Tag: Austin Davis

Halftime Analysis: Michigan vs. Indiana

Halftime analysis of Michigan basketball’s matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers at the Crisler Center in another Big Ten Conference showdown.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan has been on a roll of late, winning four of its previous five games to improve to 15-9 overall and 6-7 in Big Ten play.

The Wolverines currently sit tied for ninth in the conference standings, but have the opportunity today to break the tie against Indiana (16-8, 6-7).

The Hoosiers opened the season 11-1, but have gone through a rough stretch of late. Indiana defeated Iowa on Thursday to snap what had been a four-game losing streak.

Both teams started hot offensively, with Indiana holding a slight 12-11 lead after the opening four and a half minutes. Michigan seized control over the course of the next 12 minutes however, building a lead as large as 12 points (37-25).

At the break, Indiana cut into the Wolverines lead slightly, as Michigan took a 41-34 advantage into the locker room.

POSITIVES:

  • It’s been a while since the Wolverines have had a shooting start like the one they enjoyed today. Michigan opened the game hitting 13 of their first 20 attempts, including 4-of-7 from the three-point line. While the Wolverines were unable to continue that torrid pace, they still finished the half shooting 55 percent from the floor.
  • Austin Davis is becoming a bit of a crowd favorite. Once again the junior center was effective off the bench for the Wolverines, scoring 7 points on 3-of-3 shooting. Davis was beaten a couple times defensively in the half, but his low-post scoring has been valuable for Michigan over the last several weeks, and people are beginning to take notice.
  • The Wolverines were balanced in their scoring efforts, as four players reached five points or more in the opening 20 minutes. Isaiah Livers led the way with 9 points, while Franz Wagner and Eli Brooks joined Davis by scoring 7 points each. Michigan had 9 assists in the first half.

NEGATIVES:

  • Michigan didn’t necessarily play poorly defensively in the first half, but there’s room for improvement. The Hoosiers managed 16 points in the paint in the first half, and shot a good percentage from deep, going 3-of-6 from outside. The Wolverines need to defend the interior better in the second half, as well as contest those outside jumpers attempted by Indiana.

 

Five takeaways: Wolverines overpower Northwestern

Five takeaways from Michigan’s 79-54 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday evening.

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Michigan got a resume-building win over the weekend against Michigan State, and followed that up by taking care of business on Wednesday against Big Ten bottom-feeder Northwestern.

The Wolverines improve to 15-9 overall and 6-7 in conference play. Michigan has won four of it’s past five games after dropping four straight earlier this season.

The Wolverines got off to an ugly start, missing their first 11 shots, 8 of which came within the paint. Michigan settled in and controlled the game from that point forward however, overpowering the Wildcats on its way to a 79-54 victory.

1. taking care of business

Let’s be clear: This win was absolutely an expectation. Northwestern is one of the worst teams in the country, and a Michigan loss would have been unfathomable. Still, there was a time this season when winning on the road was like solving a Rubik’s cube for the Wolverines. So, while nobody is doing backflips over this Michigan win, give them credit for going into an opposing team’s building and leaving no doubt.

2. more minutes for austin davis?

After a strong junior campaign a season ago, Jon Teske has struggled more and more as his senior season has progressed. He opened this game 0-for-5 from the floor, with every shot coming deep in the paint, before finishing the night 3-of-14 with 6 points. Meanwhile, backup center Austin Davis came in and converted his first three scoring chances in the first half, and showed good footwork and finishing ability around the rim. Davis finished with 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Teske is the better defender of the two, and probably a better rebounder, but Davis has been a more efficient scorer in recent outings. It may be time for head coach Juwan Howard to give a Davis more of Teske’s minutes moving forward.

3. Isaiah Livers brings the thunder

Isaiah Livers may have had a poor shooting night, finishing 0-for-5 from three-point range, but the junior had two thunderous dunks against the Wildcats, much to the delight of his teammates. Highlight dunks are fun and exciting, but more importantly, Livers showed no signs of his previous injuries upon his landings. That’s a good sign for his health moving forward. The junior finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting and added 5 rebounds.

4. strong showing from wolverine bench

Austin Davis’ impact was noted above, but the Wolverine bench as a whole had a good showing, scoring a total of 29 points on a blistering 12-of-16 shooting. Sure, it’s fair to point at Michigan’s opponent as a reason why the bench was so effective, but you can’t help but be impressed with the added boost the bench gave the Wolverines on Wednesday night. Colin Castleton and Brandon Johns Jr. were both 2-for-2 from the field, and Cole Bajema made use of a couple minutes of game time to knock down a corner triple.

5. Wolverines building momentum

Michigan’s season hit a low with a four-game losing streak towards the end of January. However, the Wolverines have responded to that skid by winning four of it’s next five games, with the only loss coming by three points against rival Ohio State. Michigan still resides near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, and will need to finish the season strong to set itself up with a better seed for the conference tournament, but the Wolverines have shown noticable improvement in February, and the return of Livers is definitely a big part of that. Michigan is now 11-4 this season in games in which the junior appears.

Halftime Analysis: Michigan at Northwestern

Halftime analysis of Michigan basketball’s road trip to Big Ten bottom-feeder Northwestern. The Wolverines seek back-to-back league wins.

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Coming off their big win over rival Michigan State, Michigan (14-9 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) hit the road for a trip to Big Ten bottom-feeder Northwestern on Wednesday.

The Wildcats (6-16, 1-11) are not only the worst team in the conference, they’re amongst the worst teams in the nation. Northwestern entered this contest having lost 12 of their last 13 games.

The Wolverines had an ice cold start to the contest, missing their first 11 shots with several coming right around the basket.

Michigan settled in shortly after however, finding it’s rhythm offensively to knock down 13 of its next 20 shot attempts to take a 38-23 lead into the locker room.

NEGATIVES:

  • Jon Teske’s ineptitude on offense is reaching mind-boggling status. The senior center has struggled mightily to finish around the rim as the season has progressed, and he started tonight’s game 0-for-5 with every shot coming around the rim. His shot attempts were contested, but a 7’1 center needs to be able to finish over defenders. That’s not happening nearly enough for Teske lately. He finished the half just 1-of-8 from the floor.

POSITIVES:

  • With Teske ineffectiveness, backup center Austin Davis got an early opportunity to make an impact on the game and he took advantage. Davis made his first three attempts from the floor, showing off some impressive footwork, and finished with 7 points in the half.
  • Davis wasn’t the only guy off the bench who made an impact. Brandon Johns Jr. and David DeJulius combined to score 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting, with the only miss coming on DeJulius’ three-point prayer as time expired. Michigan’s starters started the game slugglish, but the bench provided a nice bump for the Wolverines.
  • Eli Brooks looked good in the first half. He’s up to 9 points after hitting 3-of-4 attempts from three-point range.