For this segment of basketball oriented “Know Your…” we bring you the Dave from the well written Michigan blog Maize n Brew.  Check out our responses here.

1) Your two top scorers are Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims. What can you tell us about them and what role do they play in your gameplan?

Honestly, Sims and Harris ARE our gameplan. Harris is Michigan’s option 1A and Sims 1B, but that designation changes depending on the opponent. Sims accounted for Michigan’s first 14 points against Iowa in the Wolverines’ invite clenching blowout in the Big Ten Tournament. Harris, on the other hand, lead the Big Ten in scoring for the majority of the season. So, they’re both special players.

Harris is a slasher with a developing outside shot. He takes almost all of Michigan’s big shots in big games. Harris is at his most effective when he’s slashing to the rim. He’s got a great first step and sees the court fairly well, allowing him to find space in the lane or an open teammate for a three. Harris isn’t afraid the launch a trey, though a good deal of the time they go awry. But when Michigan needs an answer, or desperately needs points, those threes somehow always find their way to the bottom of the net. I can’t explain it, but they do. As an added bonus, he’s a really good defender. However, if he gets frustrated, he’ll settle for fade away shots – something Beilein’s been working on with him all season.

Sims is my favorite player on the team. Simply put, he’s deadly everywhere. He has the best midrange shot on the team, and can consistently hit a shot anywhere on the floor. Including from three. But he’s at his best when he’s down low. His length and quickness give the tall skinny dudes problems, and he is really, really strong despite not being rippled with muscles, so you really can’t push him around. Sims is aggressive and has good body position for boards and easy layups. When Sims is on, which seems to be every game these days, he makes everyone better. He’s great at beating the double team with a pass to an open man and is good about not forcing shots.

Like I said, options 1A and 1B.

2) I, like most other Clemson folks I’ve talked to, know very little about your team. Can you give us a brief synopsis of a gameplan we should expect on your end?

Like any Beilein team, Michigan relies on the outside shot. Specifically the three ball. Beileins game plan is centered around pressure defense to create turnovers, forcing contested shots in zone or in man, and finding the open player for a trey. Two things that disappeared as the conference season rolled on were the pick & roll and the back door cut. Just like any conference homer, I contend that the Big Ten plays the toughest defense in the country and that’s why scores aren’t as high as the ACC or Big East. Without the muggings that the Big Ten Refs allow, Duke and UCLA weren’t able to check those back door cuts or pick & rolls. Michigan will roll out kind of a three guard two forward line up with Zack Novak taking the PF on defense. You’ll see Manny at the wing, Sims down low, Lee and I’m guessing Douglass lurking at the arc. You’ll also see three or four different defenses; 1-3-1, man, 2-3 zone, 3-2 zone, and something you’ve never seen before in your life. Beilein will just invent something on the spot. It’s how he rolls.

Michigan will take the lanes when they’re open and get to the hoop as often as they can. This is a very good free-throw shooting team, so getting to the line is just gravy on the gameplan. If Michigan is on, you’ll see a lot of movement around and beneath the basket as players cycle through screens for shots and passes. You’ll see plenty of drives and kick outs. So as your defense draws in, Michigan’s snipers are open, and that’s how Beilein’s Michigan team beats you. Look for Novak, Douglass, Laval Lucas-Perry and Harris to go bombs away if given an opening.

3) One things that worries me personally about this game is that our players are displaying a lack-of-care on the court and have an overall tired demeanor about the season. You guys haven’t been to the dance in 10 years and are hungry. Sans your Maize and Blue glasses, is this something special or have you guys been building this?

This team is hungry. When they need to win, they do. Better yet, they rise to their competition. Look at the Losses to Duke and UConn. Michigan played UConn even ’till the last minute in Connecticut. Neutral floor, that’s a Michigan win. They lost to Duke and then beat them two weeks later. Need a win? They played an underated Wisconsin team in Madison down to the wire, then beat Minnesota in the Barn. Both games were crucial. Then they just dismantle an Iowa that beat them a week earlier and just crushed Penn State’s tourney dreams. These guys like to play together. And as a result they play to win.

As for building a program, not in my wildest dreams did I think this team was a tourney team after a 10-22 season. No way. Beilein just arrived last year. Other than Sims and Harris, the cupboard has bare going into this season. But a pair of underrated outside shooters named Novak and Douglas were much, much better than advertised. Sims and Harris took quantum leaps in development. And two walk-ons (CJ Lee and David Merritt) became not just supporting cast members, but Lee is our starting point guard and best defender. We’re just as surprised as everyone else that they developed this quickly, and as a result, our hopes for the future of the program are high.

4) Ok, the bench player question you guys hit us with was pretty good so we’ll float that right back to you: Who’s your best bench player and when is a situation you’d need him?

It’s a tough question to answer. Michigan starts Sims (C-F), Harris (G), Novak (PF), Lee (G) and a mesh of Laval Lucas-Perry, Stu Douglass, David Merritt, and Kelvin Grady. LLP and Stu see the most time and they’re basically interchangeable. Stu’s usually the first guy off the bench because of his height and length. LLP is faster and more effective penetrating. Both can shoot. Merritt is a former walk in who is short, can’t really shoot, but plays defense like a pug on amphetamines. Grady is a slick ball handler, but a suspect defender and shooter. If he develops next year, woo, but he hasn’t played meaningful minutes in a couple of weeks.

My favorite bench player is Zack Gibson, our 6-10 (C-F) honktastic big man. I’ve dubbed him “Honky Magic.” He ain’t the best player in the world, but he’s fun to watch when he’s on, and if he gets a chance, can rock the rim like the And1 tour. Well. Not really. But he can get off the ground. Gibson usually plays about 8 minutes a game and puts in 4-6 points, adds a block or two, and entertains the hell out of me. He’s the first/only big man off the bench, so you’ll see him in action. When he dunks you are legally obligated to yell “Honky Magic!” even though he’s not on your team.

5) Obviously based on your record and your conference you deserve to be where you are. What are some of your marquee wins that were on your resume for the tournament?

Michigan topped then No. 4 UCLA on November 20, 2008 at MSG; Beat then No. 4 Duke in Ann Arbor on December 6, 2008; then No. 16 Purdue on February 26, 2009; Illinois; and Minnesota (twice). Beating NIT bound Northwestern twice and splitting with Penn State probably didn’t hurt either. Close losses to Michigan State, Duke and UConn look pretty good now too.