The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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against the Terps. "He was huge," Irvin said. "Every- one was talking about the Melo Trim- ble-Derrick Walton matchup. What he was able to do on the offensive and defensive ends, holding Melo to two points, one of the best players in the Big Ten, speaks volumes for Derrick. "He had that look on his face. I knew he was going to have a good game." Walton refused to take all the credit, but he admitted there was added in- centive. "It was more so taking it personal," he said. "He missed a lot of open shots, so I really can't take credit for that. I was just trying to make it tough for him, corral him when he got to his sweet spots. "The real key was getting two fouls on him. I tried to get him out of his comfort zone." Trimble picked up his second foul in the first half, grabbing Walton af- ter the Michigan guard beat him off the dribble. He sat for several min- utes, while the Wolverines opened an eight-point halftime lead. "It was a personal battle of us versus them, and I wanted to make sure I did whatever I could to make sure my team was victorious," said Walton. "Whether it's not scoring as much or taking some plays off so I'm in tip-top shape on defense, I was all about wanting to win." Beilein could have chosen any number of Wolverines to lead the team in celebration afterward. Red- shirt sophomore Duncan Robinson scored 17 points and Irvin poured in 22, including a key triple down the stretch. "I asked Derrick Walton to sing the song ["The Victors"] at the end," Beilein said. He'd earned it, responding just as Beilein hoped he would. SEARCHING FOR CONSISTENCY The key now is to continue to build on it. With no timeline on LeVert's return, the Wolverines need some- one to create off the dribble, hit big shots and — as importantly as any- thing — find the open shooters. U-M was shooting a ridiculous 42.6 per- cent from three-point range as a team following the Maryland game, and finding the hot hand was a big part of their success. Realizing when that hot shooter was him is part of the tutelage. The junior was shooting 46.9 percent from long range while seeing action in 15 of U-M's first 18 games (he missed three due to injury), but only 41.5 per- cent overall. Beilein took Walton aside more than once in the early season to urge him to be more assertive. "We're encouraging that. Just look at his shooting numbers right now for a point guard," the head coach said. "He's always been a pass-first point guard, which is not a bad thing. But he's got to shoot, whether it's off the dribble, having a good game or a bad game. We want him to take shots because he's pretty good at making them." Finding the happy medium is eas- ier said than done sometimes, Beilein