18-19 hoops

For the second time this season, Michigan State overpowered Michigan in the second half, and Cassius Winston led the Spartans to a victory. Even though Michigan got off to a hot start, State hung around during a weird first half, then went on a huge run to lock up a share of the Big Ten championship. Over a eight minute span in the second half, the Spartans didn’t miss a shot: during that stretch, State made ten shots in a row and went on a 28-7 run. As Michigan’s offense bogged down again against the State defense, the Spartans scored 1.39 points per possession after the break.

Winston was the engine for State, as he’s been all season. The likely Big Ten Player of the Year had a rough first half by his standards — 1-5 shooting (but seven points, mostly due to free throws) and sat for much of the half after committing his second foul on Zavier Simpson with 7:34 left. State survived in their minutes without him; they trailed by eight when he went out and trailed by six at halftime. Michigan’s two starting wings each picked up two fouls of their own in that first half, necessitating substantial minutes from Eli Brooks and Brandon Johns, as well as Colin Castleton, who stepped in after an early Jon Teske foul.

Michigan played well in that first half. Jordan Poole and Ignas Brazdeikis were active early — they each knocked down a three and each got out in transition for a bucket — and State was sloppy with the ball after not turning it over much in the first matchup. With an Eli Brooks three late in the shot clock to push the lead to 25-16, Michigan had made five of their first eight three-point attempts. Over the rest of the game, the Wolverines shot just 3-14 from behind the arc. The second foul on Iggy, who had scored a quick 12 points without missing a shot, was a particularly consequential one — Winston drew contact on the shot and Iggy was banished to the bench.

Without Winston, State finds it very difficult to generate offense, and Michigan had an opportunity to extend what had grown to a 33-23 lead with a little over six minutes left in the half, but only scored two more points before halftime. Xavier Tillman was an essential presence defensively for State: he emphatically rejected several Simpson layups and held up in their switching defensive scheme against smaller and quicker players. Tillman would go on to finish with 17 points, 6 rebound, and 5 blocks, and he outplayed Teske for the second consecutive game. In a preview of what was to come in the second half, Michigan’s unusual lineups couldn’t generate many easy looks, settling for (and missing) tough shots.

State’s second half run didn’t come right away. Teske had tip-ins on each of Michigan’s first two possessions, but State countered with a Kenny Goins three (after losing Iggy) and an old-fashioned three by Matt McQuaid (after Poole fell asleep on the defensive glass). Those breakdowns — normally few and far between for the Wolverines — came with increasing frequency over the course of the game, and eventually the Spartans were able to score at will. Iggy knocked down a three off the dribble over a sinking Goins to extend Michigan’s lead to 48-40, but State was just beginning its big run.

Winston looked uncomfortable for much of the game to that point, but he started things off with an and-one layup over Colin Castleton. A defensive scramble led to a McQuaid three; Kyle Ahrens made a nice cut and scored off a Tillman post up; Michigan’s defense was unsettled to start a possession and Winston set up Goins for a wide open three; Simpson had to give a foul to prevent a Winston dunk. Tillman made both free throws to tie the game. By that point, Michigan was imploding: they surely had prepped for State’s defense, but looked indecisive against the mismatches, rarely fed Teske in the post, and their offensive sets looked far more simple and stale than usual.

After Tillman tied the game with those free throws, Teske airballed a decent look from three, and Winston banked one in late in the shot clock on the next possession. He then beat Simpson off the dribble for a floater off glass. Aaron Henry hit a floater after a broken-up alley-oop pass fell to him; Winston charged over Poole in transition; Winston rejected a screen and snuck past Teske for a layup to put State up 7. On Michigan’s next trip, Michigan was able to get Teske the ball in the post on Winston and scored through contact — but was called for a phantom travel. It was one of a handful of questionable calls, and an important one. Winston threw an alley-oop to Tillman for a dunk on the next possession; Tillman was fouled and made both free throws after a defensive rebound; Winston made a tough shot over Simpson to cap the run.

By that point, State had built a comfortable lead and Michigan’s offense had grown dysfunctional enough to make the prospects of a comeback bleak. That foul on Tillman was a needless one — Iggy’s fourth — and Iggy got his fifth a short while later after a Tillman offensive rebound, one of many for State. Winston’s big second half got him to an impressive 23 points and 7 assists on the game, and State’s role players — particularly Tillman — played well enough. In many ways, this was a repeat of the first matchup: Michigan played well up until a few minutes into the second half when they fell apart on both ends of the floor, State went on a huge run, and Winston was the best player on the floor.

Michigan finishes an excellent regular season with a 26-5 record, but will be the third seed in the Big Ten Tournament after losing out on a share of the conference title with the defeat tonight. The Wolverines will play in the late Friday night game of the Big Ten Tournament. Hopefully Charles Matthews (who was sorely missed as Michigan’s lack of wing depth was exposed) will be healthy by then. A strong postseason would certainly mitigate much of the disappointment from the result in this huge game.

