At the Buzzer: Houston 83, Michigan 66

Share

Tweet

Print

Email

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Rapid reactions to Michigan’s 66-83 loss to Houston in final exhibition game.

THE MOMENT

Racking up two fouls in eight minutes of play, JP Estrella extended for a dunk. Just barely missing, Estrella was given a personal foul and was subsequently subbed out.

Six minutes into the second half, Estrella sets Elliot Cadeau a pick and roll to the basket, this time slamming the ball in to cut the Houston lead to two. On the way back up the court, though, Estrella points to the Houston player he slammed on, and he earns a technical after Michigan had already earned five other personal fouls.

Despite missing the free throw, Houston took momentum and ran up the score. Making the only field goal for the next five minutes, the Cougars extended their two-point lead out to 16, a deficit Michigan tried, and failed, to chip away at for the remainder of the contest.

THE TAKEAWAY

Michigan still has a lot more growing to do.

The foul bug was rampant with the Wolverines early on. Struggling to guard one-on-one, ticky-tack hand checks and small pushes in the back led to nine personal fouls in just over ten minutes, netting Houston six points from the line.

Stagnant offense, especially in the first half, cost Michigan a ton as well. Many plays culminated in a hastily taken three due to Houston’s on-ball pressure and no release valve except for a tough corner three from a big man in the corner.

Coming out of the halftime break down just five, the Cougars began to pull away in the second as the Wolverines’ foul problem reared its ugly head. Earning nine fouls in as many minutes with many of them stemming from the same causes as the first half — defensive lapses leading to overcorrections — Michigan gave away another seven points from the line.

For the game, Michigan was whistled for 25 fouls and Houston attempted 29 free throws.

THE STAR

In Roddy Gayle Jr.’s first game of the season with the Wolverines, he proved why Mike Boynton Jr. was so anxious to get him back. Timid play from the rest of Michigan’s players kept its offense slow, with skip passes flying around the perimeter with no real end goal. By contrast, Gayle attacked the rim, forcing Houston to collapse far more than the Wolverines’ bigs did.

After making just two layups at both ends of the first half, Gayle found his rhythm in the second. Nailing a three to kick off Michigan’s second-half scoring, Gayle followed that up with a pair of makes from the line after getting out in transition.

Getting subbed out for a couple minutes after racking up his third foul, Gayle got another triple in transition off an assist from Trey McKenney, finally ending Michigan’s field-goal drought. With a subsequent layup, Gayle did all he could to spark the Wolverines back to life, but his 14 points simply weren’t enough.

His 30 preseason minutes were an encouraging sign of the role he can play for this roster.

THE STAT

By the end of the first half, Houston and Michigan had made the same number of threes. The only problem was that the Wolverines attempted twice as many as the Cougars.

Taking 20 of their 27 shots from beyond the arc, the Wolverines were forced into the deep ball and low-percentage opportunities. Playing five out while JP Estrella and Moustapha Thiam were on the court turned the big men into corner shooters instead of letting them use their size down low. At the same time, Houston’s hedging and double-teaming pushed Michigan into more uncomfortable perimeter shots.

The shot selection was marginally better in the second half with more movement from the Wolverines on the perimeter, but it wasn’t enough. Thirteen of Michigan’s 23 shots were from beyond the arc, with only four of them being made, allowing — among other things — for Houston to nail the Wolverines coffin shut.

For the game, two out of every three Wolverine shot attempts were from beyond the arc.

FOUR FACTORS