Even without point guard DeVante' Jones, 11-seed Michigan has a chance in Thursday's NCAA Tournament opener against Colorado State. But it has no chance at all if it doesn't contain big, bad David Roddy, the Mountain West Player of the Year.
And how will the Wolverines do it?
"How 'bout telling him the game starts at 2:30 and not 12:15?" assistant coach Phil Martelli said on the Stoney & Jansen Show.
Assuming Roddy shows up on time, the Wolverines will have their hands full. The man -- and that's exactly what he is -- is like few players in the country, a 6'6, 255-pound forward who looks more like a goal-line running back, an NBA prospect in the barrel-chested mold of P.J. Tucker. He averages 19.0 points and 7.6 boards and shoots over 45 percent from three. Roddy, most simply, is a beast.
Running through some of the best offensive players in the Big Ten, Martelli said, "If I say the name E.J. Liddell or Keegan Murray or Ron Harper, guess what, be ready to say the name David Roddy -- because he has all those qualities. Our team is well aware of this now, he scores at four levels: at the rim, in the mid-range, with three pointers, but he also scores from the foul line. It’s going to be quite a challenge."
Roddy is going to get his. But Michigan, which opened as 2.5-point favorites before losing Jones, can pull the "upset" over the 6-seeded Rams if it makes him earn it. When Roddy shot 50 percent or less from the field this season, the Rams went 5-4. They otherwise went 20-1. If the Wolverines can hound and harass Roddy into bad shots, they can live with the results. It's just easier said than done.
"And it’s not just, what’s Moussa (Diabate) going to do against him?" Martelli said, referencing the Wolverines' 6'11 freshman forward who gives up almost 50 pounds to Roddy. "It’s, what’s Michigan going to do against him? It starts with him. And he’s a joy to watch because he’s fearless, plays without any antics, a straight dead-ahead player.
"And then when you combine he and Isaiah Stevens in the backcourt, they take 45 percent of their shots and they score 45 percent of their points. And (Stevens) gives you a different (look) because he’s a perimeter guy. Terrific offensive team and they know where their bread is buttered. Roddy is going to get a touch every time down the floor."
Roddy shoots about 57 percent from the field, Stevens about 47 percent. The Rams shoot 48.5 percent as a team, 12th best in the country. They also rarely turn it over. They're here for a reason. To send them home, Michigan will have to finish at the rim on the offensive end, where the Rams give up some size, and dig in on defense.
"This is not going to be an open floor, up-and-down kind of game where you’re just going to overpower them," Martelli said. "No, we’re going to have to be mentally sharper at one end to finish our shots, and at the other end make sure we stay connected defensively deep into the shot clock."