In fitting with the theme of finals week in Ann Arbor, Michigan had an 'A' in the season thus far, but could only manage a 70% on this test. It's still passing, but just barely. Western Michigan reigned supreme in the first half, but Michigan did just enough to squeeze out a 70-62 victory over their in-state Bronco foes.
Game Story:
Western Michigan got off to a quick 4-0 start, but after Jordan Poole's two buckets to level it out at four, things were expected to be back to normal service. Not the case. Jared Printy's two threes back-to-back made it an early 11-5 for the Broncos. Charles Matthews kept Michigan hanging around in the game, getting it tied at 17-17, but Michigan committed two turnovers on ensuing possessions and Michael Flowers started to get heated up with a tough two, his first three of the night, and another jumper, to stretch the Broncos lead back out to five. It was 28-20 with just two and a quarter to play in the first half, but Michigan stormed back. Matthews got a tip-in, then hit two free throws. Michigan then made a steal resulting in a Zavier Simpson lay-up, Matthews made a steal to dunk and tie the game, Jordan Poole made a steal, but then missed the dunk to take their first lead. No problem, though. Flowers would miss at one end and Matthews went coast-to-coast to lay it in to give Michigan the 30-28 lead at the half, their first of the game.
Within the first six minutes of the half, thanks in large part to a pair of Simpson threes, and one from Poole, Michigan ran up the lead to 44-32, meaning the Wolverines have carried a double-digit lead at some point in every game this season. Still, the Broncos hung around. Printy hit another three, Seth Dugan got open down low for a lay-up, and Michigan were only up five. Michigan would continue to stretch their lead out to another ten-point one with Simpson's third three of the game. The Broncos, on the other hand, would continue to fight back and keep it close. With about four minutes left and the Wolverines up only five, Michigan scored on three straight drives, two straight contested drives, including the first points from Ignas Brazdeikis, and two Matthews free throws, to keep the game in their control. When it was needed with a minute-fifteen left, Matthews drilled a corner three to put Michigan up eight. Simpson made a steal on Flowers and hit the lay-up at the other end, and it sealed Michigan's eleventh win by a score of 70-62.
What Happened:
When people see the score, people are going to wonder why WMU was able to stay so close and hold a lead during the entire first half. A lot of this was just down to inability to finish shots and find the bottom of the net for the Wolverines. Lots of open looks were missed, lay-ups by Jon Teske just couldn't seem to go in, Isaiah Livers went cold on this afternoon, and Ignas Brazdeikis only had four points and missed his three free throw attempts. The Broncos also did a ton right. Michael Flowers, the sophomore from Southfield, Michigan, showed up to play. Flowers finished with 31 points on the night with three threes on nine-for-sixteen shooting, and ten-for-eleven shooting from the line. He was all over the court and eventually Michigan had to try and counter his impact by putting Charles Matthews on him on the perimeter. The Broncos ran some great offense to free their top pure shooter Jared Printy and he responded by hitting three threes himself. It was a game where everyone on Western Michigan did a little bit of what they did best and followed the lead of Flowers, who did just about everything, and they were able to push Michigan. Even with third-leading scorer Josh Davis in foul trouble and eventually fouling out, it was picture-perfect from the Broncos.
In terms of Michigan, they were bailed out by the brilliant play of Charles Matthews and Zavier Simpson. There have been games where the pair of them needed great play offensively from other players on the team to help pick up the slack, but it was the two captains who stepped it up on both ends against their in-state foes. He scored more against WMU (25 points) than in his last three games combined (24 points) and chipped in ten rebounds. He was active on the offensive glass too and is proved his worth scoring in all aspects of the game. Additionally, his performance from the free throw line was incredibly positive as he went eleven-for-sixteen from the stripe with just one miss in the second half. It was telling when the Broncos held off fouling him choosing to foul Jordan Poole instead at the end of the game. His perimeter defense was important in slowing down the quicker Flowers and he also hit a pair of threes to put the icing on the cake. Simpson, on the other hand, went six-for-ten with a huge three threes for a total of fifteen points. After serious struggles from deep, seeing three of four go in from behind the line has to be a huge confidence booster for Simpson. This performance could see teams start to re-think about Simpson as an outside shooter.
