The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2021 THE WOLVERINE 29 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Three Best Players 1. Freshman center Hunter Dickinson: He led the team in rebounding (7.4 per game) dur- ing the span, and was second in scoring (13.1). The 7-1 freshman tallied 10 or more points in seven of the nine outings, turning in his two best offensive performances against Ohio State — 22 points in the Feb. 21 triumph in Columbus and 21 points in the Big Ten Tour- nament semifinal loss March 13. Dickinson was also solid from the free throw line throughout the nine tilts, connecting on 24 of his 29 attempts (82.7 percent). 2. Sophomore guard Franz Wagner: He was U-M's leading scorer during the stretch, aver- aging 14.0 points per game and pouring in 19 or more on four sep- arate occasions. Wagner also aver- aged 5.3 boards per game, and recorded at least one steal in eight of the nine affairs. The Berlin, Germany, native did some of his best work from deep, drilling 17 of his 38 attempts (44.7 percent) and making at least two three-pointers in six of Michigan's nine games. 3. Fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith: The Burr Ridge, Ill., native's 10.6 points per outing were the third most for Michigan in the nine contests, while his 5.1 assists paced the club. Smith turned in by far his best showing of the year in Michigan's 79-66 win over Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals March 12, finishing with season highs in both points (18) and assists (15). The latter was also a Big Ten Tournament single-game record. He was his usual durable self as well, playing 32 or more minutes in seven of the nine affairs. Key Play With Michigan trailing Ohio State 68-67 and the shot clock off on U-M's final possession in the March 13 Big Ten Tournament semifinals, Smith dribbled near halfcourt as the Wolverines prepared for a potential game-winning basket. With 7.3 seconds remaining, the point guard darted toward the right with Ohio State forward Justice Sueing guarding him. The Buckeyes switched forward E.J. Liddell onto Smith once he got to the right wing, with the 6-7 OSU big man pos- sessing an eight-inch advantage over the 5-11 Smith. With 4.3 seconds to go, the U-M point guard sprinted toward the top of the key and attempted a step-back three- pointer with Liddell tightly on him and only three seconds left on the clock. Smith's shot hit hard off the back iron, though, and ricocheted toward a crowd of players in the lane. No one was able to corral it as time expired and the game ended. The loss ruined Michigan's quest for a fourth consecutive Big Ten Tournament title game appearance, with 2016 being the last time the Maize and Blue failed to advance to the event's championship. Best Highlight Michigan led Indiana in Bloom- ington 57-42 with 11:28 remain- ing Feb. 27, when senior guard Chaundee Brown Jr. looked to put the final dagger in the Hoosiers. He hauled in a pass in the left cor- ner from senior guard Eli Brooks, and hoisted up a three-pointer with no other Hoosier defenders remotely close to him. Brown's triple attempt was long, though, and bounced hard off the right side of the rim as a crowd of four players (two for each team) waited patiently under the basket to try and haul in the rebound. They never got a chance to, though. Seemingly out of nowhere, senior forward Isaiah Livers came flying in from the left side of the basket and grabbed the ball while it was still high in the air, throwing down a monstrous two-handed dunk in the process. The replay showed Livers had darted in from the right wing (the op- posite side of the court from where Brown had taken the original shot), and timed his jump perfectly to easily outleap both fifth-year senior forward teammate Austin Davis and Indiana forward Jordan Geronimo. The dunk stretched Michigan's lead to 59-42 and forced Indiana head coach Archie Miller to immediately call a timeout. U-M wound up with a comfortable 73-57 victory, its third straight at Assembly Hall. Bold Prediction Michigan will advance to at least the Elite Eight, even with- out Livers in the fold. Yes, the Wolverines earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but some prognosticators were quick to write off the Maize and Blue in the wake of Livers' foot injury that will keep him out indefinitely. Michigan proved it's capable of still playing at a high level without the veteran in the lineup, taking Ohio State (one of the best teams in the country and a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance) to the final possession of the game in the confer- ence tournament semifinals while the senior forward was sidelined. The offensive side of the ball is likely the main area where Livers will be missed, but the following statistic is an en- couraging one in that regard — only two teams in Ken Pomeroy's top 20 adjusted defensive efficiency rankings reside in Michigan's region: Alabama (No. 2 nationally) and St. Bonaventure (No. 17). — Austin Fox Superlatives For Michigan's Nine Games From Feb. 18 Through March 13 Sophomore guard Franz Wagner posted a team-high 14.0 points per game in the nine-contest stretch from Feb. 18 to March 13. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL