Nik Stauskas Shoots Michigan Back Into The Final Four
Daenerys the Frenchie photo by Anna John for StiffJab.com
by Gautham Nagesh
It was a long time coming, but Michigan is finally back in the Final Four.
The Wolverines beat Florida 79-59 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament at Cowboys Stadium in Texas on Sunday afternoon. The Wolverines advance to the national semifinals in Atlanta next Friday, where they will play Syracuse. This is Michigan’s first Final Four appearance since the Fab Five lost to North Carolina in the 1993 National Championship.
There was a point earlier this season when Michigan was ranked #1 and the Final Four seemed like a strong bet. Those odds lengthened after a late season swoon that saw Michigan finish 6-6 and lose to Wisconsin early in the Big Ten tournament. Vaunted freshmen Glenn Robinson III and Nik Stauskas showed signs of fading, and the lack of depth on the bench threatened the Wolverines’ ability to compete in March.
Those late-winter blues are merely a memory now, as the Wolverines blew out the Gators from the opening tip to reclaim their place among the nation’s elite. Stauskas was sensational against Florida, nailing all six of his three-point attempts in the first half en route to finishing with 22 points. The Canadian had been struggling throughout the postseason, but he found his stroke while camped out on the near sideline. Michigan was up by 13 before Florida scored their first points of the game.[[MORE]]
It continued like that for most of the first half, with Michigan’s All-American point guard Trey Burke dissecting the Florida defense and repeatedly setting up freshman big man Mitch McGary for easy buckets. McGary has transformed into a bonafide post threat, giving Michigan new dimensions on offense and defense. McGary’s broad shoulders also helped Michigan dominate the glass in the first half, and led to a number of second-chance baskets.
Florida threatened to make it a game toward the end of the half, but a steal and hoop from Burke pushed the lead back to 15. Stauskas was then the beneficiary of an ill-advised foul at the end of the half; he hit two of three free throws to make the halftime deficit 17. Florida came out with renewed energy to start the second half, but Michigan kept its poise. Freshman backup point guard Spike Albrecht followed a McGary layup with a steal and acrobatic hoop of his own, stifling Florida’s momentum.
Albrecht hit a three-pointer soon after to push the lead back beyond 20; it would prove back-breaking for Florida. From then Michigan poured it on, their offensive flow halted only by the occasional miss from the cold-shooting Tim Hardaway Jr. Hardaway is normally the team’s leading gunner, but on this night he was content to blend in, as everyone else on the team seemed to be feeling it. Even backup guard Matt Vogrich got into the game late and drilled a three to cap off the route.
Many have criticized this Michigan team’s defense, pointing primarily to Robinson’s difficulty guarding larger power forwards. That is a weakness, but not one frequently exposed in today’s college basketball world, where big men are often more comfortable camped outside the arc than on the block. Michigan is not a large team, but they are very active, and McGary is particularly adept at stripping the ball on post entry passes.
Meanwhile, Michigan is perhaps the most talented offensive team left in the tournament, with true threats at all five positions. Trey Burke is making a case for Player of the Tournament honors, and Hardaway has shown he’s not the type to shrink from the spotlight. Throw in the trio of freshman talents: McGary, Robinson, and Stauskas, and you’ve got a squad with 5 players that can drop 20 on any night.
The bench is thin, but Jon Horford and Jordan Morgan provide some defense, while Albrencht has turned up his play of late. Michigan coach John Beilein deserves a world of credit for the job he has done in recruiting; add Caris LeVert, and Michigan has five freshman contributing to a Final Four team. Even if Burke and Hardaway depart for the NBA after the season as expected, that would leave Michigan in good shape (provided the rest come back).
Syracuse poses obvious problems with its length and athleticism deployed in that 2-3 zone. Michigan, however, has the antidote in the form of outside shooters capable of striking from way downtown. If Hardaway, Stauskas and Burke can knock down their open looks, and McGary can hold his own on the inside, there’s no reason Michigan can’t return to the national finals on Monday night. Considering what happened the last time they were there, I know a lot of us waiting for that bit of history to be reversed.