PISCATAWAY — Saturday afternoon’s slugfest between the Michigan men’s basketball team and Rutgers highlighted many of the Wolverines’ season-long issues. Turnovers and Scarlet Knights’ offensive boards were all present problems for Michigan. But the Wolverines’ defense stopped Rutgers just enough to make the difference.
Despite a multitude of mistakes throughout the game, notably turnovers and sluggish play on the defensive boards, Michigan (16-5 overall, 8-2 Big Ten) found other ways to defeat Rutgers (11-11, 4-7), 66-63, through strong defense and allowing the Scarlet Knights to shoot at just a 32.8% clip.
In the first half, both teams were simply holding on for dear life.
Riddled with turnovers and sloppy plays, both Rutgers and Michigan accumulated four turnovers in the first five minutes. By the 12-minute timeout, both teams had also gone on a streak where they missed at least five shots, knotting up the score at nine when all was said and done.
What kept the Wolverines alive, despite the turnovers, was their ability to share the ball effectively and generate looks for all five players on the court. No Michigan player had more than eight points, and eight of the nine players with minutes scored in the first half, creating a well balanced attack.
But what kept the Scarlet Knights within arms reach was its ability to extend possessions. Hauling in nine offensive rebounds to the Wolverines’ two gave Rutgers nine more shots in the half and more chances to convert despite its own problems with turnover and a low shooting percentage. Guard Jamichael Davis also fueled the majority of the Scarlet Knights’ attack with 11 first-half points.
By the end of the first half, Michigan eked out a seven-point lead, but one built on sloppy play and negligence on the defensive boards. And the beginning of the second half was much of the same.
Five minutes into the half, the Wolverines had again given up the ball four times and allowed more offensive than defensive rebounds. That trend kept going but Rutgers simply couldn’t find ways to pull the ball in the basket.
As the slugfest continued, Michigan held anywhere between a two and six-point lead for the majority of the second half. And the Wolverines never relinquished that lead and played just well enough to take down the Scarlet Knights.
Despite having 21 less shots, despite turning the ball over 17 times, despite allowing Rutgers to corral 15 offensive boards, Michigan found a way to win by playing sound enough defense.
The post Michigan finds ways to take down Rutgers despite mistakes, 66-63 appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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