There was an overload of Super Bowl coverage yesterday so, I withheld my Spartan Blog until this morning.
If you watched the game between the Spartans and Wolverines on Sunday, then you know the final score wasn’t indicative of the Spartans dominance…and more importantly, a single stat tells ‘The’ story.
The most compelling stat of the game? Michigan collected 16 Rebounds as a team (no misprint) while Draymond Green of Michigan State collected 16 Rebounds in a solo effort! But wait…there’s more. The Spartans collected a total of 40 Rebounds including 28 Defensive Rebounds…and 12 Offensive Rebounds…which translates to an extraordinary 24 Rebound margin.
Let me repeat…24 Rebound Margin. That’s a staggering statistic. At any level of play (High School, College or Pros)…a plus 24 Rebound Margin transcends conventional Basketball thinking. Think about it? It’s nearly impossible to get a 24 Rebound margin in a 40 minute game. How is it possible to only gather 16 Rebounds while giving up 40? Let me know if you have an answer?
Needless to say, most of the statistics favored the Spartans but the Rebound Margin stands alone as the most telling stat.
Consequently, the outcome of the game was predictable. The Spartans were active on the floor and limited Michigan’s ability to penetrate the paint…and that relegated Michigan to becoming a ‘one dimensional’ perimeter team with a less than impressive result: 19 of 48 (39.6%) from the field…and 7 of 22 (31.8%) beyond the arc…and needless to say, those woeful statistics won’t win many Basketball games. It’s simple really, a team can’t win on jump shots alone. But Michigan tried.
And, as it relates to limiting Michigan opportunities in the paint, let’s give credit to where credit is due. The Spartan ‘Bigs’, namely Derrick Nix (6’9” and 270)…and Adreian Payne (6’10” & 240) took away the Wolverines inside opportunities. Payne and Nix aren’t flashy…and they don’t get big headlines…but when the Spartans capture a win, you can usually trace it back to great defensive work ‘down low’…compliments of Payne & Nix.
As for Michigan, I give them credit. Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway are good players… but Michigan is woefully short on talent inasmuch as 7 players got playing time but only 6 players got double digit minutes (and that’s their normal rotation) while the Spartans played their usual ‘deep bench’ and 10 players got playing time…8 players got double digit minutes…9 players scored…and most importantly, 9 players collected Rebounds (and that’s a normal rotation for the Spartans).
Dominant Rebounding is no surprise for the Spartans given the fact they are #1 in Big Ten Rebound Margin…and #3 Nationally…and when it’s all said and done, the best teams usually have the best rebound stats! Rebound Margin alone is not a guarantee for winning basketball games, but it sets the tempo for the game. It sets up ‘high’ percentage shots…and it takes away scoring opportunities for an opponent.
In the future, Michigan has to get better ‘down low’ if they are intent on competing for the Big Ten title. Rebounding is the ‘heart and soul’ of Basketball and it’s tantamount to running between the tackles…or stopping the run in football. Games are won in the trenches in football…and games are won in the ‘paint’ in basketball. If you’re not attacking the basket then you don’t get to the line. The Spartans went to the line 20 times Sunday compared to 12 for Michigan and in that aspect, the Spartans outscored the Wolverines 14-9 on the most simplistic play in Basketball.
It is well advertised that Michigan has an impressive recruiting class coming to Ann Arbor next fall…including a Big Center…but good recruits alone won’t resolve a team’s inability to rebound and play ‘game changing’ Defense. The Wolverines will add two or three highly prized recruits…but they lose Zack Novak and Stu Douglass to graduation…both of whom play nearly 40 minutes per game and collectively contribute 25% of ‘M’ scoring and 23% of ‘M’ rebounding. But, more importantly, Beilein must change his Basketball philosophy.
It’s worth remembering, players ‘play’ in the manner they’re coached…but 5 years into his tenure in Ann Arbor, John Beilein has yet to demonstrate that his teams have an appetite or an ability to ‘crash’ the glass or dominate in the paint. I think John Beilein is a good guy but he has to change the demeanor of his teams from ‘outside’ to ‘inside’ if he hopes to compete for the Big Ten title.
Meanwhile, if you’re penciling in your favorites to arrive at the Final Four…don’t overlook the Spartans!
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