Michigan was not clicking early on offense, but sometimes weathering the storm is what matters most. Michigan eventually found their shooting stroke and used it to build leads that Maryland simply could not match. The win gives Michigan their 26th on the season, a tie for the most in regular season program history, and they have one more game to give them the chance to set the new record.
Game Story:
When Maryland made it 6-0 early thanks to threes from two men who don't hit many from deep, Jalen Smith and Darryl Morsell, warning bells rang a bit early. Fortunately for the Wolverines, though, it was far too early to be concerned. Michigan countered with a four points and a Zavier Simpson sky hook over Bruno Fernando that would not be the last, but was perhaps his most impressive couple of points on the game. Colin Castleton returned to headlines with a big dunk down low posterizing a Terrapin to make it 10-10, but Michigan would slip into a trend of keeping it close, but not taking a lead. The teams traded buckets back and forth until Maryland hit a 6-0 run with a Fernando steal and jam to make it 20-14. Instead of calling timeout, John Beilein let his players work things out, and Simpson was the one to answer the call with another hook shot. Still, after a TV timeout, Fernando wowed the crowd again with a massive alley-oop finish to push the lead right back to six. From there, both teams fell cold. It took two-and-a-half minutes for points to be scored again, and they came from behind the arc for the first time for the Wolverines as Ignas Brazdeikis hit a three. Michigan scored three more points off free throws, and then Jon Teske tipped a miss in to give Michigan their first lead at 24-22. Anthony Cowan finally snapped Maryland's cold streak, marking it at an official five minutes and 58 seconds without a point for the Terrapins. Michigan also closed out the half on a 4-0 run thanks to another Teske close-range finish, then a Simpson circus lay-up to close the half and give Michigan the 28-24 lead entering the half.
It did not take Michigan over three-quarters of the half to find their first three. Isaiah Livers hit a three with two minutes gone by in the second half to stretch Michigan's lead to 33-27, the largest it had been to that point. As a counter, Morsell finished an and-one on Livers and jawed a bit at the Michigan sophomore wing. With the score 35-30 after a pair of Jordan Poole free throws, Maryland counter-punched with another 6-0 run largely thanks to the return into the game of Smith, who played just four first-half minutes while in foul trouble. This time Michigan would call a timeout, now down 36-35. Instead of panicking, Michigan calmly got themselves a floater from Brazdeikis and an off-the-dribble two from Poole. Eric Ayala would tie things up from three making it 39-39, but the response from Michigan was crucial in settling themselves down. Michigan and Maryland would trade buckets, but at the 9:13 mark, Livers hit another three making it 44-43 back in favor of the visitors. That would be the last time Michigan would need to regain the lead, as the Wolverines would hold it from this point forward. Simpson drove past his man with another one-handed finish and Mark Turgeon called a timeout to rally his troops, but he could not. A Fernando two with 11:25 remaining would be the last Terrapins points till Aaron Wiggins hit a pair of free throws over four-and-a-half minutes later. Fernando would be the next Terps' player to make a field goal at the 3:39 mark, meaning that Maryland would go close to eight minutes without a field goal down the stretch, and allowing Michigan to build up a 55-49 lead even following that jumper. This thanks to a Brazdeikis three and yet another Simpson hook shot. Teske buried a three to make it 58-49, Wiggins countered with a three of his own, Simpson got to the rim to make it 60-52, but the teams would trade baskets continually. Finally, Cowan buried a three to make it 62-57 and Turgeon called his final timeout. After a Fernando block on Poole, it seemed as if Michigan would not get a shot off with six seconds remaining to shoot on an inbounds play. Instead, Livers hit triple number three on the night to make it 65-57 with a minute remaining. Ayala would hit another three, but Michigan hit their final four free throws to make it a 69-62 game and walk out of the Xfinity Center with the win.
What Happened:
This was, for both teams, a truly even-balanced scoring game, with one player on each side showing their ability in differing ways. All ten starters in the game finished with double-digit point totals, which, in truth, is astounding. The two men that led the way for their respective sides, though, were Bruno Fernando for Maryland and Zavier Simpson for Michigan. Starting with Simpson and the Wolverines, Zavier was an absolute star on the court. When he picked up his third foul just a couple minutes into the second half, Maryland went on an 18-11 run with him off the court and David DeJulius and Eli Brooks filling in. Neither back-up struggled individually, but the offense runs so much more fluidly with Simpson. Simpson, in turn, finished with twelve points on six-for-seven shooting with ten assists and just two turnovers. It is hard to imagine a Michigan team without Simpson at the helm, and his assist numbers seem to rival his sky hook in their abilities to cause fans' eyes to pop. Playing just 32 minutes, that plus the week without a game may be a blessing in disguise for Michigan as they look ahead to Michigan State in East Lansing, where Cassius Winston and Simpson will likely play all forty minutes barring foul trouble from either man.
