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Looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season, the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines did so in emphatic fashion on Tuesday at the Crisler Center, routing the Maryland Terrapins, 87-63.
The program’s second-highest point total of the 2020-21 campaign, trailing only the 96 they scored in the season-opener against the Bowling Green Falcons, Michigan shot 12-of-24 from 3-point range, including 8-of-14 in the contest’s first 20 minutes.
These 12 triples tied a season-high, set Jan. 3 against the Northwestern Wildcats, and six Wolverines sunk at least one, led by senior Isaiah Livers’ 4-for-5 effort.
Livers scored a game-high 20 points, followed by sophomore Franz Wagner’s 15, and junior Brandon Johns, Jr., and redshirt senior Mike Smith, who each tallied 11.
Quelling any possible concerns about lingering effects from the 18-point loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Jan. 16, a game where Michigan was held to a season-low 57 points and turned the basketball over 19 times, head coach Juwan Howard and his staff identified some areas to clean up during the three-day break.
“It’s about solutions, what can we do better? What we need to work on to improve,” Howard said. “When you have that type of positive mindset on looking for solutions, it didn’t surprise me how this team was ready to play today.”
A testament to the depth on the roster, this strong offensive showing came despite center Hunter Dickinson, a five-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, recording a career-low three points, only the second time he has not reached the double-digit mark.
During the first meeting between these two programs, which came at the Xfinity Center on Dec. 31, Dickinson poured in a then-personal-best 26 points.
Howard spoke about how this group can keep clicking, even when one of their marquee players is having a quiet night.
“Because of the unselfishness of each and every guy that is part of this team, all 17,” he said. “Hunter didn’t force it, understood that when he saw the double-team, made plays out of the double-team. Our guys, when they caught it on the perimeter if they didn’t have an open shot or a guy closed out to them, they saw the next one.
“What does that mean? Next pass. Next guy closed out to them, swung it to the corner. The unselfish play of this entire group is great to see and Hunter, after the game, usually you’ll see a guy who had a really good game against his home team, when I say home team it’s because he’s from that area, the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) area I’m speaking of.
“Tonight, after the game, he was smiling, laughing, having a good time. Sometimes, you’ll see guys moping or upset about their stats. Hunter is not a stat person; all he cares about is wins. That’s why he won so many games in high school because he’s all about winning.”
Livers, a 2019-20 All-Conference Honorable Mention selection by the media who tested the National Basketball Association Draft waters, totaled at least 20 points for the third time this season and the seventh time as a Wolverine.
A career 41 percent 3-point shooter, his ability to score the basketball is apparent, but his value to this Michigan team goes far beyond that.
“I would say his leadership, as well as his experience, and, last but not least, his length,” Howard said. “For a guy to be as big as he is, he’s a big guy on the perimeter, that can be very versatile where, and I haven’t done it yet, but Isaiah can play the 2, I’ve played him at the 3 before, I always play him at the 4, but you can play him at the 5, too.
“He’s very versatile, that’s a big asset for this team that helps us in many ways. He’s a basketball guy, he loves basketball, he also has an IQ, and that versatility came from the start, when he started playing, I’m sure, back in his hometown for his high school.”
Improving to 12-1 (7-1 Big Ten), Michigan moved back ahead of the No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes (12-2, 6-1) by a half-game in the conference standings.
Maryland, meanwhile, fell to 8-7 (2-6).
Next, the Wolverines will hit the road for the fourth time this season to battle the Purdue Boilermakers (11-5, 6-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. EST on FS1.
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