Michigan gained a big road win in the Big Ten as they went into The Barn and controlled the game for a near-full forty minutes on the road. The win improves Michigan to 24-3 on the season and moves them into a first-place tie in the Big Ten at 13-3, a tie that will be broken between at least two teams on Sunday as Michigan hosts their in-state rivals.
Game Story:
During the first four minutes of the bout the two sides traded buckets in the paint to a quick 6-6 standstill. Then Michigan got the offense back rolling. Jordan Poole showed signs of snapping out of his recent shooting slump as he drilled a three, that was followed by a three from Ignas Brazdeikis. Michigan then continued to play stellar defense, including Jon Teske going straight up on an Amir Coffey dunk attempt and avoiding a foul call which led to a Poole lay-up. Zavier Simpson hitting a three, his only field goal of the night, and Richard Pitino called a timeout to try and quell an 11-0 run. Minnesota responded well with a pair of twos, but Poole countered with another three. Eric Curry responded with a two, but Poole made a steal and unselfishly found David DeJulius for the easy lay-up. Daniel Oturu found the bottom of the net with 7:27 left in the game, but from there the two teams went over two-and-a-half minutes without scoring until Jon Teske was found for the lob and jam. The teams then went on for another almost three minutes without scoring before Oturu scored once again. This marked a five minute, 25 second spell without any Minnesota points. Poole would can another three, but an Oturu buzzer-beater put-back meant the Golden Gophers would go into the break down ten at 28-18.
Michigan were able to push the lead out even further to start off the second half. Brazdeikis started the half off with five points out of the gate. Poole and Brazdeikis then added another bucket each, then Teske followed that up with his first three of the game to make it 40-22. Poole would hit another three to push the lead back up to eighteen, and Charles Matthews hit two free throws to make it 45-25, a twenty-point lead, for the first twenty-point lead of the game. Isaiah Livers hit a three to push the lead to 50-29, marking the lone time the lead would grow over twenty points. After yet another Poole three, Minnesota snagged a 7-0 run over just 1:15 to make it 53-40 at the under-eight. The Gophers would make it a twelve-point, but Matthews snapped a two-minute cold spell to make it 58-43. Minnesota would score four straight points, but Teske nailed back-to-back thres to run the lead up to 64-47. Michigan, however, would struggle to see the game out. After Simpson hit two free throws to make it 68-52, Minnesota would trouble Michigan on the inbound and draw a couple fouls, to close it on an 8-1 run and cut the final lead to single digits. Poole could only go one-for-four from the free throw line, Brock Stull hit the final bucket of the game, and Michigan saw out a 69-60 victory.
What Happened:
Michigan finally seemed to put together a (near) wholly full game. Michigan had a couple of dry spells, and the 7-0 run over just a bit over minute was a worry, and, finally, the inability to close out the game was also a concern, but Michigan did well enough to have command over the vast majority of the game. After a game where they only hit three threes in Ann Arbor against Minnesota, they instead went 13-for-28 on the road while holding Minnesota to just one-for-ten shooting. Holding Minnesota to just eighteen points in the first half was also a massive positive and a sign that not only were they playing brilliantly, but nothing the Golden Gophers seemed to be able to do would work. Michigan's defense was not fooled by any sorts of screening action Minnesota threw at their defense, and they held their ground well. The free throw shooting on both sides was poor, but once again, Charles Matthews and Zavier Simpson both went two-for-two from the line as a promising sign.
The key for this game for the Wolverines was Jordan Poole snapping out of a three-for-seventeen stretch from three over the last three games. Instead, this evening, Poole went five-for-teen from deep and eight-for-sixteen overall for a total of 22 points. The one-for-four night from the line is a disappointment, and would have likely saw the game finish at a slightly more comfortable margin for Michigan, but there is no serious concern about that. Along with Poole, Jon Teske had a nice evening where he went seven-for-eleven with a three-for-six night from three for seventeen points. Along with the offensive outburst, he put up a massive night on defense too with a whopping five blocks. All three other starters had their own moments of brilliance too. Ignas Brazdeikis took over the game right out of the halftime and finished the game with ten points and a pair of threes. Simpson dished twelve assists and had three steals on the defensive end. Finally, Matthews went for nine points, nine rebounds, while shutting down Amir Coffey on the other end.
