Tag: Eli Brooks

Eli Brooks ruled out vs. Wisconsin

The Wolverines junior guard has been ruled out against the Badgers.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — When most of the Michigan team came out for team warmups at Crisler Center, considering that junior guard Eli Brooks didn’t join them, it was an ominous sign.

When Brooks finally made his way to the court, he wasn’t in traditional Michigan warmup gear, and he had a sizable splint on his nose.

Though head coach Juwan Howard was typically mum about Brooks’ injury status during Michigan’s Wednesday press conference previewing Wisconsin, the official Michigan basketball Twitter account confirmed everything that was suspected: Brooks broke his nose over the weekend after the hit from Nojel Eastern at Purdue.

As a result, Brooks has been ruled out against Wisconsin on Thursday night.

It’s a big loss for the Wolverines, as Brooks has been among the top scorers for Michigan since the team has been back on the winning side of things.

Eli Brooks update after big hit at Purdue

The junior guard suffered a big hit to the face against the Boilermakers.

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In West Lafayette, as Michigan has continued to hold on to its double-digit lead over the Boilermakers, junior guard Eli Brooks endured a collision and went crashing down to the floor with what looks like could have been a broken nose.

He went to the bench, cradling his face in apparent pain and subsequently went to the locker room shortly after.

According to The Athletic’s Brendan Quinn, who’s on the ground in Mackey Arena, Brooks has been cleared by the medical staff to return to the game, but may have to wear a face mask to protect from suffering more damage.

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If he does return, it’s excellent news, given that Brooks has led the team in scoring over the past seven games for Michigan.

UPDATE:

According to Detroit Free Press‘ Orion Sang, Brooks will not return.

Why Eli Brooks prefers road games to games at Crisler Center

The junior guard has shown out in the last five games for the Wolverines, and has been particularly stellar on the road.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Since Michigan needed to regroup, with both Isaiah Livers out with injury, and Zavier Simpson serving a one-game suspension, junior guard Eli Brooks has upped his game.

Starting on the road at Nebraska, the game in which the Wolverines were without both of the aforementioned, Brooks has averaged 13.2 points-per-game, the best of any Wolverine in the last five-game stretch.

So, what’s allowed him to take that big step forward?

“Coach Saddi (Washington) just continued to be on me about hunting shots,” Brooks said. “Just taking that to heart and trying to apply it.”

Particularly, in recent months, Brooks has been lethal on the road. He scored 18 points at Northwestern, 20 at Nebraska and 25 at Iowa.

Is there something about playing on the road that makes Brooks elevate his game?

He says that he actually prefers playing away from Crisler Center than being in front of the home crowd in Ann Arbor.

“I like road games better than home games, honestly,” Brooks said. “I like hearing the other crowd. I use reverse psychology — when you miss a shot, they’re cheering for you. So you don’t think about it as much! So the next shot’s going in, that’s how I think. It’s a weird way of thinking about it, but it works for me.”

That said, Brooks says he doesn’t want home crowd fans to start cheering his misses, just because it’s a strategy that works for him on the road.

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.

Five takeaways: Wolverines win at Madison Square Garden

Five takeaways from Michigan’s 69-63 win over Rutgers in Big Ten play at Madison Square Garden. The Wolverines have won back-to-back games.

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Michigan traveled to New York City on Saturday for a Big Ten showdown with Rutgers at Madison Square Garden.

The Scarlet Knights, one of this season’s biggest surprises, entered the game winners of 10 of their last 12 games and ranked the 25th-best team in the nation.

The Wolverines recently snapped a four-game losing streak with a 78-69 over Nebraska earlier this week. Starting point guard Zavier Simpson sat out of that game due to a violation of team rules, but returned for Saturday’s game.

Michigan got off to a strong start and built a 27-17 lead in the early-goings, but Rutgers battled to within 37-34 by halftime. After the break, the Wolverines once again started hot, and rebuilt it’s lead to 60-46 with under ten minutes to play. Once again, the Scarlet Knights fought to within three points, but Michigan prevailed with a 69-63 victory.

1. An ugly, but important, win

After 40 minutes of play, the Wolverines had more points. At the end of the day, that’s ultimately what matters. However, when Michigan watches the game film it may question how it was able to pull this one out. The Wolverines finished with 16 turnovers, including several down the stretch in crunch time. Rutgers took advantage, scoring multiple times off the miscues. Yet, Michigan managed to finish on top anyway, and when the selection committee looks over the resume at the end of the season, all they’ll see is another win over a ranked opponent for the Wolverines.

