[jwplayer mOQiYInw-XNcErKyb]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Given that Michigan is near the top of the college basketball hierarchy and Presbyterian is near the bottom, this had no chance of being anything but a blowout.
But, they play games for a reason, because upsets happen, especially at the college level.
However, the Wolverines started fast, and the Blue Hose never made it a game, with it finishing as a 86-44 blowout by Michigan. Here’s our takeaways from the lopsided maize and blue victory.
1. Perfect game to go deep into the bench
Juwan Howard didn’t hesitate with early substitutions in this one, apt considering that Presbyterian came into this game as the KenPom No. 337 team (out of 353).
It took all of a couple minutes before we saw the likes of Adrian Nunez, David DeJulius, Colin Castleton, Austin Davis and even freshman Cole Bajema, who came in at the under-four media timeout in the first half. We even saw C.J. Baird, Luke Wilson, Rico Ozuna-Harrison and Jaron Faulds in the game. This is the perfect game to see what you’ve got — as will the next game — before Michigan takes on MSU in East Lansing on Jan. 5.
2. Isaiah Livers banged up
Those substitutions started with Nunez coming in for Isaiah Livers, who left the game with a muscle strain. Livers immediately headed to the locker room, but came out quickly, remaining on the bench for the rest of the game.
It’s not what you want to see, especially if it turns out to be a lingering/nagging injury. But, the Wolverines can rest him not just this week, but next as well, given that the late-December slate isn’t anything where Michigan will have to be at full-strength. January, however, is a different story.
3. Michigan allowed a lot of open looks from three
Perhaps it was by design, as Presbyterian couldn’t hit from deep seemingly to save its life.
The Blue Hose started the game 0-for-9 from deep and finished 3-for-20. But that had little to Michigan’s defense, as many of those looks were open. That’s all good and well against a poor-shooting team, but against teams that can hit from deep, it could be a problem — just like we saw it be a problem last week against Oregon.
4. Solid game from Eli Brooks
He may be somewhat streaky from game-to-game, but the junior guard really showed up in this one, especially as the game got going.
Brooks hit two three-pointers to start the second half, went 3-of-5 from deep and finished with 16 points.
He’s another player that really needs to get and stay consistent once Big Ten play resumes, particularly when it comes to scoring the basketball.
5. Likewise from David DeJulius
DeJulius, I think, is equally important. Might not be a starter, but he’s a guy that’s a pure scorer, as we’ve seen at the high school level. Once he really gets his footing at the college level, he could be a force to contend with.
What was good to see was DeJulius not afraid to take his shot. In the first half, he took a shot clock buzzer beater from deep that went. He came back and immediately tried for another which rimmed out, but that’s the type of mentality he needs to have when on the court. There are times this year when he doesn’t seem to be looking for his shot. Once he gets into that mindset, he could be formidable.
DeJulius finished with 12 points, and also went 4-for-7 from deep against Presbyterian.