Against a seven-footer in Seth Dugan, Michigan had a bit more flexibility to play Austin Davis. Michigan's back-up big man had struggled to find his footing on the court in terms of both play and simply seeing the court. However, Davis put in a huge nine minutes and finished with four points. These were important minutes in spelling Jon Teske and playing in place of Livers when needing a break. Dugan is a bigger post player who is really not a threat to shoot from deep. That sort of player, someone with post moves that teams dump the ball into, would figure to be a good match for Davis who is quick enough on offense to counter with moves of his own. I still want to see him more active on the glass, he did not have a rebound in the game, but a great step forward for his development was the fact that he did not commit a foul in his time on the court. Especially with Teske finishing with just three points (and six rebounds) getting quality minutes on the offensive end out of Davis really helped Michigan throughout the game.
Some other loose ends of the game include the struggles from the two main power forwards. Brazdeikis and Livers went a combined three-for-thirteen from the field, were zero-for-five from three, and just one-for-five from the free throw line. Despite this, there were some positive signs from both. Brazdeikis showed up with a key bucket down the stretch and Livers showcased good ability in getting open and looking for his own shot. Jordan Poole may have missed a dunk today, but he had a solid fourteen points with two threes and a whopping four steals. Also, some incredible foul statistics, everyone that saw the floor for WMU committed a foul except for Flowers, just added to his incredible display. Additionally, he was the only starter on either team not to commit multiple fouls, and only he and Jordan Poole did not commit three fouls in terms of starters.
What's Next:
Another week-long break between games sees Michigan wait until Saturday the 22nd to square off with Air Force at home. Michigan returns to action at 4 P.M. on Big Ten Network. The Falcons will have had two full weeks off once Saturday rolls around. From there, it's eight more days without a game before the final non-conference game of the season, against Binghamton on Sunday the 30th.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty more Michigan basketball coverage, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Liverpool FC coverage as well!
Game Story:
Western Michigan got off to a quick 4-0 start, but after Jordan Poole's two buckets to level it out at four, things were expected to be back to normal service. Not the case. Jared Printy's two threes back-to-back made it an early 11-5 for the Broncos. Charles Matthews kept Michigan hanging around in the game, getting it tied at 17-17, but Michigan committed two turnovers on ensuing possessions and Michael Flowers started to get heated up with a tough two, his first three of the night, and another jumper, to stretch the Broncos lead back out to five. It was 28-20 with just two and a quarter to play in the first half, but Michigan stormed back. Matthews got a tip-in, then hit two free throws. Michigan then made a steal resulting in a Zavier Simpson lay-up, Matthews made a steal to dunk and tie the game, Jordan Poole made a steal, but then missed the dunk to take their first lead. No problem, though. Flowers would miss at one end and Matthews went coast-to-coast to lay it in to give Michigan the 30-28 lead at the half, their first of the game.
Within the first six minutes of the half, thanks in large part to a pair of Simpson threes, and one from Poole, Michigan ran up the lead to 44-32, meaning the Wolverines have carried a double-digit lead at some point in every game this season. Still, the Broncos hung around. Printy hit another three, Seth Dugan got open down low for a lay-up, and Michigan were only up five. Michigan would continue to stretch their lead out to another ten-point one with Simpson's third three of the game. The Broncos, on the other hand, would continue to fight back and keep it close. With about four minutes left and the Wolverines up only five, Michigan scored on three straight drives, two straight contested drives, including the first points from Ignas Brazdeikis, and two Matthews free throws, to keep the game in their control. When it was needed with a minute-fifteen left, Matthews drilled a corner three to put Michigan up eight. Simpson made a steal on Flowers and hit the lay-up at the other end, and it sealed Michigan's eleventh win by a score of 70-62.
