College Basketball

Derrick Walton Jr. Is Nearly Perfect in Michigan Basketball Win over Indiana

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:35 p.m. ET

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Derrick Walton Jr. has had some stellar games in his career. But Thursday night, in a win over Indiana, he was nearly perfect.

The old saying is that big players, make big plays in big games. And Thursday night against Indiana, Derrick Walton Jr. made a bunch of big plays for Michigan basketball in a near-perfect performance.

For much of the season, the Michigan basketball faithful have been clamoring for Walton to take that next step and it looks like he has. Before last night, he had averaged 16 points in his past three games.

But versus the Hoosiers, he went even farther. He scored 21 points, a game high. But also grabbed five boards and had three assists. Yet, his impact went even farther.

Walton, who connected on his first five shots of the game, helped set the tone. When Indiana was trying to make it a game in the first half, a 3-pointer and a ridiculous 3-point play, kept the Hoosiers at bay.

Yet, as good as Walton was offensively and he was great, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, his defensive was equally impressive.

From the start, the senior just seemed to have an extra level of intensity. An intensity, he’s had for a few games now.

While Michigan basketball had just six turnovers, Indiana had 16. The Wolverines had 14 assists, three from Walton; Indiana had 10. Walton also contributed with five rebounds, helping UM gain a 23-20 edge on the boards.

In short, Walton was all over the place. He controlled the tempo, attacked the basket and looked like a truly dominant point guard. Finally, he looked like the player we all expected him to grow into as a freshman.

Over the years, Walton has shown glimpses of greatness for Michigan basketball, but if he can sustain this level of play for the reason of the season, then make no mistake, the Wolverines will be in the NCAA tournament.

And they also won’t be an easy out. That’s how much a point guard matters in college hoops and that’s also how much Walton means to Michigan basketball.

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