The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Walton gave very little inkling that Trimble was on his mind days be- fore the meeting. He talked about the team — the need for a résumé- building win and a Big Ten victory that would keep the Wolverines' con- ference championship hopes alive — though he did let slip one fact from the past that proved he knew a bit more about Trimble than he was let- ting on. "I played against him in high school, so I know he's a good player," Walton said. "It was ninth or 10th grade — they beat us. So maybe that gives me a little more incentive." The Wolverines dispatched the No. 3 Terps, 70-67, for their first home win over a top-three team since 1997. Walton's final stat line read 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Trimble totaled two points on 1-of-7 shoot- ing, and added three assists and four turnovers. Walton didn't have his best night offensively — he was 4 of 13 from the floor — but he locked Trimble down. He also made two huge jump- ers down the stretch — a step-back triple that put the Wolverines up five late in the game and another jumper that made it 69-62 with 2:11 remain- ing. With senior shooting guard Caris LeVert on the bench nursing an in- jured foot, head coach John Beilein needed someone else to step up. Senior point guard Spike Albrecht had responded in recent years, but he was no longer an option, in street clothes after hanging it up for the season earlier in the year. Beilein called upon Walton to lead them to a win, searching for that ex- tra gear he knew the floor general had in him. "His shooting stats were not good," Beilein noted. "He had a couple of tough turnovers, but I told him in the timeout, 'I want you to go out there and shoot the ball.' "His first one missed, but his next BY CHRIS BALAS T he game wasn't necessarily circled on Michigan junior point guard Derrick Walton Jr.'s schedule, but maybe it should have been — Michigan ver- sus Maryland at Crisler Center on Jan. 12, 2016. That's the day the Terrapins arrived in town with All- American point guard Melo Trimble, last year 's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, a first-team All-Big Ten selection and second-team Sporting News All-American, former prep Mc- Donald's All-American … the list goes on.