The 2019-20 Michigan basketball team was unable to get anything going offensively, but luckily, neither was Purdue.
Without Isaiah Livers, Michigan basketball isn’t the same. Nothing flows offensively, and the defense is typically lacking. Coming off a disastrous bout with Michigan State in East Lansing, his absence was genuinely noticed for the first time, and the same team took the court tonight against the Boilermakers with nearly the same result.
A year ago, Livers was the sixth man, and now he’s the man, or at least he was until his groin injury. Currently, Michigan basketball doesn’t appear to have a viable replacement, but they managed to scrape by in a sloppy basketball game.
First half
Scoring 32 points in a half is generally not going to get you the victory. Jon Teske, when not riding the bench with his two personal fouls, proved to be the go-to guy on offense. Right out of the gate, Teske drilled a three-pointer, and when he headed down the tunnel, he led the team with eight points.
Overall, shots from beyond the arc were not only missing, but they were also nowhere near the net. The Wolverines connected on three of their 12 attempts, which technically gave them the edge over the Boilermakers, although Purdue was much more conservative from deep, only attempting five shots.
UM’s major problem was the 6-foot-9 sophomore Trevion Williams, who accounted for 16 of the 28 first-half points. Michigan didn’t have an answer for him, and the big men kept getting called for fouls.
Second half
Purdue’s Isaiah Thompson started with the hot hand with a couple of makes from deep. Early on, the Boilermakers grew their lead to what, at the time, seemed insurmountable. Eventually, the Wolverines were able to calm down and get their wits together enough to bring the game to within two points with 11 minutes left.
Fast forward to the four-minute mark and not much has changed. Teske connected on another shot from deep but it was taken away due to his extremely large shoe that may or may not have been touching the line changing the ruling to a two-point play.
More time pasts and more shots were missed. Michigan and Purdue entered overtime after tying at 62.
Overtime
Twelve total points scored; another overtime.
Double overtime
Purdue’s Trevion Williams began to tire after scoring a career-high 36, and the animal known as the Wolverine pounced. With three minutes left, UM grew their lead to six while fending off a weak Boilermaker attack.
And when the final horn blew, Michigan had earned their second conference win of the season.
Michigan 84, Purdue 78.
Matt’s musings
The Wolverines couldn’t buy a bucket and this would have been an unmitigated disaster if Purdue shot better from three. They’re in dire need of a direct injection of Isaiah Livers, and the only positive that came from this contest is that Livers was on the court yesterday shooting around which means he could be back soon.
Two games on the road mark Michigan’s immediate future and hopefully, they can get healthy enough to pull out some wins.