ANN ARBOR – Michigan assistant Phil Martelli said Minnesota provided a roadmap on how to defeat the Wolverines.
Maryland tried to follow him on Tuesday, only to throw the car in a ditch.
Michigan, three days after losing for the first time this season, responded with an 87-63 victory over Maryland at the Crisler Center, which was as impressive as the score indicates.
“We learned from our mistakes,” said Michigan shipowner Mike Smith.
Several Saturday lessons were applied against Maryland. Michigan started its previous game without the focus or intensity needed to win in the Big Ten. On Tuesday, Hunter Dickinson blocked the game’s first kick attempt. At the other end, Franz Wagner was driving to a tray. Michigan led 8-0 and 17-3 thanks to aggressive defense and five points from 3.
Dickinson had the worst game of his young career against Minnesota’s double teams, scoring the lowest point of the season with nine points and committing five turnovers. John Wooden used to say, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” Dickinson was late and in a hurry. It took a long time to process what was happening and then it got faster. As a result, Michigan had 20 turnovers and scored just 57 points.
Michigan striker Brandon Johns Jr. used the words hurried, agitated and agitated to describe his team’s offensive performance on Saturday. Dickinson needed to play better, but so did his teammates.
When the Terrapins deployed double teams, and they did so often, Michigan had a plan. Dickinson was balanced, patient and determined. And the other four Wolverines on the court were ready to react.
Michigan made 12 points out of 3 (in 24 attempts). Not all of those 3s started with a Dickinson pass, but the attention he drew opened up the perimeter. He helped in the attack, despite giving only three shots.
Having a great dominant man and quality snipers puts opponents in a dilemma, especially smaller teams like Maryland.
“They are really difficult to protect,” said Maryland coach Mark Turgeon. He chose to play Dickinson straight in the first encounter, only for the big man to score 26 points in Michigan’s victory. “If you don’t fold, they mark you (inside). If you fold them, they can shoot 3s. “
In other words, choose your poison.
As beautiful as the Michigan ball has been for most of this season, the defense has been just as good. Only two teams in the country have an attack and defense in the top ten, according to kenpom.com: Michigan and Baylor. Turgeon said it is the Wolverines’ defense – how they are tied to the game plan and their ability to make adjustments on the fly – that “makes them even more special”.
That balance and versatility is what Michigan’s top ten opponents have gotten used to facing this season. Minnesota found some cracks. In part, it was because playmaker Eli Brooks lost the game due to a foot injury. (He came back on Tuesday.) It is also the nature of college basketball. In a long season, even top teams will have some failures. Michigan will probably have a few more.
The important thing is growth. Coach Juwan Howard saw this in recent practice. The Wolverines, he said, “were not looking for excuses. All were about solutions. ”He was not surprised at how his team recovered.
“The guys were just stuck and focused,” said senior striker Isaiah Livers, who scored 20 points, the best in the game. “We should be playing like that all the time, no matter what, without excuses, but I think it was the remnant of that Saturday defeat.”
The Wolverines studied the film, dissected the issues and sought to apply their findings.
They proved to be fast learners.