Isaiah Hole/247 Sports
The Michigan Wolverines beat the Chaminade Silverswords by a score of 102-64 in their second game of the Maui Invitational.
Chaminade really didn’t have a chance in this match-up, especially considering how well Charles Matthews has been playing. Matthews put up 22 points (8-8), added 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. He also brought big plays defensively, having 3 blocks and 2 steals. It would’ve been a lot more interesting to see them play Notre Dame, but this game did have some advantages. Beilein was able to get a lot of players out on the court. In this game we got to see significant minutes from freshman Jordan Poole for the first time. The Wolverines looked dominant the whole game. They were leading at half by 19, and they didn’t let off the gas – winning by 38.
BREAKING! We’ve gone final here in #Maui @umichbball @SwordsMBB pic.twitter.com/Wf6ByDw7CM
— Maui Invitational (@MauiInv) November 22, 2017
Eli Brooks gets the start
Freshman guard Eli Brooks got his first start of the season, after playing well in the few amount of minutes that he has gotten this season. He played well in his 21 minutes of game time. His stats aren’t overwhelming, but he was able to control the offense and looked good handling the basketball. While I do think that Brooks may be the best option at point guard, I am excited to see him play against a better opponent.
Chaminade offensive rebounds
One of the most glaring concerns from the game was Chaminade’s offensive rebounds. They posted 16 offensive rebounds to Michigan’s 6. The Silverswords are inherently going to have more opportunities since they only shot 38% from the field, but 16 is still a lot to give up. Michigan will need to rebound better to have a chance in Big Ten play or either of it’s big non-conference games.
Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers off the bench
Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers both showed flashes of why they were so highly recruited.
Poole made a couple of threes and looked really fast with the ball, which I didn’t see as being a part of his game. He had 10 points (3-5), 1 rebound, and 1 assist all in 9 minutes. The game didn’t look too big for Poole, despite being his first game in which he played over 4 minutes.
Livers is a legitimate athlete, and he knocked down 2 three point shots (2-2) to show his range. Michigan’s Mr.Basketball has all the tools to continue getting minutes this year. He would bring a ton of athleticism and defensive potential. Fans could see Livers get more minutes if Duncan Robinson continues to be a liability on defense. Michigan Basketball’s twitter account posted a highlight tape of Isaiah earlier this season; I wrote about it here. Livers showed off his bounce in transition:
The Wolverines will face off against the VCU Rams in day 3 of the Maui Invitational tomorrow.