No. 3 Michigan Wolverines basketball improved to 15-1 overall and 10-1 in Big Ten play behind a 71-64 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-8, 8-8 Big Ten).
Here are five takeaways from the Michigan victory, including a quick look ahead at Ohio State.
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Player Of The Game: Franz Wagner
It was Franz Wagner's night.
The sophomore wing likes to periodically remind onlookers that he's projected to be selected in this year's NBA Draft. This was one of those times.
Wagner was efficient and effective all night long, posting a season-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while also adding seven rebounds and three assists, which came on some pretty feeds, including a nifty wrap-around dish off to fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis for a slam and a similar play with freshman center Hunter Dickinson on the receiving end.
Wagner is actually now Michigan's most efficient pick-and-roll ball handler at 0.778 points per possession, passing fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith (0.738).
He was getting to his spots on offense, knocking down threes (3-of-4) and, of course, playing his usually outstanding defense. On a night where Michigan's offense was slow for a good portion of the second half, Wagner's 11 points and two threes after the break proved extra crucial.
"I just hit a few more shots than usual," Wagner said after the game, noting he didn't attempt more looks than normal.
Michigan Went On A Big Second-Half Scoring Drought
Michigan led by a score of 56-39 with 11:52 to play in the game, and it looked like the Wolverines would yet again be cruising to victory against a quality opponent. But something rare happened — Michigan went on a scoring drought.
The Wolverines, who rank seventh nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, went 5:34 without scoring. During that stretch, they missed five shots and turned the ball over four times in arguably the worst five-plus minute sequence of the season.
After a very good first half and start to the second half, could that be rust? Was Michigan just out of sorts (it happens to every team)? Nobody knows, including the players and coaches. But the fact of the matter is, it does happen to every team, especially against solid defensive teams like Rutgers (13th in adjusted defensive efficiency).
It's more than likely that Michigan was just due for something like this. Michigan's struggles, which are few and far between (take the 18-point loss at Minnesota, for example), have been magnified like a pimple on a supermodel because there's been so few reasons to criticize this team since the beginning of Big Ten play. There's no time to panic — the Wolverines have a massive game in Columbus on Sunday.
... The Drought Didn't Affect The Team's Defense
The biggest reason why Michigan was able to sustain the scoring drought and still gut out the win was the defense, which also ranks seventh in the country in adjusted efficiency.
