inated on the boards, 45-20, at SMU.
Ten of big man Jordan Tolbert's 11
field goals came on dunks behind
Michigan's defense, which struggled
with the Mustangs' sophisticated sets
and outstanding passers.
If there's something lacking from
this year's team, Michigan play-by-
play man Matt Shepard said, it's the
absence of an alpha presence on the
floor.
"Compared to the past really good
Michigan teams, they might be miss-
ing that guy to take charge," Shepard
said. "Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr.,
the Zack Novak attitude, that's part
of what I think is missing. Guys who
gather guys on the floor, in the locker
room and say, 'This ain't happening
today.' I don't know if anybody is
comfortable in that role yet.
"When it comes to rebounding,
they need a little more of what the
Mitch McGarys and Jordan Morgans
provided — the 'want to' of going
and getting rebounds. Guys like
Junior Zak Irvin, who underwent back surgery in the offseason, was struggling to regain his
shooting touch while averaging 7.1 points per game through eight appearances.
PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN
