Official Maize Rage Blog

The pre-season polls have been officially released, and for the first time in recent memory, Michigan has a steady spot. At #15, the Wolverines will officially begin the season with “expectations”. The question now becomes how will the team fare as the favorite?

Obviously, we will have to wait a few weeks to see the team in a real “test”, since they will be playing mainly Division II opponents over the next couple of weeks. But these first few games against Wayne State, Northern Michigan, and Houston Baptist will be a good opportunity to see the freshmen and how they will fit in with the offense. One of my fellow ‘Ragers said at Michigan Madness that Darius Morris looks somewhat out of place and has a flat shot without any rotation. After a further look, I noticed that he really does look a bit out of place. He clearly has talent, as we all saw with his uncanny ability to shake off double teams and find the open man on the break, but it appears that he still needs to get used to the Beilein offense.

It’s no secret that the point guard takes the most time to adjust to the Beilein system, both on offense and defense. Offensively, the point guard needs to be not only patient, but must be able to move without the ball, which is not always easy for someone who spends his entire life with the ball in his hands. Notice last season that there were many times when we would see a Zack, Peedi, or Anthony Wright at the top of the key with the ball and dribbling towards the wing, where the point guard (either Kelvin Grady or CJ Lee) would come around the corner and pick up the ball again to continue the offense. Darius is going to have to learn to spot up and position himself to get shots this season, something that he probably didn’t have to do in high school. Instead, it was he who did the dribbling and finding open teammates. Of course, that will still be a part of Morris’s role on this team, but with Manny still here, the slashing duties are still going to be mainly with the All-American candidate.

Defensively, it’s a huge adjustment for anybody to learn the 1-3-1. Whether Darius plays at the top or bottom of the zone, he will have to learn the many ins and outs of playing the half court trap. Stu was mostly used at the top of the zone last season, while Kelvin and CJ were usually at the bottom, but where Darius plays remains to be seen. The basics of the 1-3-1 are to trap in the corners of the court, with the top or bottom player in the zone leading the trap. Darius definitely has some length and quickness, but then again so does Manny, and he rarely played the top of the zone. I think we will see Darius begin at the back of the zone, but by the time he has adjusted and developed his defensive instincts, he will be a stalwart at the top. Overall, don’t expect Darius to be a tremendous presence to begin the season, but I think by the end of the season we will see him running the offense and leading the difficult task of breaking Big Ten full court presses.

Matt Vogrich, however, is a much different kind of player than Morris. He is the prototypical Beilein shooter and should have little trouble fitting in to the style of play that Michigan is known for. He has a deadly shot and a quick release, which are traits of the kind of player that flourishes in this system. In the short run, look for Vogrich to have more of an impact than Morris. In essence, I’m looking for him to be a hybrid of Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, with the shooting ability of Stu and the intangibles of Zack. It’s much easier to predict Vogrich’s progression: he is going to be a solid shooter that comes off the bench for a few years, but by the time he is a junior or senior he will seeing as many minutes as anybody, though he may not see many starts. I think it bears repeating, though, that Vogrich will probably look the best out of the gate. But once the Big Ten season gets underway, other teams may be able to catch on to his strengths and limit his efficiency.

While Jordan Morgan will probably redshirt and Josh Bartelstein will probably see only a few minutes here and there, I think both Eso Akunne and Blake McLimans will contribute this year. Both are flying under the radar, and with Eso originally a preferred walk-on, people may be surprised to see him contribute this season. But I see Eso as another Zack Novak. Nobody expects anything from him, but his motor and underrated abilities as a shooter may help him fit in to this system. Eso is far from Zack as far as shooting the ball goes, but he is ideal for taking advantage of smaller players in the post. Peedi (and to an extent, Cronin) are the only players on this team that have a resemblance of a post game. But Eso, who spent a lot of time in the post in high school, will have a chance to take smaller guards down low and potentially do some damage. He is only about 6’4” on a good day, but he is one of the strongest on the team and can flat-out score. I don’t think we will see a ton of Eso on the perimeter, but do not be surprised to see him body up some of the bigger players in the Big Ten. He is ideal for the bruising conference play that will come in January, and he should get some chances to prove his worth late in the season.

Blake McLimans is more of the Beilein-type. Tall and lanky, he can shoot the long ball and can alter a lot of shots in the paint. He won’t be out there for 40 minutes every night, but I expect to see him impact some games at pivotal times. I also don’t expect him to put up gaudy numbers, but I do think he can be the man to come in to a game where Michigan is down late in the first half and pick up the intensity. I can see it now:

-          Down seven with five minutes left in the first half, Blake subs in for Zack Gibson.

-          Blake blocks a lay-up, gets Michigan another possession.

-          Double-teamed in the post, Peedi dishes the ball out to Blake, who knocks down a three-ball from the top of the key.

-          Blake alters another shot by a guard driving into the lane.

-          Blake hits another three from the top of the key.

-          Michigan is now only down one point, with two minutes left in the first half.

-          Crisler goes crazy.

I just know that will happen sometime this year. So Blake, make me a prophet and become a game changer.

Having said all of that, it is now up to the freshman class of 2009 to go out there and show their worth. They are the future of this team and are the building blocks for a very strong and improving basketball program.