The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN BASKETBALL nior point guard Derrick Walton Jr. managed 12 points and an eye-opening 10 rebounds against Maryland's rugged front line. "Wow," exclaimed Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon. "They're so hard to guard. Their best player wasn't playing and they were still really hard to guard. "[Robinson] made some big shots. We lost him in transition, helped in the post and he got a three on that, lost him on the down screen. He had three or four wide-open looks. We talked at the half and did a better job in the second half, but he's a pretty special shooter. And when Zak Irvin plays like that, they're really tough. They shot it well." Worst Loss — 87-70 at Purdue, Jan. 7: As worst losses go, this one really wasn't so bad, and it wasn't what the final score indicated. Michigan found itself playing in always-tough Mackey Arena without LeVert and against a front line that checked in at 7-2, 7-0 and 6-9. With 5:09 remaining, the Wolverines were only a pair of three-pointers behind the No. 20 Boilermakers. Purdue put the hammer down in those closing mo- ments and took advantage of Michigan mistakes to win, but the Maize and Blue gave a relatively heartening showing in its first conference road loss. Sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored a career-high 25 points to keep the Wolverines in the game. He fearlessly slashed through the Purdue trees on a number of occasions and connected on 10 of 16 shots, in- cluding 2 of 5 three-point attempts. The Boilermakers boasted four in double figures, led by senior A.J. Hammons' 17 points. Breakout Performer — Junior center Mark Donnal: Donnal looked like he was becoming "The Forgotten Man" during the non-conference season, but when the bright lights of Big Ten play came on, he began lighting it up. He poured in 26 points during Michigan's Big Ten opener at Illinois, marking his career high in scoring. He backed it by tossing in 16 against Penn State and averaged 13.0 points per game over the first five Big Ten contests. Head coach John Beilein noted Donnal needs an occasional fire lit under him to get him out of his "nice guy" comfort zone, but he has heated up admirably in recent days. Freshman Impact — Redshirt freshman forward D.J. Wilson: Wilson is still learning plenty in his first extended time on the court, including Michigan's offensive flow and interior defense. But he's shown some signs recently of be- coming a bigger contributor for the Wolverines. He played 15 minutes in the loss at Purdue, contributing two assists, a block, a steal and a three-point basket. In the Wolverines' big win over Maryland, he blocked a pair of shots and made two clutch free throws. The Wolverines aren't dependent upon rookies much this season, but Wilson is coming along as the season progresses. — John Borton