2. poor rebounding effort

In addition to being loose with the basketball, Michigan was abused on the boards in this game. The Scarlet Knights bullied their way to 26 offensive rebounds, an absurd number, and it’s really the only reason why this game wasn’t a Wolverine blowout. Rutgers shot just 33 percent from the floor, but multiple opportunities helped them keep it close. Michigan won’t survive another showing like that on the defensive glass however.

3. Brandon Johns Jr. career-high

Earlier this week, Brandon Johns Jr. set a new career-high with 16 points against Nebraska. That mark didn’t last long, as the sophomore eclipsed it on Saturday with a 20-point outing against the Scarlet Knights. Johns Jr. was huge for the Wolverines in this game, especially with how he contributed from outside, hitting better than 50 percent of his three-point attempts. The sophomore has been up-and-down this season, but if this is a sign of him settling in to Big Ten basketball, it will give Michigan a big boost down the stretch.

4. wolverines find the range

The Wolverines finally found their footing and knocked down their open looks at a decent clip. The month of January was unkind to Michigan in terms of shooting, but the Wolverines bounced back on Saturday with a much better shooting performance, hitting 47 percent of their shot attempts. It was just one outing, but perhaps Michigan will gain confidence from this game and shoot the ball better moving forward. That will determine how competitive the Wolverines are to close the regular season.

5. rivalry games up next

Michigan has won back-to-back games against Power 5 conference opponents for the first time since winning the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament back in November. It’s a good time to end that drought, with big rivalry games coming up next week. The Wolverines will host Ohio State on Tuesday, Feb. 4 and then host Michigan State on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Wolverines will have to play better than they did Saturday to defend home court against the Buckeyes and Spartans, but make no mistakes, these are opportunity games for Michigan. It’s hard to overemphasize how big two wins next week would be for Juwan Howard and company.

Five takeaways: Wolverines back in the win column

Five takeaways as Michigan ends it’s four-game losing streak with a 79-68 victory over Nebraska, the Wolverines first true road win.

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With four losses in a row, the season has taken a sour turn for Michigan basketball. The situation grew only more dire when starting point guard Zavier Simpson was suspended for a violation of team rules.

The Wolverines, who started 0-5 in true road games this season, were in desperate need of a change to the current narrative when they traveled to Nebraska on Tuesday night.

The game was tight throughout the first half, but Michigan controlled the game for the majority of the second half to pull away for their first road victory, 79-68.

My five takeaways as the Wolverines end their four-game skid:

1. A step in the right direction

With the four-game losing streak, Michigan’s NCAA Tournament destiny was suddenly in doubt after a 7-0 start to the season. The Wolverines won’t impress the selection committee with this victory, but it was a much-needed step in the right direction. Michigan has several “resume-building” opportunities left on their schedule, one of which comes this Saturday when they host No. 25 Rutgers. It’s good that the Wolverines will enter that game with a little confidence coming off their first road victory.

2. Brooks, Wagner, Johns Jr. all step up

No Zavier Simpson. No Isaiah Livers. Michigan needed guys to play big in this game, and multiple guys did. Eli Brooks led the Wolverines in points (20), rebounds (9) and assists (4) in an exceptional performance. Franz Wagner shook off a slow start shooting the ball to finish with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The freshman added 8 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. Finally, Brandon Johns Jr. played one of his best games in a Michigan uniform with an efficient 16 points (5-of-6 from the floor, 5-of-7 from the FT line) and added 7 rebounds.

3. This is what Michigan’s offense is

The Wolverines have played 20 games and are nearly halfway through their Big Ten schedule. It’s safe and fair to say that what we’ve seen on offense from them since returning from the Bahamas is what they are. Michigan is not a good shooting team. Tonight, the Wolverines shot 29 percent from the three-point line. Michigan did shoot 50 percent from the floor, but that came against what is, statistically, the worst defensive team in the conference. The key to success for this Wolverines squad is good ball movement and getting as many guys involved as possible, which is what they did tonight.

4. Dejulius struggles replacing Simpson

Sophomore David DeJulius filled in as the starting point guard with Zavier Simpson out, and he struggled to fill those shoes. DeJulius finished with just 5 points on 1-of-7 shooting while handing out 3 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds. Simpson has had an up-and-down season, but if Tuesday’s game against a relatively weak Big Ten opponent is any indicator, the Wolverines need their starting point guard back on the floor soon. That may not be fair to DeJulius, after all, it was his first career start, but the back-half of the Big Ten slate is vital to Michigan’s NCAA Tournament chances, and the Wolverines will need Simpson to earn a bid.

