After Michigan’s No. 3 men’s basketball team returned to action with a 67-59 victory from behind in then-No. 21 Wisconsin, we analyzed five conclusions from the Wolverines’ impressive victory.
1) Everyone salutes Michigan’s defense
It is no secret that the Wolverines have an elite and championship caliber defense, as Michigan has defended well throughout the season. Still, Sunday’s performance was impressive. The Badgers were kept with 59 points with 64 possession, committed 10 turns compared to 11 assists, made only 6 of 19 attempts at 3 points (including 1 out of 12 in the second half). Wisconsin scored an impressive 39 points in the first half, but it is fair to ask if the Badgers’ success was sustainable, as they hit several disputed 3s to end semester 5 out of 7. And once those vibrations at the end of the clock stopped falling, the Wolverines literally held Wisconsin at one point per minute. Scorer D’Mitrik Trice was detained for 4 of 11 shots, second scorer Aleem Ford scored just two points in the second half and the rest of Wisconsin’s scorers only scored eight points in 3 of 17 shots.
This is not a new venture for Michigan, but a remarkable continuation of a building two months ago.
2) Hunter Dickinson recovered in style
A 23-day break between games and Michigan’s overall record has masked a few things, but pivot Hunter Dickinson has undoubtedly hit a freshman barrier in his previous three games. In Minnesota, against Maryland and in Purdue, Dickinson averaged just 6.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, well below his season average in all three categories. He also averaged 4.0 turnovers and 3.0 fouls per game, as teams began to pay more attention to him defensively.
On Sunday, however, Dickinson recovered literally and figuratively. The great 2.10 meter man made some moves that he would probably like to return, but he also ended up with 11 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, the best of his career. His recovery may have been more impressive, as he showed impressive reach and held the two Wisconsin pivots (Micah Potter and Nate Ruevers) to zero rebounds in 40 minutes of action. Figuratively, it was a significant recovery performance for Dickinson.
3) Isaiah Livers is crawling into the All-Big Ten category
While Dickinson returned to the level of play he was presenting until a month ago, Isaiah Livers once again established himself as the best and most consistent player in Michigan, in addition to being arguably the heart of the team. In an ugly first half, Livers scored 13 of Michigan’s 27 points, keeping the Wolverines in a game they probably shouldn’t have played. Throughout the game, Livers eclipsed 20 points for the third game in a row, scoring on all three levels to accompany a Michigan team looking for answers in the attack.
He has a long way to go to build the stats to be a top team All-Big Ten player (15.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game are not enough, even with incredible efficiency). But not unlike Derrick Walton Jr., Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Zavier Simpson in recent seasons, Livers is showing a senior high that only helps in the search for the title of the Big Ten Wolverines.
4) The Big Ten is still Michigan to lose
Speaking of the title hunt, Sunday was a reaffirmation to the rest of the Big Ten that Michigan is the league’s lead dog. Wolverine fans may argue that it was never questioned, but the reality is that the rest of the league was watching Sunday to see how Michigan was doing after so much free time. No one would say that the Wolverines are back yet, but Michigan clearly remained engaged enough during its dismissal and quarantine.
Illinois and Ohio State are on the prowl and playing their best. But from the way the Wolverines played and looked at the end of the second half (in which they overcame the Wisconsin team by 20), it was clear that the trophy would have to be snatched from Michigan’s hands.
5) Juwan Howard may want to start making space on his trophy case
It could be argued that the real MVP of Sunday’s victory was not Dickinson, Livers or Franz Wagner (who scored 10 points in the second half and 14 in total), but the man who trained them. From a timely and passionate technical foul for arguing a non-call that hurt his team, his positivity in the locker room and Michigan’s physical and mental preparation, Howard’s coaching skills were clearer than ever in Madison. Many teams would have missed Sunday’s game for a number of reasons; Michigan won by eight because he has an elite coach.
There are a number of great candidates for the national coach of the year awards this season, but Howard continued to defend his position on Sunday. Michigan may not be the best team (Gonzaga or Baylor) or the most surprising team (Alabama, Texas), but Howard’s work with an interesting mix of players in a single season cannot be ignored.