The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1061540
JANUARY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 43 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL "I knew he was really good," North- western head coach Chris Collins said of Brazdeikis. "I just loved his spirit. He's a warrior, he's tough, he makes shots, he gets to the basket and he com- petes. "He's a really fun guy to watch play." While Brazdeikis has been a consis- tent force for Michigan's offense, he has been even better in big moments. He helped Michigan hold off the Wild- cats when Northwestern threatened to end the Wolverines' perfect season. He also was critical in Michigan getting re- venge from last year against Villanova and North Carolina. "I imagined this every single day, even in high school," Brazdeikis said after the UNC game. "I don't stop thinking about this. I knew this game was coming up, and it was on my mind 24/7. "I envision everything that hap- pened tonight, and I'm always confi- dent." He is getting more comfortable which each passing game. "Just being aggressive out there," Brazdeikis said of his mentality after the Chattanooga game Nov. 23. "I'm picking my spots a lot better. I'm at- tacking the offensive glass more. I feel like I'm getting to the free throw line. "I'm just playing loose out there. I feel free, and that's my kind of game." While he is one of Michigan's driv- ers, his three-point shot is also danger- ous. Through 10 games, he was shoot- ing 38.7 percent from long range with 12 makes. "It's feeling really good," Brazdeikis said. "I'm working on it with Coach Beilein. Every single day, I'm getting my reps up, focusing on a lot of differ- ent things. "But the most important thing for me is confidence, and I feel like I'm shooting it with confidence." Brazdeikis said sometimes there's a hitch in his shot, but overall, when he lets it go, he feels like it's going in. "Coach Beilein emphasizes getting a higher arc," Brazdeikis said. "In the be- ginning I shot the ball really flat. We've been focusing on getting a higher arc, I've been shooting the ball a lot better." — Andrew Hussey MICHIGAN IMPRESSES WITH LOW TURNOVER PERCENTAGE While the offense isn't the best John Beilein has had at Michigan, one area where it is similar to previous teams is taking care of the ball. The Wolverines' turnover percent- age — the percentage of offensive pos- sessions that end in a turnover — of 14.7 percent was 14th in the country through 10 games and is nearly four percent better than the national aver- age. Michigan had an even lower turn- over percentage heading into the South Carolina game, but against the Gamecocks the Wolverines turned the ball over 16 times. Taking care of the ball is drilled into the U-M players every day in prac- tice. Beilein focuses on making sure his team makes the smart play. "Coach Beilein drills landing on two feet, keeping your head up and mak- ing the easy play," sophomore forward Isaiah Livers said. "We have a lot of land on two feet drills and make the right play drills." Taking care of the ball is an impor- tant part of Michigan's offense. The Wolverines look to make the right pass on each play, and Beilein doesn't want the ball to stay with one person. "It's just running our offense and finding the right man," junior center Jon Teske said. "We know that the ball can't stick with one person, and if there's a man open we'll get it to him. "Every once in a while there will be turnovers, but you can't have dumb turnovers. We try to move the ball, share the ball and get the best shot we can get." Michigan's low turnover percentage comes from more than just drills and good ball movement. The Wolverines' strong team bond helps them mini- mize mistakes. "It's more on the chemistry side," Livers said. "Everybody gets along. Coach B talks about how we get along off the court. On the court, we all get along. We just know what each other's response is going to be." "We're all connected," Teske said. "If someone drives down the lane, some- one might be open in the corner. We'll always know that. In the pick-and-roll, they'll always know where I'm at. "We just have that feel, and that's just from playing ball together for so long." — Andrew Hussey 2018-19 MICHIGAN MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Nov. 2 Northwood^ W, 90-58 Nov. 6 Norfolk State* W, 63-44 Nov. 10 Holy Cross* W, 56-37 Nov. 14 at Villanova$ W, 73-46 Nov. 17 vs. George Washington# W, 84-61 Nov. 18 vs. Providence# W, 66-47 Nov. 23 Chattanooga W, 83-55 Nov. 28 North Carolina& W, 84-67 Dec. 1 Purdue! W, 76-57 Dec. 4 at Northwestern! W, 62-60 Dec. 8 South Carolina W, 89-78 Dec. 15 W. Michigan (BTN) 2:00 p.m. Dec. 22 Air Force (BTN) 4:00 p.m. Dec. 30 Binghamton (BTN) Noon Jan. 3 Penn State (ESPN/ESPN2)! 7:00 p.m. Jan. 6 Indiana (CBS)! 1:30 or 4:30 p.m. Jan. 10 at Illinois (FS1)! 8:00 p.m. Jan. 13 Northwestern (BTN)! 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at Wisconsin (ESPN/ESPN2)! Noon Jan. 22 Minnesota (BTN)! 7:00 p.m. Jan. 25 at Indiana (FS1)! 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29 Ohio State (ESPN/ESPN2)! 9:00 p.m. Feb. 1 at Iowa (FS1)! 7:00 p.m. Feb. 5 at Rutgers (BTN)! 8:00 p.m. Feb. 9 Wisconsin (FOX)! Noon Feb. 12 at Penn State (BTN)! 8:30 p.m. Feb. 16 Maryland (FOX)! Noon Feb. 21 at Minnesota (ESPN/ESPN2)! 7:00 p.m. Feb. 24 Michigan State (CBS)! 3:45 p.m. Feb. 28 Nebraska (ESPN/ESPN2)! 7:00 p.m. March 3 at Maryland (CBS)! 3:45 p.m. March 9 at Michigan State (ESPN/ESPN2)! TBA March 13-17 Big Ten Tournament (at Chicago, Ill.) March 19-April 8 NCAA Tournament (at various sites) ^ — Exhibition; * — Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame Tipoff Tournament, Campus Round; $ — Gavitt Tipoff Games; # — Naismith Memorial Basket- ball Hall Of Fame Tipoff Tournament in Uncasville, Conn.; & — ACC/Big Ten Challenge; ! — Big Ten Game T h r o u g h 1 0 g a m e s , f r e s h m a n I g n a s Brazdeikis was Michigan's leading scorer at 17.0 points per game. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL