Michigan (10-3) picked up its 10th win against Detroit (4-7) at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.
The 90-58 victory was a large blowout for the Wolverines that was dominant from the start. The maize and blue never trailed and never looked back.
Zavier Simpson 2.0
The biggest knock on Zavier Simpson as the starting point guard was his inability to shoot the basketball. Brooks was considered the better shooter, while Simpson was known as the lock down guard.
Let’s take a look at Simpson’s last few games:
Ohio State: 11 points (4-5)
UCLA: 15 points (6-9)
Texas: 4 points (2-6)
Detroit: 12 points (5-7)
Ever since he lost the starting job, the sophomore point guard seems to have turned it on. He has been aggressive but under control on offense, and has played his role defensively.
Eli Brooks and Zavier Simpson’s competition this year has been good for both the players and Michigan. Both of the guards are improving, and it shows in wins.
Moe Wagner Sits With Ankle Injury
After a scary fall in Michigan’s last game against Texas, Moe Wagner was listed as day-to-day.
Wagner didn’t play in this game, but it may be due to the level of competition. It was pretty obvious that Detroit is not close to Michigan’s level.
Wolverines finally get hot from 3
With a season average of 34% from the 3-point line this year, this is the worst Beilein-coached shooting team in recent memory.
Fans have been waiting for this team to get hot, and this may be the start.
Hopefully this isn’t just an LCA thing because Michigan shot 48 percent (!) from 3, which was even better than their 47 percent field goal percentage.
Player of the Game
Michigan’s player of the game was Charles Matthews, which is extremely impressive all things considered. Per the broadcast, Matthews only showed up to the arena 40 minutes before game time because he was tending to some personal matters back home.
Regardless of his lateness, Matthews didn’t miss a beat.
The wing from Chicago had an impressive stat line of 20 points (8-16), 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block.
Quick Notes
- ESPN had a segment where they asked Moe Wagner who the GOAT was. Wagner responded Kevin Garnett. That’s awesome.
- Austin Davis somehow managed to foul out in only 7 minutes of floor time.
- With 15 points and 10 rebounds, Jon Teske picked up just his second double-double of his career.
Find the full game box score here.
The next time you’ll see the Wolverines is Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, when they take on Alabama A&M in Ann Arbor.