ANN ARBOR — Michigan got a glimpse of life without Charles Matthews Thursday in an 82-53 win over Nebraska, and it was encouraging.
With redshirt junior Matthews on the bench with an ankle injury suffered against Michigan State — ESPN reported he had “serious ligament damage,” but U-M debunked that quickly, noting he was day to day with a sprain — the Wolverines played their best offensive game in several weeks.
Disclaimer: It came against a disinterested team that appeared oblivious to the fact that its coach is squarely on the hot seat (or didn’t care). And for tonight’s hot take, there will be plenty who say the Wolverines proved they are better off without Matthews.
That’s over the top, of course. Matthews is one of the best wing defenders in the country.
The game plan with or without him was to take better advantage of the mismatches down low, have the guards be facilitators instead of hunting shots, and it worked. Junior center Jon Teske dominated inside and out on his way to 22 points, and the Wolverines smothered the Cornhuskers defensively.
