Observations from the game last night (Waters GOAT edition)

I got to watch the whole game staying up till 1:30 in the morning and couldn't have left more impressed by this team.

We built up a 7 point lead in the 2nd half which Michigan kept nipping away at until going on a10-0 run and ultimately getting up on us 68-59 with just 5:11 to go. At that point I was like, "Well it was nice while it lasted"...knowing this is when Johnny's mentally weak teams would fold like a cheap tent and not respond to a bad swing. Then, something magical happened, Tremont Waters TOOK OVER. A true freshman just took over scoring 9 points the final 5 minutes with a RIDICULOUS from the floor assist to take the lead with a minute remaining. They hunkered down defensively after a poor half of basketball from that side and Michigan finished just 2 for 7 from the floor (once they got up 68-59) and we blocked a pair of shots. We assisted 4 of our final 5 makes from the floor.

This team didn't give up, they got together and said, we are going to win this, and went out and played like a champion.

Some thoughts on individual players:

Waters - Honestly not sure what you can say. He commands the floor like a senior and decided when we got down 68-59 he was taking over and helping us win this game. His PER through 3 games is almost 35 which is ridiculous level, that's playing 28+ minutes a game mind you. He's shooting 53% from 3 and 58% from the floor, these are ludicrous numbers for a 5'10 PG. He also has 6 assists to just 2.3 turnovers and if you watched last night like 2 of his 5 turnovers were simply him being a better player than our own guys and them not being able to handle his great vision passes. This guy will be All-SEC as a freshman, and guess what, he'll be here 4 years, too.

Sampson - Sampson's play through 3 games has been very good for him. His PER is around 38, again, ridiculous level. When he was in last night, he was making plays, but unfortunately, in a whistle happy game both ways, he made a few dumb fouls which helped get him fouled out with only 18 minutes on the night. Still, his ability to slam some ridiculous dunks home are momentum changers for this team. With Sampson, when the good comes, the bad still will rear it's head in some ways still right now, but he's starting to get it.

Epps - Epps hasn't been able to play much yet but watch out when he does (when fully recovered from injury). He only played 10 minutes against Samford but got 23 minutes last night and made the most of it with 14 points on just 6 of 7 shooting. It's almost like Michigan didn't watch any previous film on him (and there's plenty from previous seasons). They left him wide open from outside 18 feet or so and he took advantage draining almost all 7 of his shots. His PER is highest on the team at nearly 40 and that's primarily because he's not missing with 10 of his 13 shots made in just 33 minutes of action thus far (23 against the best team we've played).

Rachal - Dude has been PHENOMENAL for a true freshman nobody seemed to expect much from early on. Look, his offensive game will need some time to develop, but his defensive energy is off the charts and if he gets around the bucket he is finishing right now. For an offensively challenged guy, he's now 9 of 16 from the floor on the season. He missed some FTs last night (3 for 7; outside of him team was 13 for 16), but still added in 4 boards and 4 assists with ZERO turnovers. His PER is 26 which is crazy for a true freshman like him at the moment. I couldn't be more impressed by a true freshman nobody was expecting to play major role like he is early on. He is 6th in minutes on this team currently.

Combs - I think Combs play has been solid but unspectacular so far, still, he's been very efficient not forcing things when it's not there and has a 25 PER on the season. I think his injury limits him and he will struggle some when we go against these better teams with good true bigs that are 6'9, 6'10 he's trying to guard. Wagner was a mismatch for him and it showed. This is why he didn't play for long last night, but again, he didn't force things, didn't take a shot and didn't turn the ball over.

Sims - I've said this for a while about Sims, but he's the guy who can almost look like a star against the lesser teams and talent but somewhat disappear against the better teams and opponents. That's what happened last night, he put in 20 pretty uneventful minutes. Not getting many touches offensively only taking 2 shots, but again, not forcing things at all here, he didnt have a turnover all night. This is a theme I've already noticed with Wade's teams. If a guy is in a mismatch against them, they aren't trying to play the role of a hero. They try and give as quality minutes as they can. Sims PER on the season is 23, which is great. He put up great games against Samford and Alcorn St, and didn't become an issue in a game where he was overmatched. That's all you can ask out of him.

Mays - Mays did not play his best last night, Waters was the man instead, but he still didn't let things get out of hand by any means. After a big game against Samford, and a 5 assist 1 turnover effort against Alcorn. Mays had 8 points on 6 shots, 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks a steal and 4 turnovers. It was a ho hum night for Mays, but still made some big plays. His PER on the season is 21, which is great.

Edwards - Last night was tough for him, as he was being guarded very well on the perimeter and never got a 3 point shot off, and that's what he's out there for. He only played 10 minutes, but again, things didn't fall off the rails for him in those 10 minutes, he had a pair of FTs, a board and turnover. He wasn't playing poorly, but you have to understand Edwards is not a dynamic player at all. He's a catch and shoot 3 point shooter. He will drain 3's all day long so long as he can get open looks. It's not always going to happen, just like last night. He's 4 for 8 on the season from 3 and only has 1 turnover in 56 minutes. He doesn't make plays, but he also doesn't force things at all. His PER on the year is 20 which is very good.

Reath - This is almost funny to say, but Reath has been the worst player among the regulars playing this year so far, but he's still been pretty good overall. 13 points on 5 of 9 last night but only 5 boards in 30 minutes. I think this is where Wade wants to see a lot more out of Reath, as he's only pulling down 6 boards a game right now when he has the ability to be a double double kind of guy. He needs to fight a little more for offensive boards and I think him giving us an extra opportunity or two more on the offensive glass could take him to the next level. His PER on the season is 19, which is on the very high end of above average.


So think about that for a second, our worst regular player thus far has a PER that's on the high end of above average. That is a huge difference compared to last season. It shows how much better we've been playing overall so far than last season. Less things being forced, and the right guys knowing when to turn it up.

I'm excited for tonight's matchup with Notre Dame. I think it's a winnable game, it will be extremely tough, but with the way we're playing, we can pull this out if things fall our way.