Michigan Basketball: Three Takeaways from the Illinois Win
Jan 17, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein reacts to a play during the game with the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Michigan 68-64. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan basketball beat Illinois after losing to the Illini nine days earlier. The difference was key performers showing up to this one.
On Jan. 12, Michigan basketball went into Illinois looking for a rebound game. The Wolverines entered the start of the Big Ten race poorly, letting games against Iowa and Maryland slip through their fingers.
The Illini were deemed one of the weaker teams in the league, but they came out and smacked Michigan in the mouth. With the game tied at 34, the orange and blue closed the half on a 15-2 run, giving the Wolverines a deficit they would never recover from. After the game, Illinois forward Maverick Morgan said Michigan played “white-collar” basketball.
Fast forward nine days, and once again Michigan was looking for a rebound. The momentum of a victory against Nebraska couldn’t sustain the team against Wisconsin, a narrow 68-64 loss. So Michigan came into the game needing a win to stay afloat in the Big Ten race. It helped that it was a chance for revenge against a team that had embarrassed them in Champagne.
Let’s just say the 66-57 score doesn’t reflect how well the Wolverines played. They took a 10-point lead into the half and were up by as much as 21 in the second.
Michigan again played great defense, forcing the Illini into 17 turnovers. While the Wolverines shot mediocre percentages from the line, field, and 3-point range, Michigan had D.J. Wilson to counter anything Illinois tried. With 19 points, 7 boards and 5 assists, he leads the takeaways.
Jan 21, 2017; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward D.J. Wilson (5) celebrates after he dunks in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
D.J. dunks all over Illinois
Wilson started off the game with an insane layup. The big man caught the ball in the corner, swooped into the lane, arm cocked as if to dunk the ball, but then he turned in air and hit a soft jumper in the paint. It only got better from there.
The Fighting Illini had no answer for the big man on the offensive glass, as 6 of his 7 boards came cleaning up Michigan misses. Twice, he immediately put the ball back up for a foul and-1. He would only complete the three-point play once, but made up for it by hitting 70% percent of his shots from the field.
When he wasn’t getting fouled, Wilson spent much of the day dunking. It didn’t matter if it was off a Zak Irvin miss:
Or on the fastbreak:
And if that weren’t enough for you, Wilson was also adept at finding teammates. When Illinois went zone, the 6-foot-11 presence would slide to the free-throw line. When he got the ball there, he could simply look over the defense to see what teammates were open.
His first assist, to Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, showed how valuable Wilson is on the perimeter. He’s able to pull up from that range, but he’s also a screener. The Illini defender tried to cheat Abdur-Rahkman to the ball hand-off/screen, which Wilson recognized to find the guard cutting backdoor.
After a scoreless game against Wisconsin, it was good to see the California native return to form.
Feb 21, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Derrick Walton Jr. (10) shoots the ball as Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) defends during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Big Ten’s best rebounding guard
A caveat: Derrick Walton Jr. isn’t the best rebounding guard in the Big Ten. That would be Sanjay Lumpkin of Northwestern, pulling down 6.7 boards a game.
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Walton ranks No. 43 among all Big Ten Players with 4.3 a game. He was even better last year at 5.4 rebounds per contest. But if you asked anyone covering the Big Ten today, they would list the Detroit native among the best, especially at the point guard position.
He showed why on Saturday, snagging 11 Illini misses. Walton is uniquely gifted at grabbing a loose rebound and turning upcourt to start the Michigan break. He is able to sneak around box-outs, and is often in better position than Michigan’s big men. His second board came when he boxed out 6-foot-10 Michael Finke, and there he was, off to the races.
Walton managed to notch 13 points to obtain his 6th double-double of his career. However, the senior struggled shooting the ball after three straight games above 50 percent. He only hit one 3-pointer but kept taking the ball to the hole and went 4 of 5 from the line.
If Walton can translate the rebounds into more fastbreak points or assists, Michigan will be in good shape.
Jan 17, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Duncan Robinson (22) looks to pass as Wisconsin Badgers guard Bronson Koenig (24) defends at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Michigan 68-64. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
The rest of the team
The Wolverines have played by committee this season. They have six players that can go for double digits every game. Michigan’s closest thing to a go-to player is Zak Irvin, who leads the team in points, averaging 14.5 a game. True to form, Irvin scored 15 despite another poor shooting night.
The rest of the team seemingly cycles through stages of getting hot. Some nights, it’s Moritz Wagner who is the post scorer. Occasionally, Wilson will give a big game. Walton usually gets to double figures on 3-pointers and free throws. Abdur-Rahkman can take people off the dribble, and Duncan Robinson can get hot quick from deep.
So far, despite the Wolverines’ efficient offense, this means individual play occasionally suffers. Robinson has only gotten past 10 once in the past six games, and it appears his rhythm is off. The Wolverines should look to get him more attempts in the sparse minutes he gets as sixth man.
His replacement in the starting lineup, Abdur-Rahkman, struggled after a string of three good games. He looks to be recovering from the brutal stretch before the new year, where he went scoreless in two straight games.
Wagner didn’t get a ton of shots this game, as most were reserved for Irvin and Walton. But the German showed his ability to use a pass fake to free himself before sinking from distance. Wagner should demand the ball more off pick-and-rolls.
Michigan needs to have a fourth option consistently providing another source of offense. It’s a given that Walton and Irvin will get theirs. After that, a third player from the pool usually steps up for a big game. Against Illinois, it was Wilson. But the Wolverines need to incorporate their peripheral players, especially Abdur-Rahkman and Robinson, to fully unlock their offense.
Up Next: Indiana visits the Crisler Center on Thursday.
