In the third ranked battle at Crisler Center, and fourth for the Wolverines overall, Michigan topped Indiana by double digits to improve to 15-0. It was a cover-to-cover victory against the Hoosiers who hung around in the game, but could never cut the lead to a margin to allow them to come back into the game. This is what went down.
Game Story:
Michigan opened with two buckets in the first minutes to give them a 4-0 lead and set the tone for the afternoon. Justin Smith had a put-back posterization on Ignas Brazdeikis to put Indiana on the board, but Brazdeikis countered with a beautiful driving lay-up. The pace was set even higher with Charles Matthews drilling a three, then promptly giving Michigan a poster-dunk of their own over Romeo Langford. After Al Durham's three, Michigan then went on the key run. Jordan Poole drained back-to-back threes, Matthews went three-on-one and made a fast break lay-up, Poole found Austin Davis for a lay-up, and after a timeout Matthews made a steal and dunk. It was a 12-0 run to put Michigan up 23-9 and it left Archie Miller flummoxed on the sidelines. After a fairly dry six minute spell, some more energy came in the checking in of Brandon Johns. He was productive on the glass, and found the hoop thanks to a nice dish from Eli Brooks. The best was yet to come for Johns, but for Michigan they were able to continually manage the game, keeping it a fifteen-point lead, 44-29, at the half.
As expected, coming out of the half Indiana provided solid resistance. But still, Michigan was there with important counters. The first coming with Juwan Morgan's close-out being too over-eager and resulting in Brazdeikis getting three free throws, and hitting all three. When it was cut to nine on a Devonte Green three and Matthews missed a lay-up, Johns were there to sky for the put-back dunk. When it was cut to a seven-point lead with about 10:30 left, it was Zavier Simpson there to hit his patented running hook shot, then find Matthews for a lay-up to push the lead back to eleven. Then, for about thirty seconds, it was the Johns show. He first tipped in his own miss, then on a pick-and-roll he rolled brilliantly for Simpson to find him to slam down a massive dunk. Finally, after a Morgan three to put IU down nine with 2:30 to play, Poole had one more bit of brilliance with a slicing move and acrobatic finish at the rim. Simpson hit a pair of free throws to ice the game properly, and despite a late timeout, Indiana called off the dogs. Michigan won with a final of 74-63 and completed a fantastic all-around team performance.
What Happened:
Michigan put together a complete first-half performance that Indiana simply could not seem to find any answers to. Michigan's early 21-4 run over about seven minutes, the last two points of it coming nearly two minutes after the second-to-last two points, was the Michigan fans saw earlier this season dismantle North Carolina, Purdue, and Villanova. From there, it was a matter of simply remaining in control of the game, and Michigan did that well. The Wolverines have become a team that can turn to three or four players when they need a big bucket to deliver in timely situations. Zavier Simpson did plenty of that. So, too, did Charles Matthews and Jordan Poole. Michigan certainly does not need to be putting together masterful performances like this on a game-by-game basis, though fans would certainly love it. That said, seeing them beat a strong Indiana team at home leading the entire game is a massive positive for Michigan fans.
Talking more specifically about the players, we need to begin with Matthews and Poole. While Matthews and Poole were both quieted a bit in the second half, the two of them were essential in Michigan building their insurmountable lead. Matthews went for eighteen points on seven-for-fifteen shooting, including two of Michigan's four threes. Matthews was a glove on defense with a whopping four steals and lockdown defense on Romeo Langford (more on that in a bit). Poole also had eighteen points and the other two of Michigan's threes. He went eight-for-thirteen on the night and while he was only two-for-six from long-range, he has been very hot to start the season still hovering around the 50% mark from deep. These are the games that Matthews needs to show up in and deliver, and he did so resoundingly. He stroke from deep is looking better and better, free throws are less of a concern, and his athleticism and defense are elite in the Big Ten. Likewise, Poole surely open up plenty of NBA eyes. His three-point stroke is silky smooth and his ability to get to the rim and finish is exceptional (he went six-for-seven inside the arc). The pair of them seem to be growing as players as the season goes on, and they will be key in the season's positive arc continuing.
Two other key players that need to be discussed are Zavier Simpson and Brandon Johns. For Johns, this was a coming-out party of sorts. With Isaiah Livers out injured for the second game in a row, Johns was needed to provide minutes both at the four, but primarily at the five with Jon Teske and Austin Davis both in foul trouble. While he looked raw in his first appearances this season, Johns had a stellar eight points on five shots and eight rebounds, three of those of the offensive variety. He played thirteen crucial minutes and as the game went on he appeared more and more comfortable. He still seemed to need to adjust to the defensive standard that is expected of Big Ten basketball, but that comes with experience. The blossoming of a second rotational freshman would be massive for John Beilein and the Wolverines.
