Hot Streak Continues As Final Stretch Begins
During an ugly 10-9 run from November to February the Wolverines were one of the most unwatchable teams in the nation. They had no fire. They were boring. And they capped it all off with a February 4th home loss to Ohio State. As a fan I was left wondering if this program was beiginning to crumble out from underneath Coach Beilein. Had his stoic ways eroded any passion the players had? Where was that promising team that had an exciting run to the Big Ten Tournament semifinal last year? Nobody seemed to have an answer.
But that was two weeks ago.
On February 7th the team walked into the Crisler Center building and put up a game for the ages with a 29-point blowout of the rival Spartans. Since then they have added two more huge wins on the road at Indiana, where they rarely get a win, and at home against #11 Wisconsin, who they rarely ever beat. They are currently 17-9 and slowly rising up the conference ladder.
The differences of the team playing right now and the one that was just barely hanging in there a few weeks ago is simple - the leadership has emerged. You are seeing guys taking on their responsibilities "with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind" and you are seeing guys feeding off each other's energy. It's been fun, regreshing, and much-needed in regards to saving the season.
Despite having a rather quiet game against Wisconsin on Thursday night, PG Derrick Walton Jr. has scored 99 points in the last five games while looking exactly like the point guard that this program had envisioned him to be when they recruited him four years ago. He has hit key shots in key moments and he has been the catalyst that has kept this team together. G Mahammed-Ali Abdur Rahkman has averaged 12 points per game over the last four while also hitting 50% from three-point range. G/F Zack Irvin finally woke up from a slump in the win against the Badgers, hitting 50% from the field for 18 points. Six of those points came off big three-pointers after he had only hit on two of his previous 15 attempts from beyond the arc in the previous four games. F/C Moritz Wagner has been a much-needed spark plug on the floor. He seems to be gaining momentum as the season goes on, just as he did late last year. He has reached
double digit points in four out of the last five games while hitting on 46% of his 19 three-point attempts. He also pulled off a double-double at Indiana while taking down 10 rebounds and putting up 11 points. He is an emerging star. F D.J. Wilson, who has been the most-improved player on the team this year, He has hitting a whopping 49% from the field over the last five games. He too is a rising star. G/F Duncan Robinsson has been killing teams while shooting 59% from the field and 50% from three-point range over the last three games. His eight points per game off the bench have been huge. PG Xavier Simpson has been getting more game time too. He saw a lot of minutes against Michigan State and Indiana, hitting on four of five shots for nine points and three rebounds in those two contests. His defense has been solid too. F Mark Donnal has been decent at times in relief of Wagner and Wilson. He is averaging 64% from the feild, 46% from downtown, five points per game, and 2.5 rebounds per game on the season. That depth will be much-needed in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.
All hands will be needed on deck as the team cruises into the final five game stretch that includes four road games. They head to Minnesota tomorrow to play the 19-7 Gophers. Not an easy game, but it's very important as both teams are currently tied with a 7-6 conference record. Then it's a trip to the East Coast for a Wednesday night game at Rutgers. That's a more winnable game but could be a trap with #16 Purdue looming ahead on Saturday. They close the season on the road at Northwestern on March 1st and at Nebraska on the 5th. If they can win four out of those five it would be amazing, but anything less than a 3-2 record in that stretch would be enough to keep them out of the NCAA Tournament.
Can this hot streak continue? We shall see...
But that was two weeks ago.
On February 7th the team walked into the Crisler Center building and put up a game for the ages with a 29-point blowout of the rival Spartans. Since then they have added two more huge wins on the road at Indiana, where they rarely get a win, and at home against #11 Wisconsin, who they rarely ever beat. They are currently 17-9 and slowly rising up the conference ladder.
The differences of the team playing right now and the one that was just barely hanging in there a few weeks ago is simple - the leadership has emerged. You are seeing guys taking on their responsibilities "with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind" and you are seeing guys feeding off each other's energy. It's been fun, regreshing, and much-needed in regards to saving the season.
Despite having a rather quiet game against Wisconsin on Thursday night, PG Derrick Walton Jr. has scored 99 points in the last five games while looking exactly like the point guard that this program had envisioned him to be when they recruited him four years ago. He has hit key shots in key moments and he has been the catalyst that has kept this team together. G Mahammed-Ali Abdur Rahkman has averaged 12 points per game over the last four while also hitting 50% from three-point range. G/F Zack Irvin finally woke up from a slump in the win against the Badgers, hitting 50% from the field for 18 points. Six of those points came off big three-pointers after he had only hit on two of his previous 15 attempts from beyond the arc in the previous four games. F/C Moritz Wagner has been a much-needed spark plug on the floor. He seems to be gaining momentum as the season goes on, just as he did late last year. He has reached double digit points in four out of the last five games while hitting on 46% of his 19 three-point attempts. He also pulled off a double-double at Indiana while taking down 10 rebounds and putting up 11 points. He is an emerging star. F D.J. Wilson, who has been the most-improved player on the team this year, He has hitting a whopping 49% from the field over the last five games. He too is a rising star. G/F Duncan Robinsson has been killing teams while shooting 59% from the field and 50% from three-point range over the last three games. His eight points per game off the bench have been huge. PG Xavier Simpson has been getting more game time too. He saw a lot of minutes against Michigan State and Indiana, hitting on four of five shots for nine points and three rebounds in those two contests. His defense has been solid too. F Mark Donnal has been decent at times in relief of Wagner and Wilson. He is averaging 64% from the feild, 46% from downtown, five points per game, and 2.5 rebounds per game on the season. That depth will be much-needed in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.
All hands will be needed on deck as the team cruises into the final five game stretch that includes four road games. They head to Minnesota tomorrow to play the 19-7 Gophers. Not an easy game, but it's very important as both teams are currently tied with a 7-6 conference record. Then it's a trip to the East Coast for a Wednesday night game at Rutgers. That's a more winnable game but could be a trap with #16 Purdue looming ahead on Saturday. They close the season on the road at Northwestern on March 1st and at Nebraska on the 5th. If they can win four out of those five it would be amazing, but anything less than a 3-2 record in that stretch would be enough to keep them out of the NCAA Tournament.
Can this hot streak continue? We shall see...
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