Michigan to Close Five-Game Swing vs. Rutgers in #BowtiesForJude Day at Crisler

Sunday, January 21

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Noon

Michigan

Rutgers

Tickets

Photo by: UM Photography, E. Bronson

Michigan to Close Five-Game Swing vs. Rutgers in #BowtiesForJude Day at Crisler

1/19/2018 5:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» Michigan closes a five-game-in-12-days swing against Rutgers at Crisler Center.
» Sunday's game will feature U-M coach John Beilein, his staff and 350 Maize Rage members wearing Block 'M' bowties in honor of Jude Stamper, a 12-year Monroe, Michigan, native signed by U-M in November through the Team IMPACT organization.
» Today's game also marks Michigan Basketball's Alumni Reunion with several timeout recognitions set throughout the game for some Wolverines greats.
» Charles Matthews leads U-M in scoring (14.9 points per game), is second in rebounds (5.3) and is third in assists (2.9). He also shares the team lead with 14 blocks.

THIS WEEK
Monday, Jan, 15 -- Maryland (W, 68-67) [ Recap ]
Thursday, Jan. 18 -- at Nebraska (L, 72-52) [ Recap ]
Sunday, Jan. 21 -- Rutgers, Noon (BTN)

The University of Michigan men's basketball team (16-5; 5-3 B1G) plays its fifth game in 12 days closing its third game this week with a Sunday (Jan. 21) afternoon contest against Rutgers (12-8; 2-5 B1G). Tipoff is scheduled for noon with the game broadcast on Big Ten Network.

THE SERIES WITH RUTGERS
• Today's game, the only one this regular season against Rutgers, marks the 10th all-time meeting between the schools. U-M leads the overall series with a 9-0 record.
• Last season, U-M fought off Rutgers for a 68-64 victory at the RAC in Piscataway, New Jersey. Michigan, which hit 10 three-pointers in the win, had four players in double figures led by Zak Irvin (16), Muhammad-Ali-Abdur-Rahkman (14), Derrick Walton Jr. (13) and D.J. Wilson (10). The road win helped U-M head coach John Beilein earn his 500th Division-I victory.
• Beilein is 8-2 all-time against Rutgers, including a 4-0 record with U-M.
• One of the standout series meetings was in the 2004 NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In a back-and-forth game, the Wolverines pulled out a 62-55 decision to claim the postseason title. Current staff member Chris Hunter was a member of that U-M title team.
• A second key contest was an 86-70 win in the 1976 NCAA Final Four (March 27), which helped the Wolverines make their second national title appearance.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
• The Scarlet Knights have a 12-8 overall record, including a 2-5 mark in Big Ten play after downing Iowa, 80-64, on Wednesday night (Jan. 17) in Piscataway. Rutgers will be looking for its first road win of the season when they come to Ann Arbor.
• Three players are scoring in double figures for Rutgers, led by 14.4 points per game from Corey Sanders. Geo Baker adds 11.7 points per game while Deshawn Freeman chips in 11.6 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per contest.
• Rutgers ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing just 62.2 points per game. The Scarlet Knights rank third in the Big Ten in field-goal defense (38.8 percent) and lead the league in three-point field goal defense (31.2 percent).
• Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell is in his second season as head coach of the Scarlet Knights after spending 11 seasons as head coach at Stony Brook. Pikiell signed a contract extension through 2023-24 on Jan. 10.

WOLVERINE TIDBITS
• Michigan returns to Crisler Center after playing its fourth game in a nine-day span at Nebraska (L, 72-52). Sunday's game marks the fifth game in a 12-day span. U-M will have only one game next week -- at No. 3 Purdue (Thursday, Jan. 25).
• Michigan is 10-1 this season at Crisler Center. Its lone loss was a one-point setback to No. 5/7 Purdue, which won on a last-second free throw.
• Isaiah Livers has started the last three games at the four spot.
• Charles Matthews leads U-M in scoring (14.9 per game), is second in rebounds (5.3) and is third in assists (2.9). He also shares the team lead with 14 blocks.
• Since returning to the starting lineup, Zavier Simpson has averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists, while playing in 28.6 minutes per game.

#BOWTIESFORJUDE
• John Beilein, his basketball staff and the Maize Rage student group will join together with Team IMPACT for a special #BowtiesForJude day against Rutgers to help bring awareness to U-M draftee Jude Stamper's Arthrogryposis Multi-Congenital disorder with Escobar Syndrome.
• After being signed by Beilein in a special November ceremony, Stamper has instantly become a valued member of the Wolverine basketball family, attending practices, film and games. His AMC condition prevents him from getting any normal bend in his joints (ankles, knees, hips, neck, etc.).
• To honor Jude and bring awareness to his condition, Beilein and his staff will wear special Michigan bowties for the game, as will members of the Big Ten Network TV crew. The first 350 Maize Rage members to enter the game will also receive a special bowtie. There will be no public sales for the bowties.

BEILEIN SIGNS TEAM IMPACT SIXTH-MAN ... JUDE STAMPER
• John Beilein and his Wolverines joined together with Team IMPACT for a special draft day ceremony celebrating the signing of Jude Stamper, a 12-year-old from Monroe, Michigan, to a National Letter of Intent.
• Driven by a competitive spirit, Stamper is a sports statistics nut and does whatever he can to make it to any sort of sporting event at U-M. Whether it is basketball, football or volleyball, he is sure to be seen in the stands dressed head to toe in Michigan gear.
• Stamper is a jazz connoisseur and has played the piano since he was 9 years old. Recently, he started playing the saxophone at school. One of his favorite activities is to listen and jam to jazz in the car while his father drives them around.
• The "Draft Day" is facilitated by Team IMPACT, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that connects children facing life-threatening or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes.

SOME INTERESTING MICHIGAN POINTS
• U-M coach John Beilein prefers to stick to an eight- or nine-man rotation, but this season he has played up to as many as 10 or 11 players.
• Beilein has always wanted to have multiple players distributing the ball. So far this season he has three Wolverines with 60-plus assists -- Zavier Simpson (73), Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (66), and Charles Matthews (62). The last time U-M had three with 100-plus assists in a season was in 2013-14 -- Nik Stauskas (118), Caris LeVert (109) and Derrick Walton Jr. (106) -- all of whom are currently in the NBA.
• As with most Beilein-coached teams, the three-pointer is a featured scoring component. So far this season nearly 42 percent of U-M's offense comes via the long range shot -- 526 3FGA (22nd nationally). U-M has made eight or more three-pointers in 16 games.
• The Wolverines have 11 games with 10 or more three-pointers and carry a 9-2 record when reaching that number. So far, U-M has a season-high 15, twice -- vs. Chaminade and Alabama A&M.
• Flipping the stat line, U-M's opponents are averaging just 5.6 three-pointers per game. In the first four games, the Wolverines gave up 32 triples (8.0 per game), but they have buckled down on the perimeter and are allowing 5.0 per game since. U-M has held an opponent to five-or-fewer triples in 13 games including a season-low two by Indiana and three at Michigan State.
• With more defensive intensity stressed this season, U-M already has 139 steals -- 6.6 per game -- with seven Wolverines collecting 10-or-more swipes already. The highest team total with Beilein at U-M was 239 during the 2012-13 season (39 games, 6.1 spg).