Ann Arbor, he transformed his offense from a two-guard Princeton system to one more reliant on ball screens. In doing so, he cemented his reputation as an offensive maestro as Michigan ranked in the top four in adjusted offensive efficiency three times in five years. Then, after seeing his defenses flounder for several seasons, Beilein shook things up and searched for a de facto defensive coordinator to orchestrate that half of the floor. This has paid dividends with the hiring of assistant Luke Yaklich because Michigan, a team once labeled as “white collar,” currently has the best adjusted defensive efficiency in the KenPom era.
However, there is one area where Beilein has refused to adapt despite the evidence indicating that he should: his propensity for benching his players with two first-half fouls until halftime.
Or as it is more commonly known as: the “auto-bench.”
And the auto-bench played a pivotal role in Michigan’s loss at Iowa on Friday night.
