[jwplayer PU7SPkWx-XNcErKyb]
Their first road contest of the season, the Michigan Wolverines traveled to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Christmas and topped Fred Hoiberg’s Nebraska Cornhuskers, 80-69, to improve to 7-0 (2-0 Big Ten).
Taking a two-point lead, 36-34, into the halftime break, Michigan connected on their first eight shot attempts of the second half to win by double-digits for the sixth time this year.
Five Wolverines scored in double-figures, led by a season-high 20 points from sophomore Franz Wagner.
It was the third time the Berlin native has recorded at least 20 points in his career and just two shy of matching his career-high, set in a victory over the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette on Feb. 22.
“I thought I took good shots,” Wagner said. “Tried to get to the paint, thought I took open threes, that were well played out or passed by the team. I think that’s what everybody is supposed to do on the team and if that leads to a win, then I’m very happy.”
Standout center Hunter Dickinson, a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, was double-teamed by the Cornhuskers throughout the night. Despite Nebraska’s efforts, he still tallied 13 points and 15 rebounds and impacted the game by passing out of traffic and creating open shots for his teammates with his presence.
“That’s a perk of having a good post player like that,” Wagner said. “The other team has got to double him, and I think Hunter did a good job of finding the open guy and making easy passes that lead to open shots for other guys.
“It’s not easy to do, but we knew that coming in and we practiced it enough. I think we did a good job of exploiting that, having to double Hunter.”
[lawrence-related id=31981,31982,31892]
This action was Michigan’s first since besting the Penn State Nittany Lions, 62-58, on Dec. 13, meaning the team had a 12-day layoff. Having a prolonged break like this can sometimes be problematic, but Wagner feels the Wolverines did a good job of preparing themselves to avoid any potential issues.
“I think we were a little more well-rested coming off a long break, not just physically but mentally can kind of take a break from everything,” he said. “Maybe a little rhythm, stuff like that, but I think we handled it pretty well.”
Fortunately, fans will not have to wait as long for the program to take the floor next, as Michigan will visit the Xfinity Center in College Park to clash with the Maryland Terrapins (5-3, 0-2 Big Ten) at 7 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 31.
First meeting in the Sweet Sixteen of the 1994 NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines are 6-6 all-time against the Terrapins, and 5-4 since Maryland joined the conference in 2014-15.
[vertical-gallery id=30700]