Quick Takeaways: Michigan Sharp In Blowout Win Over Toledo
Michigan did a solid job against an inferior opponent in Toledo by getting going early and not letting up. The Wolverines also did a good job at taking care of the basketball and took a lot of high-percentage shots. The Wolverines finished with just eight turnovers and both centers scored in double figures for the Wolverines with layups and dunks aplenty.
The Wolverines were in control from the jump and eventually picked up a 91-71 win over the Rockets to move to 5-0 ahead of conference play.
Key Takeaways From Michigan's Victory
1. Too much size
Between 6-10, 250-pound Austin Davis and 7-1, 255-pound Hunter Dickinson, Michigan was just too big and too strong for the Rockets. Davis scored 10 quick ones early and finished with a career high 12 points in just 12 minutes of action before leaving early in the second half with a lower leg injury. For the fifth game in a row, Dickinson came in off the bench and immediately got into a rhythm. The big frosh only missed three shots and finished with a team high 18 points and seven rebounds. He also got it done on defense adding four blocks.
2. Michigan scouted well
Toledo's Marreon Jackson came into the game against Michigan leading the Rockets in scoring by averaging 16 points per contest. Juwan Howard and his staff obviously knew that and threw several different bodies at him over the course of the game. Jackson was mainly guarded by Eli Brooks, but both 6-9 Franz Wagner and 6-5, 215-pound Chaundee Brown took cracks at him as well, and it made for a long night for Jackson. The crafty guard only goes 6-1 and it was clear that Michigan's length made it tough on him. He didn't score in the first half and although he did finish with 12 points, he did so on an icy 4-of-16 shooting.
The Wolverines also did a good job defending the three-point shot, which is a strength for Toledo. Spencer Littleson, who is one of the best shooters in the MAC, did knock down four treys, but everyone else had a less than impressive night from distance, again because of Michigan's length. The Rockets finished 9-of-24 from downtown, which is four percentage points below their average mark of 41%.
3. Isaiah Livers quietly led the way
Livers didn't technically lead the team in scoring, but he was close and did lead the way as an option, leader and communicator. The encouraging thing for U-M and its fans, is that he did it relatively quietly. It didn't feel like Livers was necessarily dominating out there, but at the end of the game you look up and he's 5-of-7 from the floor with 16 points and helping Michigan win by OOO. We saw earlier this season that Howard trust Livers implicitly, even if it manifests itself in the form of an argument. That has allowed Livers to grow and take his leadership and game to another level.
4. Bummer for Austin Davis
We obviously didn't get an official diagnosis yet, but Davis left the game early in the second half with what appeared to be some type of achilles injury. If Davis misses significant time, the Wolverines went from having a strong, solid and dependable one-two punch at the five spot, to being pretty thin there and dependent on a power forward who can play center in Brandon Johns Jr. to backup a freshman in Hunter Dickinson. We're all hoping that Davis just tweaked something, but it didn't look good.
5. Balance, Balance, Balance
Everything was working for the Wolverines against Toledo — inside scoring, outside scoring, solid defense, rebounding, bench contributions and energy. Michigan had five players in double digits including three with at least 14 points. The Wolverines also had six players play more than 20 minutes and none of them committed more than two turnovers or two fouls. The deep rotation made more than 20 baskets from in the paint and also knocked down nine threes at a 60% clip. Given the quick turnaround, Howard and his staff have to be extremely happy with the performance.
