The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 43 (8.6). In addition, Diabate is averaging nearly a blocked shot per game, but all of the newly minted Wolverines are learning to defend with more consistency. Howard consistently urged patience, just like he's exercising. Not all fresh- man classes come with three future NBA All-Stars, like his did back in 1991. He observed: "It has to be stated that it takes freshmen time to be able to make an adjustment right out of high school and to hit the ground running and play at a high level. "Now, how some of these freshmen are being rated, like five stars, four stars. You get the assumption that five stars — be- cause they've seen some who have domi- nated at other programs — are supposed to dominate when they first arrive, [first] touch in live game action. But it takes time to develop, and I have patience for it and our staff has the patience for it. "The beauty of it is when you get stu- dent-athletes like our group that ask questions and are so passionate about working out and very disciplined and have the attitude of a growth mindset, it's just beauty to coach guys like that. And that's what we have on our team." POINT OF CONTENTION One whispered prediction regarding the 2021-22 season dominated conversa- tion through the fall months. It held that, as good as Smith was plugging in last year, DeVante' Jones is going to be better. The preseason palaver marked a tall order, for starters. Smith delivered an average 9.0 points, 5.3 assists and 2.8 re- bounds per game for a Big Ten champion, shooting 41.8 percent from three-point range and 79.3 percent from the line. Through his first 15 contests at Michi- gan — after coming in as last year's Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year from Coastal Carolina — Jones averaged 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while shooting a strong 45.2 percent on threes and 65.2 percent on free throws. Jones got off to a rough start from be- yond the arc in Big Ten play, connecting on only 1 of 7 in U-M's 1-2 start in con- ference play. Jones noted after the start of Big Ten play that he's getting more accustomed to his surroundings and his teammates. He's gone from a season high of 14 points in a loss to Minnesota and eight rebounds in the victory at Nebraska to failing to score on 0-of-3 shooting at Rutgers. In other words, Jones has experienced some of the same ups and downs his team has in the early going. Howard noted — of the whole squad — there's a lot of learning taking place while the Wolverines try to move for- ward in this once-again COVID-im- pacted season. "I really commend and respect — and always have — and been a big fan of how our guys have been able to deal with ad- versity," Howard said. "And while that's not making excuses, we have a type of mentality within our group where we roll up our sleeves and embrace the suck. And so, not making an excuse, which we never will — we're a non-ex- cuse-based type of group — what we have, who's available to play, we trust that each and every guy is going to play hard, play together, play smart and play to win. "I really admired how our guys went out there, competed on the road [with an eight-man roster] at Rutgers … we have a group of student-athletes who not only have done everything that me and my staff have asked of them — to come and practice, work hard, be locked in, give their best effort. They have done the same thing in the classroom, not just this year for the first semester, but last year as well." So far, there's not much comparing this year to last year — at least when it comes to basketball results. The how much, how soon for this crew depends on health, learning and quick adjust- ments in multiple areas to try and scramble up a team that can find the NCAA bubble. ❏ Where They Stand With The Hard Numbers Michigan didn't figure to be sitting just above .500, 8-7, past the midway point of January. But there are a few items the Wolverines didn't figure on, and the harsh numbers bear them out: • Through 15 contests, Michigan stood 10th in the 14-team Big Ten in scoring average. The Wolverines averaged 72.1 points per game, far from the top three of Purdue (86.2), Iowa (86.2) and Illinois (80.2). • The Wolverines stood eighth in the league defensively, surrendering 66.7 points on average. The league's top three defensive squads through Jan. 18 were Indiana (62.7), Penn State (64.7) and Rutgers (65.1). • Those two figures left U-M eighth in the Big Ten in scoring differential per game, at a plus 5.4. Purdue (18.4), Iowa (14.5) and Illinois (14.1) held the biggest average winning gap. • The Wolverines stood as a middle-of-the-pack shooting squad, fifth at 47.1 percent. Purdue (50.2), Indiana (48.3), Ohio State (47.8) and Iowa (47.8) paced Big Ten shooters. • Michigan was no better than No. 8 defending opponents' shooting, at 41.6 percent. Indiana (36.5), Michigan State (39.1) and Illinois (39.7) turned opponents away most effectively. • U-M's tepid three-point shooting has been an issue all season. The Wolverines stood at No. 11 in the Big Ten, connecting on 33.6 percent of their deep balls. Pur- due (40.3), Michigan State (38.8) and Illinois (38.1) led the way in this category. • Michigan also carried the label as one of the Big Ten's least productive squad from beyond the arc. They were tied for 12th with an average of 6.3 three- pointers per game, well behind the top three of Purdue (9.8), Illinois (9.7) and Ohio State (8.5). • The Wolverines have fared much better defending the three, surrendering a percentage of only 29.4 for foes. That proved good enough to tie for third in the league with Indiana, a shade behind league-leading Minnesota (27.4). • Michigan hasn't taken advantage at the free throw line, ranking 13th out of the 14 Big Ten squads from the stripe. The Wolverines connected on 68.0 percent of their free throws through Jan. 18, well behind league leaders Iowa (76.8), Wis- consin (75.2) and Ohio State (74.5). • U-M has held its own on the boards, checking in at No. 5 in the Big Ten in re- bounding margin, at plus 6.5. Purdue (12.4), Illinois (12.1), and both Indiana and Michigan State (7.4) checked in as the top four chairmen of the boards. — John Borton