8 — Thursday, February 8, 2018 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Offensive struggles becoming a troubling trend for the Wolverines It seems like years ago that a scorched-earth offensive juggernaut went shot for shot with Purdue on its home court. That night, the Michigan men’s basketball team shot 60 percent from the field, 56 percent from 3-point range and scored 1.35 points per possession against the No. 3 team in the country. It became the first team all season to score 1.3 points per possession in a game and lose. Senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman was hitting fadeaway threes and sweeping layups en route to a 26-point outburst — causing coach John Beilein to insinuate a Derrick Walton-esque leap could be in store. Offensive turbulence appeared to be a thing of the past. It seems like years ago, because the two weeks before and the two weeks since have featured offensive struggles the likes of which Michigan has rarely experienced under Beilein. Putting the flame-throwing showcase at Mackey Arena aside, the Wolverines have averaged 61 points per game on 41-percent shooting in the other six games, and done so with a consistently troubling malaise. “I just think we need to have a little bit more of a sense of urgency,” Abdur- Rahkman said after Tuesday night’s 61-52 loss at Northwestern. “I think we didn’t have that. Also, it’s getting late in the season … a lot of people are adjusting to the way people are playing. We’ve just got to make adjustments as well.” Each game has its built- in excuse to sugarcoat the struggles. The Maryland game came just two days after the high point of the season, a road victory against Michigan State. The Wolverines went to Lincoln facing a desperate Nebraska team, in a hostile environment, in the midst of a grueling stretch of four games in nine days — a “schedule loss.” Rutgers, for its gruesome offensive deficiencies, was a strong defensive side that came into the game intending to muck up offensive flow and slow down tempo at all costs. Northwestern — both times — unveiled a unique matchup zone that presented few clear solutions. “I don’t know if we had a week prep (for the zone) we could make a big difference,” Beilein said. “It is really good.” Added Abdur-Rahkman: “They knew what we were running, things like that — we just played them, like a week ago. So they’re familiar with our players and our scout and stuff like that.” Individually, each performance is excusable. Together, they paint a troubling picture. But what exactly are those adjustments Abdur-Rahkman alluded to? For one, starting to make shots would help. Though the past month has displayed struggles, the overall team shooting outlook (47.1 percent from the field and 36 percent from three on the season) is about on par with other slightly above average Beilein teams. There is a prevailing sentiment that the shooting struggles are a blip on the radar, that a Beilein- coached team will find its stroke — and that very well may be. But unlike past teams, there are few guys on this team who are drastically underperforming their expected shooting numbers. Abdur-Rahkman is currently matching his career-best 3-point percentage (37.8) and taking them at a much higher clip. Wagner, too, is right around his career-high in 3-point percentage (39.6) and shooting a solid 53.7 percent from the field. The two main dropoffs come from the sharp decline in the shooting of fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson, who has somewhat inexplicably gone from 42 percent to 35 percent on 3-pointers in the span of a year. The other comes from the natural dropoff from an elite scoring point guard in Derrick Walton Jr. to the more defense-focused Zavier Simpson, an unavoidable decline. The sophomore has made just four of his last 21 3-point attempts after starting the year 14-for-31. “Of course, it sucks,” Wagner said. “You play basketball to make shots, it’s fun to win. You practice so much, and missing shots is not fun.” One possible solution may be an attempt to re-emphasize redshirt sophomore wing Charles Matthews. Matthews has scored just 12.3 points on 43 percent from the field and 26 percent from three in the last seven games. And while those numbers don’t jump out as overtly destructive, they’re discouraging for a guy who had begun to evolve into the team’s go-to scorer, a role still patiently waiting for an apt suitor. A perfomance becomes a problem. A problem becomes a trend. A trend becomes a fatal flaw. Right now, Michigan is ranked 57th in adjusted offensive efficiency, which comes dangerously close to the lowest ranking of the Beilein era — 67th in 2015. “We’re responsible for (the struggles),” Wagner said. “We’ve got to make shots, it’s on us.” CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily Redshirt sophomore forward Charles Matthews could be a solution to helping revive the Michigan offense. MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor “We’ve just got to make adjustments as well.” “You practice so much, and missing shots is not fun.” Four-star recruit flips commitment to Georgia in otherwise uneventful Signing Day for Michigan The Michigan football program welcomed three new signees to the 2018 recruiting class on National Signing Day on Wednesday, but the biggest news came from a player who wasn’t on that list. Four-star linebacker Otis Reese, a former Michigan verbal commit, announced Wednesday at a ceremony at his high school that he would instead be playing at University of Georgia next season. