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| Detroit Free Press
Michigan basketball was determined to bounce back from his first loss of the season.
And the Wolverines did it in a decisive way.
UM beat Maryland with relative ease Tuesday night, 87-63, days after suffering their first loss to Minnesota on Saturday.
Michigan led by 17 at halftime with a stellar 3-point shot. The Wolverines had their first five 3s – three from point guard Mike Smith and two from forward Isaiah Livers – and shot 8 of 14 in the first half alone. They finished 12 of 23 from 3 points.
Livers scored a high 20 points on 5 of 8 shots. Franz Wagner added 15 points on a 5 for 9 shot.
Shooting wins the day
The Wolverines have led all the way with their outside shots. They hit five catch-and-shoot 3s in the first 5:44, opening a 17-3 lead over the Terrapins, and then added 3s from Chaundee Brown, Brandon Johns and Wagner before half-time. UM’s offense failed to generate too many open looks near the edge – Wolverines shot just 6 of 15 of 2 in the first half, well below their season average – but the 3 easily made up for it.
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Meanwhile, Maryland missed out on an open-3 streak, particularly on a stretch when Michigan played a lineup with only one starter. The Terrapins had 2 of 10 3s in the first half and only 5 of 10 free throws; above all, they missed the start of two chances 1 and 1 towards the end of the first half. They would end the match just 4 of 19 over a distance of 3 points.
Dickinson sees more doubles
Michigan freshman center Hunter Dickinson will only see more doubles as the season progresses. The teams seem determined not to let him bring them down. Dickinson scored a career-high 28 points against Minnesota on Jan.6; 10 days later, the Gophers sent off tough doubles teams and held him to nine points and forced five turnovers. Dickinson scored 26 points on 10 of 11 shots against Maryland in Michigan’s New Years Eve victory, and on Tuesday night the Terrapins responded by sending in help whenever Dickinson got the ball into the post.
How did the first year center react? Although he only scored three points, it was a significantly cleaner performance. Smith’s first 3-point UM came because of a assist from Dickinson’s double team. For the most part, the Wolverines were able to get some quality shots when Maryland teamed up with Dickinson. He also only had one roll in the first half, when he and Livers seemed to have poor communication: Dickinson returned the ball to Livers over the 3-point line as Livers began to cut in the paint, resulting in rolling. So even though Dickinson didn’t score easily like in Game 1 against Maryland, he still had a positive impact on offense.
It was pretty much the same at the other end of the field. Dickinson forced a check over the edge in Maryland’s first possession of the game and, a few possessions later, blocked a shot to force a shot clock violation. He blocked three shots in the first half and provided sufficient rim protection.
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Smith finds a striking touch
The Michigan point guard carried a heavy load against Minnesota as Eli Brooks missed that game with a strained right foot. Smith played 37 minutes, not leaving the field until the end of the second half, when the game was out of reach, and tallied 10 assists against three turnovers – but did not score any points.
He wouldn’t go scoreless again against Maryland. Smith finished with 11 points and added six assists against a single roll. He was assertive on offense and didn’t let open shots go, making three first-3s to help Michigan establish their early lead, and also scored in transition. The graduation transfer has been a key part of the Wolverines’ offense this season and struck the right balance between scoring and passing in Tuesday’s victory.
Contact Orion Sang at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @orion_sang. Learn more about the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.
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