What Happened:
When people see the score, people are going to wonder why WMU was able to stay so close and hold a lead during the entire first half. A lot of this was just down to inability to finish shots and find the bottom of the net for the Wolverines. Lots of open looks were missed, lay-ups by Jon Teske just couldn't seem to go in, Isaiah Livers went cold on this afternoon, and Ignas Brazdeikis only had four points and missed his three free throw attempts. The Broncos also did a ton right. Michael Flowers, the sophomore from Southfield, Michigan, showed up to play. Flowers finished with 31 points on the night with three threes on nine-for-sixteen shooting, and ten-for-eleven shooting from the line. He was all over the court and eventually Michigan had to try and counter his impact by putting Charles Matthews on him on the perimeter. The Broncos ran some great offense to free their top pure shooter Jared Printy and he responded by hitting three threes himself. It was a game where everyone on Western Michigan did a little bit of what they did best and followed the lead of Flowers, who did just about everything, and they were able to push Michigan. Even with third-leading scorer Josh Davis in foul trouble and eventually fouling out, it was picture-perfect from the Broncos.
In terms of Michigan, they were bailed out by the brilliant play of Charles Matthews and Zavier Simpson. There have been games where the pair of them needed great play offensively from other players on the team to help pick up the slack, but it was the two captains who stepped it up on both ends against their in-state foes. He scored more against WMU (25 points) than in his last three games combined (24 points) and chipped in ten rebounds. He was active on the offensive glass too and is proved his worth scoring in all aspects of the game. Additionally, his performance from the free throw line was incredibly positive as he went eleven-for-sixteen from the stripe with just one miss in the second half. It was telling when the Broncos held off fouling him choosing to foul Jordan Poole instead at the end of the game. His perimeter defense was important in slowing down the quicker Flowers and he also hit a pair of threes to put the icing on the cake. Simpson, on the other hand, went six-for-ten with a huge three threes for a total of fifteen points. After serious struggles from deep, seeing three of four go in from behind the line has to be a huge confidence booster for Simpson. This performance could see teams start to re-think about Simpson as an outside shooter.
Against a seven-footer in Seth Dugan, Michigan had a bit more flexibility to play Austin Davis. Michigan's back-up big man had struggled to find his footing on the court in terms of both play and simply seeing the court. However, Davis put in a huge nine minutes and finished with four points. These were important minutes in spelling Jon Teske and playing in place of Livers when needing a break. Dugan is a bigger post player who is really not a threat to shoot from deep. That sort of player, someone with post moves that teams dump the ball into, would figure to be a good match for Davis who is quick enough on offense to counter with moves of his own. I still want to see him more active on the glass, he did not have a rebound in the game, but a great step forward for his development was the fact that he did not commit a foul in his time on the court. Especially with Teske finishing with just three points (and six rebounds) getting quality minutes on the offensive end out of Davis really helped Michigan throughout the game.
Some other loose ends of the game include the struggles from the two main power forwards. Brazdeikis and Livers went a combined three-for-thirteen from the field, were zero-for-five from three, and just one-for-five from the free throw line. Despite this, there were some positive signs from both. Brazdeikis showed up with a key bucket down the stretch and Livers showcased good ability in getting open and looking for his own shot. Jordan Poole may have missed a dunk today, but he had a solid fourteen points with two threes and a whopping four steals. Also, some incredible foul statistics, everyone that saw the floor for WMU committed a foul except for Flowers, just added to his incredible display. Additionally, he was the only starter on either team not to commit multiple fouls, and only he and Jordan Poole did not commit three fouls in terms of starters.
What's Next:
Another week-long break between games sees Michigan wait until Saturday the 22nd to square off with Air Force at home. Michigan returns to action at 4 P.M. on Big Ten Network. The Falcons will have had two full weeks off once Saturday rolls around. From there, it's eight more days without a game before the final non-conference game of the season, against Binghamton on Sunday the 30th.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty more Michigan basketball coverage, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Liverpool FC coverage as well!
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