Kansas – Michigan Basketball Preview
This Saturday, Michigan will play one of the most storied college programs in any sport, the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas is third on the all time win list in the entire history of men’s college basketball, trailing Kentucky and North Carolina by a mere handful of games.
While there is amazing history and tradition at Kentucky and North Carolina, Kansas is the all time leader for basketball tradition in the NCAA. The game’s inventor, James Naismith, was the first Kansas coach. The coaching baton was passed on to Dr. Phog Allen, who in 39 years of coaching won nearly 600 games. Adolph Rupp links the Kansas tradition to Kentucky and Dean Smith and Roy Williams similarly to North Carolina.
No one has won more games in the last twenty years than Kansas. The new guardian of the Kansas legacy is former Big Ten coach Bill Self.
One old coaching adage is that if a program wants to get better, it better schedule the best teams. That is what Michigan appears to have been thinking in scheduling Kansas, along with numerous other very good programs in the non-conference schedule this season.
Kansas has played a good schedule but not nearly as challenging as Michigan’s. However, the Big Twelve schedule will make up for any so-called preseason scheduling softness. Kansas had a close game with Memphis and nothing else to challenge the team has appeared.
The previous schedules do not really matter much; Kansas simply has the superior team. Both teams have had one week to prepare and rest, recently working through the end of exams. The Wolverines have an opportunity to play in one of the most storied buildings in all of sports, Allen Fieldhouse. This is simply “The Kansas Effect.”
Players and coaches frequently comment that Allen Fieldhouse is one of the most difficult places for a visiting team to win in, anywhere, in any sport. It is referred to as intimidating. The overall winning percentage is about 86% for the Jayhawks in the history of the site. However, visitors have only won 26 times in the last 25 years. Ouch!!
Kansas will play very solid defense with pressure on the ball and unfocused teams will commit plenty of turnovers leading to easy buckets for the Jayhawks. Kansas will provide a stiff test inside, always possessing a strong inside presence.
This year a super frosh phenom, Xavier Henry, is averaging 18 a game, hitting 53% from three-point range, and has put up thirty point games. He is a 6’6 guard. The other guard is Sherron Collins and he is averaging over 13 points per game. So, the guard match-up looms tough for Michigan be it size, strength, or basketball skill. Furthering the nasty match-up possibility is the return of another solid guard, Brady Morningstar from suspension. Kansas can run four premium guards at a team in rapid succession.
This year’s inside force is 6’ 11” veteran Cole Aldrich who is averaging about 12 points and 10 rebounds per game. If a team plays soft against Aldrich, he will hammer you senseless.
Michigan still has the same sore thumbs seen since the Creighton game. This team still plays very soft on defense, and almost refuses to provide backside help defense. Teams just physically take the ball away from Michigan players. Michigan still makes mistakes on lazy, short passes across the flow of the game, leading to easy lay-ups at the other end. The inside game seems more by accident and desperation than by design. Even the weakest teams on Michigan’s schedule can score in the paint on the Wolverines. The program still continues to believe that true point guards are not a necessity for winning in college basketball.
The picture is not pretty, but the exposure for the Michigan program will be worth it if the Wolverines can make a good showing. Last year Michigan went to Connecticut and played tough. The assignment may be tougher this year.
The deck is stacked and the odds are long but Michigan will show up and see what Saturday brings. Hopefully the situation and chance of winning does not become so far fetched as to be compared to Churchill demanding a German surrender at Dunkirk. Hopefully the Wolverines also escape great harm.
Coach Beilein is a competitor and will use this time and game to determine if obvious deficiencies have been somewhat remedied. He will not be intimidated by the Kansas Effect, let us hope the players are of the same ilk.
Thank you for reading GBMW.
Written by Doc4blu
Go Blue -- Wear Maize!
1 comment:
Good preview doc!
I have a feeling this game will be a blowout unless Michigan all of a sudden finds themselves. If that happens then people will be saying where did this team come from and why haven't we seen it all year.
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