The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/49941
MICHIGAN BASKETBALL liers, who limited the Wolverines to a 22-of-50 (44.0 percent) shooting effort. "They didn't take him away, other than guarding him very well," Beilein said regarding Hardaway. "Tim's not going to be the last guy that comes in here with a high pro- file that they pay a lot of attention to that has to make tough shots against them. He had a tough night, but he's going to bounce back." Beilein expects the same of the Wolverines, who dropped to 4-7 all time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 1-4 on the road. Michigan slipped to 5-2 on the season for 2011-12. EARLY RESULTS A MIXED BAG ON STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Huge scheduling disparities al- ways force any early statistical run- downs to be taken with a Midwest winter storm truckload of salt, but Five Questions About U-M Basketball Each month, we'll pose a handful of key questions on Michigan basketball, as the season develops. Here are a few that close observers of this team are talking about this month. 1. Can Michigan be better this year, with a freshman point guard? Can it be? Sure. Will it be is a question that remains to be seen. Some huge questions were an- swered during the Maui Invita- tional, with freshman point guard Trey Burke stepping up and show- ing savvy, poise and toughness against some very good competi- tion. He brings elements to the point that Michigan didn't feature last year, such as outside shooting. The flip side of that involves him learning all he has to do at the defensive end, how to better fight through screens, getting a better mesh with all those around him on offense, etc. He's very talented, but it's simply a natural learning process. Burke should look a lot different directing this show in February than he does right now, and that's when the question can really be answered. 2. Is Tim Hardaway Jr. ready to enjoy a breakout year? Most would admit he did so as he's shown some strong development, both physically and on the court. Through seven games, he was shooting 60.0 percent (9 of 15) from the field, and boasted the second- best free throw percentage (85.7, 6 of 7) on the team. He's getting roughly 11 minutes of action per game in the early go- ing, and is able to give a breather to the sometimes foul-prone red- shirt sophomore Jordan Morgan. 4. Why hasn't freshman Max Bielfeldt seen the floor? Take that as a good sign that Michigan is getting better, and deeper. It has the two big men just mentioned, who are split- ting minutes in the post, allowing Bielfeldt time to develop and get used to the system. The question lingers, the more Sophomore forward Jon Horford's 12-point, 5-of-5 shoot- ing effort in a 79-63 victory over UCLA on Nov. 23 was sign that he is ready to contribute more in 2011-12. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN a freshman, performing above and beyond what everyone expected coming into his first year. He's certainly taken steps forward, leading the Wolverines in scoring (15.4 points per contest) through seven games and increasing his ball- handling responsibilities. He's still finding his way in stretches against tough teams, suffering shutout first halves against Duke and also Virginia. He's very good, and that's why opponents are going to make him a top target in terms of defensive game plans. He'll need to adjust throughout the year to various schemes thrown at him. 3. Who looks ready to contribute more than last year? Sophomore Jon Horford fits the bill here. His 12-point, 5-of-5 shooting effort against UCLA provided a boost, and 58 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2011 games that go by in which he doesn't play, as to whether or not he'll redshirt. Head coach John Beilein hasn't committed to that yet, but allowed that it's a pos- sibility. It's not a bad plan, either. Morgan benefited greatly from watching and learning for a year, even though his redshirt occurred via injuries. 5. How many wins will this team take into the Big Ten season? The toughest stretch of the non-conference campaign appeared in the rearview mirror, following Michigan's loss at Virginia. The Wolverines came away 5-2 in the first seven, with setbacks against Duke and the Cavaliers, and should kick it into gear over the next couple of weeks. The Wolverines face the following: Iowa State at home, Oakland at The Palace of Auburn Hills, then Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alabama A&M and Bradley at Crisler Arena. A sweep to go 10-2 heading into the Dec. 29 Big Ten opener at Crisler with Penn State appears a strong possibility. Watch out for the Oakland game, though. The Golden Grizzlies are fresh off an 89-81 win over Tennessee, and have shown the ability to annually give good teams trouble. — John Borton it's interesting nonetheless to see how Michigan stacks up against other Big Ten teams. The early returns are var- ied, revealing an offense that hasn't fully meshed, and a defense that re- flects the emphasis put on it. Through Nov. 29, Michigan stood 11th in the 12-team Big Ten in scor- ing offense, putting an average 66.7 points per game on the board. The only conference school scoring at a slower clip was Penn State, averag-