Talking about Maryland, now, though, one needs to discuss Fernando. A five-for-thirteen night was not ideal for the big man down low, but he led his team in points with twelve and also finished with ten rebounds. Despite the offensive struggles with Jon Teske smothering him down low, Fernando was key on the defensive end. The center finished with a whopping six blocked shots, including a key one on DeJulius to help Maryland go up 36-35 with Simpson off the court. His size, strength, and athleticism make him the perfect center and he proves that with his level of dominance on defense. Of course, Fernando was not the only key Terrapin to struggle offensively. Anthony Cowan would go just four-for-fifteen with ten points and his only three coming to make it 62-57 late in the game. Even more shockingly, he had just one single assist and committed four turnovers. This served as a huge tune-up opportunity for Simpson against Winston and Michigan's point guard answered the call well. Cowan could get nothing going for himself, or anyone else, offensively and despite good defense, like Fernando, the offensive struggles really hurt his team's cause. As a whole, Maryland went just six-for-twenty from three, two of those coming as their first two field goals of the game from Jalen Smith and Darryl Morsell who generally do not hit many from deep. Aaron Wiggins took just one three, a make, in the game as well. The ability to close out from three was huge for Michigan and needs to continue if they are to make a run through March and into April.
Now talking about Michigan's supporting cast, there was plenty to like. Jon Teske followed a similar script as last game against Maryland: play good defense, struggle early from three, hit a dagger late in the game from long range. While going just five-for-thirteen with eleven points, he was nearly unbenchable with Fernando's strength promising to wreck havoc on Colin Castleton down low if left in the game (though the freshman would hold his own, more on that later). Isaiah Livers hit three big threes in the second half and finished three-for-eight from long range. His jump shot indeed looks great and much improved from last season, and the wing is now shooting what is a team-high 43.8% this season, or a second-best 39.3% from three in Big Ten play. Top, you may ask? Ignas Brazdeikis, who once again had a stellar outing. Brazdeikis finished with 21 points while going six-for-twelve from the field, two-for-four from three, and seven-for-eight from the free throw line. He withstood "you are ugly" chants from the Maryland student section and remembered them after hitting a late back-breaking three by blowing a kiss to the crowd. He got inside at will and was constantly fouled by the Maryland defense, getting Jalen Smith in early foul trouble and forcing him to play just four minutes in the first half. Finally, Jordan Poole went four-for-twelve with twelve points, and, shockingly, just one attempt came from behind the arc. It was a miss, and it might be a troubling sign that in 2019 Poole is just 29.2% from three, and only 27.3% since (and including) a one-for-eight outing at Penn State. He is going to be crucial against Michigan State and in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments for Michigan.
Finally, let's take a look at the bench. Michigan is currently eight-deep in their bench with Charles Matthews missing, and still likely to miss the bout in East Lansing. Eli Brooks played eight minutes and played solid defense, including drawing a big charge against Cowan. That said, he seems to be utterly devoid of confidence on the offensive end. He has been more than capable as a scorer at times in his Michigan career, but as it stands you need to go back to December 22nd against Air Force to find his last multi-field goal game. With an ability to play point guard or shooting guard, Michigan would love Brooks to get back in form. Colin Castleton has now been back-up center for two straight games ahead of Brandon Johns, and he has thirteen points in the two combined. He only had two in Maryland, but they came on a big one-handed jam over Ricky Lindo off a nice Simpson feed. He is brimming with confidence, and he could be an x-factor against Michigan State if played. Finally, David DeJulius continues to log minutes and, in them, continues to look tough. Built a bit like Derrick Walton, DeJulius sometimes plays a bit too fast for his own good, but he is showing tons of confidence when doing so. He plays outstanding defense, especially as just a freshman and, again, it will be interesting to see if he is used (and if so, how much) against the Spartans in East Lansing.
What's Next:
The regular season finale is Michigan State's senior night. It is on Saturday, March 9th, on ESPN at 8 PM. A prime-time rivalry on national television, it does not get much more intense than that. A win for Michigan keeps their Big Ten conference title hopes alive and, at worst, guarantees them the number two seed in the conference tournament. A loss gives them a three seed and a probable date with Iowa in a chance for revenge while they look to go for three Big Ten Tournament titles in a row.
