Michigan basketball got another close win. Is it luck or skill? John Beilein says both

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Hall of Fame coach John Beilein led Michigan basketball to the national championship game twice last decade.

Want to know the word he used to describe those journeys? Whether it was Trey Burke’s 30-footer vs. Kansas in 2013 or Jordan Poole’s miracle heave against Houston in 2018, there’s just one word needed.

Luck.

“We had to have lucky shots to get there,” Beilein admitted to the Free Press last month when he joined for an episode of “Hail Yes.” Maybe not lucky, but the good teams find a way to be in position, but still they got have to have luck to be there.”

Feb 24, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) shoots the ball against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Andrew Morgan (23) during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Michigan Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] 

To relate the message to this 2024-25 Michigan hoops season, there are really two ways to look at this.

Option one: the Wolverines still have this luck thing down pat. Or two: they might be running the well dry a bit early.

Michigan is 8-2 in its past 10 league contests. Those eight wins have come by a combined 26 points, all by four points or fewer. The two losses, however, have come by 39 points, for a net total of being out-scored by 13 points dating back more than a month. According to KenPom, Michigan’s “luck quotient” − the disparity between the site’s expected win percentage and actual win percentage − is an additional 0.60 wins this season.

While that doesn’t sound like much, it’s No. 63 among among all 364 NCAA Division I teams and sixth best “luck” rate among all power conference teams, behind only Oregon (29), Wake Forest (31), Oklahoma State (37), Auburn (47) and TCU (59).

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Monday night’s 49-46 rock fight against Nebraska is simply the latest example.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/michigan-basketball-got-another-close-111147090.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2025-02-26 11:11:00

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