The Wolverine

December 2022

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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40 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2022   MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Three Best Players 1. Junior center Hunter Dickinson Dickinson was disappointed in himself following a 3-of-8 shooting night in Michigan's 88-75 exhibition win over Ferris State Nov. 4, when he scored 9 points in 21 minutes. He bounced back in a big way when it mattered, though, pouring in 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line with 12 rebounds, an assist and 3 blocks in U-M's 75-56 win over Purdue Fort Wayne Nov. 7. Facing frequent double-teams again in the second game, an 88-83 victory over Eastern Michigan in Detroit, Dickin- son was even better. He put up his second career 30-point outing, registering 19 of his 31 points in the second half (13 of 17 from the field, 5 of 6 from the free throw line for the game) while carrying his team to the win. He added 7 rebounds. 2. Freshman guard Jett Howard The former four-star recruit has emerged as Michigan's second offensive option while starting on the wing. He has a 20.7 usage rate, the second highest on the team behind Dickinson (26.2), and was excellent in the season opener. After exploding for 30 points in the exhibition game, How- ard went off for 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including a 5-of-10 effort from long range, versus Purdue Fort Wayne. His performance was highlighted by a personal 8-0 stretch that included a pair of 3-pointers and a layup that snapped a six-minute scoreless stretch for U-M in the middle of the sec- ond half. Howard struggled with 9 points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and was 3 of 6 from the free throw line against EMU, but he still added 4 assists. 3. Junior forward Terrance Williams II Howard wasn't the only Wolverine who had a rough outing against EMU, and that's what made Williams' big night so important. The starting forward hit 3 triples on 7 attempts and made 7 free throws for 18 total points and 11 rebounds in compiling his first career double-double. He and Dickinson were two of Michigan's three players to score in double figures on the night, with graduate point guard Jaelin Llewellyn joining them (12). Williams was quiet in the opener, with 2 points in 29 minutes, but he notched 6 rebounds and 2 assists and played good defense. His experi- ence and savvy will be much needed this season. Key Play Michigan was up four points, 81-77, on EMU with just more than two minutes to go. Llewellyn was being guarded tightly in the backcourt by Eagles guard Noah Farrakhan, before Dickinson freed up his point guard with a hard screen that sent Farrakhan to the ground. Llewellyn got downhill in the middle of the floor, crossed over to his right and put up a layup over two defenders. The shot missed, but a late-arriving Dickinson got the rebound and banked in a shot to give the Wolverines a 6-point edge. Best Highlight Up 57-35 on Purdue Fort Wayne with just less than 13 min- utes to play, the 5-11, 160-pound Dug McDaniels grabbed a rebound off a deflection and had a defender in his face. He got around him with a sweet behind-the-back dribble and pushed the ball in transition. He raced down the left side of the floor, Euro-stepped to sidestep a defender to the right side of the hoop and finished a nifty layup around two defenders. Bold Prediction Despite believing the glowing reviews about Llewellyn, a Princeton graduate transfer, heading into the season, play- ing in real game action is a completely different thing than practice. We predict that he'll have his growing pains while he acclimates to playing at Michigan and against tougher competition than the Ivy League. It wasn't until late December last year that Coastal Carolina import point guard DeVante' Jones said the game was "slow- ing down" for him, before he excelled for most of the rest of the season. Llewellyn has all the tools to be successful, but we'll preach patience as he continues to grow. — Clayton Sayfie Superlatives For U-M's Two Games From Nov. 7-11 Junior forward Terrance Williams II had 18 points and 11 rebounds against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 11 to record his first career double-double. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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