The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN BASKETBALL stood sixth in the Big Ten (32.1), with Iowa last (38.1). Bo Ryan's Badgers have also proven the conference's best re- bounding team so far, with a board margin of plus-13.8. Michigan State (11.2) stood second, with Michigan 10th (1.1) and Northwestern (mi- nus-6.0) trailing the field. The Wolverines were next to last in assists in the conference, averaging 12.1 per game, better than only Penn State (11.6). Ohio State led the way, dropping an average of 20.0 dimes a game. U-M also stood dead last in the conference in steals, averaging just 5.1 per outing. Iowa (10.3) led the league, with Ohio State (9.7) and In- diana (9.7) following close behind. John Beilein's teams pride them- selves on not turning the ball over, but the Wolverines still have some work to do in that area. Through seven games, they ranked tied for eighth with Illinois in that category (2.29). Ohio State (8.14) paced the Big Ten, while Nebraska (minus-2.00) brought up the rear. Michigan was also seventh in assist-to-turnover ra- tio (1.0), with Wisconsin (1.9) lead- ing the way and Michigan State (0.8) trailing the field. ❑ BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK • Sophomore Tim Hardaway Jr. emerged from Michigan's first seven games as the ninth-leading scorer in the Big Ten, with his 15.4-point average. Northwest- ern's John Shurna led the way, averaging 21.8 per game, followed by Ohio State's Jared Sullinger (19.1) and Penn State's Tim Frazier (19.1). U-M freshman Trey Burke snuck into the top 25, ranking No. 24 (11.0). • Sophomore Evan Smotrycz was the only Wolverine among the top 20 re- bounders in the league, averaging 5.0 per game. Michigan State's Draymond Green (11.3) proved the top glass worker in the early going. • Senior Zack Novak stood at No. 15 in the league in field goal percentage (53.2). Indiana's Cody Zeller paced the conference (72.5). • Burke tied with Iowa's Bryce Cartwright for sixth in the league in average as- sists (4.1). Penn State's Frazier (7.1) led the way through the first seven contests of the season. • Novak's 46.4 percent on three-pointers placed him ninth in the Big Ten in the early going. Wisconsin's Josh Gasser (71.4) led the league, while Smotrycz tied Wisconsin's Mike Bruesewitz for 15th (43.8). Novak connected on 13 three balls through U-M's first seven games, tying him for 11th in the conference. • Sophomore sub Jon Horford made his presence felt in the early going, tying for 12th in the Big Ten by averaging 1.0 blocked shot per game. Illinois' Leonard Meyers paced the loop with his 3.1 average. • Burke ranked No. 11 in assist-to-turnover ratio, at 1.6. Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor (5.0) took top honors. • U-M featured a pair of performers in the top 10 in average minutes played. Novak (33.4) ranked sixth and Hardaway (32.3) ninth in the iron man category, led by Northwestern's Shurna (36.8). • Michigan limited Ferris State to just 33 points in the season opener at Crisler Arena. The last time the Wolverines locked down an opponent at home to that degree was in 1948, in a 66-33 win over Michigan State. • Burke and fellow freshman Carlton Brundidge made their career debuts in the 59-33 win over Ferris State Nov. 11. Burke scored three points on 1-of-7 shoot- ing, while Brundidge did not score in two minutes of action. Burke made his first career start in the following game against Towson, helping Michigan to a 64-47 win Nov. 14 with 13 points, a team-high two steals, two rebounds and two assists. The Wolverines scored the first 21 points of the game in crushing their first opponent of the Maui Invitational. • Michigan's 59-55 win over Western Illinois Nov. 17 marked the first-ever meeting between the schools. The visitors outrebounded the Wolverines, 27-22, marking the first time in the young campaign a foe achieved an edge on the glass. • Hardaway shot a career-high 90.0 percent (9 of 10) at the free throw line in Michigan's 73-61 win over No. 8 Memphis at the Maui Invitational Nov. 21. Smotrycz recorded a career-high eight rebounds in that contest. • Michigan's 82-75 loss to Duke in the Maui Invitational Nov. 22 left the Wolverines with an all-time record of 8-21 against the Blue Devils. U-M last beat Duke in 2008, an 81-73 victory at Crisler Arena. • Burke established career highs in the Duke game in points (17), assists (nine), field goal attempts (17), field goals (eight) and minutes played (39). Redshirt sophomore Jordan Morgan established a season best with 12 points and tied his highest rebounding output (six) in the showdown. • The Wolverines shot a season-best 61.7 percent (29 of 47) from Sophomore forward Evan Smotrycz was the only Wolverine among the top 20 rebound- ers in the Big Ten Conference, averaging 5.0 per game through Nov. 29. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 60 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2011 the field in a 79-63 win over UCLA to capture third place in the Maui Invitational. Michigan bumped its all-time record in the tournament to 10-4. Michigan moved to 5-11 versus UCLA all time, while Beilein is now 4-1 against the Bruins. • Novak scored a career-high 22 points in the win over UCLA, hitting 4 of 5 three-pointers. Horford posted a career-high 12 points, adding seven re- bounds in a career-high 19 minutes of action. Smotrycz matched his career best with eight rebounds.