For the second consecutive game, Michigan’s basketball never lagged behind and here are the key takeaways from the win over Purdue.
There were a lot of impressive things about Michigan’s basketball win of 70-53 Friday against Purdue, but perhaps the fact that the Wolverines were never behind is at the top of the list.
For those who keep up at home, these are two live Big Ten games in which Michigan’s basketball did not play for a second, although there was a decrease in performance, as UM did allow the Boilermakers to draw the game. .
However, a 7-0 run quickly enabled the Wolverines to seize control and although Hunter Dickinson was human again, Michigan’s basketball rolled.
Here are the most important takeaways.
Livers must be the first team of the All-Big Ten
In this game, I said Michigan Isaiah would need Livers or Franz Wagner to play really well, and Livers answered the clock with a 22-point performance. He was 3-for-5 from the other side of the arc and attacked the bucket, getting to the line and also making six of seven there.
On top of that, he blocked two shots and grabbed 10 rebounds. It was this kind of effort and frankly, the one he had the night before, that makes you think he has the talent to be Big Ten Player of the Year.
The Wolverines could have three legitimate candidates, though Dickinson is losing steam with his recent fight, though 10 points is not bad. The six turnover, however, was a bit ugly, but it was a learning process and his defensive effort was an impact when he could be on the floor.
Still, one of the top three guys in Michigan is likely to hold out for a few post-season awards, simply because of the depth of the league.
Along with Eli Brooks and Austin Davis, Livers set the tone. His three-point shooting helped Michigan fall apart because the Boilers made no move in the first half and after looking at his effort, it’s hard for me to say that anyone on this roster is better .
I’m not saying he’s better than Dickinson or Wagner. But he’s as good as anyone and when he shoots the ball like Friday, Michigan will be really hard to beat.
Eli Brooks makes a monster difference
While Dickinson struggled with turnover and errors, Wagner struggled to drop the ball. But because of the way Eli Brooks opened the game, it did not matter. He made a three-pointer early on, playing his always impeccable defense and finding creative ways to score inside.
His last line reads: 11 points, five rebounds, two blocks, two steals and no turnover. It has been said before that he is the glue for this team, but it showed again on Friday night. He was the biggest difference between this result and last Saturday’s defeat against Minnesota, when he did not play.
Big Ten’s best defense strikes again
Trevion Williams started in Michigan’s basketball last season, but on Friday he was kept at 14 of 19 points on 14 points. The length of Dickinson gave him problems, as well as Johns and Davis in different ways off the bench.
Purdue obviously missed Sasha Stefanovic and the Boilers went just 2-of-12 from deep, but the Wolverines kept them up to just 33 percent on just 2-point attempts, and that was a big difference in the game.
It’s easy to get caught up in attack, but this win was just the defense and at 8-1 in the Big Ten, the Wolverines are still alone above the Big Ten leaderboard.