The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/641955
MICHIGAN BASKETBALL at the beginning of the year, at least, it seemed the officials were intent on calling games more closely. Then February happened, and — at least in Big Ten play — it looks a lot like it did last year, when officials started "letting them play" again. Beilein was visibly displeased with some of what was (and wasn't) called in the Wolverines' 61-56 win over a Purdue team that thrives on defen- sive contact. "I think that was not …" Beilein said before catching himself. "We were trying to go into this year where everybody was [assured] freedom of movement, all these types of things happening. But there are a lot of hand things and big body bumps that are still not being called. "I think we have to try to figure out how we can make this game smoother. It's not easy for the offi- cials, and for the coaches to coach it. BASKETBALL REWIND: JAN. 18-FEB. 15 Overall Record: 19-7 (9-4 Big Ten) Record Jan. 18-Feb. 15: 6-2 Best Win — 61-56 over No. 18 Purdue, Feb. 13: The Wolverines trailed the entire game, looking as if they'd drop their third straight home contest. Instead, they rallied in the final moments, closing out the game on an 11-0 run to climb to 9-4 in the Big Ten. Michigan delivered its second win of the season against a ranked team, after overcoming a terrible sputtering start on offense. Purdue's shot blockers and three-point defenders made life miserable for the Wolverines, with junior for- ward Zak Irvin scoring only six points in the first half and junior point guard Derrick Walton Jr. missing his first nine shots in a 1-of-10 afternoon. Walton scored on a driving layup late in the game, though, to pull Michigan within a point. Irvin then delivered the go-ahead bucket, capping his game- high 22-point performance. Walton closed it out with four straight free throws, and the Wolverines escaped with a badly needed victory against a strong op- ponent. Worst Loss — 89-73 against Michigan State, Feb. 6: You could take your pick from a pair of home blowouts the first week of February. This one prob- ably stung the most, though, since it occurred against an in-state rival, with the Wolverines looking overmatched from start to finish. They couldn't contain MSU's Bryn Forbes, who knocked down seven three- pointers in the first half alone, and wound up 8 of 10 from long range on his way to a game-high 29 points. Denzel Valentine scored 21 for the Spartans, with eight assists and nine rebounds. MSU shot 64.0 percent from the floor and 63.6 percent from three-point range, jumping to a 44-28 halftime lead and pushing the margin to 30 points at one juncture. Michigan got 19 points by Irvin and 14 from Aubrey Dawkins,