BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Michigan’s redshirt junior guard Charles Matthews wanted the assignment.
Just a few weeks after Matthews went toe-to-toe with Indiana’s freshman phenom Romeo Langford, he got that matchup once again Friday night.
Instead of switching plays when Langford had the ball, Michigan head coach John Beilein let Matthews match up with Langford and attempt to shut him down. That decision worked as Langford — who came into the game averaging a team-high 17.6 points per game — was limited to only nine points.
Matthews’ strong defense set the tone for the rest of the team, who held Indiana to 27.6 percent shooting and scored 0.730 points per possession, in a 69-46 victory Friday night.
“At the end of the day, I feel like the energy is contagious,” junior guard Zavier Simpson said. “Once we see Charles doing that, it kind of rubs off to myself, rubs off to Iggy, the rest of the four players on the floor, we see that, we feed off that, and we keep it going.”
Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis goes up against Matthews on a day-to-day basis. He knows how Matthews can harass and make life difficult to score.
“He’s just a fierce competitor and he knows his angles really well,” Brazdeikis said. “He has that reach and he has that athleticism, but it’s also the way he defends. He cuts off what you like to do best. He’s quick to knowing what the player does best.”
Matthews defensive intensity was apparent right from the jump when Michigan jumped all over Indiana and got out to a 17-0 lead. The Wolverines successful start was due in large part to its defense, which suffocated the Hoosiers.
Indiana did not make its first basket until the 10:15 mark in the first half.
“We knew exactly what we had to defensively and offensively, none of us were shying away from shots,” Simpson said. “Our leaders (Zavier) and Charles led the way for us. We were really confident in ourselves this game and we were ready to go.”
While Michigan started strong, its offenses faded in the waning moments of the first half. In the second half, IU began to make a run to try to make it a game.
Brazdeikis would answer.
With 16:47 left in the second half, IU freshman point guard Rob Phinisee drilled a three-pointer to cut the deficit to nine, the lowest it had been since the opening minutes of the game. Immediately following this shot, Brazdeikis would make a three that would give Michigan a double-digit lead again, which it would have the rest of the game.
“I loved that,” Brazdeikis said. “That’s probably one of my favorite parts of basketball is shutting the crowd down. I love going on the road. I have to make sure everyone knows I hit that shot. It’s a tactic I use.”
These are the types of moments that Brazdeikis plays for. He’s doesn’t care that the opposing fans might dislike him.
“I don’t mind being the villain,” Brazdeikis said. “I love hate. I love the hate I get, it motivates me more.”
Brazdeikis got back on track against the Hoosiers after scoring zero points against Wisconsin last Saturday. His 20 points were a game-high Friday and it all started when he made his first three early in the game.
“It felt really good,” Brazdeikis said. “It’s been awhile since I hit that first. Once I hit that, right away, I got into a groove. I was just ready to go.”
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