Michigan basketball's biggest emphasis entering Oregon game: 'Improve on us'
An opportunity for a signature victory, a preview of future Big Ten clashes and an overdue road trip.
Michigan basketball's (4-3) game at Oregon (4-2) can be seen through many prisms, but it is definitely an important early test for interim head coach Phil Martelli, assistant coach Juwan Howard — he's returning to the bench from his September heart surgery as an assistant — and the Wolverines when they tipoff Saturday (3:30 p.m., FS1) at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," Martelli said in a video conference call Friday when asked if this was a bounce-back spot. "The opportunity to improve and walk around with your head up. We have to stop walking around with our heads down and saying, 'Ah, I can't believe we came in sixth in (Bahamas).' That's now gone.
"We now have this opportunity on the road, and on the road is where you must, must, must be a tighter team."
Michigan opened this season with its head up thanks to three consecutive victories by at least 16 points, sparking some belief that the team was underestimated when it was picked to finish 11th in the Big Ten.
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Since then, it has lost three of four, including a 1-2 showing in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. Michigan trailed by 10 or more in every game at some point, with its two most notable deficiencies on display: depth and defense.
Playing three games in three days doesn't fit this group: A shorthanded roster that had two open scholarships before the season is only exacerbated by two scholarship players, Jaelin Llewellyn and Jace Howard, sidelined with injury.
That left seven rotation players available for the tournament; they combined to play all but five minutes in the first two games and 584 of 600 minutes across all three games.
"I didn't like looking up in each of those games and we were down double digits," Martelli said. "But the biggest positive is that it’s November. Had that kind of stretch happened in January or February, then you have your head in your hands and it’s 'What can you do?'
"We came back with the intent of we have to improve us more than worry about Oregon, Indiana, Iowa, whoever the next couple of games are."
Not only did those minutes catch up to the offense, which shot 40.7% from the floor against Texas Tech last week for a season-low 57 points, but the defense was constantly one step behind. Michigan allowed 70 points or more in all three games and now is No. 102 (101.7 points per 100 possessions) in KenPom's defensive ranking.
"We really have to take on the one-on-one defensive challenges," Martelli said. "That’s broken down since Long Beach State."
Now, the Wolverines have had more than a full week to rest and prepare for the Ducks, who have lost two in a row, including a loss at home to Santa Clara (though the West Coast Conference contenders are 6-0).
This is the return visit in a home-and-home from Oregon's trip to Crisler Center in 2019. Last year, Oregon head coach Dana Altman said U-M "owed" the Ducks a return trip, which Howard took exception to, saying it was the previous staff who'd made the agreement.
Much like Michigan, Oregon has struggled with health, too. Centers N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle both underwent surgeries in the past week and are expected to miss more than a month each.
Dante put up 16 points and 21 rebounds in his lone game this year against Georgia while Bittle, a 7-footer, averaged 13 points through three games. Even without their services, Oregon plays fast and aggressive. Although the Ducks don't have a healthy player who averages even 13 points, there are seven players who average at least eight points per game.
"They come in here having scored 91 against Alabama and they play very aggressively defensively," Martelli said. "We didn't answer that well in the first half against Memphis and didn't answer at all against Texas Tech, so it's an opportunity to improve."
For U-M, it's also a chance to work Howard back into the rotation on the sideline. Saddi Washington has been in charge of the defense, Howard Eisley has coordinated the offense and Martelli has run out of bounds plays, determined substitution patterns and handled the timeouts.
The expectation is that will all continue, with Howard being more active in the components he has long handled.
"What we've discussed is it will be collaborative," Martelli said. "If Juwan wants to see a certain guy in the game, he didn't do that in the Bahamas, he didn't grab a guy and put him in. He'd say something to me and we'd think about it ... I don't think any of that will change. And he will be collaborative with Howard Eisley because he's such an offensive mind.
"I will say this, it's unusual, but it will work. It will work because of our (relationship) together over five years."
Llewellyn, Howard returns getting closer
Though neither return is imminent, Llewellyn and Jace Howard are both progressing in their return to play.
Llewellyn suffered a torn ACL last December against Kentucky and had surgery in January. The former transfer point guard from Princeton is now beginning to ramp up his participation in practice. Last week before the Bahamas trip, Martelli said Llewellyn was "very involved" running the scout team, though he did not do so ahead of this week's game at Oregon.
"He's getting a few more reps, a little more up-and-down," Martelli said. "The biggest thing for Jaelin psychologically and for all of us is for him to fall down during practice if that makes sense. He's got to get knocked down and get up and then take the next step.
"But he's completely different than ... Nov. 1. He's a different guy out there on Dec. 1."
As for Jace Howard, who suffered a stress fracture in his leg last month and was given a "four-to-six-week" timetable, he's now at the four-week mark.
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On Thursday, Howard was doing non weight-bearing shooting on the side of U-M's practice, but Martelli was still unclear when his next doctor appointment is or what the next steps will look like.
"He is with us," Martelli said of Howard. "He is vocal during practice, but not physical during practice."
Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him at @realtonygarcia.
Next up: Ducks
Matchup: Michigan (4-3) at Oregon (4-2).
Tipoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday; Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Oregon.
TV/radio: FS1; WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's biggest emphasis after Bahamas: 'Improve on us'
