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Maintaining their status as the conference’s lone unbeaten team, the No. 16 Michigan Wolverines (8-0, 3-0 Big Ten) defeated the Maryland Terrapins, 84-73, on Thursday at the Xfinity Center in College Park.
Maryland, who upset the No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers in Madison on Monday, fell to 6-4 (1-3 Big Ten).
Standout center Hunter Dickinson, fresh off receiving Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the third time on Monday, led the way for the Wolverines with 26 points and 11 rebounds, his third double-double of the young campaign.
On the opposite end of the experience spectrum, redshirt senior point guard Mike Smith was a driving force behind Michigan pulling away in the second half. Tying a Wolverine career-high with 16 points, the graduate transfer from the Columbia Lions also dished out six assists, pulled down six rebounds and played 38 minutes, further establishing himself as head coach Juwan Howard’s preferred floor general.
After scoring no more than eight points in a three-game span from Dec. 6-13, Smith has now reached double-figures in back-to-back contests, a sign he is beginning to feel more comfortable in his role as Michigan ventures through the ultra-competitive Big Ten.
“I’m new. Coach is still trying to figure me out, I’m trying to figure him out, I’m trying to figure out everybody’s tendencies in-game,” he said. “I think today I definitely felt more comfortable and the last two games, for sure. As the days go on, and I start to get to know everybody, and coach starts to get to know how I play and the tendencies that I have, I think I’m feeling more comfortable, for sure.”
With the Wolverines’ regular season nearly one-third complete, Smith is averaging 5.1 assists-per-game, 1.3 more than his closest teammate, senior Eli Brooks.
He spoke about how having a target like Dickinson makes his job easier and helps him reach this total.
“He’s 7-foot-1, it’s just that simple,” he said with a smile. “He’s 7-foot-1, big body, and likes to score the ball. It makes my job so much easier, just give him the ball and get out of the way.
“And he loves to pass, you know what I mean? He’s a great passer, too. So, it’s just easy, just give him the ball and get out of the way and he’s going to give me that assist. I’m going to give him the ball because he’s shooting a high percentage, over 70 percent, for sure. Give him the ball and I for sure know he’s going to give me my assist, and score for the team.”
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Recording seven 30-point games as a Lion and twice earning second-team All-Ivy League recognition, Smith is no stranger to individual accolades. Team success, however, has been a different story, as Columbia never won more than 11 games during his four years with the program.
Playing for a first-place team and likely headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time, Smith is enjoying every minute of being a member of a winning program but knows there is still plenty of work to be done.
“It’s been great. To start 8-0, I never, like, thought it was possible, but it is,” he said. “I’m happy to be part of this team and continue to work to be more than just 8-0, to be hopefully 32-0, whatever it is, to get to the national championship and never lose a game.
“It’s going to take us continuing to work hard in practice and continuing to apply what coach is teaching us in the game.”
With the Maryland win wrapping up a two-game road swing, Smith and his teammates will return to the Crisler Center to battle the Northwestern Wildcats (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. EST on the Big Ten Network.
Ranked No. 19, Northwestern’s lone conference loss came at the hands of the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, and the program boasts wins over the No. 17 Michigan State Spartans and No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes.
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