The Michigan Wolverines’ basketball team took down Saginaw Valley State, 82-51, this evening at Crisler Center in the club’s first and only exhibition game of the season.
There were plenty of takeaways following the victory (both positive and negative), but head coach Juwan Howard chose to focus on an area he has plenty of experience in when asked in the postgame what jumped out at him most from the box score.
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“Points in the paint [allowed],” he confirmed. “We didn’t do a good job of protecting the paint. We gave up too many layups in the first half, and we made an adjustment in the second half to not allow easy post catches.
“We got better at defending the post line, and did a better job of staying disciplined defensively.”
The Wolverines’ defense as a whole finished with impressive statistics, holding the Cardinals to just 35 percent shooting from the floor and 20 percent from behind the arc.
One of the few junctures in the game where Michigan’s defense was a bit flustered was when it allowed SVSU to go on a 17-8 run late in the first half to trim U-M’s lead from 13 (23-10) to four (31-27), though the Maize and Blue responded quickly to take a 12-point lead into the break.
“Part of that halftime message was about interior defense, but also how we didn’t do a good job of sharing the basketball,” Howard revealed.
“There were 19 possessions that included a one-pass shot, and that’s not how we play. We need ball movement and making the extra passes, especially to open guys.
“I think our guys were so excited to play a new opponent. The ball went in easy for us in the first three minutes, but then we had a drought where we were just jacking up shots.”
The assist numbers weren’t pretty following the triumph, with senior guard Zavier Simpson standing as the only player who had more than three (finished with 11).
Many of the Wolverines’ quick shots came in transition, with the pace of offensive play perhaps being the most notable difference from last season’s John Beilein club.
“You have to pick the transition you feel is best for your team,” Howard explained. “Yes, it’s an adjustment from how we played last year offensively, and I know it’s totally different than what people are accustomed to.
“Overall, I liked our pace, even though I’d like us to be more solid, more disciplined and to make better decisions.”
One of the aspects of tonight’s victory that was reminiscent of Beilein’s squads, however, was the amount of three-pointers Michigan attempted.
The Maize and Blue took 31 shots from deep, with nearly half of their nine makes coming from junior forward Isaiah Livers (four).
“There were times where we could have made an extra pass to an open man on the three-point line,” the U-M head coach confirmed.
“If you’re open, I want our guys to shoot it and not second guess or play a thinking game like robots. I want them to read the game, and read time and possession.
“Shooting a contested three-pointer with someone draped on you is not a good shot for us.”
On the flip side, one player who had no problem attacking the basket was junior guard Eli Brooks, who made it to the free throw line 10 times (and made all 10 of his attempts).
The junior wound up finishing with a double-double (13 points and 10 boards), and was also the team’s second-leading assist man (three) behind Simpson.
“Eli is a big competitor,” Howard exclaimed. “He might be a little small because of his size, but he competes every day. I told our perimeters there would be a lot of long rebounds, so it was important for us to first block out and then chase down those long boards.
“It was our goal for our perimeters to get three or more rebounds tonight. We need everybody by committee getting boards for us and shutting down extra possessions for the opponent.
“This is a possession game, where we have to take care of the basketball and rebound it.”
Notes
• Michigan played 14 different athletes tonight, with Howard using a steady rotation of players all throughout the game.
Granted, four of them didn't make their first appearance until the 2:52 mark of the second half when the victory was well in hand, but the substitutions came early and often nonetheless.
"Part of it was scripted in the first half," Howard revealed. "You still have to read the game and make adjustments according to how guys are playing, and who’s playing well.
"For example, [senior center] Jon Teske had played almost 11 straight minutes in the first half and I thought there was a moment where he was a little winded, so I had to get [sophomore center] Colin [Castleton] in.
"That allowed Jon to take a rest, and sure enough Colin was ready and played very well for us.”
• Tonight's victory was likely the first of many that Howard will serve as the head coach in, meaning the learning process and the steps for improvement for him personally begin immediately.
“I’m always evaluating myself, and I’m my worst critic," he noted. "I’ll sit down tonight and think about the game, and will hopefully get some sleep.
"I may have some sleep disturbances where I wake up and start thinking about it, but it just shows how much I care about doing the right thing and making sure our guys understand the message we’re trying to get across.
"I think it’s important for me to critique myself and hold myself accountable, because I’m asking our players to take accountability in how they compete.”
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