Simpson, against Indiana, did not affect the game as he so regularly does passing and rebounding, but rather with his points. He scored ten points on five-for-ten shooting, all five coming on drives, including multiple hook shots. His hook shot is his signature move and seems nearly unstoppable despite being just a (listed) six-feet tall. His defense was also strong, as usual, but if he can continue to drive on opponents even when they know that is his offensive game, that would be huge for Michigan.
Finally, the Michigan defense, and Indiana's performance as a whole. I said in my preview, "Michigan will likely leave it up to either the supporting cast to help out their two All-Big Ten caliber players, or tell Langford and Morgan to try and beat them." Michigan chose the former, and forced the latter out of Indiana. While the supporting cast of Justin Smith, Al Durham, and Devonte Green did get open on occasion, the three combined for just 21 points on nine-for-eighteen shooting. Even with Indiana, not known for their three-point prowess, hitting five threes (one more than Michigan) the Wolverines were able to keep to their strategy and lock down, well, everyone on the court for Indiana.
Romeo Langford needed ten minutes to score his first two points, by which he had already committed two fouls. He went five-for-eleven, but six-for-six from the line, for seventeen points. It was an empty sixteen points, though. Matthews was able to lock up the star freshman, and have a dunk over him for good measure. Juwan Morgan, on the other hand, put up a whopping 22 shots, finishing with 25 points. He hit two threes due to poor closeouts all night by the bigger Jon Teske, and his post moves saw some go down, but by no means was it a complete performance and his 25 points ultimately felt misleading given the amount of shots. Michigan was able to wreck havoc on the Indiana offense and throw them out of their rhythm. With their team composition, it was always going to be a tough task to come back with only two or three players with great three-point percentages. Michigan forced their hand and walked out eleven point winners.
What's Next:
Michigan venture to Illinois on Thursday night for an away clash with the Fighting Illini. Brad Underwood's squad are 0-4 in conference play and are coming off a two-point loss that saw A.J. Turner of Northwestern hit a three with ten seconds to win it for his team. The game is at 8 PM on Thursday the tenth and it's available to watch on FS1.
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:
Michigan opened with two buckets in the first minutes to give them a 4-0 lead and set the tone for the afternoon. Justin Smith had a put-back posterization on Ignas Brazdeikis to put Indiana on the board, but Brazdeikis countered with a beautiful driving lay-up. The pace was set even higher with Charles Matthews drilling a three, then promptly giving Michigan a poster-dunk of their own over Romeo Langford. After Al Durham's three, Michigan then went on the key run. Jordan Poole drained back-to-back threes, Matthews went three-on-one and made a fast break lay-up, Poole found Austin Davis for a lay-up, and after a timeout Matthews made a steal and dunk. It was a 12-0 run to put Michigan up 23-9 and it left Archie Miller flummoxed on the sidelines. After a fairly dry six minute spell, some more energy came in the checking in of Brandon Johns. He was productive on the glass, and found the hoop thanks to a nice dish from Eli Brooks. The best was yet to come for Johns, but for Michigan they were able to continually manage the game, keeping it a fifteen-point lead, 44-29, at the half.
As expected, coming out of the half Indiana provided solid resistance. But still, Michigan was there with important counters. The first coming with Juwan Morgan's close-out being too over-eager and resulting in Brazdeikis getting three free throws, and hitting all three. When it was cut to nine on a Devonte Green three and Matthews missed a lay-up, Johns were there to sky for the put-back dunk. When it was cut to a seven-point lead with about 10:30 left, it was Zavier Simpson there to hit his patented running hook shot, then find Matthews for a lay-up to push the lead back to eleven. Then, for about thirty seconds, it was the Johns show. He first tipped in his own miss, then on a pick-and-roll he rolled brilliantly for Simpson to find him to slam down a massive dunk. Finally, after a Morgan three to put IU down nine with 2:30 to play, Poole had one more bit of brilliance with a slicing move and acrobatic finish at the rim. Simpson hit a pair of free throws to ice the game properly, and despite a late timeout, Indiana called off the dogs. Michigan won with a final of 74-63 and completed a fantastic all-around team performance.
What Happened:
Michigan put together a complete first-half performance that Indiana simply could not seem to find any answers to. Michigan's early 21-4 run over about seven minutes, the last two points of it coming nearly two minutes after the second-to-last two points, was the Michigan fans saw earlier this season dismantle North Carolina, Purdue, and Villanova. From there, it was a matter of simply remaining in control of the game, and Michigan did that well. The Wolverines have become a team that can turn to three or four players when they need a big bucket to deliver in timely situations. Zavier Simpson did plenty of that. So, too, did Charles Matthews and Jordan Poole. Michigan certainly does not need to be putting together masterful performances like this on a game-by-game basis, though fans would certainly love it. That said, seeing them beat a strong Indiana team at home leading the entire game is a massive positive for Michigan fans.
Talking more specifically about the players, we need to begin with Matthews and Poole. While Matthews and Poole were both quieted a bit in the second half, the two of them were essential in Michigan building their insurmountable lead. Matthews went for eighteen points on seven-for-fifteen shooting, including two of Michigan's four threes. Matthews was a glove on defense with a whopping four steals and lockdown defense on Romeo Langford (more on that in a bit). Poole also had eighteen points and the other two of Michigan's threes. He went eight-for-thirteen on the night and while he was only two-for-six from long-range, he has been very hot to start the season still hovering around the 50% mark from deep. These are the games that Matthews needs to show up in and deliver, and he did so resoundingly. He stroke from deep is looking better and better, free throws are less of a concern, and his athleticism and defense are elite in the Big Ten. Likewise, Poole surely open up plenty of NBA eyes. His three-point stroke is silky smooth and his ability to get to the rim and finish is exceptional (he went six-for-seven inside the arc). The pair of them seem to be growing as players as the season goes on, and they will be key in the season's positive arc continuing.
Two other key players that need to be discussed are Zavier Simpson and Brandon Johns. For Johns, this was a coming-out party of sorts. With Isaiah Livers out injured for the second game in a row, Johns was needed to provide minutes both at the four, but primarily at the five with Jon Teske and Austin Davis both in foul trouble. While he looked raw in his first appearances this season, Johns had a stellar eight points on five shots and eight rebounds, three of those of the offensive variety. He played thirteen crucial minutes and as the game went on he appeared more and more comfortable. He still seemed to need to adjust to the defensive standard that is expected of Big Ten basketball, but that comes with experience. The blossoming of a second rotational freshman would be massive for John Beilein and the Wolverines.
Simpson, against Indiana, did not affect the game as he so regularly does passing and rebounding, but rather with his points. He scored ten points on five-for-ten shooting, all five coming on drives, including multiple hook shots. His hook shot is his signature move and seems nearly unstoppable despite being just a (listed) six-feet tall. His defense was also strong, as usual, but if he can continue to drive on opponents even when they know that is his offensive game, that would be huge for Michigan.
Finally, the Michigan defense, and Indiana's performance as a whole. I said in my preview, "Michigan will likely leave it up to either the supporting cast to help out their two All-Big Ten caliber players, or tell Langford and Morgan to try and beat them." Michigan chose the former, and forced the latter out of Indiana. While the supporting cast of Justin Smith, Al Durham, and Devonte Green did get open on occasion, the three combined for just 21 points on nine-for-eighteen shooting. Even with Indiana, not known for their three-point prowess, hitting five threes (one more than Michigan) the Wolverines were able to keep to their strategy and lock down, well, everyone on the court for Indiana.
Romeo Langford needed ten minutes to score his first two points, by which he had already committed two fouls. He went five-for-eleven, but six-for-six from the line, for seventeen points. It was an empty sixteen points, though. Matthews was able to lock up the star freshman, and have a dunk over him for good measure. Juwan Morgan, on the other hand, put up a whopping 22 shots, finishing with 25 points. He hit two threes due to poor closeouts all night by the bigger Jon Teske, and his post moves saw some go down, but by no means was it a complete performance and his 25 points ultimately felt misleading given the amount of shots. Michigan was able to wreck havoc on the Indiana offense and throw them out of their rhythm. With their team composition, it was always going to be a tough task to come back with only two or three players with great three-point percentages. Michigan forced their hand and walked out eleven point winners.
What's Next:
Michigan venture to Illinois on Thursday night for an away clash with the Fighting Illini. Brad Underwood's squad are 0-4 in conference play and are coming off a two-point loss that saw A.J. Turner of Northwestern hit a three with ten seconds to win it for his team. The game is at 8 PM on Thursday the tenth and it's available to watch on FS1.
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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