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:
When Maryland made it 6-0 early thanks to threes from two men who don't hit many from deep, Jalen Smith and Darryl Morsell, warning bells rang a bit early. Fortunately for the Wolverines, though, it was far too early to be concerned. Michigan countered with a four points and a Zavier Simpson sky hook over Bruno Fernando that would not be the last, but was perhaps his most impressive couple of points on the game. Colin Castleton returned to headlines with a big dunk down low posterizing a Terrapin to make it 10-10, but Michigan would slip into a trend of keeping it close, but not taking a lead. The teams traded buckets back and forth until Maryland hit a 6-0 run with a Fernando steal and jam to make it 20-14. Instead of calling timeout, John Beilein let his players work things out, and Simpson was the one to answer the call with another hook shot. Still, after a TV timeout, Fernando wowed the crowd again with a massive alley-oop finish to push the lead right back to six. From there, both teams fell cold. It took two-and-a-half minutes for points to be scored again, and they came from behind the arc for the first time for the Wolverines as Ignas Brazdeikis hit a three. Michigan scored three more points off free throws, and then Jon Teske tipped a miss in to give Michigan their first lead at 24-22. Anthony Cowan finally snapped Maryland's cold streak, marking it at an official five minutes and 58 seconds without a point for the Terrapins. Michigan also closed out the half on a 4-0 run thanks to another Teske close-range finish, then a Simpson circus lay-up to close the half and give Michigan the 28-24 lead entering the half.
It did not take Michigan over three-quarters of the half to find their first three. Isaiah Livers hit a three with two minutes gone by in the second half to stretch Michigan's lead to 33-27, the largest it had been to that point. As a counter, Morsell finished an and-one on Livers and jawed a bit at the Michigan sophomore wing. With the score 35-30 after a pair of Jordan Poole free throws, Maryland counter-punched with another 6-0 run largely thanks to the return into the game of Smith, who played just four first-half minutes while in foul trouble. This time Michigan would call a timeout, now down 36-35. Instead of panicking, Michigan calmly got themselves a floater from Brazdeikis and an off-the-dribble two from Poole. Eric Ayala would tie things up from three making it 39-39, but the response from Michigan was crucial in settling themselves down. Michigan and Maryland would trade buckets, but at the 9:13 mark, Livers hit another three making it 44-43 back in favor of the visitors. That would be the last time Michigan would need to regain the lead, as the Wolverines would hold it from this point forward. Simpson drove past his man with another one-handed finish and Mark Turgeon called a timeout to rally his troops, but he could not. A Fernando two with 11:25 remaining would be the last Terrapins points till Aaron Wiggins hit a pair of free throws over four-and-a-half minutes later. Fernando would be the next Terps' player to make a field goal at the 3:39 mark, meaning that Maryland would go close to eight minutes without a field goal down the stretch, and allowing Michigan to build up a 55-49 lead even following that jumper. This thanks to a Brazdeikis three and yet another Simpson hook shot. Teske buried a three to make it 58-49, Wiggins countered with a three of his own, Simpson got to the rim to make it 60-52, but the teams would trade baskets continually. Finally, Cowan buried a three to make it 62-57 and Turgeon called his final timeout. After a Fernando block on Poole, it seemed as if Michigan would not get a shot off with six seconds remaining to shoot on an inbounds play. Instead, Livers hit triple number three on the night to make it 65-57 with a minute remaining. Ayala would hit another three, but Michigan hit their final four free throws to make it a 69-62 game and walk out of the Xfinity Center with the win.
What Happened:
This was, for both teams, a truly even-balanced scoring game, with one player on each side showing their ability in differing ways. All ten starters in the game finished with double-digit point totals, which, in truth, is astounding. The two men that led the way for their respective sides, though, were Bruno Fernando for Maryland and Zavier Simpson for Michigan. Starting with Simpson and the Wolverines, Zavier was an absolute star on the court. When he picked up his third foul just a couple minutes into the second half, Maryland went on an 18-11 run with him off the court and David DeJulius and Eli Brooks filling in. Neither back-up struggled individually, but the offense runs so much more fluidly with Simpson. Simpson, in turn, finished with twelve points on six-for-seven shooting with ten assists and just two turnovers. It is hard to imagine a Michigan team without Simpson at the helm, and his assist numbers seem to rival his sky hook in their abilities to cause fans' eyes to pop. Playing just 32 minutes, that plus the week without a game may be a blessing in disguise for Michigan as they look ahead to Michigan State in East Lansing, where Cassius Winston and Simpson will likely play all forty minutes barring foul trouble from either man.
