The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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first back in the lineup, after extended time off with a back ailment. "He had treatment and I asked him how he felt Monday, and he felt good," Beilein noted afterward. "In that game, the biggest thing I saw was fatigue on the defensive end. When he plays there's only one speed, and that's going to wear you out. Now he has to build the timing and cardio up." The Wolverines built some timing and confidence in Puerto Rico, despite the final-game setback, but simply weren't ready for the challenge Duke presented at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Sophomore Caris LeVert tied a career high with 24 points, while McGary scored 15 with 14 rebounds, but no one else saw double figures in Michigan's 79-69 loss. In fact, the national highlight out of the game featured Stauskas losing a shoe and flipping it to the sidelines, where one of the Cameron Crazies caught it and exultantly shook it aloft. The home crowd enjoyed plenty of reasons to celebrate on a night when Michigan went 3 of 13 from three-point range and never led in the game. Stauskas scored just four in that contest, all at the free throw line, after rehabbing relentlessly to get his ankle back into playing shape. "Our defense was outstanding," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski pointed out. "One of the keys for us was to try and limit Stauskas. We felt coming into this game, he was the best two guard we have faced so far this season. The huge thing was that we didn't give up any threes in transition." Three losses in the first eight games for the Wolverines, meanwhile, delivered a bracing reminder that transitioning from a Final Four crew to one undergoing a remake isn't all that simple. BIGGER POINTS TO PONDER The early season ups and downs aside, some larger issues demand examination. In this case, they begin with how a program loses a backcourt consisting of the consensus National Player of the Year at point guard and a shooting guard who joins him as an NBA Draft pick, and doesn't miss a beat? Simple answer: it doesn't, obviously, at least not initially. Freshman point Derrick Walton has held up admirably slipping into the starting lineup, averaging 8.4 points and 2.8 assists per game, although he's struggled some against the toughest foes. He's more than capably supplemented by sophomore Spike Albrecht, who has contributed 2.9 assists and 42.9 percent shooting from three-point range. Walton's 23 turnovers lead the team, and Beilein went to Albrecht down the stretch against Arizona. Meanwhile, Stauskas' 18.3 points and 2.8 assists per game actually compare favorably to Hardaway's averages (14.5 and 2.4, respectively) from a year ago. Whereas last year's duo repeatedly demonstrated the ability to take over games at times, Michigan's guards this season have not. They probably shouldn't be asked to at this point,