Michigan’s defense, particularly its length, has been tough on most opponents this year, smothering and relentless. The Wolverines were at it again in Friday night’s 70-53 win at Purdue, a team that prides itself on its toughness.
U-M took the fight to the Boilermakers from the outset. They jumped out to a 7-2 lead, expanded it to 14-4 and never looked back, turning a 34-21 halftime lead into a laugher. Purdue had been a second-half team, and while the Boilers battled without 11-ppg scorer Sasha Stefanovic (COVID), U-M countered every mini-run and led by double digits throughout the second half.
“You have to give credit to Michigan. I thought Michigan was tougher than us; I thought they played better than us,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said.
That on a night in which the Boilermakers corralled 20 (!) offensive rebounds and forced U-M to turn it over 14 times. Purdue had 14 turnovers of their own, however, and few shots went uncontested. The Boilers didn’t make a triple until the second half, finishing 2-for-12 from long range, and had trouble getting good looks.
When they did, they usually didn’t fall. Purdue shot only 31 percent from the floor, forward Trevion Williams going only 6-for-19 from the floor. Freshman Hunter Dickinson and fifth-year senior Austin Davis combined for 14 points, but their work on the defensive end was even more impressive.
“Two good players. Two physical guys,” Williams said. “I was trying my best to be physical without fouling, something I’ve been struggling with the last couple games. I just had to focus in, and just some things didn’t go my way. That’s something I have to deal with. It doesn’t [have to] stop me from being physical.
“We weren’t physical from the start. Michigan just played harder than us.”
Not having their three-point sniper didn’t help, but U-M played the long ball well. They did a number at the rim, too, altering a number of shots.
Guard Jaden Ivey finished 3-for-14 from the floor, most shots near the rim.
“It’s us,” he said when asked about Michigan’s defense. “I missed some easy lay-ups, and I don’t know what happened. I’ve played against Hunter Dickinson. It didn’t affect me at all. I couldn’t get easy lay-ups.
“Mostly it was just us beating ourselves,” Williams added. “If we set screens and execute on offense, we can do anything we want. We were basically beating ourselves. People obviously talk about Sasha being out … we’ve just got guys learning different spots on the fly, just need to play tougher.”
The Boilermakers did have two days to practice without him, but they were clearly missing Stefanovic. Their guards weren’t good enough, Painter, said, and it was obvious.
“But that’s part of it,” he said. “When you have a good program, you should have some people on our bench who think they should be playing more [anyway].”
None stepped up, and Michigan left West Lafayette with a big road win as a result.
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