Speaking of Coffey and the Gophers, let's focus on he and the Gophers. Coffey was the key man who struggled with the vice-like defense of Matthews on him. He went zero-for-ten in the first half and finished the game with only a marginal better line of two-for-fifteen with six points, and a team-high four assists. He was zero-for-five from three and has dropped his seasonal percentage to 30%. While supremely talented, his game is centered more around getting to the rim, not settling for deeper shots. Unfortunately, those were really the open shots he was able to get. Matthews has proven himself to be a top-tier wing defender in the Big Ten, and that was on full display this evening. Additionally, while the two starting bigs for the Gophers combined for 36 points and 27 rebounds, Michigan, particularly Brazdeikis, did very well to trouble Jordan Murphy and force him to work for his eighteen points. That said, the two bigs were allowed to put up solid numbers while not hurting Michigan because the guards were shut down. Gabe Kalscheur was held to just three shots from three and only hit one. The four key guards -- Coffey, Kalscheur, Dupree McBrayer, and Isaiah Washington -- combined for just 6-for-29 shooting from the field. Michigan's guard and wing defense was smothering and stellar, and it showed in the performance of the Gophers.
Finally, looking at Michigan's bench, the Wolverines went nine-deep on the evening. Brandon Johns struggled with the flu leading into the game, so it was Colin Castleton, not Austin Davis, coming in off the bench first. Castleton missed a lay-up, but he played good defense on the possession immediately following and forced a turnover. David DeJulius had two points and is indeed the back-up point guard, as Eli Brooks played just two minutes in relief of Poole. Finally, Isaiah Livers remained the key man off the bench as he played twenty minutes. He continues to give great energy and strong defensive minutes for Michigan off the bench, and looks primed to be a breakout candidate next season. He finished with four points -- a three and a free throw -- and five rebounds. If he can improve his passing, he could be a genuine contender for an All Big Ten spot as a junior. Additionally, at this point of the season, with four of the five freshmen having seen meaningful minutes in the game, no matter how limited, this should certainly help their growing period next season once they do see more regular minutes.
What's Next:
The big rivalry, Michigan vs. Michigan State, is on deck. It is set for Sunday at 3:45 PM. The Wolverines will wear maize jerseys modeled on the 1989 NCAA National Championship winning team, who will be honored at the game for this being thirty years following the National Championship victory. A full preview of the game, including special keys to the game, will be coming soon.
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:
During the first four minutes of the bout the two sides traded buckets in the paint to a quick 6-6 standstill. Then Michigan got the offense back rolling. Jordan Poole showed signs of snapping out of his recent shooting slump as he drilled a three, that was followed by a three from Ignas Brazdeikis. Michigan then continued to play stellar defense, including Jon Teske going straight up on an Amir Coffey dunk attempt and avoiding a foul call which led to a Poole lay-up. Zavier Simpson hitting a three, his only field goal of the night, and Richard Pitino called a timeout to try and quell an 11-0 run. Minnesota responded well with a pair of twos, but Poole countered with another three. Eric Curry responded with a two, but Poole made a steal and unselfishly found David DeJulius for the easy lay-up. Daniel Oturu found the bottom of the net with 7:27 left in the game, but from there the two teams went over two-and-a-half minutes without scoring until Jon Teske was found for the lob and jam. The teams then went on for another almost three minutes without scoring before Oturu scored once again. This marked a five minute, 25 second spell without any Minnesota points. Poole would can another three, but an Oturu buzzer-beater put-back meant the Golden Gophers would go into the break down ten at 28-18.
Michigan were able to push the lead out even further to start off the second half. Brazdeikis started the half off with five points out of the gate. Poole and Brazdeikis then added another bucket each, then Teske followed that up with his first three of the game to make it 40-22. Poole would hit another three to push the lead back up to eighteen, and Charles Matthews hit two free throws to make it 45-25, a twenty-point lead, for the first twenty-point lead of the game. Isaiah Livers hit a three to push the lead to 50-29, marking the lone time the lead would grow over twenty points. After yet another Poole three, Minnesota snagged a 7-0 run over just 1:15 to make it 53-40 at the under-eight. The Gophers would make it a twelve-point, but Matthews snapped a two-minute cold spell to make it 58-43. Minnesota would score four straight points, but Teske nailed back-to-back thres to run the lead up to 64-47. Michigan, however, would struggle to see the game out. After Simpson hit two free throws to make it 68-52, Minnesota would trouble Michigan on the inbound and draw a couple fouls, to close it on an 8-1 run and cut the final lead to single digits. Poole could only go one-for-four from the free throw line, Brock Stull hit the final bucket of the game, and Michigan saw out a 69-60 victory.
