It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
That refrain certainly rang true for the
Michigan men’s basketball team (4-0) during
Sunday’s 80-58 rout of Central Florida (1-1).
After surviving three tune-up games against
low mid-major opponents, the Wolverines
came out flat against the Knights, who had
beaten Auburn in their only game of the season.
Not only was Michigan’s defense incapable of
preventing UCF’s guards from getting to the
rim, but it struggled to crack the Knights’ 2-3
zone as well. Midway through the first half, UCF
had built a double-digit lead off mainly layups.
The Wolverines’ inability to hit perimeter shots
worsened their early frustrations.
“I can tell you it was frustrating just to see the
amount of shots they were making coming off
ball screens,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard
said. “(We) had to make some adjustments with
our ball-screen coverage. ... There were some
opportunities where they had some direct blow-
by drives, when they were touching the paint too
many times.”
The introduction of freshman duo Hunter
Dickinson and Terrance Williams — at center
and forward, respectively — changed the tide,
sparking a 25-9 run from the 9:29 mark on.
Thanks to their combined 16-point, six-rebound
contribution in the first half, a rejuvenated
Michigan took a 38-34 lead into the break.
“We have confidence in the second unit, of
course,” Dickinson said. “We’re five guys who
are very confident in ourselves. We know that
when we go out there we can make an impact
on the floor. We know we need the leadership
from the first unit to help us out, but we’re also
capable of making our own sparks coming in off
the bench.”
The Wolverines’ newfound energy persisted
into the second half as two driving buckets from
sophomore wing Franz Wagner and a corner
three from senior guard Eli Brooks increased
their advantage to 10.
Defensively, Michigan also cleaned up its act
in the second half. The Wolverines stayed in
front of the Knights and forced them into taking
jumpers rather than layups, which they had
failed to do in the early going.
Despite senior forward Isaiah Livers, who
entered the game as Michigan’s leading scorer,
being held scoreless through the first 33 minutes,
Michigan’s lead continued to balloon. Senior
guard Chaundee Brown has compiled some
up-and-down shooting performances to start
the season — going 5-for-7 against Bowling
Green and then 1-for-10 from deep against
Oakland — but he caught fire in the second half.
In a four-minute span, Brown knocked down
three of his four 3-pointers on the day to put the
game firmly out of reach.
“I realize that, playing this game for years,
you’re not gonna have a good shooting night
every night,” Brown said. “It’s the life of a
shooter. But coach Howard told me just to keep
shooting, keep shooting, keep shooting. Just
having that confidence from a coach like that
makes me stay aggressive and confident. I know
I have a nice shot, they know I have a nice shot,
I’ve been working all summer and all fall on it.”
In the end, it wasn’t close. Behind 47
points from its bench — led by Brown’s 18 and
Dickinson’s 14 — the Wolverines overcame a
sluggish start in dominant fashion. With one
game remaining before Big Ten play starts,
Michigan’s schedule will only increase in
difficulty, and it will have to rely on the very
same depth that spurred Sunday’s comeback.
“We have a very deep team,” Howard said.
“Our thing is all hands on deck. And game by
game, it’s always being evaluated on what’s
giving us the best chance. But we’re gonna need
everyone this season, it’s that simple.”
DICKINSON AND BROWN COME OFF BENCH, LEAD MICHIGAN TO WIN OVER UCF
CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Editor