Watch the full press conferences for both Tom Crean and John Beilein following Indiana’s 80-61 win over the Wolverines in Assembly Hall on Saturday night in the embedded media players below:
Communication key against Michigan’s transition offense
by Zachary Osterman in Media | January 14th, 2011
BLOOMINGTON — Transition defense was the hot topic Friday afternoon during media availability at Assembly Hall. Tom Crean called Michigan “the best transition basketball team in the Big Ten,” and Jeremiah Rivers said he and his teammates have spent a large portion of the week working to improve in defending against points on the break.
Defending in transition has been a problem for Indiana this season, in large part due to Indiana’s struggles with talking and on-court communication. That, in turn, has created problems when shooters come free on the break and aren’t picked up, John Shurna’s ability to shake loose for open shots Sunday in the Hoosiers’ 93-81 loss at Northwestern being a recent example.
Rivers was particularly adamant about the importance of communication against a team that has shot more 3-pointers than any other in the Big Ten:
“Being quiet out there doesn’t help at all. I think being quiet out there gives us inconsistency because you don’t know if your man has your back, you don’t know, if you get beat off the dribble – which will happen in games – if the next player’s gonna step out and help you. So I think all week, that’s all we’ve been doing, or one of the main things we’ve been doing on defense is helping each other on defense. So I think it’s been real good.”
Michigan will provide an excellent case study into how productive Indiana’s week has been. The Wolverines are trigger happy, as are most John Beilein-coached teams, but they’ve got several pieces that cause problems, foremost among them Darius Morris.
The sophomore is enjoying a breakout season, averaging 15.4 points, 7.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He has been the conduit through which much of the Wolverines’ offense has run, both in scoring and in creating for others.
“Well he’s the new Manny Harris in the sense that he attacks, creates for others, he can get to the rim really well and the ball is gonna be in his hands when it’s winning time,” Crean said. “He does a good job of finding shooters if they’re open, like Zach Novak, Stu Douglass, Tim Hardaway Jr., and he’s playing like a floor leader for them.”
The others for which Morris likes to create include sharpshooters Zach Novak and Stu Douglass, who both shoot north of 38 percent from 3-point range and average 9.2 and 7.4 points per game, respectively. Novak in particular was a player Rivers termed the Wolverines’ “x-factor” in terms of scoring, and keeping both him and Morris from finding an early rhythm could go a long way for Indiana.
2010-2011 Season Preview: Michigan Wolverines
by Alex Bozich in Commentary | November 10th, 2010
It’s time for Inside the Hall’s team-by-team breakdown of the Big Ten Conference. Today: The Michigan Wolverines.
The trajectory of the Michigan basketball program is far less defined entering the 2010-2011 campaign compared to a season ago.
Last fall, the Wolverines were a consensus preseason top 15 team that returned two of the league’s top players — guard Manny Harris and forward DeShawn Sims. But when the smoke cleared, Michigan finished with a disappointing 15-17 record and failed to reach a postseason tournament.
It was a significant step back for a program that reached the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament and seemed to be headed in the right direction.
So what are we to expect of this year’s version of the Michigan Wolverines? Another season of struggle in what will be John Beilein’s fourth season in Ann Arbor.
Three of Beilein’s top five scorers from last season — Harris (NBA), Sims (graduation) and Laval Lucas-Perry (violation of team rules) — are gone. Juniors Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, who would both be considered solid role guys under different circumstances, are Beilein’s top two returning pieces.
This means Michigan will rely, mostly out of necessity, on newcomers Evan Smotrycz and Tim Hardaway Jr. for immediate contributions. Smotrycz, a top 60 recruit according to Rivals, is a 6-9 forward that loves to shoot from the perimeter but also possesses the ability to put the ball on the floor. Hardaway Jr, son of the former NBA great Tim Hardaway (UTEP Two-Step!), can reportedly fill it up from the perimeter and also knock down pull-up jump shots. Sophomore point guard Darius Morris, who started 19 games as a freshman, will also be relied on heavily.
Poor offense, turnovers doom Indiana in Ann Arbor
by Zachary Osterman in Recaps | January 15th, 2010
Ann Arbor, Mich. — To be fair to Indiana, the final score was not reflective of the closeness of the game through the first 35 minutes. To be fair to Michigan, it still wasn’t that far off after the last five.
On this night, it was the familiar blend of turnovers, poor shot selection and an overall lack of offensive rhythm that doomed Indiana in a 69-45 loss. The Hoosiers were just 1-of-15 from behind the arc, shot 36.5 percent from the floor for the game and committed 19 turnovers, leading to 21 Michigan points.
“We got a lot of good looks, but they just wouldn’t fall,” Verdell Jones said afterward, referring in particular to the 3-point shooting.
Indiana fans can take heart in the Hoosiers’ defensive effort, which the final score probably doesn’t do justice. The visitors forced 16 turnovers and never let Michigan find its 3-point shot, one of the Wolverines’ preferred scoring methods. And it wasn’t until late in the second half that Michigan truly pulled away — cued, unsurprisingly, by Manny Harris’ 17 second-half points, most of which came in the final minutes.
“Credit Indiana, they did a wonderful job,” Michigan coach John Beilein said after the game. “I was really impressed with how they played defense today.”
Michigan Postgame Video: Crean and Beilein
by Alex Bozich in Video | December 31st, 2009
Big Ten power rankings: Week 8
A delayed version of the Big Ten power rankings this week. We’ve waited long enough — and more importantly, we’ve made you wait long enough, so let’s just dive right in, shall we?
Inside the Hall Big Ten power rankings: Week 8
The CBI is On Line 11. Indiana – NR; 12-14, 3-10; 33 total points
Christian Watford is back, though he’s not going to be 100 percent through the rest of the season. Indiana needs his aggression to be all there, however, with an even chance at grabbing at least a spot in the CBI with a couple more wins.
The Because We Beat No. 11 No. 10: Iowa – NR; 10-15, 3-10; 30 total points
There’s really no other reason for Iowa to be here. Consider that if you take away the two wins against IU, the Hawkeyes are basically atrocious. But we won’t, because the Inside the Hall rankings are too nice. We also have a soft spot in the old heart-ski for Melsahn Basabe.
The We Weren’t Moving In This Direction Before No. 9. Northwestern – NR; 14-10, 4-9; 27 total points
Northwestern had better make the most of its next two games (home to Iowa, at Indiana). After that, the sledding to win another game could get tough. Bill Carmody has an NIT appearance reputation to protect, daggum!
The In Its Rightful Place No. 8. Penn State – NR; 13-11, 6-7; 22 total points
One of the lowest point totals we’ve ever had at No. 8. The Nittany Lions are an exercise in proving the theory that you can’t just sail through your non-conference. Chalk back a home loss to Maine and Penn State is feeling a lot better about its NIT chances than it does right now.
The Some Sweet Day We’ll Be in the Tourney No. 7. Michigan State – Still NR anymore; 14-11, 6-7; 21 total points
Everyone kept waiting for the Spartans to right their own ship. After losing two of their last three (at Wisconsin, at Ohio State) to the conference elite of which they were supposed to be one, perhaps it’s time to recognize that this just isn’t Tom Izzo’s best crew. As it is, everything is a must-win from here on.
The John Beilein Memorial No. 6. Michigan – NR; 16-10, 6-7; 17 total points
Instead of me writing something insightful (unlikely) or hilariously funny (even more unlikely), I would simply ask you to read this incredible story by Mike Rothstein from AnnArbor.com. Thanks.
The Bruce Weber Memorial No. 5. Illinois (tie) – NR; 16-9, 6-6; 15 total points
Does Illinois deserve to be No. 5? Probably not. Does anybody else? Oh no. The Illini won their first three Big Ten games this season. They promptly lost six of their next nine. Never did a team need to beat Michigan, Iowa and Indiana at home in a worse way. And we’re not even sure that’s enough to impress the committee.
The How Far Has the Big Ten Fallen No. 5 Minnesota (tie) – Receiving votes in both polls; 17-8, 6-7; 15 total points
The weekly Big Ten press release is kind to point out that the Big Ten has as many teams (3) in the country’s top 11 as any conference in the country. What it neglects to mention is that those three teams, which coincidentally make up Nos. 1-3 in this poll, are the ONLY three teams left in the Top 25. Minnesota ain’t one of ‘em, just like Illinois or Michigan State. Oof.
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