Michigan’s win over Minnesota this evening could not have come in more thrilling fashion, with redshirt junior guard Charles Matthews hitting a shot that beat the clock by mere tenths of a second to win the game.
The 59-57 victory improved Michigan’s record to 18-1 and 7-1 in conference play, though many fans probably weren’t happy that the game came down to the final seconds in the first place, especially against a Gopher club that lost by 27 points at Illinois a week ago.
Matthews wasn’t buying into any kind of notion that tonight’s triumph was somehow ugly, however.
“I’m not a huge fan of the slogan ‘ugly wins,’” he said after the game. “You’re not going to blow everybody out in this league.”
Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis echoed Matthews’ sentiment, noting how impactful of a wi it truly was, regardless of the Gophers' reputation.
“We did not want to lose at home,” the freshman stressed. “We have to protect this place at all costs. We are now back in our rhythm and ready to kill.”
Brazdeikis was actually the player who first took the last shot of the game, driving to the basket before getting blocked by 6-9 redshirt sophomore forward Eric Curry.
The ball ricocheted right to Matthews, who happened to be in the right place at the right time — by design?
“Iggy is like a bull in a China shop, so I thought he might miss the shot,” Matthews laughed. “I had hit a few buzzer-beaters like this in high school, so this definitely wasn’t my first time.”
Brazdeikis gladly shared his recollection of the final play as well.
“I had the ball tipped, Charles made the shot, and that was all she wrote!” he shouted happily.
“I knew right away there was a slight difference between the shot clock and game clock. It meant the world to me to have the ball in my hands on the last possession, and I did my best to make a play. I’ll grow from it.”
The two players who touched the ball last — Brazdeikis and Matthews — each struggled mightily in Saturday’s loss at Wisconsin.
Brazdeikis was held scoreless for the first time in his career against the Badgers, while Matthews only posted five points.
As a redshirt junior, the Chicago native has obviously been through struggles before, but the young Brazdeikis is dealing with his for the first time.
“I told him to not even pay attention to it,” Matthews explained. “He needs to have a short memory, because that’s how he’ll establish himself as a premier player.”
Brazdeikis must have taken Matthews’ advice to heart, because he exploded for 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Gophers.
“Hitting a few early shots got me going,” the freshman explained. “I’m definitely not going to lose confidence in myself, but my teammates and coaches trusting me is the only reason I’m able to do this.
“Coach [John] Beilein is one of the few coaches who yells at his players for not taking enough shots.
“With that being said, we could have stayed more composed in certain areas tonight. We’re a young team, so this is a learning process for us.
“As long as we keep going as hard as we can, everything else will follow, because Coach Beilein is the best coach in North America.”
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