Michigan Basketball: 3 things we learned in loss to Wisconsin
Iggy’s smack talk about Duke backfired
When Duke lost this week, it was hard to imagine that it would have affected the way Michigan basketball played against Wisconsin, but it’s possible it did.
Ignas Brazdeikis went on record talking about wanting to be the No. 1 team and wanting a shot at Duke. That’s all well and good, but if you are going to say something like that, you better back it up and Saturday, Iggy didn’t. Not even close.
Iggy Brazdeikis, in typically confident fashion, says he wants a shot at #Duke -- and says he'd love to guard Zion. "They got that No. 1 team and that No. 1 hype, and we feel like we're definitely better than them. ... I'm not scared about no competition. I'll guard anyone."
— Will Burchfield (@burchie_kid) January 18, 2019
In the worst game of his college career, Iggy finished with zero points and was 0-of-5 from the field. He picked up two fouls in the first half and was a non-factor. Then, in the second half, when Michigan basketball desperately needed Iggy, Jordan Poole or Charles Matthews to break out of their funk, the brash freshman couldn’t deliver.
Credit Wisconsin, a really good defensive team but Iggy has only scored 11 points or more twice in the last five games (10.1 PPG), so it’s not like a bad game was unexpected. At this point, Brazdeikis needs to quit worrying about Duke and start worrying about playing better.