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After the Michigan No.3 men’s basketball team returned to the game with a 67-59 victory, coming from behind at the time-No. 21 Wisconsin, we’ve broken down five takeaways from the Wolverines’ impressive win.
1) Everyone salutes Michigan defense
It’s no secret that the Wolverines have an elite, championship-caliber defense as Michigan has defended well all season. But Sunday’s performance was still impressive. The Badgers were held to 59 points of 64 possession, made 10 turnovers against 11 assists, made just 6 of 19 3-point attempts (including 1 of 12 in the second half). Wisconsin scored 39 points in the first half, but it’s fair to question whether the Badgers’ success has ever been lasting as they hit several contested 3s to complete the 5-for-7 half of the outside. And once those uprisings late on the shot clock stopped falling, the Wolverines literally kept Wisconsin at a point per minute. Top scorer D’Mitrik Trice was limited to 4 of 11 shots, second-best scorer Aleem Ford scored just two points in the second half and the rest of Wisconsin starters scored just eight points on a shot from 3 in 17.
This is not a new development for Michigan, but a remarkable continuation of a building for two months now.
2) Hunter Dickinson bounced back big
A 23-day break between games and Michigan’s overall record masked some things, but freshman center Hunter Dickinson had arguably hit a freshman wall in his previous three games. At Minnesota, against Maryland and Purdue, Dickinson is averaging just 6.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, well below his season averages across all three categories. He also averaged 4.0 turnovers and 3.0 fouls per game as teams began to pay him more defensive attention.
On Sunday, however, Dickinson bounced back literally and figuratively. The 7-foot-1 tall man has had a few plays that he likely would want to come back to, but also finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, a career-high. His rebound was perhaps the most impressive, as he showed impressive reach and kept both Wisconsin’s crosses (Micah Potter and Nate Ruevers) at zero rebounds in 40 minutes of action. Figuratively speaking, it was a significant rebound performance for Dickinson.
3) Isaiah Livers slips into the All-Big Ten category
As Dickinson returned to the level of play he was at a month ago, Isaiah Livers has once again established himself as Michigan’s best and most consistent player, while arguably the heartbeat of the team. In a lousy first half, Livers scored 13 of Michigan’s 27 points, keeping the Wolverines in a game they arguably shouldn’t have been in. In the game, Livers eclipsed 20 points for the third straight game, scoring in all three levels to pace a Michigan team looking for answers on offense.
He’s got a ways to build the stats to become an All-Big Ten first team player (15.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game won’t, even with incredible efficiency). But no different than Derrick Walton Jr., Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Zavier Simpson in recent seasons, Livers is showing a surge that only helps the Wolverines’ Big Ten title hunt.
4) The Big Ten is always up for grabs
Speaking of the title hunt, Sunday was a reaffirmation to the rest of the Big Ten that Michigan is the best dog in the league. Wolverine fans might argue that was never in question, but the reality is the rest of the league was watching on Sunday to see what Michigan looked like after so much free time. No one would say the Wolverines have returned yet, but Michigan has clearly remained sufficiently engaged during their layoff and quarantine.
Illinois and Ohio State are hiding and playing as good as they can get. But the way the Wolverines played and looked at the end of the second half (in which they beat a Wisconsin ranked team by 20), it was clear that the trophy is going to have to be pulled from Michigan’s grip. .
5) Juwan Howard may want to start making room in his trophy box
You could argue that the real MVP of Sunday’s win wasn’t Dickinson, Livers or Franz Wagner (who scored 10 points in the second half and 14 overall), but rather the man who coached them. From a timely and passionate technical foul for arguing a non-appeal that hurt his team, to his positivity in the locker room, Michigan’s physical and mental preparation, Howard’s coaching chops were clearer than ever at Madison. Many teams reportedly lost Sunday’s game for a number of reasons; Michigan won by eight because they have an elite coach.
There are a number of excellent contenders for National Coach of the Year awards this season, but Howard continued to make his case on Sunday. Michigan might 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.
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