Hoops in Detroit ends grey for November

November 30, 2004 is going to be known as a dark point for college hoops in SE Michigan.

Here are the scores from last night's games:

Michigan (3-3) 68
(4) Georgia Tech (4-0) 99

(9) Michigan State (3-1) 74
(10) Duke (4-0) 81

Let's start with Michigan:

Michigan seems to have an inside game; however, they can't seem to get the ball inside. This is by far their biggest fault. Their second flaw is their weak perimeter game. They were just 4-15 from the 3pt line, compared to GT's 13-23. If they can start working the 3pt percentage up to the 35% mark, they should start to see an increase in scoring, and be able to compete better with superior teams. Combine that with an inside game, and you might even see them contend for the #3 spot in the Big Ten.

Another factor to their downfall is their experience. They are mostly sophomores with some Juniors, some Freshman, and 1 Senior (their best bench warmer). We should start to see them at the bottom portion of the Top 25 next year, and in the big dance in March. I originally thought they would go to the NCAA tournament this year, but am more convinced lately that another NIT run might be inevitable.

One bright side that I see in this Michigan team is defense. Even though they gave up 99 points last night, they were able to make some stops against a team with a solid running and shooting game. If you look back to the game against (17)Arizona (61-60 OT loss), you will remember a team that kept themselves in the game by stopping their opponent when they struggled to score. If they had a stronger inside game, they might have won the game 62-61.

Michigan State:

Tom Izzo appears to have his team back playing at the level all of Lansing expects. One area of concern are free throws. Not so much the entire team, but from Paul Davis. Davis went 3-8 from behind the line last night, while shooting 7-14 from the field, with 10 rebounds, and 17 points total. I also saw a lot of rushed shots, such as a long 3 point miss from 5-6 ft behind the 3pt line.

There must also be a focus on improving defense. At one point, MSU led Duke 19-9. Duke showed poise, and shut down the MSU scoring, to pull ahead by 7, never looking back. MSU did not show the ability to stop the 3pt shooting, or the inside game. Improving on these will give MSU a chance to contend for the Big Ten title with Illinois.

Looking at MSU in a positive way, I did see good ball movement, and good shooting from the field. I also believe that Izzo has recovered from his guard blues, and has found a good rotation that can get some points for his team throughout the game. I predict MSU will finish #2 in the Big Ten, and make it through 2-3 rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

There was a positive point in SE Michigan basketball last night, the Detroit Pistons...

The story of this game was Antonio McDyess. McDyess looked like his old self last night putting up 19pts, and pulling down 11 boards. McDyess has been proving lately that he has overcome his injuries, and is ready to continue where he left off 2 1/2 seasons ago. He is also working himself into the Champ's system more and more each game. With the return of Ben Wallace on Friday night against San Antonia, I expect McDyess to return to his bench position as the new sixth man of the Pistons. His energy off the bench should fuel the Pistons in each quarter of each game.

Carlos Delfino made his return last night. Delfino put up 9 points in 14 minutes to help his Pistons route Houston 93-72. Detroit led 25-18 after the first quarter, and never looked back. Hamilton and Billups scored 19 and 18 respectively. This is the best playing I've seen this year from this team, and by far the best without Big Ben.

Some of the credit might also go to Coach Larry Brown. Brown questioned his team before the game. He badly wanted them to start winning, and playing better. Could the message have worked, or will this be a one game thing? Time will tell. With Ben Wallace back in the lineup, Detroit has a chance to beat the Spurs in their next game. Look for my predictions on the game Friday afternoon.

Looking ahead to the weekend, former Michigan QB John Navarre makes his first NFL start against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field sunday. Pistons will be at San Antonio friday night, then New Orleans on saturday night. Also notable, Carl Pavano will visit the Tigers on friday.

Tomorrow we'll talk Michigan football, the Rose Bowl, and why Braylon Edwards is not the MVP.

If you have anything to add, please feel free to post a comment.

-Dan Joseph