Michigan hosts Oregon State tonight (7:00 p.m., B1G+) for its second of three preseason tune-ups. It’ll be a reunion for Justin Joyner, who spent his last two years on Michigan’s staff as an assistant coach, as he begins his Oregon State tenure.
The Wolverine coaches know better than to expect a celebratory occasion, given what they know about Joyner’s personality.
“An extreme, extreme competitor,” Michigan assistant KT Harrell said of Joyner on Defend the Block. “And I love the fact that he is who he is no matter where he is. And I always admired that about him. I know just from his personality that his teams are going to play hard. They’re going to defend at a high level. They’re going to communicate, and they’re not going to back down because that’s just who JJ is.”
How to watch
Tonight’s exhibition against Oregon State will stream on B1G+ for a fee.
There’s a specific PPV package for just this game ($8.99), or you can get 50% off an annual subscription with promo code B1GPLUS50, but the best bargain right now is probably a monthly pass ($12.99).
The monthly pass will cover you for today’s game, next weekend’s exhibition against Houston and Michigan’s lone regular-season game on B1G+ (William & Mary on Nov. 15).
New-look Beavers
Joyner takes over in Corvallis following the firing of Wayne Tinkle, who took the program to just two NCAA Tournament appearances in 12 years.
The Beavers are known for being under-resourced relative to some of their peers, and now they’re headed back to the (new) Pac-12 after a two-year stint in the WCC. The Pac-12 isn’t the high-major league it was before it fell apart, but the nine-team conference with Gonzaga and several former Mountain West powerhouses should be an excellent basketball league this season.
As you’d expect, Joyner’s first roster is mostly portal imports.
He retained 6-foot-2 guard Josiah Lake, last year’s leading scorer and All-WCC performer, but built the rest of the team from scratch, even landing a high school commitment between Michigan’s two games at the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Basket Under Review picked Oregon State to finish fifth in the league, and KenPom ranked it 98th in its initial preseason rankings (104th in the HUMAN poll). It’s a big ask to compete in year one, but Joyner has recruited an intriguing roster, and it will be fascinating to see how he blends the Dusty May and Randy Bennett influences into his new program.
At a bare minimum, you’d expect him to emphasize physical defense that protects the paint. Joyner is one of the architects of Michigan’s defensive success over the last two years and had a similarly stellar track record at Saint Mary’s.
It’s a safe bet that Joyner’s squad will value what Michigan values on both ends of the floor, starting with rim protection. That should be a good test for a Michigan squad that was outshot inside the arc against Eastern Michigan last week.
“They’re going to pressure the ball. They’re going to get into our bodies,” Harrell said. “They’re going to make us have to move without the ball, have to create advantages off the ball. And then obviously, like, they’re going to do a lot of what we do defensively. You know, they’re going to play the ball screens 2-on-2. They’re going to, you know, fan out the shooters. And so we’re going to have to react off penetration and be able to make plays off the ball.”
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