The Wolverines stunned the Tar Heels in the Bahamas to move on to the final round in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Here’s our 5 takeaways.
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In a game that no one saw coming, the Wolverines used an early second-half explosion against the Tar Heels, taking them down for the second-straight year, while giving new head coach Juwan Howard revenge against North Carolina.
North Carolina absolutely battled back, cutting the 24-point deficit to 8 points, but the Wolverines held on for the stunning victory, winning 73-64, to remain undefeated on the season and advance to the final round in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
Here’s WolverinesWire’s five takeaways from the game.
Michigan belongs in the Top 25, and with the big dogs
KenPom has the Wolverines in the Top 25 (at No. 24, specifically), but came in and beat No. 6 North Carolina for the second-straight year, this time on a neutral court. It now seems a little absurd that the maize and blue are on the outside looking in when it comes to the Top 25.
The Wolverines took a five-point lead into the half, but really piled it on in the second-half, ballooning that lead all the way to 24-points with 11 minutes remaining in the game, after going on a 19-0 run.
Michigan finished with four players in double-digits, with guards Eli Brooks and David DeJulius as well as Isaiah Livers leading the charge.
Eli Brooks has been a revelation
The junior guard was averaging just 2.6 points-per-game, but in 2019-20, he’s been off to a torrid start, scoring 11.6 per-game. And he certainly topped that on Thursday afternoon in the Bahamas.
Against North Carolina and KenPom’s No. 7-rated defense, Brooks seemed unstoppable at times, and led all scorers with 24 points, tying a career high set in this year’s season opener.
David DeJulius has been pivotal of late
And we’re not talking about Dick Vitale’s incessant questioning if DeJulius traveled or not.
With Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson in early foul trouble, DeJulius came in and continued his hot hand from Friday, providing key minutes to go along with 11 points. Simpson remained in foul trouble, drawing his fourth foul with 14:32 left in the game, which kept him on the bench. Ultimately, Simpson fouled out with 5:11 remaining in the game, which meant that the sophomore guard really had to step his game up.
DeJulius wasn’t as productive in the second-half, but he’s certainly playing solid ball, and he’s doing it on both sides of the court.
Turnovers still a problem, as are fouls
Michigan entered the game at 173 overall with a 19% turnover-per-possession percentage, after being fifth in the country a year ago.
Against UNC, it continued to be a problem, as the Wolverines had 16, with 9 in the first-half and 7 in the second.
We mentioned that Simpson fouled out, but junior Isaiah Livers also fouled out with just under a minute remaining, and freshman Franz Wagner had three. UNC was in the bonus, as well, as the game got tight.
Defense really starting to come on
It started out cold, as North Carolina seemed to be able to hit at will early in the game, en route to a 16-7 lead. But the Wolverines started to hold the Tar Heels back, chipping away little-by-little, until it took the lead and didn’t look back.
We mentioned the 19-0 run in the second-half, but the Wolverines also held the nation’s No. 20 offense – according to KenPom – to 33% shooting overall until the late surge. UNC cut the once-commanding lead to single-digits with the game on the line, but the defense held on, forcing difficult shots to secure the victory.
It was an incredible effort, and with play on both sides of the court clicking, Michigan might be a lot better than people anticipated under first-year head coach Juwan Howard.