What Happened:
Michigan finally seemed to put together a (near) wholly full game. Michigan had a couple of dry spells, and the 7-0 run over just a bit over minute was a worry, and, finally, the inability to close out the game was also a concern, but Michigan did well enough to have command over the vast majority of the game. After a game where they only hit three threes in Ann Arbor against Minnesota, they instead went 13-for-28 on the road while holding Minnesota to just one-for-ten shooting. Holding Minnesota to just eighteen points in the first half was also a massive positive and a sign that not only were they playing brilliantly, but nothing the Golden Gophers seemed to be able to do would work. Michigan's defense was not fooled by any sorts of screening action Minnesota threw at their defense, and they held their ground well. The free throw shooting on both sides was poor, but once again, Charles Matthews and Zavier Simpson both went two-for-two from the line as a promising sign.
The key for this game for the Wolverines was Jordan Poole snapping out of a three-for-seventeen stretch from three over the last three games. Instead, this evening, Poole went five-for-teen from deep and eight-for-sixteen overall for a total of 22 points. The one-for-four night from the line is a disappointment, and would have likely saw the game finish at a slightly more comfortable margin for Michigan, but there is no serious concern about that. Along with Poole, Jon Teske had a nice evening where he went seven-for-eleven with a three-for-six night from three for seventeen points. Along with the offensive outburst, he put up a massive night on defense too with a whopping five blocks. All three other starters had their own moments of brilliance too. Ignas Brazdeikis took over the game right out of the halftime and finished the game with ten points and a pair of threes. Simpson dished twelve assists and had three steals on the defensive end. Finally, Matthews went for nine points, nine rebounds, while shutting down Amir Coffey on the other end.
Speaking of Coffey and the Gophers, let's focus on he and the Gophers. Coffey was the key man who struggled with the vice-like defense of Matthews on him. He went zero-for-ten in the first half and finished the game with only a marginal better line of two-for-fifteen with six points, and a team-high four assists. He was zero-for-five from three and has dropped his seasonal percentage to 30%. While supremely talented, his game is centered more around getting to the rim, not settling for deeper shots. Unfortunately, those were really the open shots he was able to get. Matthews has proven himself to be a top-tier wing defender in the Big Ten, and that was on full display this evening. Additionally, while the two starting bigs for the Gophers combined for 36 points and 27 rebounds, Michigan, particularly Brazdeikis, did very well to trouble Jordan Murphy and force him to work for his eighteen points. That said, the two bigs were allowed to put up solid numbers while not hurting Michigan because the guards were shut down. Gabe Kalscheur was held to just three shots from three and only hit one. The four key guards -- Coffey, Kalscheur, Dupree McBrayer, and Isaiah Washington -- combined for just 6-for-29 shooting from the field. Michigan's guard and wing defense was smothering and stellar, and it showed in the performance of the Gophers.
Finally, looking at Michigan's bench, the Wolverines went nine-deep on the evening. Brandon Johns struggled with the flu leading into the game, so it was Colin Castleton, not Austin Davis, coming in off the bench first. Castleton missed a lay-up, but he played good defense on the possession immediately following and forced a turnover. David DeJulius had two points and is indeed the back-up point guard, as Eli Brooks played just two minutes in relief of Poole. Finally, Isaiah Livers remained the key man off the bench as he played twenty minutes. He continues to give great energy and strong defensive minutes for Michigan off the bench, and looks primed to be a breakout candidate next season. He finished with four points -- a three and a free throw -- and five rebounds. If he can improve his passing, he could be a genuine contender for an All Big Ten spot as a junior. Additionally, at this point of the season, with four of the five freshmen having seen meaningful minutes in the game, no matter how limited, this should certainly help their growing period next season once they do see more regular minutes.
What's Next:
The big rivalry, Michigan vs. Michigan State, is on deck. It is set for Sunday at 3:45 PM. The Wolverines will wear maize jerseys modeled on the 1989 NCAA National Championship winning team, who will be honored at the game for this being thirty years following the National Championship victory. A full preview of the game, including special keys to the game, will be coming soon.
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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