Michigan Basketball: Grading win vs Spartans, looking ahead to rematch

Guards

Eli Brooks: A

If you didn’t pay close attention, you might miss all the ways that Eli Brooks contributes to wins and it’s tough that Thursday was his final game at Crisler. But in true Brooks fashion, it was one of his best. He scored nine points and scored five points early, including a huge 3-pointer.

Beyond that, his defense was exceptional as always and he had a great find to Dickinson in the second half for a monster dunk. That find came after one of his two offensive rebounds. He had five total, as well as two assists.

Mike Smith: B+

A lot of people wondered how Mike Smith would handle playing point guard in the Big Ten and on Thursday, he was just outstanding. Smith did only make 1-of-5 3-point attempts, but he still scored nine points, hit some mid-range shots and dished out five assists, compared to just one turnover. That’s getting it done and his ball-screen work continues to be stellar.

Now that we are done with our report card, let’s look ahead to Sunday: