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January 09, 2018 - Image 8

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The Michigan Daily

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8 — Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Michigan set to take on No. 5 Purdue Tuesday

The Michigan men’s basketball

team has found a groove.

The Wolverines (3-1 Big Ten,

14-3 overall) haven’t lost since
their
early-December
collapse

to Ohio State, racking up seven
consecutive wins — including
ones over Iowa and Illinois last
week.

Freshman

forward
Isaiah

Livers has gone
from
virtually

invisible on the
floor to a key spark
in
Michigan’s

offense since the
holiday break —
as has sophomore
point
guard

Zavier
Simpson.

And
with

guards
Charles

Matthews and Muhammad-Ali
Abdur-Rahkman
continuing

the productivity that led the
Wolverines early on, the team has
started to take form.

But there’s no shortage of

looming danger to threaten that
notion.

Michigan will face No. 5 Purdue

and No. 4 Michigan State on

Tuesday and Saturday this week,
first at Crisler Center then in East
Lansing, respectively — easily the
Wolverines’ most daunting two-
game stretch.

“We got quite a week (ahead),”

said Michigan coach John Beilein.
“I really think that Michigan State
and Purdue are two of the top five
teams in the country. I think they
can beat anyone in the country
at any time on any court. We’re

playing
them

back-to-back,
and it’s really a
challenge for us.

“They’d
be

huge for us if we
can win any of
these games and
then continue to
win.”

The

Boilermakers
(4-0, 15-2) have
won their last 11

games, surging into top-ten spots
of national polls this week with a
shooting percentage and defensive
efficiency that rank near the top of
the conference.

Purdue is averaging a scoring

output of 86 points, led by guard
Carsen Edwards and center Isaac
Haas, who average 16.7 and 14.7
points per game, respectively.

When asked about advice for

junior center Mortiz Wagner in
guarding the 7-foot-2, 290-pound
Haas, Beilein had a simple answer.

“Good luck.”
That’s the type of challenge

that the Boilermakers’ size brings.
Along with 7-foot-3 freshman
Matt Haarms and multi-talented
forward Vincent Edwards, Purdue
boasts one of the most effective
frontcourts in the country.

“We’re
not

going to concede
any
baskets,”

Beilein
said.

“(But) there are
some times we’re
just
not
gonna

be able to stop
it.
(Haarms)
is

bigger than Haas

and
longer.

You’ve got to stay
one step ahead of
the passes. … They
find ways to get the ball inside.”

That will certainly challenge

a traditionally weaker side of
Beilein-coached teams, defensive
rebounding.

But this season, despite starting

the
comparatively
undersized

Wagner and fifth-year senior
Duncan Robinson in the front
court, that hasn’t been as much of

an issue.

And against a lengthy Illinois

team, the Wolverines held their
own, surrendering just six second-
chance points Saturday.

“We’ve had some guys become

so good at boxing out, but for
whatever reasons we’ve been
better,” Beilein said. “We’ve had
some guys stand around and could
never do it. We’ve got some guys
who are really good at getting in

front and getting
the ball.

“I particularly

love the way Moe
is
rebounding

the
ball
right

now. He’s getting
people out of his
area,
keeping

balls alive — those
are big things.”

Speaking
of

Wagner,
the

Wolverines’

leading
rebounder
is
slowly

working back to normal after a
foot injury that sidelined him for
two games in December. Wagner
blocked three shots Saturday —
again displaying the defensive
improvement NBA scouts wanted
to see when he returned to school
for another year.

And after scoring just four

points last Tuesday at Iowa,
Wagner
assembled
a
strong

14-point,
seven-rebound

performance against the Fighting
Illini.

But
achieving
those
sorts

of numbers will be far more
challenging against Purdue.

“You can’t get an easy shot

(against them),” Beilein said.
“They’ve got the whole package
now. They’re a beautiful basketball
team.”

Recently, Michigan has also

looked like more of a complete
package. Now, it’s time for the
Wolverines to prove that against
the country’s best.

“(It’s a) huge challenge,” Livers

said, “I know a lot of teams lost
(last week), and Purdue is moving
up in the rankings. We’re just
getting ready for the war.”

EVAN AARON/Daily

Junior forward Moritz Wagner is still trying to get to 100 percent after suffering a foot injury against Texas.

MARK CALCAGNO

Daily Sports Editor

“We’ve had
some guys

become so good
at boxing out.”

