Kornacki: Shorthanded Wolverines Still Looking for Consistency
2/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan point guard Derrick Walton Jr. and guard Zak Irvin stepped up for one half apiece, but their efforts were not enough in Saturday afternoon's (Feb. 6) 89-73 loss to Michigan State.
The Wolverines needed more from the rest of the squad, and Aubrey Dawkins made some noise in the second half. But Michigan couldn't find an effective counter-punch for the No. 10 Spartans, who got 29 points from Bryn Forbes and 21 from Denzel Valentine.
Caris LeVert, a pre-season All-Big Ten selection along with Valentine, could have supplied the lacking firepower. However, LeVert hasn't played since the conference opener and has missed 10 games.
Michigan is 1-4 against top-25 teams without LeVert, and each loss has been by a double-figures margin. The Wolverines did beat No. 3 Maryland, 70-67, without LeVert on a night when Terrapins star Melo Trimble couldn't get it going and also was defended against quite well.
LeVert's lower leg injury has improved to the point where Michigan head coach John Beilein said he had a 30-minute basketball workout before the game. So, he's close. However, Beilein said LeVert had to pass a physical evaluation after the workout in order to be cleared for possible game action.
Michigan (17-7, 7-4 Big Ten) and Michigan State (20-4, 7-4) are tied for fourth in the Big Ten with Purdue. Indiana, Iowa and Maryland have either one or two conference losses apiece and have distanced themselves from the middle of the pack. So, with a conference championship a long shot, it would make no sense to rush LeVert back into action.
Can the Wolverines make runs in the conference tournament or NCAA Tournament with a healthy LeVert? That remains to be seen. But without him, the prospects of doing so are not good.
When asked about playing tough teams sans LeVert, Beilen was quick to mention that senior guard Spike Albrecht, whose season was ended by the need to recover from off-season hip surgeries, also has been an important loss.
"Always put LeVert and Spike in the same deal," said Beilein. "Obviously, we're a better team with Caris out there. Today, I don't know if it makes a difference. They were just really, really good. They run their stuff so well. I told (MSU coach) Tom (Izzo) before the game that I'd seen his team play for nine years, and I've never seen them execute like they're executing now.
"We just can't compete with those teams right now. (Against) the elite teams we're just not good enough."
Valentine also denied Duncan Robinson his shot on defense, and Robinson was limited to two points while missing all three of his trey attempts.
Irvin (19 points), Dawkins (14) and Walton (11) produced reasonably, but nobody else surpassed six points.
Saying LeVert alone will solve everything isn't a fair assessment, but you have to like Michigan's chances much more with its best player. Still, he needs to get his conditioning back and then regain his timing at game speed.
"He's been in water, and he's been on treadmills," said Beilein, "He's done everything, but he's not in shape because we've been so careful to shut him down."
Beilein was asked what can be adjusted to find success whether or not LeVert plays.
"Hopefully a lot can change with him (or) without him where we just continue to get better," said Beilein, "and find some smooth air.
"It's on me to shore up this deficit we have now with our depth. We need to improve, and we need to get better."
Tuesday night's (Feb. 2) 80-67 loss at home to No. 22 Indiana was very much like this one.
So, after winning four consecutive games against unranked teams, Michigan couldn't get consistent offensive or defensive rhythm going against the Spartans. The U-M/MSU series had been 5-5 in the last 10 meetings.
The closest thing to a positive was Walton's hustle -- which was off the charts much of the game.
The ball got poked out of scramble at the Spartans' end of the court during the first half, and Walton and Forbes sprinted for it. As hard as they ran, they couldn't catch up to the ball. Walton dove for it underneath the Michigan basket and, while sliding on his back with Forbes along for the ride, tried to grab and flick it back into play.
He couldn't get the ball but got plenty of crowd reaction. It sparked Michigan during its 11-4 run in the first half.
Walton stole the ball from Eron Harris early in the second half and ignited a fast break that resulted in Walton feeding Mark Donnal for an easy layup.
The junior fought for loose balls, made three treys and three steals. But he didn't score in the second half, taking just two shots and missing both.
Irvin got 12 of his 19 points in the second half, while Dawkins contributed 12 of his 14 points after intermission.
Irvin tried to stoke a fire in his teammates during a timeout with 11:58 remaining to play by pounding his fist down repeatedly and exhorting them to recover.
"I was just fed up with the way we were playing the last two games," said Irvin. "I feel like we need to take it more personally -- especially against Michigan State. This is a huge game.
"We need to do some soul-searching and get back on track. It's been a tough week for us. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We just need to learn from this experience and move on."
The flow created by an unrelenting defense and an offense in sync never came about.
Far too many times Walton dribbled along the three-point line trying to find a cutter or a seam to drive through and found nothing. He was forced to take too many long shots, often on the move, to avoid shot-clock violations.
Meanwhile, Forbes was making eight of 10 treys. He got MSU the lead and saw to it that it didn't come close to evaporating.
LeVert was averaging 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He can supply the punch a Forbes or a Valentine can.
Izzo noted how the Wolverines miss LeVert, adding that his own team struggled when Valentine was out and then had to regain his timing. Izzo added that he knew Beilein wouldn't use that as an excuse for the outcome, but added, "I'll make it for him."
LeVert said, "We don't make any excuses for anything. Obviously, we're going through some adversity right now. But we've got to be able to overcome.
Irvin added, "Obviously, we all want Caris out there. But we can't fall back on that. Caris does a lot, but we've got to have guys step up. He's been gone for the whole Big Ten (schedule) except one game, and we've got to adjust to that."
Dawkins added, "We've got to find a way to win with or without Caris. We've got to step up."
