EVANSTON, IL — What was supposed to be a nail biter against a team that had made many opponents squirm was anything but, and it was an unexpected cast of characters that led the charge in Michigan’s 79-54 blowout of Northwestern.
With Michigan senior center Jon Teske’s struggles continuing (3-for-14 from the floor) and senior point guard Zavier Simpson in foul trouble (and a bit of a fog), head coach Juwan Howard turned to the “other guys” … and did they ever respond.
Redshirt junior center Austin Davis continued his ascent, drawing ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ with his footwork around the basket in finishing with nine points and four rebounds in only 12 minutes. The offensive actually looked better for the last 13 minutes of the first half with Simpson on the bench thanks in large part to sophomore guard David DeJulius, who had a career-high assist game with seven, adding seven points and six rebounds (no turnovers) in 21 minutes.
And — once again — when the Wolverines needed big buckets, they turned to junior guard Eli Brooks. Like last year, when he nailed a huge triple down the stretch in Evanston, Brooks hit a critical one after the Wildcats cut a 23-point lead to 12 with around six minutes remaining.