Boilermaker Vincent Edwards could give Wolverines matchup issues

The
Michigan
men’s

basketball team has a challenge
ahead of it on
Tuesday.

No. 5 Purdue

comes
to

Ann Arbor in
what is likely
Michigan’s
toughest
matchup
to

this
point.

With that being
said, there are
plenty of things
that need to go
right
for
the

Wolverines
to

win the game.

One
in

particular,
though,
is

matching up with Boilermaker
forward Vincent Edwards.

Michigan coach John Beilein

made no bones about it at his
press conference Monday. He
believes
that
Edwards
may

present even more of a problem
than former Purdue forward
Caleb Swanigan did for the
Wolverines last season.

“(Swanigan) was a really

great player,” Beilein said. “He
gave us so many problems. At
the same time, the way we play,
with four guys that go, that
presented matchup problems for
them at times. Caleb’s so good,
so I don’t want to say that’s
why we won, but it’s different
now. They have our type of ‘4’-
man. … (Edwards) is that ‘4’ who
can play. He can guard another
tough ‘4’, and he can guard on
the perimeter as well, if you
have more of a skilled ‘4.’ ”

Of course, Beilein neglected

to give the scouting report
on how the Wolverines plan
to attack Edwards, but he did
say
that
freshman
forward

Isaiah Livers, fifth-year senior
forward
Duncan
Robinson

or redshirt sophomore guard
Charles Matthews could match

up with him.

Livers is excited for the

potential responsibility.

“He told me in film yesterday,”

Livers said. “He said, ‘Isaiah,
you have a big challenge. This
guy is kinda just a replicate
of you. Just, he has a lot more
experience than you.’ And I was
like, ‘Great, Coach. Now I can
see where I’m at.’ So I’m looking
forward to it.”

The freshman has perhaps

improved the most of any
Michigan player this season,
and Tuesday’s matchup with
Edwards could be the next
benchmark for just how far he’s

come,
especially
considering

that the Wolverines have been
hurt by dynamic ‘4’-men in the
past.

In
their
loss
to
North

Carolina, one of the major
pitfalls was the production of
the Tar Heels’ ‘4’-man, Luke
Maye. Whether it was Robinson
or Livers guarding Maye, they
seemingly had no answer, as he
lit them up for 27 points.

Livers remembers that game,

but he believes the defense has
come a long way since then, and
he sees the game against Purdue
as a potential yard stick for
where Michigan stands.

“That was like an early test

for us,” Livers said. “So I think
that’s gonna help translate over
to our game tomorrow. I’m
excited to see where we are.”

Beilein and Livers will both

admit the freshman has a long
way to go. Beilein has taken
special care in aiding Livers’
growth, because he sees his
athletic ability and realizes
that, with the right coaching, he
could really turn into something
special. Beilein has said that
he typically spends 15 minutes
with Livers after practices to
sharpen his skillset.

He says one of the next

steps for Livers to take is
improvement
in
corralling

defensive
rebounds.
That’s

another area where Tuesday’s
matchup can be a barometer
of progress. Edwards leads his
team with 8.6 rebounds per
game — 2.8 of which coming on
the offensive end.

Illinois
was
a
prolific

offensive
rebounding
team

entering its game with the
Wolverines last week. Beilein
thought his team did well to
hold them to just 10 offensive
rebounds, since three of them
were late in the game.

Edwards
is
a
different

animal, though. For whoever
guards him, whether it’s Livers,
Robinson or even Matthews,
a new level of production and
focus will be needed.

“It’s gonna be tough,” Beilein

said. “We talked about that a
lot today, about, as the game
goes on, what we do. Once
again, Duncan’s done a great
job for us over there. His
defensive numbers the other
day were really good, but Isaiah
continues to be that guy that
will continue to be there. And
then, play Duncan more at a
natural position if we feel the
need to.”

EVAN AARON/Daily

Freshman forward Isaiah Livers has been slowly improving on all sides of the ball this season, but against Purdue and Vincent Edwards on Tuesday, Livers will face the toughest test of his young career.

MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor

Purdue at
Michigan

Matchup:
Purdue 4-0
Big Ten,
15-2 overall;
Michigan
3-1, 14-3

When:
Tuesday 9
P.M. ET

Where: Crisler
Center

TV/Radio:

ESPN

Wolverines face biggest test of the season when a titan of the Big Ten enters

“They’re a
beautiful
basketball

team.”

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