The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 45 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Three Best Players 1. Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks: He's elevated his game in the early going, becoming Michigan's most produc- tive player through six contests. The Spring Grove, Pa., native is averaging a career-high and team-best 15.7 points, plus 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game, all while playing the most minutes on the squad (34.8 per clash). His 50 percent shooting clip from the field and team-high 42.9 percent mark from beyond the three-point arc are career bests. 2. Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson: The Alexandria, Va., native started off the season with a bang, pouring in 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field, with six re- bounds and one block in a win over Buffalo. He's second on the team with 14.8 points per contest, while adding a team- high 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 blocks. He's been a bit up and down overall, though, scoring 11 or fewer points in three contests and having 15 turnovers. As the primary defender, he's allowed 29 points on 25 possessions, which is considered by Synergy to be "average." 3. Freshman forward Moussa Diabate: The Paris, France, product has come off the bench in all six contests but has shown flashes of brilliance when on the court. Despite play- ing only 18 minutes per game, he's fourth on the team with 7.7 points a contest and third in rebounding with 5.7 boards per outing. His 14-point, seven-rebound performance in which he drained six of seven shot attempts proved crucial in a win over UNLV Nov. 19. He posted an identical stat line in a closer-than-expected triumph over Tarleton State Nov. 24. Key Play Michigan never trailed in its 88-76 win over Buffalo to open the season Nov. 10, but the Bulls cut the deficit to five, 72- 67, with 5:43 to go. With just under five and half minutes to play, fifth-year senior point guard DeVante' Jones dribbled the ball up the right side after a Buffalo missed shot, slowed up, crossed over and looked toward the middle of the floor. He fired a one-handed pass to sophomore forward Ter- rance Williams II on the left wing. With a quick release and a defender closing out on him, Williams swished a three that extended the Maize and Blue lead to eight points. On the ensuing offensive possession, Dickinson had a put-back layup to make it a 10-point game, and the Wolverines kept the edge in double digits for the remainder of the contest. Best Highlight After checking in for the first time with just over 13 min- utes remaining in the first half of Michigan's 74-61 win over UNLV, Diabate got a steal off a bad pass and led a two-on- one break himself. With a second defender closing in on him from behind and the other one in front, the 6-foot-11 forward took it to the rack himself, finishing with a ferocious, one-handed, posterizing slam. That gave the Maize and Blue a 15-11 lead and had the crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas going wild. Bold Prediction Freshman guard/forward Caleb Houstan has struggled out of the gates, averaging 8.8 points per game and shoot- ing 34.7 percent overall and 25.8 percent from three-point range, but we'll say he will finish the season with 10-plus points per contest and a three-point shooting percentage of greater than 35. Known as a sharpshooter after hitting 40 percent of his attempts from deep during his senior season at Montverde (Fla.) Academy, Houstan has gotten some clean looks that just haven't fallen in the early going. The former five-star recruit has looked a bit overwhelmed at times, too, but the game should slow down for him. In addition, the Wolverines are struggling with role definition outside of Brooks and Dickinson, and that should improve as the year progresses. Houstan will continue to get a high volume of shots, having taken 31 triples with eight makes through six contests, and he'll start cashing in more frequently. Michigan continues to search for its third scoring option, and we'd still bet on Houstan being the one to step up. — Clayton Sayfie Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks led the Wolverines with a career- high 15.7 points per game through six contests. He's made 50 percent of his shots from the floor and 42.9 percent from behind the arc. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Superlatives For U-M's Six Games From Nov. 10-24