For the sixteenth time this season, Michigan played a basketball game. For just the third time in school history, they have walked out of all sixteen as winners this season. They will get the chance to set the new record on Sunday night against Northwestern after beating the other school from Illinois in the Big Ten, Illinois, by a score of 79-69. The game was never a blow-away affair by any means, but Michigan, for the second straight game, never trailed, and they walked out winners by a comfortable margin.
Game Story:
Michigan started off the game scalding hot with an 8-0 run over the first 130 seconds, featuring Isaiah Livers returning to action with a mid-range jumper, a Zavier Simpson three, and Ignas Brazdeikis lay-up and-one. That would not lead to a Michigan runaway victory, however, but Michigan, at least to set the tone. Brazdeikis and Livers continued to set the tone and a Jon Teske and-one dunk meant Michigan hit a double-digit lead once again, meaning they would hold a double-digit in every game this season. However, immediately following, Illinois went on a quick 7-0 run, including Kipper Nichols getting back into the swing of things snapping an 0-15 skid from three. Anytime Michigan seemed ready to pull away in the game, it was the Fighting Illini to answer. Ayo Dosunmu did that well in the first half with eight points in a row for the home team and a pair of highlight reel blocks, one in each half, on Simpson breakaway attempted lay-ups. When it was an eleven point game thanks to seven consecutive for Michigan by Jordan Poole, it was Dosunmu who had Illinois' last eight, including a banked-in three with six seconds left to cut Michigan's lead down to 39-34 at the half. All-in-all, Dosunmu shone in transition with nineteen in the first half.
Michigan was still in control, however, and they came out from the locker room with a brilliant defensive plan to slow Dosunmu. Instead, the rest of the Illini needed to pull their weight. Trent Frazier was the first to do so, hitting a three to close the gap to four, but it would never get closer. Indeed, after a key stop, on Michigan's second-to-next trip down, Teske nailed a confident three. Then it was Aaron Jordan to hit a transition three after a failed alley-oop from Poole to Brazdeikis to make it a 49-44 game with 13:30 to go. A John Beilein time-out settled the troops, and Michigan would build the lead nearly immediately back to nine. A defensive lapse in transition led to a Charles Matthews dunk and forced a Brad Underwood timeout, down eleven. This was the last real chance for Illinois, but they had one last gasp. Frazier and Andres Feliz hit back-to-back threes with 5:30 left to make it 63-56 and give Michigan something to think about. It was Teske to make the play of the game, though. He set a massive pick on the man guarding Simpson, leaving him wide open to cross half court and force Giorgi Bezhanishvili to cover both. The result was Simpson nailing a set-up three and giving Michigan a ten-point lead yet again. Followed up by the next bucket being a Livers transition dunk and Illinois' press could not slow Michigan. It led to a free dunk for Matthews and a one-and-one split, two made freebies for Simpson, then two more for Matthews. Brazdeikis and Dosunmu got into a spat to finish off the game, but Michigan would win the battle (Brazdeikis hit both shots off the foul that caused it) and the war as they would walk out 79-69 victors.
What Happened:
It was a night of equal distribution on the stat sheet for Michigan, but a bit of an unfocused effort as a whole. At times, the game seemed to lack motivation at the Michigan end. Against an Illinois team that can score quickly, that is a recipe for trouble. Michigan committing eleven turnovers seemed to be a big concern in the first half, and it certainly was. But Michigan regrouped incredibly and only committed three in the second half. Ignas Brazdeikis had a tough game as well with three turnovers caused seemingly with limited pressure on him as the ball handler. Still, the freshman recovered in a way far more mature than his class standing would imply and he would finish with fifteen points and eight rebounds. In fact, Isaiah Livers was just a point away from making it six Wolverines in double figures.
It was a balanced night of scoring, but two men stood out for near-exclusively positive reasons: Jon Teske and Zavier Simpson. Teske secured a double-double with thirteen points and eleven boards, but his four blocks were essential in forcing the Illinois guards away from driving into the paint. Giorgi Bezhanishvili shot six-for-eleven, which is solid, but the constant post-ups plays right into the Michigan defensive philosophy of tough and contested twos. It may have been thirteen, but just as drinking soda is "empty calories," those were "empty points" for the Illinois big man, thanks in large part to not just Teske, but the Michigan defensive strategy. Simpson, on the other hand, outside of two blocked lay-ups, both chase-downs from Ayo Dosunmu and not Simpson's fault, it was all highlight reel plays from Simpson. The point guard had a team-high sixteen points and eight assists. Even with his team playing as sloppy as fans have seen this season in the first half, he only committed two turnovers. Averaging in the ballpark of six assists per game, no matter how much he scores, Simpson is always a massive piece of the team because of constant defensive effort and passing ability. The biggest and smallest men on the court made the biggest impacts on the game for Michigan.
For Illinois, it was all about Dosunmu in the first half. He went eight-for-ten with nineteen points in the first half. In the second, he had just four points, including two on the last shot of the game, an uncontested lay-up, and he went two-for-six. It was 23 points, but Michigan was able to clamp down and force it to be an underwhelming second half. Charles Matthews was vital in locking him down throughout the second half, especially on the perimeter. A lot of that, too, however, was the work of Luke Yaklich calling out Illinois offensive sets as they were happening. Brad Underwood's side ran a ball hand-off option with regularity and did not do nearly enough to distinguish a second set instead of it. Illinois' record is nowhere near impressive at 4-12, but the talent they have should be further ahead than this. Perhaps it is too many newcomers, but the offensive sets make Illinois seem to be an easy-to-read side, and Yaklich showed that. Underwood will need to do more offensively to give his side a true identity to compete in the Big Ten in the years to come, or he faces a trip to the hot seat in his second or third year at Illinois.
Some final thoughts about the evening are as follows:
1. It was good to see Isaiah Livers back. He had nine points five rebounds on four-for-eight shooting, but zero-for-three shooting from deep. 22 minutes is a nice run for him to get reinvolved into the game rhythm as he nears full health, ideally before the next road test.
2. Other than Livers, Eli Brooks and Austin Davis combined off the bench for just five minutes. It was a tough match-up for both men: Davis committed a quick foul on Bezhanishvili in the post as his only true involvement in the game while Brooks committed two turnovers against the high-intensity Illinois defense. For Brooks especially, it's a bit disappointing given his nice strides forward, but not every game will be ideal for the seventh and eighth men.
3. Speaking of off the bench, despite eight points and eight rebounds against Indiana, Brandon Johns was a DNP in the follow-up game. That is not wholly surprising, the Illinois game plan was to go fast the entire game. The idea, I would hazard to guess, was to shelter away Johns from a more aggressive defense, for the team's sake and his own for developmental reasons.
What's Next:
It's an opportunity to go 17-0 against Northwestern on Sunday at 7:30 P.M. at Crisler. The first game at Welsh-Ryan in Evanston was easily Michigan's tightest game and, impressively, was the last game since Holy Cross that Michigan trailed in the second half. They will hope that the home crowd can spur them to an easier victory. If they survive, they will hope to continue their run on the road in Madison against Wisconsin.
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 started off the game scalding hot with an 8-0 run over the first 130 seconds, featuring Isaiah Livers returning to action with a mid-range jumper, a Zavier Simpson three, and Ignas Brazdeikis lay-up and-one. That would not lead to a Michigan runaway victory, however, but Michigan, at least to set the tone. Brazdeikis and Livers continued to set the tone and a Jon Teske and-one dunk meant Michigan hit a double-digit lead once again, meaning they would hold a double-digit in every game this season. However, immediately following, Illinois went on a quick 7-0 run, including Kipper Nichols getting back into the swing of things snapping an 0-15 skid from three. Anytime Michigan seemed ready to pull away in the game, it was the Fighting Illini to answer. Ayo Dosunmu did that well in the first half with eight points in a row for the home team and a pair of highlight reel blocks, one in each half, on Simpson breakaway attempted lay-ups. When it was an eleven point game thanks to seven consecutive for Michigan by Jordan Poole, it was Dosunmu who had Illinois' last eight, including a banked-in three with six seconds left to cut Michigan's lead down to 39-34 at the half. All-in-all, Dosunmu shone in transition with nineteen in the first half.
Michigan was still in control, however, and they came out from the locker room with a brilliant defensive plan to slow Dosunmu. Instead, the rest of the Illini needed to pull their weight. Trent Frazier was the first to do so, hitting a three to close the gap to four, but it would never get closer. Indeed, after a key stop, on Michigan's second-to-next trip down, Teske nailed a confident three. Then it was Aaron Jordan to hit a transition three after a failed alley-oop from Poole to Brazdeikis to make it a 49-44 game with 13:30 to go. A John Beilein time-out settled the troops, and Michigan would build the lead nearly immediately back to nine. A defensive lapse in transition led to a Charles Matthews dunk and forced a Brad Underwood timeout, down eleven. This was the last real chance for Illinois, but they had one last gasp. Frazier and Andres Feliz hit back-to-back threes with 5:30 left to make it 63-56 and give Michigan something to think about. It was Teske to make the play of the game, though. He set a massive pick on the man guarding Simpson, leaving him wide open to cross half court and force Giorgi Bezhanishvili to cover both. The result was Simpson nailing a set-up three and giving Michigan a ten-point lead yet again. Followed up by the next bucket being a Livers transition dunk and Illinois' press could not slow Michigan. It led to a free dunk for Matthews and a one-and-one split, two made freebies for Simpson, then two more for Matthews. Brazdeikis and Dosunmu got into a spat to finish off the game, but Michigan would win the battle (Brazdeikis hit both shots off the foul that caused it) and the war as they would walk out 79-69 victors.
What Happened:
It was a night of equal distribution on the stat sheet for Michigan, but a bit of an unfocused effort as a whole. At times, the game seemed to lack motivation at the Michigan end. Against an Illinois team that can score quickly, that is a recipe for trouble. Michigan committing eleven turnovers seemed to be a big concern in the first half, and it certainly was. But Michigan regrouped incredibly and only committed three in the second half. Ignas Brazdeikis had a tough game as well with three turnovers caused seemingly with limited pressure on him as the ball handler. Still, the freshman recovered in a way far more mature than his class standing would imply and he would finish with fifteen points and eight rebounds. In fact, Isaiah Livers was just a point away from making it six Wolverines in double figures.
It was a balanced night of scoring, but two men stood out for near-exclusively positive reasons: Jon Teske and Zavier Simpson. Teske secured a double-double with thirteen points and eleven boards, but his four blocks were essential in forcing the Illinois guards away from driving into the paint. Giorgi Bezhanishvili shot six-for-eleven, which is solid, but the constant post-ups plays right into the Michigan defensive philosophy of tough and contested twos. It may have been thirteen, but just as drinking soda is "empty calories," those were "empty points" for the Illinois big man, thanks in large part to not just Teske, but the Michigan defensive strategy. Simpson, on the other hand, outside of two blocked lay-ups, both chase-downs from Ayo Dosunmu and not Simpson's fault, it was all highlight reel plays from Simpson. The point guard had a team-high sixteen points and eight assists. Even with his team playing as sloppy as fans have seen this season in the first half, he only committed two turnovers. Averaging in the ballpark of six assists per game, no matter how much he scores, Simpson is always a massive piece of the team because of constant defensive effort and passing ability. The biggest and smallest men on the court made the biggest impacts on the game for Michigan.
For Illinois, it was all about Dosunmu in the first half. He went eight-for-ten with nineteen points in the first half. In the second, he had just four points, including two on the last shot of the game, an uncontested lay-up, and he went two-for-six. It was 23 points, but Michigan was able to clamp down and force it to be an underwhelming second half. Charles Matthews was vital in locking him down throughout the second half, especially on the perimeter. A lot of that, too, however, was the work of Luke Yaklich calling out Illinois offensive sets as they were happening. Brad Underwood's side ran a ball hand-off option with regularity and did not do nearly enough to distinguish a second set instead of it. Illinois' record is nowhere near impressive at 4-12, but the talent they have should be further ahead than this. Perhaps it is too many newcomers, but the offensive sets make Illinois seem to be an easy-to-read side, and Yaklich showed that. Underwood will need to do more offensively to give his side a true identity to compete in the Big Ten in the years to come, or he faces a trip to the hot seat in his second or third year at Illinois.
Some final thoughts about the evening are as follows:
1. It was good to see Isaiah Livers back. He had nine points five rebounds on four-for-eight shooting, but zero-for-three shooting from deep. 22 minutes is a nice run for him to get reinvolved into the game rhythm as he nears full health, ideally before the next road test.
2. Other than Livers, Eli Brooks and Austin Davis combined off the bench for just five minutes. It was a tough match-up for both men: Davis committed a quick foul on Bezhanishvili in the post as his only true involvement in the game while Brooks committed two turnovers against the high-intensity Illinois defense. For Brooks especially, it's a bit disappointing given his nice strides forward, but not every game will be ideal for the seventh and eighth men.
3. Speaking of off the bench, despite eight points and eight rebounds against Indiana, Brandon Johns was a DNP in the follow-up game. That is not wholly surprising, the Illinois game plan was to go fast the entire game. The idea, I would hazard to guess, was to shelter away Johns from a more aggressive defense, for the team's sake and his own for developmental reasons.
What's Next:
It's an opportunity to go 17-0 against Northwestern on Sunday at 7:30 P.M. at Crisler. The first game at Welsh-Ryan in Evanston was easily Michigan's tightest game and, impressively, was the last game since Holy Cross that Michigan trailed in the second half. They will hope that the home crowd can spur them to an easier victory. If they survive, they will hope to continue their run on the road in Madison against Wisconsin.
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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