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was informed of Reese’s decision earlier in the day. “(I) wouldn’t say it caught us off guard,” Harbaugh said. “We understood that was a possibility. … One person closes the door, that opens the door for somebody else, and it’s our job to make sure that whoever turns the knob on that is what’s right for Michigan.” Reese, a native of Leesburg, Ga., verbally committed to Michigan in June of 2016 and was one of the longest-standing commitments in the class. Ranked 87th overall and 5th among outside linebackers nationally according to the 247Sports composite, Reese represented a significant loss for a recruiting class that will be viewed as one of the least prominent in years. He had previously been Michigan’s highest-rated commit. In a tamped down environment, devoid of the bright lights and loudspeakers of past years, Harbaugh welcomed in the new class. Thanks to the new early signing period in late December, the day was relatively quiet. Nineteen of the 22 commits — excluding incoming transfers, Shea Patterson and Casey Hughes — in the class signed their letters of intent in the early period, leaving just three to sign Wednesday. “There was a priority for youngsters to sign on the first signing day,” Harbaugh said. “That’s the biggest takeaway.” Ronnie Bell, a three-star receiver from Kansas City, totaled 159 catches and 31 touchdowns in his high school career. Until December, though, Bell was committed to play basketball at Missouri State. Bell earned the Simone award — granted to the best football player in the Kansas City area — for his senior year production. Three-star Michael Barrett also signed his letter of intent Wednesday, and though it’s unclear what position he’ll play play, Harbaugh said he was eager to get him the ball. “Envision him getting the ball in his hands — wide receiver, slot receiver, running back. I think those two areas primarily for him,” Harbaugh said. “Somebody who can get the ball and make yards after the catch — yards after contact. A receiver who can run like a running back, but I think also he’ll have the ability to be a running back.” Barrett thrived as a dual- threat quarterback in high school, racking up 4,640 yards passing, 2,647 yards rushing and 83 total touchdowns in his career. His senior year, Barrett was named Georgia’s 7A offensive player of the year. He received interest from Georgia Tech to play quarterback in its triple-option system, ultimately, choosing Michigan rather than the assurance of playing quarterback elsewhere. Barrett’s recruitment continued the coaching staff’s recent emphasis on recruiting out of the state of Georgia. He is the third player in the class from Georgia, totaling six such recruits in the last three years. In all, the class ranks 21st nationally, according to 247Sports, and features no consensus five-star prospects. Excluding Harbaugh’s first, shortened recruiting class, this class ranks as the lowest Michigan has had since 2011, the year between the tenures of Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke. AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh’s 2018 recruiting class is ranked 21st nationally and has no five-star prospects. MEN’S BASKETBALL MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor “(I) wouldn’t say (Reese flipping) caught us off guard.” This class ranks as the lowest Michigan has had since 2011. Livers hurts left ankle in loss to Northwestern Isaiah Livers stole the ball and headed up the court. He rose over a Northwestern defender and laid it in, putting the No. 20 Michigan men’s basketball team up, 4-0, less than two minutes into Tuesday’s game. When the freshman forward landed, though, he turned his left ankle and fell to the floor. He got up and attempted to play the next defensive possession with a heavy limp, but Wildcat guard Bryant McIntosh attacked Livers, drawing a foul. Livers hobbled off the court and was immediately attended to by trainers on the bench before going to the locker room. The freshman tested the ankle after halftime but was ultimately unable to return. After the game, Michigan coach John Beilein said he thought the injury was a left ankle sprain, though he admitted he hadn’t spoken with the team doctors yet. “The fact that he wanted to go out and try it again means it’s probably not a break or anything like that,” Beilein said. “But, you know, with an ankle sprain, you never know.” Livers has struggled offensively in recent weeks. Since he broke into the starting lineup — usurping fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson — in the Wolverines’ Jan. 13 game against Michigan State, he has yet to score more than eight points in a game. Livers’ points-per-game average has slowly dropped to 4.4, and while his energetic defense has allowed him to maintain his starting spot, he hasn’t been the same offensive threat as of late. So it’s unlikely Livers would have been able to jumpstart the stagnant Michigan offense in Tuesday’s game, though Beilein did mention the stress Livers’ absence put on the team’s rotation. “(Livers’ injury) certainly affected us a little bit, but that was not the reason we lost,” Beilein said. “ … (Against Northwestern’s) zone, you know, he didn’t play a lot. It certainly would have gave Duncan a rest, and I think that you can’t, probably, put a measure on what that does to Duncan and his shooting.” Robinson played 36 minutes Tuesday and scored just three points. He too has struggled offensively, shooting just 35 percent from deep — a far cry from last season’s 42-percent clip. Though his availability for Sunday’s game against Wisconsin is still unclear, as Beilein mentioned, the fact that Livers was able to at least try to play on his ankle likely means the injury isn’t too serious. For that, the Wolverines can be thankful. Junior forward Moritz Wagner mentioned Livers’ energy, defense and versatility as things Michigan missed with the freshman out of the lineup. If Livers is unable to play in the future, it stands to reason Robinson will get a hefty share of the available minutes. When Robinson does need a break, Beilein could also play redshirt sophomore forward Charles Matthews as the four-man with freshman guard Jordan Poole and senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman at the wings. MIKE PERSAK Managing Sports Editor “But, you know, with an ankle sprain, you never know.”