5. resume-building games ahead

As mentioned above, Michigan is in a fight for their NCAA tournament lives as the calendar shifts to February. The Wolverines let some resume-building opportunities at home slip away earlier this season against Oregon, Penn State and Illinois, but there are plenty more ahead. After hosting Rutgers on Saturday, Michigan still has home games against Michigan State and Indiana — two of the better teams in the conference — and will have ranked road games at Rutgers and Maryland. Sprinkled in are future contests against Purdue and Wisconsin that can serve as solid wins due to the strength of the Big Ten this season. Opportunities await, but the Wolverines need to finish the season strong.

Five takeaways: Michigan in free fall after 3rd straight loss

Michigan dropped its third consecutive game on Wednesday with a 72-63 loss to Penn State. The Wolverines fall to 2-5 in Big Ten play.

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Michigan entered Wednesday’s home game against Penn State coming off two straight conference losses and having fallen back out of the AP Top 25.

A momentum shift was needed, but instead it was more of the same for the Wolverines, who dropped their first home game in conference play, 72-63.

Michigan is now 11-7 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten after opening the season 7-0 and skyrocketing to No. 4 in the nation.

Five takeaways from a disappointing night in Ann Arbor:

1. WOLVERINes are in free fall

With Wednesday’s loss, the Wolverines have now lost three games in a row, four of their last five, and six of their last nine. To make matters worse, two of Michigan’s three wins during that stretch came against Presbyterian and UMass-Lowell, meaning the Wolverines are 1-6 in their last seven games against power conference opponents. Adversity has struck in Juwan Howard’s first season as head coach at Michigan, and he’ll need to find a way to rally his players to overcome it.

2. No easy answers here

Looking at the box score, there’s not a single player or statistic you can point at to explain the performance tonight. This was the epitome of a team loss. Zavier Simpson shot under 35 percent from the floor and had six turnovers. Jon Teske failed to stay out of foul trouble once again. Franz Wagner was 1-of-8 from the three-point line. Eli Brooks started 3-of-4 from the floor and finished 4-of-12. David DeJulius, who has been a spark plug-type player off the bench this season, finished with 2 points and was 0-of-3 from the floor. The full roster, top to bottom, contributed to this incredibly poor performance.

3. SHots still aren’t falling

We’re passed the point where we can call these ‘shooting woes’. It’s more accurate right now to simply say that Michigan is not a good shooting team. There’s not much more to say: The Wolverines were 24-of-68 from the floor (35 percent) and an abysmal 5-of-28 from three-point range (18 percent). The numbers tell the story. Michigan has had a rough go of it shooting the ball for much of the past two months, and the performance tonight may have been the crescendo of that fact.

4. teske hits the glass

Jon Teske came into Wednesday’s game averaging 7.6 rebounds per game. That’s not a bad number, but it’s somewhat underwhelming for a guy his size. The senior reached double-digit rebounds against the Nittany Lions however, finishing with 11. Teske needs to reach double-digit rebounds more consistently moving forward, there’s really no excuse for a guy his size to not be more of a force on the glass.

5. Not going to get much easier

Looking at what Michigan has coming up, the schedule continues to look challenging. The Wolverines play host to No. 21 Illinois this coming Saturday, before hitting the road for a trip to Nebraska. Michigan is winless in true road games this season. The Wolverines will then return home for a matchup against No. 24 Rutgers, before hosting rivals Ohio State and Michigan State in back-to-back contests. Injured starter Isaiah Livers appears to be getting closer to a return, and its hard to imagine the Wolverines being more desperate for his presence on the floor than they are right now.

Halftime Analysis: No. 19 Michigan at Iowa

Halftime analysis of No. 19 Michigan basketball’s road trip to Iowa, as conference play rolls on in the Big Ten conference.

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After opening the season 7-0 and rising as high as No. 4 in the country, Michigan has gone 4-5 in its last nine games and settled into the No. 19 spot in back-to-back weeks.

Four of those losses came away from Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines have yet to win a game in an opponent’s arena (0-4). Michigan (11-5 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) tries to turn that around with it’s trip to Iowa (12-5, 3-3) tonight.

The Wolverines defeated the Hawkeyes, 103-91, earlier this season at the Crisler Center. Iowa has gone 6-2 overall since their defeat in Ann Arbor.

The Hawkeyes had revenge on the mind at home, building a double-digit lead in the early-goings of the half, but Michigan was able to hang around and get themselves back to within four points at the break. The Wolverines currently trail, 47-43.

