The Wolverine

January 2016

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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M ichigan absorbed its most lop- sided loss of the season, 82-58, at No. 19 Southern Methodist University Dec. 8. That left the Wolverines 6-3 and seeking better ways to confront the more physical, athletic squads they face. Although U-M played without in- jured starting point guard Derrick Walton Jr., and has others working their way back from offseason surger- ies, this one got out of hand quickly. The Wolverines trailed by 14 at the half and simply couldn't hold off the Mustangs' dunk fest. SMU owned the boards, 45-20, and kept feeding big man Jordan Tolbert for slam after slam on his way to a game-high 23 points. Meanwhile, U-M senior standout Caris LeVert went 1 of 13 from the floor and 0 of 6 from three-point range. "It's a good offensive rebounding [team], and we have big issues there," Michigan head coach John Beilein said afterward. "That was a complete mismatch on the backboard. That's a really good team — a special team, that can win their conference if they stay together and play well." Beilein also praised SMU's skill at passing and the willingness to do so, combined with a number of good shooters. The Wolverines saw the home team shoot 57.4 percent (31 of 54) from the floor and 53.3 percent (8 of 15) from three-point range. "They were just very fluid," Beilein said. "We didn't have answers. They moved the ball so quickly, in so many areas. I kept saying, 'I feel like I'm guarding [Dallas Mavericks guard] J.J. Barea out here.' "He [SMU guard Nic Moore] is so good running that team. Any time   MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Michigan Gets Outmuscled On The Road At SMU Head coach John Beilein's Wolverines were outrebounded 45-20 in their 82-58 loss at SMU Dec. 8. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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