Wolverines Weather Scoring Drought by Bringing a Defensive Deluge

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- More than 10 minutes had elapsed in the game and Michigan had only five points on the scoreboard.

This was hard to fathom coming from a team that, in its previous game, had scored 88 points in 40 minutes against Purdue, the No. 3 team in the nation. But instead of losing focus on defense while wondering, as players often do, what was going on offensively, the Wolverines dug in on defense.

"We didn't lose our grit even though we'd only scored five points," said Michigan guard Charles Matthews. "I was happy that when we missed shots we did not let it affect our intensity defensively. We had great communication and trust.

"When the shots aren't falling, we still have a backbone, a foundation."

The No. 24 Wolverines held Northwestern to 14 points over those same first 10 minutes, and trailed by only nine points. They were playing solid defense, but about to kick it into high gear on that side of the ball. They held the Wildcats scoreless over the final seven minutes of the first half, found a little offensive rhythm and took a 21-19 lead into the locker room at the half.

"That separates the good teams from the bad teams," Michigan coach John Beilein said after Monday night's (Jan. 29) 58-47 win at Crisler Center. "That when it's not going on offense, you've got to play even better defense. And as a result, we just locked in, man, and played really good defense.

"Holding them to 47 points was huge."

It was Northwestern's second-lowest scoring output of the season, and 20 points below its 66.7-point scoring average.

Michigan forced 16 turnovers, had 24 defensive rebounds, and also managed to choke off the Wildcats at the three-point arc, holding them to 4-for-16 (.250) and cutting their normal total in half while slicing 10 percent off their usual accuracy.

The Wolverines contested 84 percent of 47 shots put up by Northwestern, which shot .383, five percent under its season norm.

"That's the key," said Luke Yaklich, the assistant coach who coordinates the defense. "We contested shots tonight at a really high percentage. But 40 minutes of consistent, sustained effort was the No. 1 thing we did tonight."

Beilein told his team in the locker room: "Defense won it four us tonight. Your defense was tremendous today!

"You played hard and smart."

At the center of the effort was forward Moritz Wagner, who had eight points, eight rebounds (seven on the defensive boards) and two steals.

"Moe did a tremendous job on (Dererk) Pardon," Belein said. "And he's had his way with some people. We told Moe, 'You don't need help. Just go guard him. Get it done. Don't let him get the ball, and make him fight for every inch instead of waiting on help.'

"And Moe is getting rebounds none of us have ever seen him get."

Pardon was held to nine points and seven shots by Wagner and backup Jon Teske, who had four defensive rebounds and five total in just 11 minutes.

Beilein also commended point guard Zavier Simpson for holding Bryant McIntosh to six points, and guard Matthews for holding Vic Law to six points. That was just under half their scoring averages, and both also had three turnovers. Beilein said swingman Duncan Robinson's defensive effort also was special.

Wagner

Beilein designated Wagner to lead in the singing of "The Victors" and a mantra they repeat after each game that concludes with the importance of stopping opponents:

Wagner said: "When we keep playing defense like we did today we're going to be…"

"Champions!" his teammates added in unison.

Beilein said defense is "personality- and mindset-driven" and noted that Matthews "likes to guard people" while adding that Simpson also does and that Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman "has always been able to do it" defensively.

Freshman guard Jordan Poole, known for lighting up the scoreboard coming off the bench, also is learning to shut down that same scoreboard for his opponents.

"Jordan Poole's defense was not good in October and November," said Beilein. "It is really coming on. He's starting to understand something: 'I'm going to play defense and take care of the ball or I'm not going to play.' He's a pretty bright kid."

Poole, like Abdur-Rahkman, took a charge late in the game to frustrate Northwestern's comeback attempt.

This improved defensive play began last season, when Beilein had Billy Donlon, who departed for Northwestern in the offseason, run his defense. Michigan made big strides in the postseason, and now Yaklich is taking it to the next level.

"He's a mastermind," Poole said of Yaklich.

Beilein said, "I let Luke think about it more and he gives us some great ideas."

Beilein, renowned as one of the absolute top offensive minds in college basketball, is reaping the benefits of delegating some responsibility on that side of the ball.

Michigan put the screws to the Wildcats even when they couldn't put the ball in the basket.

Yaklich said, "It's easy in basketball that sometimes, when the ball isn't going in, to get frustrated and relax. But we maintained our intensity throughout the first half when we weren't shooting the ball well, and we guarded real well for an eight- or nine-minute stretch to allow us to get back into the game.

"That energy really stayed consistent the whole game, and we were a connected unit out there. We were helping and recovering for one another well. If one guy got beat, we were there to help tonight, and it's a testament to our guys' ability to be resilient and have some resolve and bounce back after a tough (four-point) loss (at Purdue)."

What did the Wolverines like best about their defensive effort?

"I liked our effort," said Beilein. "We really contested shots and did a tremendous job with that."

Poole said, "We were just very aggressive, and our defensive assignments were pretty on-point today. We tried to get them out of their flow and we were solid. We weren't reaching. We weren't having a lot of bad fouls. But we made sure we were beating them, and staying a step ahead was big."

Abdur-Rahkman added, "We just had a sense of urgency from the beginning. I mean, they jumped out on us a little, but they were on 19 (points) for a while. It just showed that we didn't lose confidence from the Purdue game, and we still had our swag, so to speak, on defense."

The Wolverines, coming off that abysmal five-point scoring start for nearly 11 minutes, went on a 15-0 scoring advantage from that point.

They had weathered an offensive drought by bringing a defensive deluge.