Balance has been the name of the game for the Michigan Wolverines’ basketball team for much of this season, and that was the story once again during today’s 76-58 blowout win over Florida State in the Elite Eight.
Four different U-M players scored in double figures, and yet nobody had more than 14 points. Sophomore guard Franz Wagner was part of that mix, finishing with a double-double on 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Perhaps the stat will make head coach Juwan Howard happiest surrounding Wagner, though, was the fact that he also racked up five assists, which led the team today. U-M once again “out-assisted” its opponent, compiling 19 on the evening while the Seminoles finished with just 10.
The storyline was identical in the second round against LSU as well, when Michigan compiled 22 assists and the Tigers just eight.
“I’ve always tried to attack the basket and be aggressive, but that only happens when we move the ball and don’t dribble too much,” Wagner exclaimed in the postgame. “That’s when things really open up.
“We had some good plays that put us in good positions, and I’d like to give the coaches credit on that one. We knew what to expect from FSU and handled it in practice. We also did a good job of not letting them speed us up against their switches.”
Michigan has proven all year it can score the ball in basically any way it needs to, with much of the Wolverines’ damage today coming in the paint. The Maize and Blue finished with 50 points in the paint against FSU, led by 14 points apiece from freshman center Hunter Dickinson and junior forward Brandon Johns.
“We knew coming in they’d switch a lot of ball screens and basically everything, so we tried to move the ball,” Wagner continued. “We moved it well and attacked close-outs. Getting it inside and outside and moving people on defense is how we got open and were able to drive it and make plays from there.”
Many thought the loss of senior forward Isaiah Livers (the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.1 points per game) would be a crippling blow for the Wolverines to make a deep tournament run, but that has not been the case.
Johns has stepped into the starting lineup and performed admirably in his new role, finishing with 14 points and six boards in 26 minutes of action today. The performances are becoming more and more consistent for Johns, who has started each of the Maize and Blue’s last four games dating back to the Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to Ohio State.
“He’s a different player than Isaiah, but we’ve been confident with Brandon starting at the four [position] since that first game [he started],” Wagner noted. “Everyone remembers the Rutgers game [last season at Madison Square Garden] where he stepped up big time [and scored 21 points] — he’s so talented and can be the best player out there every time.
“Brandon had some key offensive rebounds today, and those little things are very important when you’re trying to win games.”
Another aspect that is important come March and tournament time is the possession of key seniors and fifth-year seniors who have been through the grind of postseason basketball before.
U-M has a plethora of seniors and fifth-year seniors on this season’s roster, with Livers, guard Chaundee Brown and guard Eli Brooks all fitting the bill on the former, and guard Mike Smith and forward Austin Davis fitting the criteria on the latter.
“With experience, there also comes confidence to adjust to new situations,” Wagner explained when asked about the importance of seniors and veteran players in the NCAA Tournament.
“We’ve had a ‘next man up mentality’ all year and know the importance of being confident. When you give up a run, you find a way to get a few stops and a few easy ones, and then go on a run of your own. We’ve had that mental toughness all season.”
The only notable “run” Florida State mustered was in the second half was when it trimmed Michigan’s lead to 41-36 at the 14:50 mark. The Wolverines immediately killed all the momentum the Seminoles had built though, with Smith converting an and-one on the ensuing possession and Michigan jumping out to a commanding 56-41 just five minutes later.
Notes
• The 2020 season marked the first time the NCAA Tournament did not take place since 1938, with the annual event having been created the following year in 1939. There has been a bit of a specialness surrounding this year’s Big Dance, partially because of the plethora of stunning upsets that have occurred … but also because of the thankfulness everyone has to finally have basketball’s grandest event back.
“It makes it that much cooler,” Wagner admitted. “Like every team in the world, this year was tough with last season being cut short. We wanted this that much more because of that, but you have to give credit to all the teams who made it this far and stayed healthy.
“The year being so hard makes it that much cooler to be in the Elite Eight.”
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