The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2017 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL fore the season that Davis would red- shirt, a decision the big frosh agreed with, but it became clear Davis was good enough to provide meaningful minutes, having come a long way. "He's really good, that's all I'm go- ing to tell you," Beilein said during the last week of the regular season. "I wish [before the season] I knew what I know now, but in the middle of January, it all started slowing down. Guys just throw him the ball, and he puts it in. There's no drama; there's no Kardashians. The ball is in. "So it's really been good to just throw it to him. When the lights come on, we'll see [how he does]. But he will be a major player for us next year." Davis has been playing behind sophomore Moritz Wagner, senior Mark Donnal and fellow freshman Jon Teske this year, with redshirt sophomore D.J. Wilson also seeing a little time at the five. Teske might have a hard time holding him off next year, though he'll also likely im- prove from year one to year two. "We've all seen it since open gym," Wilson said. "He has a great feel for the game. He's long and athletic for his size, has great hands, can finish well around the basket. "Right now, he's playing freely on the scout team. He has a lot of confi- dence, and that's elevated his game to another level. You can see a great glimpse of him." Beilein said very early in the year that Davis was already his best re- bounder. It's his hands, though, that make the difference. He catches ev- erything thrown his way, and he's in incredible shape, having dropped several pounds of fat and retooled his body into muscle. He's developed a nice midrange jumper, but scoring inside is his forte. "He finishes everything around the basket — everything he catches from, like, 12 feet in. He has great hands," Wilson said. "At the other end, he somehow always gets his hands on the ball, whether it's tipping balls or blocking shots." Davis made a commitment to his conditioning when Beilein chal- Record from Feb. 15-March 14: 8-2 Season Record: 24-11 Best Win — 71-56 over Wisconsin: It's not every day a team wraps up a Big Ten championship. It's even rarer to do so playing for a fourth straight day in the Big Ten Tournament as a No. 8 seed. Throw in beating the regular-season Big Ten champion along the way and a plane wreck days earlier, and this one's unique. Michigan rose up and got the job done against all odds, outlasting the No. 2-seeded Badgers. The game proved much closer than the final score, with Michigan lead- ing by a single point at halftime, 33-32, and fighting off the Badgers throughout the second half. In the end, though, the Wolverines' will, skill and senior-driven grit won the day, the tournament and the title. Senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. once again paced the assault, scoring 22 points with seven assists and six re- bounds in the championship game. Redshirt sophomore forward D.J. Wil- son tallied 17 points and six rebounds, while senior wing Zak Irvin cashed in 15 points with five assists. Worst Loss — 67-65 at Northwestern: Michigan didn't experience many disappointments down the stretch in the Big Ten, but the regular season's penultimate matchup qualified. The Wolverines stayed with the Wildcats through- out the game in Evanston and appeared to be headed for a second straight overtime contest. That's when Northwestern's Nathan Taphorn unloaded a length-of-the-court pass to teammate Dererk Pardon with only 1.7 seconds remaining. Pardon freed himself up behind the Michigan defense through an elaborate screen near midcourt, and raced to take the perfectly thrown pass and lay it in. The Wolverines missed a three-point attempt just before the final shot and enjoyed numerous other chances that slipped away. Walton paced Michigan with 15 points and six assists in the game, while junior guard Muham- mad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman added 13 and Irvin 12. Breakout Performer — Derrick Walton Jr.: There's no doubt about this one, or about the senior that drove Michigan to a Big Ten champi- onship. Walton caught fire the second half of the season and never let up. In the stretch including Michigan's last regular-season game and the four-game run to the Big Ten Tour- nament title, the tournament MVP averaged 20.0 points, 8.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. He lit up Minnesota in the Big Ten Tourna- ment semifinals, scoring 29 points with nine assists. He then poured on his 22 points and seven assists in the championship game, demonstrating a fierce will to win. Walton sustained a minor injury in Michigan's airplane incident before coming to the Verizon Center for the tournament, but the biggest hurdle was emo- tional, and he overcame and took the Wolverines with him. Freshman Impact — Xavier Simpson: Simpson contin- ued to provide the Wolverines with quality minutes, either in giving Walton a breather or playing alongside him. The rookie demonstrated excellent perimeter defense, using his quickness to bother other teams. He also stepped up and scored seven points with two as- sists in Michigan's upset of regular-season Big Ten champion Purdue at Crisler Center Feb. 25. Down the stretch run, he has delivered previews of coming attractions with some slick passing and increasingly aware overall efforts. — John Borton BASKETBALL REWIND: FEB. 15-MARCH 14 Senior point guard Derrick Walton Jr. set a school record with 16 assists in a March 5 win over Nebraska, Michigan's regular-season finale. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL