The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1061540
JANUARY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 37 "I don't know how I can phrase it any better than they don't get out of the way," Martin said. "You never get an easy basket against them. Every basket is like you have to be on your Ps and Qs. If not, it's hard to get a good shot against them." But the Wolverines proved they could win with their offense, too, when they put up 89 on the athletic Gamecocks squad Dec. 8. Poole had been heating up after a slow start, and his 26 points led the way to keep the Wolverines perfect. He was aver- aging 13.3 points per game, second only to Brazdeikis' 17, and shooting 46.9 percent from long range through 10 games. Matthews was U-M's only other double-digit scorer at 13.2, while Teske was averaging 8.8 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. Teske had also blocked 22 shots and notched 10 steals in 10 games. The only area of any concern at all would be depth. Beilein's team is only seven deep in the early going, and there are going to be games he needs to go deeper into the bench. They had three weeks to work on that before Big Ten play resumed Jan. 3, however, and Beilein insisted it would be a point of emphasis. As soon as others showed they deserved it, he said, they'd get their opportuni- ties to help contribute to what many believe is now the Big Ten favorite. Several of the coaches that have stood on the other sideline from the Wolverines believe their ceiling is even higher than that. Hall of Famer Roy Williams was left shaking his head and saying "right now, we stink" after his Tar Heels' meeting with Michigan. Martin said the Wolverines "play like a championship team." The coach of the defending na- tional champions, Villanova's Jay Wright, called them "a hell of a team." "I'm very impressed with Michi- gan's team," Wright continued after the mid-November shellacking. "We knew they were a great defensive team coming in. I thought this could be John's best defensive team ever. They hadn't been shooting great from three, but the thing is, their team can be an even better team shooting the three. "I really like their team. They have great togetherness and execution." ❏ Top Five Big Ten Teams Through Dec. 10 1. Michigan (10-0, 2-0 B1G, No. 5 in Dec. 10 Associated Press poll): A road blowout of Villanova Nov. 14 was the first indication this team had a chance to be pretty special, and the Wolverines have continued rolling since. They've won at home, on neutral courts and on the road, and had yet to lose through 10 games. 2. Michigan State (8-2, 2-0, No. 9): The Spartans, the preseason favorite, lost to Kansas early and then at Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but they're among the 2-0 conference teams in Big Ten play heading into the resumption of conference play in January. They won at Rutgers and beat Iowa at home, but this team still has to prove it can beat a good team away from the Breslin Center. 3. Ohio State (8-1, 2-0, No. 15): The Buckeyes are one of the early season surprises, having lost only once in their first nine games (a 10-point setback to Syracuse). They blew out Minnesota and won at Illinois in their first two Big Ten games, and they also have a solid win over Cincinnati on the résumé. 4. Wisconsin (8-2, 2-0, No. 16): The Badgers lost an overtime heartbreaker to Marquette Dec. 8, but they've posted several impressive wins already. They won at Iowa, beat Xavier, Stanford, Oklahoma and North Carolina State, and started 2-0 in Big Ten play with the win in Iowa City and another over Rutgers. 5. Indiana (8-2, 2-0, not ranked): The Hoosiers were thrashed at Duke and lost to Arkansas on the road, so there's plenty to prove when it comes to playing away from Bloomington. They survived a pair of tight conference games with Northwestern and Penn State (both two-point games) and pulled out a one- point home win over Louisville in early December. — Chris Balas Redshirt junior wing Charles Matthews (above) and junior point guard Zavier Simpson are rec- ognized as the leaders of Michigan's defensive excellence by John Beilein and his staff. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN