Michigan Basketball: Grading Wolverines against Wisconsin
By Max S.
Michigan basketball completely blew the doors off of Wisconsin tonight and cruised to another ranked win with a dominating 77-54 victory.
The Michigan basketball team was literally flawless tonight as the Wolverines dominated a top-10 Wisconsin team at home. They were led by a team high 16 points and six assists from Mike Smith.
Michigan was able to overcome a slow first half from Hunter Dickinson and still completely dominated a Wisconsin team that was picked as the preseason Big Ten champion favorites.
Here is how everyone graded out for Michigan basketball tonight starting with the guards.
Guards
Mike Smith: A+
I cannot emphasize enough how good Mike Smith was for Michigan basketball tonight. Not only did he lead the team in points and assists, but he played lock down defense against a bigger and stronger guard in Brad Davison.
If you go back and watch film on Michigan’s first two games. Mike Smith was by far Michigan’s worst defender. The 180 turnaround he has made on defense has been remarkable and cannot go overlooked.
Smith ran the offense flawlessly tonight and still proved he can get his own when needed. Smith shot 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from three and in my opinion, had his best game as a Wolverine.
Eli Brooks: B
Eli Brooks returned to action tonight after losing his tooth in their last matchup against Minnesota. Brooks wasn’t much of a factor on the offensive end, but for the most part, he did a nice job on Trice on defense. Brooks finished with only five points but did chip in five rebounds and two assists.
Chaundee Brown: A
Chaundee Brown only knows one speed, and that speed is fast. Brown was once against a defensive anchor and spark off the bench for this Michigan basketball team. He knows his role, and he embraces it better than anyone.
Brown plays so fast which sometimes results in head scratching plays on offense, but his defense continues to be a game changer every night. Brown only scored 7 tonight on 3-of-6 shooting but his energy and defense alone makes him well deserving of his A grade.