Being at home for the holidays was just what the doctor ordered for the Wolverines seeking to surpass last year's win total. They throttled an overmatched team from the Horizon league. Mastodons guard Jalen Jackson was half of the offense for Purdue Fort Wayne with 27 points. He's been above 10 points or more in every game this season. No Mastodon had more than six points besides him on Sunday.
Here are three takeaways from the comfortable Michigan basketball win over Purdue Fort Wayne.
1. The bench played some pivotal minutes
Freshman Justin Pippen had a day to remember before Christmas break begins. He played the most minutes from anyone off the pine and scored the most points too. He went 50% from inside the arc and beyond it. A performance like this shows that he is improving, even if it at a snail-like pace.
Sam Walters got back on track, while L.J. Cason scored for the first time in a month. Even Dusty's son got in on the fun. With the starters doing their part, it was important for the second and third teamers to take the torch and don't screw things up.
Eating up those minutes gave the Michigan basketball starters valuable time to rest with the Big Ten slate restarting after the New Year's celebration. They should be able to do it again next week if nothing changes. In total, five reserves scored and 11 saw action on Sunday afternoon. It's always good to see those who don't get the oppurtunity that the starters do for the work they record behind the scenes, even if it's rather meaningless.