ANN ARBOR, MI — Remember when Clark Griswold tries to seal a leak in the Hoover Dam with a stick of gum, only to have another leak emerge, and another, and another? That’s the image acting Michigan men’s basketball head coach Phil Martelli conjured up when asked to describe the Wolverines this season.
“It’s kind of like an old-fashioned dike,” Martelli explained. Michigan covered a turnover “hole” that was leaking water against Oregon, only to miss vital free throws. Michigan investigated that issue and discovered a new one. “And then you run out of hands,” Martelli pointed out.
Michigan (4-5, 0-1) will try to regain control of the situation when it visits Iowa on Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network).
The biggest difficulty offensively is speed. It’s difficult to score in the half court at this level, yet Michigan does it far too frequently. Even in the half court environment, movement has been limited recently. Michigan’s 3-0 start featured more passing than dribbling. It was a free-flowing style with all five players on the floor participating.
That was not the case in Tuesday’s loss to Indiana, nor in the previous few games. The Wolverines traveled to the Bahamas before Thanksgiving and appear to have misplaced their playbook.
“We’re making a pass and freezing,” Martelli explained. He said the footage from Thursday’s practice typically showed one Wolverine controlling the ball while his four teammates stood and observed. “That’s not what we’re about,” Martelli stated flatly. “We’re about ball and player movement.”
Dug McDaniel, Nimari Burnett, Olivier Nkamhoua, and Will Tschetter have all borne the offensive load at various periods. However, the load is too great for any single player on this roster.
Michigan needs to improve its ball defense. Opponents are hitting 39.2 percent of their three-point attempts against Michigan, with only one major-conference team performing worse this season. Some of this may be down to bad luck, but it is also a direct result of Michigan’s inability to stop the ball. Defenders are beaten, others are forced to assist, and open shots result.
Iowa hasn’t shot the three as well as it has in recent years, but the Hawkeyes will put more emphasis on Michigan’s defense than Indiana did. Iowa is coming off two thrashings and should be focused and hungry. The Wolverines aim to revenge their loss at Iowa City last season, when they blew a seven-point lead with less than two minutes remaining.
Nkamhoua, a graduate transfer, was not present. But his time at Tennessee showed him what it takes to win. The most important thing? He mentioned discipline. That includes being aware of your own and your teammates’ assignments, as well as accepting responsibility for your one-on-one encounter. He believes that playing hard is insufficient; the Wolverines have done so. They, too, must play wisely.
Nkamhoua predicted bumps in the road even despite the season’s hot start. He was correct, and he is now a reassuring presence in the locker room, a voice reminding others that things will get better.
It will need effort both before and during games. Little stuff like running the floor, fighting for position in the paint, and always coming back on defense.
“It’s simple,” he told me, “but that’s what makes it hard.”