Talking about Maryland, now, though, one needs to discuss Fernando. A five-for-thirteen night was not ideal for the big man down low, but he led his team in points with twelve and also finished with ten rebounds. Despite the offensive struggles with Jon Teske smothering him down low, Fernando was key on the defensive end. The center finished with a whopping six blocked shots, including a key one on DeJulius to help Maryland go up 36-35 with Simpson off the court. His size, strength, and athleticism make him the perfect center and he proves that with his level of dominance on defense. Of course, Fernando was not the only key Terrapin to struggle offensively. Anthony Cowan would go just four-for-fifteen with ten points and his only three coming to make it 62-57 late in the game. Even more shockingly, he had just one single assist and committed four turnovers. This served as a huge tune-up opportunity for Simpson against Winston and Michigan's point guard answered the call well. Cowan could get nothing going for himself, or anyone else, offensively and despite good defense, like Fernando, the offensive struggles really hurt his team's cause. As a whole, Maryland went just six-for-twenty from three, two of those coming as their first two field goals of the game from Jalen Smith and Darryl Morsell who generally do not hit many from deep. Aaron Wiggins took just one three, a make, in the game as well. The ability to close out from three was huge for Michigan and needs to continue if they are to make a run through March and into April.
Now talking about Michigan's supporting cast, there was plenty to like. Jon Teske followed a similar script as last game against Maryland: play good defense, struggle early from three, hit a dagger late in the game from long range. While going just five-for-thirteen with eleven points, he was nearly unbenchable with Fernando's strength promising to wreck havoc on Colin Castleton down low if left in the game (though the freshman would hold his own, more on that later). Isaiah Livers hit three big threes in the second half and finished three-for-eight from long range. His jump shot indeed looks great and much improved from last season, and the wing is now shooting what is a team-high 43.8% this season, or a second-best 39.3% from three in Big Ten play. Top, you may ask? Ignas Brazdeikis, who once again had a stellar outing. Brazdeikis finished with 21 points while going six-for-twelve from the field, two-for-four from three, and seven-for-eight from the free throw line. He withstood "you are ugly" chants from the Maryland student section and remembered them after hitting a late back-breaking three by blowing a kiss to the crowd. He got inside at will and was constantly fouled by the Maryland defense, getting Jalen Smith in early foul trouble and forcing him to play just four minutes in the first half. Finally, Jordan Poole went four-for-twelve with twelve points, and, shockingly, just one attempt came from behind the arc. It was a miss, and it might be a troubling sign that in 2019 Poole is just 29.2% from three, and only 27.3% since (and including) a one-for-eight outing at Penn State. He is going to be crucial against Michigan State and in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments for Michigan.
Finally, let's take a look at the bench. Michigan is currently eight-deep in their bench with Charles Matthews missing, and still likely to miss the bout in East Lansing. Eli Brooks played eight minutes and played solid defense, including drawing a big charge against Cowan. That said, he seems to be utterly devoid of confidence on the offensive end. He has been more than capable as a scorer at times in his Michigan career, but as it stands you need to go back to December 22nd against Air Force to find his last multi-field goal game. With an ability to play point guard or shooting guard, Michigan would love Brooks to get back in form. Colin Castleton has now been back-up center for two straight games ahead of Brandon Johns, and he has thirteen points in the two combined. He only had two in Maryland, but they came on a big one-handed jam over Ricky Lindo off a nice Simpson feed. He is brimming with confidence, and he could be an x-factor against Michigan State if played. Finally, David DeJulius continues to log minutes and, in them, continues to look tough. Built a bit like Derrick Walton, DeJulius sometimes plays a bit too fast for his own good, but he is showing tons of confidence when doing so. He plays outstanding defense, especially as just a freshman and, again, it will be interesting to see if he is used (and if so, how much) against the Spartans in East Lansing.
What's Next:
The regular season finale is Michigan State's senior night. It is on Saturday, March 9th, on ESPN at 8 PM. A prime-time rivalry on national television, it does not get much more intense than that. A win for Michigan keeps their Big Ten conference title hopes alive and, at worst, guarantees them the number two seed in the conference tournament. A loss gives them a three seed and a probable date with Iowa in a chance for revenge while they look to go for three Big Ten Tournament titles in a row.
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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