The Michigan Wolverines’ basketball defense wasn’t very sharp in the season-opening win over Appalachian State (allowed 71 points and a 45.6 shooting percentage), but came out and performed better in Tuesday night’s 79-69 win over Creighton.
There was expected to be a bit of a learning curve once defensive mastermind Luke Yaklich departed for Texas, though junior forward Isaiah Livers revealed today that the adjustment hasn't been as substantial as some people might think.
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“No [it’s not that different], other than the terminology and the names,” he explained. “I’ve been here the last two years with Coach [John] Beilein and Coach Yaklich when they had terms that were kind of odd and different, so those have changed with a new coach.
“That’s [defense] still our focus right now, because we’re still getting used to playing defense and getting back into the swing of things.”
Sophomore guard David DeJulius, meanwhile, has taken on a much bigger role this season after only playing sparingly as a freshman, and appears to have made substantial progress on both sides of the ball.
He scored nine points in the win over the Blue Jays, but also pulled down a career-high seven boards in 28 minutes of action.
“We have two crafty guys in [junior guard] Eli [Brooks] and X [senior point guard Zavier Simpson], so I try not to force anything and take what the defense gives me,” DeJulius noted.
“I make sure I’m in the right spots at the right times, and spacing the floor for X to operate and for Eli to get his shots.
“That’s my mindset on the offensive end.”
“Dave out of high school was the most aggressive scorer on the offensive end,” Livers exclaimed this afternoon. “His problem was when to be aggressive and when not to be, which is every college player’s problem.
“I’m still learning in that area myself. Being a great listener has helped him become the player he is now.”
Confidence is undoubtedly one of the biggest weapons on the court for any player (regardless of age), with Brooks and sophomore forward Brandon Johns admitting theirs each grew significantly in the offseason.
Signature victories can boost a team’s confidence level as a whole, and whether or not Tuesday night’s victory over Creighton was a signature one can be debated, there’s no doubt the Wolverines are treating it like a massive triumph.
“That was a big win,” Livers stated. “We should all be proud of ourselves for how we played and displayed our talent, along with what we’ve learned from Coach [Juwan] Howard.
“We had to take a lot of the stuff we learned from our first day of practice and apply it in that game.”
Elon is the next opponent on Michigan’s schedule, with the Phoenix invading Ann Arbor tomorrow night for a 7:00 tip off.
The game will stand as the first of many quick turnaround affairs this season, with the Maize and Blue only having two days off in between contests.
“We had a relatively light practice yesterday,” the junior recalled when asked about the quick turnaround. “We just got our shots up, shot some free throws and talked about Elon, our next opponent.
“Today’s practice will probably be at a faster pace.”
Speaking of faster paces, U-M’s offense has shown a tendency to push the ball in transition more frequently under Howard, an aspect that wasn’t all that prevalent last season under Beilein.
“Everyone can run the floor, even J.T. [senior center Jon Teske] at 7-1,” DeJulius said. “He runs and beats guys up the floor.
“It feels good once I get a rebound, push it to X, and watch him take two dribbles and throw a lob to Jon. Seeing the atmosphere makes it fun basketball not only for us, but also for the spectators.”
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