For Juwan Howard's Strategy To Work, He Needs More From Jon Teske
Jon Teske didn't turn the ball over on back-to-back possessions with Michigan trailing 66-65 with just under three minutes remaining in regulation.
Teske didn't shoot 1 for 7 from the three-point line, like junior Eli Brooks did inn U-M's 75-67 loss at Minnesota Sunday.
Michigan's senior center didn't lead the team in turnovers either.
And he alone can't be expected to reverse a trend in which Big Ten road teams are just 5-31, including Michigan State's blowout loss at Purdue earlier today.
But Teske has been tested and so far is failing in his defensive responsibilities. Sunday's loss at Minnesota marked the third time in five conference meetings that an opponent's 'big' set a career high in points, Gopher center Daniel Oturu (30 points) joining a contingent that includes Iowa's Luka Garza (44 points) and Purdue's Trevion Williams (36 points).
Teske his not singularly responsible for defending an opponent's big men - senior Austin Davis and sophomores Colin Castleton and Brandon Johns also took turns today and in the past - but Teske has averaged 29.6 minutes per conference contest and so far the five centers Michigan has matched up with have averaged 29.8 points and 11.2 rebounds in those games.
At 7-1, 265-pounds, Teske is always going to be one of the biggest players on the floor, and while he is not an elite athlete, with average lateral quickness, he's getting both pushed around by opponents and out flanked by their speed.
It's a double whammy of ineffectiveness, and begins to ask the question: if head coach Juwan Howard refuses to double-team opposing big men, is Teske too much of a liability one-on-one to be earning the minutes he is?
Offensively, Teske can post up and can stretch the floor as a '5' with his ability to shoot the three ball. He has been a deterrent in the paint before because of his length as a potential blocker - he entered play today ranked 80th nationally in block efficiency - but five games is a trend, and the trend is alarming.
Opponents are having their way with Michigan's interior defenders and while Howard's philosophy has limited three-point attempts and makes - Minnesota attempted just 16 and made four - he's gambling on his fours and fives being able to go toe-to-toe with talented foes, and they have not measured up.
Coming into today's game, one could argue Howard's strategy hadn't worked or hadn't failed yet, as U-M was 2-2 in league contests. But Sunday, the Wolverines lost despite allowing just four three pointers because Oturu scored 40 percent of his team's points.
When is it too much? 50 percent? Williams scored 46.2 percent of Purdue's points Jan. 9 and Garza scored 48.4 percent of Iowa's Dec. 6. Michigan got away with it against the Boilermakers and Hawkeyes, but couldn't in Minneapolis.
The Wolverines travel to Iowa City next Friday, another match up with Garza, and if Howard refuses to change his philosophy then he needs a lot more from his senior center.
Teske has been pushed and has not pushed back. If he doesn't get tougher on the low block, there will be a season's worth of career performances from opposing big men, and there will likely be more losses for the Maize and Blue, away and at home.
