LawVol13
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Excellent guard play is what has this team in the field. Darius Morris is an excellent slasher and facilitator. He scores well (15 ppg) and distributes the ball exceptionally well (6.7 assists per game). However, he is not a shooter (26% from 3pt range) and he tends to have some turnover issues (5 TO 3 assists vs. Ohio State). All in all, he's an excellent all around player that's going to be a load having recorded a triple double this season against Iowa (12 pts 10 rebs 11 assists) Goins will have his hands full with Morris, but he should be able to keep him in front especially considering that we won't have to respect his jumper a lot. The scout should be to go behind ball screens and play off of Morris because if we allow him to get in the lane, he'll carve us up by scoring, getting to the line, or kicking out for threes.
Tim Hardaway, Jr.: At 6'5 185, Hardaway is a shoot first player, and he's an excellent shooter. The majority of his shots on the season are threes. However, towards the back end of the schedule he has gotten himself to the line at a significantly higher rate. Still, the scout has to be to force Hardaway to put the ball on the floor and finish at the rack. Another important key in slowing down the hot-shooting Freshman will be forcing him to work on defense. He's the likely candidate to guard Scotty Hopson. Hardaway has been playing 35-38 minutes per game the last half of the season. If Hopson is aggressive offensively, it will tire Hardaway, and maybe some of those threes won't be falling at the end.
Stu Douglass: Is the weakest of the Wolverines' four guard lineup averaging 7.2 ppg. He seems to be a fairly decent spot shooter (36.4% from three). I see Douglass as the X factor in this game; Hardaway and Morris are going to get the bulk of attention, so he'll have some open looks. If he knocks them down, it will be tough for us to lock up a win.
Zack Novak: Another excellent shooter at Beilein's disposal shooting at a 37% clip this season from the 3 point line. He is primarily a spot shooter with the vast majority of his shots coming from behind the arc. He shouldn't be a particularly tough cover. Expect Scotty Hopson to have the duties of guarding him. His best game of the season came against rival Michigan State when he had 19 points going 6 of 8 from the three point line. One interesting thing to keep in mind with Novak is that he will guard the 4 if they play much man to man against us. At 6'4 210 lbs and unathletic, Tobias Harris should have a field day with him. This might be a reason to see Beilein primarily use the 1-3-1 in this one.
The Key to Slowing the Guards: It starts and ends with Morris. If we can keep him in front of us, it will really hamper their ability to score. They like to spread the floor and let Morris operate and create opportunities for others.
Hope you guys enjoy this. This is the best time of the year. Go Vols!
Tim Hardaway, Jr.: At 6'5 185, Hardaway is a shoot first player, and he's an excellent shooter. The majority of his shots on the season are threes. However, towards the back end of the schedule he has gotten himself to the line at a significantly higher rate. Still, the scout has to be to force Hardaway to put the ball on the floor and finish at the rack. Another important key in slowing down the hot-shooting Freshman will be forcing him to work on defense. He's the likely candidate to guard Scotty Hopson. Hardaway has been playing 35-38 minutes per game the last half of the season. If Hopson is aggressive offensively, it will tire Hardaway, and maybe some of those threes won't be falling at the end.
Stu Douglass: Is the weakest of the Wolverines' four guard lineup averaging 7.2 ppg. He seems to be a fairly decent spot shooter (36.4% from three). I see Douglass as the X factor in this game; Hardaway and Morris are going to get the bulk of attention, so he'll have some open looks. If he knocks them down, it will be tough for us to lock up a win.
Zack Novak: Another excellent shooter at Beilein's disposal shooting at a 37% clip this season from the 3 point line. He is primarily a spot shooter with the vast majority of his shots coming from behind the arc. He shouldn't be a particularly tough cover. Expect Scotty Hopson to have the duties of guarding him. His best game of the season came against rival Michigan State when he had 19 points going 6 of 8 from the three point line. One interesting thing to keep in mind with Novak is that he will guard the 4 if they play much man to man against us. At 6'4 210 lbs and unathletic, Tobias Harris should have a field day with him. This might be a reason to see Beilein primarily use the 1-3-1 in this one.
The Key to Slowing the Guards: It starts and ends with Morris. If we can keep him in front of us, it will really hamper their ability to score. They like to spread the floor and let Morris operate and create opportunities for others.
Hope you guys enjoy this. This is the best time of the year. Go Vols!
Last edited:
JMHO.
