The media narrative when it comes to determining the Big Ten’s best team has centered a lot on depth. In a Big Two of Michigan and Michigan State, the Spartans have it and the Wolverines really don’t.
There are still plenty of games to played, and teams like Maryland and Purdue are still in the mix, but U-M and MSU are the two atop the standings at the halfway point and look like the teams to beat. Michigan State's tempo requires depth, and the Spartans have shown a better bench than many expected. Michigan, meanwhile, is lucky to get good production from seven on a nightly basis.
Head coach John Beilein doesn’t seem overly concerned.
“As long as we’re fortunate to not have injuries, we should be okay,” Beilein said. “I like what Eli [Brooks] is giving us. His defensive numbers have been incredible. We’d like him to score more, shoot more, have more assists and less turnovers, but he holds his own defensively and keeps everybody connected.”
The sophomore led the team in plus-minus in last week’s win over Minnesota despite playing only 23 minutes.
Beilein still wants one more big man to emerge to join sophomore Isaiah Livers, who is still trying to get back to form after missing a few games with a back injury.
"Isaiah has been good, but his back injury … he’s not quite recovered,” Beilein said. “He’s recovered in health, but doesn’t have the same type of energy and ability he was playing with earlier. We hope he will get it back soon.
“Between Brandon Johns and Austin David coming off the bench, one of those two is going to have to do a good job. It probably depends on who we’re playing, what the other body on the floor is like [who plays]. But if those eight are healthy all year and in games and they continue to grow, either Brandon and Austin, it should be enough.”
Through 20 games, three players — redshirt junior Charles Matthews (31.1 minutes per game), sophomore Jordan Poole (32.5) and junior Zavier Simpson (32.6) are the only three players averaging 30-plus minutes per game.
NOTES
• Junior Jon Teske’s emergence from long range has helped open the floor for the Michigan slashers.Teske is now shooting 34.3 percent from behind the three-point arc, 12-for-35, forcing bigs to stay with him and not help near the rim.
Beilein knew before the season it was a possibility.
“We had a scrimmage earlier in the year, the first time he shot a three in a game or simulated game,” Beilein said. “He had done it in practice, but when you’re doing that in a scrimmage … and he made two … you could see how that could change who were.
"Just having that threat … Zavier turned a corner [at Indiana] and laid it in because they rotated back to Jon worried about the pop game. That part of our offense is going to continue to grow going forward.”
• Former Michigan shooting guard Aubrey Dawkins left the program after his sophomore year to play for his father, Johnny, at UCF. He sat a year and blew out his knee last season but has returned with a vengeance. He’s now averaging 15.4 points and 1.4 assists, shooting 34.6 percent from long range.
“It’s a terrific story,” Beilein said. “From a guy [like me] who got to coach own son, it’s a dream come true for him to be able go play with his father. He redshirts for a year, then the injury after that … this is a great thing by the NCAA that has given him an extra year.
“He’s had a tremendous season, and so has UCF. I’m just really happy they get to share that. I look at his box score almost every game.”
Former Michigan center Ricky Doyle, meanwhile, is done with basketball at Florida Gulf Coast due to a back injury.
“I spoke with his high coach to get clarification on it,” he said. “He was out for a year … when he was here he was having a lot of injury problems, illness. He never could quite get healthy to show what he could do. We saw glimpses.”
• Finally, Beilein’s Monday presser was switched to a teleconference due to a winter storm in Ann Arbor … one that’s allowed Beilein to have fun with a hobby.
“I’ve got a great snow blower I took in June to get fixed, and did get fixed,” he said. “It took until December. I’m out there … it’s one of the things I really enjoy doing.
“[My wife] Kathleen might not be happy with me being out there, but I’m going to do it as long as I can do it.”
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