POSITIVES:

  • Welcome back Eli Brooks. The junior carried Michigan in the first half, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting including a pair of three-pointers, breaking a 1-of-16 slump from deep. Brooks had been very quiet in recent games, and the Wolverines missed his scoring desperately. He led Michigan in scoring in the half.
  • David DeJulius was very good off the bench for the Wolverines, scoring 8 points on 4-of-8 shooting with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. His contributions were big given that starting point guard Zavier Simpson was out of the game for an extended stretch with foul trouble.
  • Michigan did an excellent job taking care of the ball in the first half, with just two turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

NEGATIVES:

  • Michigan struggled on defense in the first half, as the Hawkeyes managed to shoot nearly 52 percent from the field (15-of-29) and over 45 percent from the three-point line (5-11). Iowa knocked down a couple tough shots, but for the most part they got the looks they wanted in the first 20 minutes, and knocked them down more often than not. The Wolverines need to be stingier on the defensive end in the second half.
  • Foul trouble is a major concern for Michigan entering the second half. Backup center Austin Davis had three fouls in the first half, while starters Zavier Simpson and Franz Wagner both had two fouls. Iowa took advantage of the fouls as well, shooting a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line.

5 takeaways: Michigan outlasts Purdue in double OT

No. 19 Michigan returned home on Thursday night for a Big Ten battle with Purdue, and outlasted the Boilermakers in double overtime, 84-78.

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Michigan entered Thursday’s game against Purdue in desperate need for a victory. After opening the season 7-0 and rising as high as No. 4 in the country, the Wolverines have dropped four of their last seven games and have fallen to 19th in the nation.

The Boilermakers came into the contest on a bit of a slump as well, having gone 3-3 in their last six games, including a blowout loss to Illinois (63-37) in their last outing.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team building a lead by more than four points. The lead changed hands 11 times before Michigan took an 32-28 advantage into the locker room.

The second half was more of the same, as both teams traded blows on their way to double overtime. In the end, the Wolverines landed the final blow and secured an 84-78 victory.

Here are five takeaways for Michigan’s win:

1. Zavier Simpson returns to form

Zavier Simpson has had an up-and-down season thus far, but he played extraordinary well against the Boilermakers. After being primarily a distributor in regulation, with 9 assists prior to overtime, Simpson was able to get to the rim in the cause damage in the extra sessions.. That’s where the senior is at his best. He showed patience in regulation, but carried the Wolverines in overtime, finishing with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go along with those 9 assists.

2. Shooting Struggles Come home

Michigan’s struggles in shooting have been well-documented in recent weeks, but the Crisler Center had previously been a reprieve for those struggles. That wasn’t the case on Thursday night however, as the shooting woes followed the Wolverines home. Michigan finished regulation 25-of-55 from the floor (45 percent), before going 6-of-11 in the two overtime periods. It was another ugly outing from the three-point line (7-of-29) however. This is growing into a major concern for the Wolverines, and one they need to correct as Big Ten play continues.

3. Scoring by Committee

Those shooting struggles are not limited to one player or even a hand-full of players, it’s everyone right now. With that in mind, the Wolverines combated that tonight by spreading the ball around and getting multiple people involved on offense. Simpson’s 22 points led the way, but Jon Teske had 18, Franz Wagner had 15, and David DeJulius finished with 11 and Brandon Johns Jr. added 8. Teams get out of shooting slumps by moving the ball around and finding guys for good looks. Michigan is getting good looks, and you have to think they’ll start to fall at some point.

4. ELI BROOKS has gone M.I.A.

In the first seven games of the season, shooting guard Eli Brook was scoring 12.3 points per game and was an outside shooting threat for the Wolverines, hitting 50 percent of his three-point attempts. However, in Michigan’s last eight games Brooks has been missing in action. The junior has been held to 8.3 ppg and is shooting just 9-of-28 from deep (32 percent) with six of those makes coming against lowly Presbyterian and UMass-Lowell. The way the Wolverines are struggling from the floor, Michigan needs Brooks to regain some of his early season form quickly.

5. GRINDING OUT A VICTORY

Nothing is coming easy for the Wolverines right now, especially with starting forward Isaiah Livers currently out indefinitely with a groin injury. Michigan showed grit and resilience on Thursday night however to grind out a much-needed victory. The win improves the Wolverines’ record in conference play back to .500 at 2-2. It’s going to be difficult to win games the way Michigan is shooting the ball right now, but give them credit for finding a way to come out on top in this one. Livers’ status remains uncertain, but their is optimism that he’ll be able to return to the lineup soon, which should give them a boost offensively.