The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN BASKETBALL For his part, Dawkins merely enjoyed the day, getting comfortable early on and getting on a roll thereafter. "My shot was feeling good in warm-ups, and every game I am going to shoot the ball if I am open," Dawkins said. "I let it go. [My teammates] are all good players. They all know how to feed the hot hand, and they did a good job finding me." Junior guard Spike Albrecht did an exceptional job, winding up with nine assists in the game. But assists don't come unless shots go down, and Dawkins proved nearly flawless in that regard. He noted the performance gave him confidence for the future, including the Big Ten Tournament. In the days leading up to it, Beilein noted how far Dawkins had come this season. Much of his improvement centered on defense and passing, Beilein noted. But an adjustment to his shot, very early in the season, also made a significant impact. "Early, it had a really high arc and had a very slow delivery," Beilein observed. "That's not going to work at this level. People are longer, they're quicker, they're going to close out. It's not a game of H-O-R-S-E anymore, like it may be sometimes in high school or AAU. "He quickened that up and just took his arc down a little bit. There was so much arc on the ball, and I believe it was coming down at a different force, and hits the rim with all that arc, it's not as apt to go in, even though the angle is right. "There's an arc for every kid, and we try and find it. His is much reduced from what it was." "It's a lot of repetition," Dawkins noted of the change. "The form and the mechanics are probably already there. It's just bringing my arc down just a little bit." Once he did, it became a matter of playing well enough at the other end of the court to see more and more time off the bench. Beilein noted on several occasions that learning college-level defense kept Dawkins from a bigger run early on. "I came in, and the defensive schemes we ran, I was so new to them," Dawkins said. "Playing a lot, coming to practices, I've learned a lot about basketball and how it should be played. It's fun — a lot of growth." ❏ Overall Season Record: 16-16 Big Ten Record: 8-10 Best Win — 64-57 over Ohio State, Feb. 22: The Wolverines were desperate for a victory, and got one against a foe that added a little extra to the win. U-M never trailed in the game, building a lead of 20 at one point and beating back a rally by the No. 24 Buckeyes at Crisler Center. BASKETBALL REWIND: FEB. 18-MARCH 17