I've told this story before but I feel its relevant again. My son for many years played Travel Baseball here in Florida. The tournaments start Saturday and you play two games. Those games are for seeding the bracket on Sunday. If you went 0-2 or 1-1 on Saturday, to make the Championship game on Sunday, you could play 5 games on Sunday. By 8:00 or 9:00PM on Sunday when the Championship game starts, neither team has any pitching and every kids looks completely tired and not interested in playing another baseball game. The parents feel the same. If you win, you get this 4 foot $18 dollar trophy.
The Big Ten Tournament started on Tuesday and ended on Sunday late afternoon. Purdue had to play 4 games in 4 days and Michigan had to play 3 games in 3 days. Is that the level of effort we want to see in a championship game? Two teams completely gassed? Hat tip to Purdue who found something late in the season and played like the pre-season #1 in Chicago. They beat Michigan soundly on Sunday.
Michigan on the other had played about as worse as they could during their long weekend in Chicago. They sneak by Ohio State, beat Wisconsin on a last second jumper by Yax (after giving up a 13 point lead), and looked like zombie basketball against Purdue. Their focus and mind set this past weekend was not winning the Big Ten Tournament.
My thoughts:
- Yax looked like he was still at the hotel for the first 1 1/2 games
- I'm not sure Rez made the trip from A2, never seen him play so bad defensively against Wisconsin and Purdue.
- Michigan is lost offensively without Cadeau and Yax on the floor.
- Memo to Gayle, no more 3 point shots or layups. Only those mid range pop shots close to the hoop.
- Way to many stupid turnovers, protect the ball.
- Michigan's advantage is down low, why does Michigan settle for the 3 ball so often.
- I was told there would be no math, but I'm pretty sure 3 is more then 2. Michigan collapsing on the driving Wisconsin point guards, just so they can hit an unconscious shooter (who is wide open) has to be the worst defense set possible.
Michigan is the #1 seed in Buffalo and Dusty and staff have their work cut out for them to get this team rested and refocused for a tournament run.
2 comments:
Agree with the turnover problem, McKenney handled the ball very well but otherwise the passive handoffs and weak, sloppy passes need to stop. A lot of times defenders don't know what Cadeau is doing- and neither do his team mates. It has to be crisp passes that are in rhythm- limiting turnovers. This with coordinated defense and taking advantage of mismatches will determine how far this team goes in the tourney. The talent is there.
A defense in the paint was terrible. Purdue and Ohio State got way too many easy shots in the paint.. defenses has to get much better offense has to get better everything's got to get better
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