[Box score after the JUMP]

As the regular season winds down, Michigan kept its chances at a conference title alive with a gritty road win at Maryland. The Wolverines were without Charles Matthews for the second straight game, but Zavier Simpson had a fantastic performance on both ends of the floor, and Ignas Brazdeikis was the aggressive scorer Michigan needed him to be (he finished with an efficient, game-high 21 points). It was an unusual game for Michigan — both teams shot 6-20 from three and rebounded over a third of their misses — and in the end, the Wolverines recorded one of their most impressive wins of the season.

It took Michigan a few possessions to get on the scoreboard, and Maryland started the game with two threes. Iggy seemed to relish the physical style of the game and attacked the Terrapin defense: before the first TV timeout, he’d drawn a foul on Jalen Smith on an offensive rebound, drawn a shooting foul on Bruno Fernando, drove on Darryl Morsell to draw a foul, and grabbed an offensive rebound. A short while later, he bullied Aaron Wiggins for another foul (and two more points). Later in the half, Iggy made the only Michigan three before the break, a contested shot from the corner. The first half was tight, tense, and low-scoring — and Michigan’s star freshman confronted Maryland’s size, strength, and athleticism head-on.

The ball screen game with Simpson and Teske was Michigan’s main source of offense, especially in the first half. Simpson had six points at halftime, including two hook shots over Fernando — one came late in the shot clock, the other broke a short Maryland run. He also had six assists, most of which went to the rolling big man; Michigan’s shooters, particularly Teske and Isaiah Livers, got open looks, but missed. Michigan stole some minutes with Colin Castleton when Fernando went to the bench (Smith was already there, as he picked up two early fouls), and he fared well. Castleton did spell Teske for a couple high-leverage minutes in the second half and Fernando didn’t score on him.

Fernando, who certainly looks like he will be heading to the NBA after this season, was mostly neutralized by Teske. He scored 12 points on 14 shooting possessions, and had 3 turnovers to one assist; he also had 10 rebounds (4 offensive) and 6 blocks, several of which came as the help defender on Michigan floaters around the basket. Fernando was an imposing presence at the rim, but Teske was able exploit his lack of mobility to get open jumpers. Fortunately for Maryland, Teske kept on missing: his first seven mid-range or three-point shots were off the mark, some badly, but — like in the first matchup — he did knock down a big three late in the game, this one out of the under-four timeout.

[Sherman]

Simpson’s stellar first half ended with him slicing through the defense to sneak a layup past Fernando before the buzzer and give Michigan a four-point lead; his second half started with two fouls on Maryland’s first three possessions (the second of which came as Anthony Cowan caught the ball 30 feet from the basket), and he was banished to the bench for seven and a half minutes. Michigan survived with him out of the game — they led by five when he exited and trailed by two when he returned — but struggled offensively. Neither Eli Brooks nor David DeJulius (who played a combined 16 minutes) scored. As Smith made his mark on the game putting back Terrapin misses and Maryland pulled back into the lead, Michigan’s offense labored for good looks.

Michigan had a few empty possessions after Simpson returned, but then the Wolverines went on a run. Isaiah Livers hit a corner three out of a Poole - Teske ball screen; Simpson got a step on Aaron Wiggins and made a hook layup (which elicited a timeout from Mark Turgeon); Poole got a layup out in transition — and Michigan led by five. After two missed jumpers by Poole, Iggy nailed a wing three; on the next possession, Iggy airballed a wide open corner three, but Teske got to the floor, Livers came up with the loose ball, and Simpson made yet another hook shot to beat the shot clock and push Michigan’s lead to eight ahead of the under-four timeout.

Down the stretch, Maryland’s offense finally woke up. Aaron Wiggins got an open look and hit a three, Cowan — who had a rough game — made a tough shot over Simpson, and then he hit a deep spot-up three. Michigan was able to stay a step ahead though, and the two teams traded buckets down the stretch after had mostly been a defensive battle. Teske made a pick and pop three; Simpson blew by Eric Ayala for a layup; Simpson found Iggy on a nice cut for a layup; the dagger came when Michigan — after passing up open looks in an obvious effort to burn clock — was bailed out by a contested Livers three to beat the buzzer. Steady free throw shooting sealed the win.

Without Matthews, Michigan’s new starting lineup stepped up — and all five finished with double digit points. Simpson outplayed Cowan by a wide margin and would have had more than his 10 assists with better shooting from his teammates. Iggy matched Maryland’s toughness, drew fouls, made a couple threes, and responded to heckling from the Terrapin fans with a 21-point performance. Livers was cold for a while, but warmed up in the second half; Poole had a tough time with Fernando around the rim, but made a few nice plays. Teske made Fernando work hard (and miss frequently) in the post, got a couple of easy buckets, and spaced the floor, even if he was missing. Until Matthews returns, Michigan’s lack of depth will only be magnified, but the remaining members of the Wolverine core were good enough to get a late-season road win over a ranked team.

[Box score after the JUMP]

Even without Charles Matthews — who sat out with an injury and must have had a tough Senior Day — Michigan obliterated Nebraska in a game that was mostly spent in garbage time. Following their first loss at home, the Wolverines played fantastic defense against a clearly disinterested Nebraska team, hit 6-8 of their first half threes, and raced out to an easy win. The best two Huskers (James Palmer and Isaiah Roby) were held scoreless in the first half, shot 0-12 from the field, and — as Dan Dakich approvingly noted — were benched to start the second. Nebraska’s replacements actually fared better.

It might have been Michigan’s most complete win all season. Their first five possessions: a patient Ignas Brazdeikis shot close in over Roby, a Zavier Simpson turnover, an extremely difficult Isaiah Livers three to beat the buzzer, a side pick and pop three from Livers to Jon Teske, and two Teske free throws. At that point, about three minutes into the game, Michigan led 10-2. Soon after, 9-0 run sparked by Colin Castleton effectively ended the game. The Wolverines built their lead, which grew to 22 by halftime, with defense and hot shooting — and never relented. At times in the second half, it was such a blowout that, at times, the broadcast team spent more time lamenting Nebraska’s level of effort than narrating the game.

[Campredon]

Michigan didn’t seem to feel the negative effects of Matthews’s absence at all. Isaiah Livers stepped into a starting role, played 33 minutes, and had a good game: 12 points and 10 rebounds, three made three-pointers, excellent defense on Palmer, and a few sloppy turnovers. Since Livers was playing heavy minutes on the wing, he wasn’t able to back Teske up at the five — which would have been a problem, if not for Castleton. He’s evidently seized the backup center job; the slender freshman played well on both ends tonight, and finished with 11 points. Despite having barely played in Michigan’s rotation, the offense flowed well with Castleton in the middle, he was decisive and held up well defensively, and showed some nice touch and patience around the rim. Michigan’s search for a true backup center (as opposed to the miscast Livers, who’s a good small-ball five) may have ended tonight.

Michigan's stalwart starting center was fantastic. Simpson only scored four points, but had ten assists and set Teske up with good looks all game. The big man scored 22 points (a career high), didn’t miss a three, had ten rebounds (three offensive), and was an essential defensive presence, as usual. Iggy was impressive as well: 20 points and 4-5 on threes. In Michigan’s similarly dominant wins earlier this season, it was typically two efficient scorers who carried the day — and it was different from game to game. Against Nebraska, it was Teske and Iggy. The Wolverines frontcourt decisively outplayed Isaiah Roby and the reserves who have been forced into more prominent roles after the injury to Isaac Copeland a couple of weeks ago.

Nebraska has quit on Tim Miles. The Huskers were widely regarded to be a Top 25 team before the season, were comfortably en route to an NCAA Tournament bid (after being left out last year despite 22 regular season wins)… and they’ve lost 10 of their last 12 games. Certainly Copeland’s injury has played a part in that, but they may have reached rock bottom tonight. James Palmer finished with 7 points on 15 shots, spent the early part of the second half on the bench, and afterwards, Dakich made sure to note that he didn’t hustle back in transition on a play that ended with a missed Castleton dunk. I can’t say that I recall a game that featured the announcers so openly criticizing specific players — and regardless of what went down behind the scenes, the end result was this: a start-to-finish ass-kicking.

To his credit, Nana Akenten, a reserve wing, showed some heart and made a few nice plays for Nebraska. Hopefully his injury (which came when he crashed to the floor after biting on a pump fake) isn’t serious.

[Campredon]

The biggest storyline of the game, perhaps aside from the emergence of Castleton — who will surely face a tougher test this weekend on the road against Maryland’s big men — was the absence of Matthews, which wasn’t announced until shortly before the game. Michigan is really only comfortable with six players, and losing any one of those for an extended amount of time would be a very tough blow. The prognosis for Matthews, maybe the best stopper on the wing in all of college basketball, isn’t known yet, but a serious injury would be pretty devastating as the Wolverines head into March.

As it stands, Michigan would need to win out (they have a 17% of beating both Maryland and Michigan State on the road, per Kenpom) and hope that Purdue inexplicably drops a result against Ohio State, Minnesota, or Northwestern to claim a share of the Big Ten regular season title. The Big Ten Tournament — Michigan will likely receive a double bye — and the Big Dance loom. Hopefully Charles will be back.

[Box score after the JUMP]