Michigan Basketball beats Illinois: 3 takeaways from the Wolverines win

Michigan basketball earned its third Big Ten win of the season, knocking off Illinois 79-69 Saturday. Here are three takeaways for the Wolverines.

Michigan basketball didn’t play perfectly Saturday against Illinois. But the Wolverines played well enough to win, especially in the second half as they pulled away 79-69.

Against an Illinois squad that loves to pressure opponents, Michigan struggled with turnovers early and managed just nine points in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Wolverines had a nice spurt late in the first half, thanks to a 3-pointer and a couple dunks by Isaiah Livers, but at the half, the Fighting Illini led 34-31.

Yet, in the second half, Michigan basketball was an entirely different team. The Wolverines quickly erased the Illinois lead. Charles Matthews, who didn’t score in the first half, slammed home an alley-oop Then, five points from Moe Wager gave UM the lead.

Livers, a freshman, made his presence felt again in the second half. With the Wolverines up seven, he grabbed an offensive rebound and on the same possession, drilled a three. It put Michigan basketball up 10 and after that, Illinois never got closer than eight points.

Despite getting in foul trouble early, both Matthews and Wagner were outstanding in the second half. Wagner finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. He was also 6-of-7 from the field. Matthews had 10 and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson both finished with 13. Livers pitched in with 12 and Jordan Poole had 11.

Michigan basketball scored 48 points in the second half and outscored Illinois by 13. Here are three takeaways from the Wolverines win.