It was a year ago today that Michigan basketball fans knew they had something special in Tim Hardaway Jr. The Wolverines were on the ropes at Penn State, trailing by 10 with 8:15 to go in the second half, and staring a crippling NCAA Tournament-hopes loss right in the face. Then Hardaway Jr erupted, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half, hitting big three pointers down the stretch, and establishing himself as a player who was not afraid of the moment. A true freshman who had as much natural talent and potential as anyone else on the team, and a bright future once he improved his consistency.

Fast forward 365 days and you see the same talented player with the same knack for scoring the basketball, but this season of Big Ten play has been roller-coaster for Hardaway Jr.

He started off the 2011-12 season by announcing himself in a big way at the Maui Invitational, scoring 21 points in a win against Memphis, 19 in a loss to Duke, and 20 in a victory over UCLA. Hardaway Jr was also a topic of conversation in all three of those games by ESPN’s broadcasting crew; and his performance seemed to validate that he was about to embark on a highly successful sophomore season and possibly become an early-entry candidate for the NBA Draft. Then, in Michigan’s next game at Virginia, Hardaway Jr was held to five points, and the perplexing disappearance of his shot became a theme for Michigan fans to follow throughout the course of the season thus far.

The numbers make it an easy correlation: When Hardaway Jr struggles, Michigan finds it very tough to win. In the Wolverines’ seven losses this year, Hardaway Jr has only scored in double-figures in three of them. In their 17 wins, he’s hit double-figures in all but two (one of those being an easy win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff). He’s finding plenty of ways to score, averaging 14.7 PPG so far this season; but his 3-point shooting has taken an unhealthy dip, dropping from 36% last season to a 27% clip this year. For a player that shoots almost 6 threes a game, that is obviously not a good number.

There has been plenty of speculation as to WHY Hardaway Jr has been struggling with his shot. The departure of Darius Morris obviously has had an effect, as Morris was especially efficient at creating wide-open looks for his wings in Michigan’s offense last season. While Trey Burke has been one of the league’s best freshmen, his skills as a creator at the point guard position have yet to mesh as well with Hardaway, something that he as admitted to the media.

With fewer clean looks to be had this season, Hardaway Jr has shown a bad habit of settling for low-percentage shots early in possessions, perhaps to try and get himself back into a shooting rhythm. For example:

That is not a good shot even if you’re shooting 80% from the floor. John Beilein’s offense is not designed to take long twos with 30 seconds to go in the shot clock.

Via UMhoops.com, here are a few more examples of Hardaway Jr struggling to find a good shot: 

What has also hurt Hardaway Jr is that when his shot isn’t falling, he is finding it hard to contribute in other ways to the team. In Big Ten play he has a 1.22 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is puzzling for a player whose father was great at creating his own shot, but also at setting up his teammates. Hardaway Jr has struggled in that aspect of his game so far, evident in Michigan’s loss to MSU, in which Hardaway went 1-10 from the floor and only collected one rebound and two assists.

Tim Hardaway Jr is still a prolific scorer, and a player that Michigan desperately needs if they want to continue to be successful in conference play. For Hardaway and Beilein, it’s about finding better shots within the offense, and contributing in other ways when those shots aren’t going down.

The great Gordie Howe has dementia, and is taking the fight public.  Click here to read the SI.com story on his battle.

Here's a look at where some of the area's High School talent will play their college football next year.  Apologies if we missed anyone on this list.  Feel free to post in the comments.

Kenowa Hills
Kitwana Clark, RB, 5-10, 190, Ferris State

Catholic Central
Kevin Vicari, RB, 5-9, 195, Grand Valley

Ottawa Hills

Jalen Couch, WR/CB, Ferris State

North Muskegon

John Waller, FB/CB, Central Michigan

Muskegon HS

Juwan Lewis, RB, 5-11, 208, Eastern Michigan

Muskegon Heights

Evan Winston, DE, 6-4, 240, Missouri

Orchard View

Brandon Hall, RB, 5-7, 223, Valparaiso

Holland

Scott Tackett, DE, 6-5, 230, GVSU

Forrest Hills Eastern

Matt Lawson, LB, preferred walk-on MI

Kalamazoo Central High School

Brandon Delk, S, 6-0, 200, GVSU

Jawun Gamble, WR, 6’1, 195, Wayne State

Portage Central

Kyle Knapp, OL, 6-5, 272, Syracuse

Vicksburg

Drew Mallery, LB, 6-3, 225, Hillsdale

Harper Creek

Kelby Latta, OG, 6-3, 293, Central Michigan

Here is my look at Michigan's 2012 football recruiting class.

Breakdown:

QB – 0

RB – 3

WR – 2

TE – 2

OL – 4

DL – 6

LB – 4

DB – 4

Best Offensive Recruit – Kyle Kalis, OG: Very strange to list an offensive lineman as the best recruit, but Kalis is the unusual 18-year-old whose strength and technique is such that he could actually play as a true freshman.  While the skill players in this class have yet to define their roles, Kalis will no doubt be a starter no later than his 2^nd year on campus.  The five-star lineman defected from Ohio State and will be a lightning rod when it comes to that annual rivalry game thanks to his outspoken opinions when it comes to the Buckeyes.

Best Defensive Recruit – Ondre “Pee Wee” Pipkins, DT: Because of the ineffectiveness thus far of former 5-star DT Will Campbell, new 5-start DT Pipkins will be expected to contribute right away as a freshman.  He has the size (6’3, 325) to do it, and more importantly, has a good motor and quickness for a young big man.  He also comes in as the biggest character of the class, claiming YouTube fame by impersonating the way Brady Hoke walks.  Hoke’s response (with a smile), “He’s got four years of hell in front of him.”

Strength of Class – Depth:  Not only is Michigan bringing in 25 commitments ( and maybe 1 or 2 more), but it is spread across the board at all positions except quarterback (where there wasn’t a need).  The Wolverines will have a few candidates on both sides of the ball who could contribute as true freshmen, and some talented players who they can afford to redshirt.  The “experts” think very highly of the class, universally putting Michigan in their nationwide Top 10 rankings.

Missed opportunities:  Michigan did miss out on some big-time talent in the last week, as late offers decided to go elsewhere.  They are still waiting on four-star OL Jordan Diamond to make a decision on Friday, and even with 4 OL-commits already in the fold, there is still a need for another quality tackle in the class.  Michigan also got a few well-regarded offensive skill players, but no player currently regarded as a  big-time difference maker.

Outlook for 2012:  Expect one or both of the WR’s to have a shot at early playing time, and late RB pick-up Dennis Norfleet could factor in the kick return game.  Defensively, Pipkins will play, and early-enrollee LB Joe Bolden has been getting rave reviews and could factor into the rotation.

Terp's-Way-Way-Too-Early-Grade: A-

Aaron Burbridge is one of the key players in MSU's class.

Here my look at Michigan State's 2012 football recruiting class.

Breakdown:

QB – 1

RB – 1

WR – 4

TE – 2

OL – 3

DL – 2

LB – 1

DB – 4

Best Offensive Recruit - Aaron Burbridge, WR:  I’ve seen Burbridge play a couple of times now, and he impressed me greatly as a junior and a senior.  He comes from Farmington Hills Harrison, and is well-coached.  Runs great routes and catches with his hands, not his body.  He headlines an extremely strong and large (4 commits) wide receiver class for MSU.

Best Defensive Recruit - Demetrious Cox, S:  He committed late in the process to MSU, but he was a huge pick-up for Mark Dantonio.  Scout.com Midwest Recruiting Expert Allen Trieu described him as a guy who could be a multiple-year starter and great playmaker in the back end of that Spartan defense.

Strength of Class – Playmakers:  4 wide receivers and Georgia RB Nick Thompkins should help replace some of the firepower MSU lost to graduation this year.  Also, Dantonio and company picked up two big TE targets in 6’6 Evan Jones and 6’5 Josiah price.

Missed opportunities:  Michigan State was unable to flip any of their late targets, as all decided to attend other schools.  The Spartans are very thin in the defensive front 7, with only 3 recruits.  They also lost the best recruit in their class, DE Se'Von Pittman, to Ohio State.  Only 18 recruits total in the class means there isn’t has much room for error as other schools that have brought in 25 or more.

Outlook for 2012:  Expect at least two receivers to contribute early in Michigan State’s passing game.  Maybe a defensive back or two will also earn early playing time.  Standard redshirts for most of the class.  This class will not be ranked highly, but MSU fans can point to recent success on the field and not recent recruiting “wins” as to why they are happy with the Class of 2012.

Terp's Way-Way-Too-Early-Grade: B-

ESPN's Hannah Storm is reporting on Ndamukong Suh.  Here's a clip from the story.