Initial thoughts on Michigan Beatdown of Iowa

[SomersHawk]

I think the biggest contributing factor to Luka struggling so bad is the guy knew his every move from being his work out buddy over the summer. He is one big strong SOB. What was a good plan for them both to get better came back to bite the Hawks bad in a big game. No way he defends Luka like that in a first time meeting.

Couple that with MI being really good and playing one hell of a game and unfortunately we got our butts kicked. No sense crying about it, lots of opportunities still out there.

I do hope this was a wake up call for JW to realize maybe one more season of college may be a good idea.

 

[smitharooney]

And...what type of role-player Garza will be in the NBA.

If a freshman can push him around, imagine the NBA where everyone is built.

Just sayn.

Garza will get destroyed in the NBA

 

[Knight78]

For JW to make the NBA with his game he'd need to be at a Kyle Korverish level of shooting 3s He'd have to be so darn good and automatic at those that he'd be worth having on the end of the bench. I'm not so sure his game translates to the NBA I just don't..

Garza will have a tough time too. But as you said he's got a better chance. He'll have to shoot well from the outside to justify it. And be willing to not play big mins and pass well. Defensively he'll struggle big time. If he has to guard anyone face up outside the post he'll just give up open jumpers or get dribbled around. But that's the NBA nowadays. He's not the only one with that same issue...

Korver is a 3-pt specialist now, but his college stats indicate that JoeW is every bit as good if not better than Kyle. Korver's Junior season he was 42.9% from 3-pt land (with a closer 3-pt line then). JoeW currently sits at 48.8%. In fact, comparing junior seasons Joe is better in every category except FT%. And JoeW's strength of schedule rating is MUCH higher at 10.41 vs 1.38 for Korver.

Korver is a wonderful human being and he has worked to become a very good 3-pt shooter, but at this stage JoeW is a better player.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

Korver is a 3-pt specialist now, but his college stats indicate that JoeW is every bit as good if not better than Kyle. Korver's Junior season he was 42.9% from 3-pt land (with a closer 3-pt line then). JoeW currently sits at 48.8%. In fact, comparing junior seasons Joe is better in every category except FT%. And JoeW's strength of schedule rating is MUCH higher at 10.41 vs 1.38 for Korver.

Korver is a wonderful human being and he has worked to become a very good 3-pt shooter, but at this stage JoeW is a better player.

Yeah I'm just projecting how JW would fit in todays NBA. The league has changed even since Korver first came in (I think he's a FA and not on a team now) I just don't think JW projects to being as much of a sharp shooter in the NBA like what Korver ended up turning into. I could be wrong. But JW I don't think is athletic enough or have as good of an overall game to be much more then a situational role player unless he were to be a great 3 pt shooter. The guy is too inconsistent and what is his deal with missing FTs? He missed more of em last night too.

 

[Luftgekuehlt67]

Here is a great look at what makes Michigan so good:

Why Michigan’s Offense Makes Them a National Title Contender

Michigan is currently top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. This video breaks down the X's and O's, offensive concepts, and players behind Juwan...

youtu.be

Look at their record...they give most teams fits...but I think you can see some things in that video that help explain why they are such a nightmare for Iowa. They have lots of guys who can get to the rim off the dribble (which we struggle at stopping) and just generally really stress opposing D's with a lot of well thought out and well executed actions and sets. Even for this little "Iowa 2.0: now with defense!" stretch, that is a tall task for us.

I'm split between "I hope we don't see them again" and "I hope we get them in the Big Ten tourney with a chance for a seed-enhancing upset". Either way, Juwon Howard can't leave for an NBA gig soon enough.

 

[Husky28]

Yeah. Something was off. But I would still argue that Michigan was allowed to mug Luka regularly. We have seen teams do that in the second half of the season. They are following Izzo’s theory that the officials will back off their calls if you just keep fouling. Kind of like holding in football.

He did have a bad game. I just don’t think it was Dick. Garza struggled when Dick was sitting. Just a rough night IMO. And I’m not knocking Dick. He’s good.

I agree with Windsor... I think the big part of the issue wasn't so much a 7'1" dude causing Garza issues but that he didn't have anybody to pass the ball too. MI's D was smothering the guards forcing Garza to put up a lot of off-balance shots. Garza depends on foot work and physicality to get the easy shots... if it's not there, then pass it out and reset. He was forced to shoot through Dickinson. Nobody is going to be successful in that scenario. Iowa's success depends on spacing and passing the ball around to force the D out of position. Luka didn't get any support and was left to force up the shots. Iowa's guards made Dickinson look good - not Garza. NBA coaches will recognize that and see what Luka can do in a properly spaced offense.

 

[kicker22]

I agree with Windsor... I think the big part of the issue wasn't so much a 7'1" dude causing Garza issues but that he didn't have anybody to pass the ball too. MI's D was smothering the guards forcing Garza to put up a lot of off-balance shots. Garza depends on foot work and physicality to get the easy shots... if it's not there, then pass it out and reset. He was forced to shoot through Dickinson. Nobody is going to be successful in that scenario. Iowa's success depends on spacing and passing the ball around to force the D out of position. Luka didn't get any support and was left to force up the shots. Iowa's guards made Dickinson look good - not Garza. NBA coaches will recognize that and see what Luka can do in a properly spaced offense.

Valid point. The first 5 minutes, IMO, were the most I've ever seen Luka struggle on offense. Not simply because he wasn't hitting his shots, but as you stated, no one was getting open and it looked as though Dickinson knew what Garza was going to do before Garza knew. It really set the tone for the game and I think impacted Luka the rest of the night. It seemed as though Michigan got into Luka's head and totally took him out of his rhythm.