Malinsky's 6* write up
6* #582 CONNECTICUT over MICHIGAN
While some coaches try to downplay what it means to be #1 at this
juncture of the season, Jim Calhoun is enjoying his time on the
throne. Having already cut down the nets twice in his career he knows
all about where a team needs to be in early February in terms of that
development, and he has been most open about how it is creating a
challenge that he is enjoying seeing this particular roster go
through. Now his Huskies are playing only their second home game in
over two weeks, the first being a 94-61 destruction of a good
Providence team, and first since ascending to the top of the polls,
and we believe that they are ready to deliver a haymaker of a punch
in front of a sold-out crowd.
As such, we feel sorry for John Beilein, a guy we like an awful lot.
At the best of times this is an awful matchup for Beilein and his
Wolverines. He has a young roster that is still learning his system,
and has precious little size around the basket to make up for
mistakes. As such road tests against class competition are going to
be nightmares. In the last four trips from Ann Arbor they have been
pounded 66-51 at Illinois, 73-58 at Penn State, 72-54 at Ohio State
and 67-49 at Purdue, teams that do not bring anywhere near the size,
athleticism and explosiveness of the opponent he has to face today.
But that is only the beginning of his problems.
While Connecticut has been off since Monday night, offering a rare
opportunity to create a full game plan together for a non-conference
opponent, Beliein is caught in an awful trap. His team put a major
focus into getting revenge in that Thursday night home game against
Penn State, and to their credit they made it happen. But now that
leaves almost no preparation time for a Connecticut team that causes
such matchup headaches, all the while the Wolverines are also
daydreaming about their Tuesday night home showdown on national
television against arch-rival Michigan State.
So what happens here? A major blowout. Look for the Michigan offense
to have the usual problem that fist-time opponents have against
Hasheem Thabeet, who will block a lot of shots, and alter many that
he does not directly tough, and the battle on the boards will be
completely one-sided. And while we have a home team ready to play to
a crescendo, we would not be surprised if Beilein waved a white flag
here, allowing his reserves to get some playing time, and keeping his
starters fresh for Tuesday. Since he can not win this one anyway, who
can blame him?
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