How Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams views Michigan ... how U-M can counter his plan

DENVER — Michigan looked fatigued at times, frankly, in a 68-65 win over UC-San Diego that probably shouldn’t have been as close as it was. Five games in nine days will do that do a team … throw in Rocky Mountain altitude, and it becomes even more real. 

“It’s definitely an adjustment,” Michigan graduate wing Nimari Burnett admitted Friday. “Especially a moment in the first half [vs. UCSD] — “I have to come out. I’ll be a detriment to the team if I stay out there.

“It’s not really in the legs, more so in the wind and the breath. But I definitely feel adjusted now and ready for this next one.”

Texas A&M, meanwhile — Saturday’s opponent in the round of 32 — has seen action only two times in nine days. The Aggies were able to shake off the rust in a workmanlike victory over Yale, showing off their athleticism and rebounding prowess, and went deeper into the bench in past teams to keep players fresh. 

Some coaches give canned answers to questions about potential advantages when they’re in public environments. Aggies coach Buzz Williams isn’t one of them, noting it’s fair to consider. 

“Maybe,” he acknowledged of a potential advantage. “I think this will be Michigan’s fifth game in nine days. This will be our second game in nine days. Does that play a part? I don’t know. Is elevation … once you’ve been somewhere 72 hours of altitude, does that still affect the oxygen to your blood from a scientific standpoint? I’m not sure.

“But I think some of the elements that you could potentially apply in the regular season, some of that goes away. Everybody understands when you get to this point that if you don’t win, it’s over. I think the resiliency and the resolve [of teams] … that’s why it’s March Madness.”

Michigan, for example, could have faded down the stretch in last night’s win over UCSD when the Tritons took the lead and had the crowd behind them. Instead, junior point guard Tre Donaldson hit a critical triple from way deep at the top of the key and, center Vlad Goldin switched to beast mode, and guard Rubin Jones got some huge rebounds and made a few incredible hustle plays to maintain possessions. 

Williams’ A&M team played May’s Florida Atlantic team a season ago, losing 96-89. He’s seen Goldin up close and knows what to expect from the Michigan big man … at the same time, he’s also added depth to his roster to help play the tempo he wants.

He was surprised to find the Wolverines were more than willing to get up and down the court, too. 

“We’ve enjoyed studying them,” Williams said. “Most of us stayed up to watch the game when we all got back to the hotel. I didn’t realize that we had played six common opponents, so we kind of split some of that up just to kind of have some context on which would be the right way to begin to digest some of it. They’ve only played one team that plays our style defensively, so we probably spent some more time on that since early this morning. I think the information we gave our team thus far today before practice was right … I didn’t realize they played as fast as they do.

“Their style of play is very unique … not just the pace, not just the volume of threes, but how they score. The two tallest guys on the team shoot over 50% of their free throws. You rarely ever see that. They have three guys that in the last five games have shot over 50% of their balls. There are a lot of things that you’re trying to digest to try to see if there are trends, not only in the common opponents but in the last five games, in league play.”

What he’s probably found — their weaknesses are in line with some of A&M’s strengths.

Michigan outliers will need to step up 

So, now that the secret’s out, it’s going to be up to some of the “outliers” to step up. Guard Rubin Jones won’t be No. 1 on the A&M scouting report — Golden, Donaldson, and junior Danny Wolf will get most of the attention — meaning others are going to get their looks and opportunities to make plays. 

Roddy Gayle Jr. has stepped his game up, and he’ll need to continue to be aggressive. Burnett should get some looks, and even freshman L.J. Cason. 

But if there’s one guy who seems to have much more to give, it’s Rubin Jones. He made 41.6 percent of his triples last year at North Texas, barely missed at Wednesday’s open practice, and hit a big one against UCSD. Chances are he’ll get his looks, and he seems to have more in the tank than some of the others after missing a little time due to illness last month.

“I think so,” May responded when asked if he thought Jones could take his game and his team’s to another level. “I believe everyone in our locker room thinks that, as well. He made a big shot last night. We were able to extend the lead a little bit. Two of the biggest rebounds of the game … obviously, Vlad’s stood out, but Rubin had a couple really, really big extra possession offensive rebounds, tip-outs, kept the ball alive, and obviously the big rebound that sealed the win.

“Rubin is playing to win. I think he’s done a really nice job since we put him in the starting lineup as being a connector, as someone that has tried to make sure it all fits together, and defensively he’s always a pest. He’s someone that gets underneath the basketball, makes plays. I do think he looks even more comfortable in our switching schemes — that was something new for him — than he was earlier in the year.”

But it’s his offense they’ll really need against the Aggies. He and Gayle both will need to play well and protect the ball in this one, or the Wolverines will be going home. 

It won’t be easy. The Wolverines are a two-point underdog, and there’s a lot working against them. We’ll find out Saturday afternoon if they’re up to the challenge. A Sweet 16 berth and a trip to Atlanta depends on it.