Kornacki: How Answering Penn State's Run Kept Wolverines Undefeated
1/3/2019 11:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Basketball is a game of runs.
How teams answer them determine outcomes, and the No. 2-ranked Michigan men's team had all the solutions required Thursday night (Jan. 3) to maintain control in a 68-55 win over Penn State to improve its record to 14-0.
The Wolverines started slowly with a 25-20 halftime lead but were sailing to start the second half. They went on a 25-13 run and led by 17 points with 10:17 left in the game. It seemed as if the time to empty the bench was nearing, but the Nittany Lions refused to go down without a fight.
Penn State's 7-0 run made things interesting during a timeout with 7:36 remaining and Michigan's lead down to eight points.
But Jordan Poole -- who is playing a marvelous all-around game while blossoming as a sophomore -- said, "Uh-uh."
Poole drove to score a basket just 14 seconds after the Wolverines broke that timeout huddle. However, Lamar Stevens answered with a bucket for the Nittany Lions.
Charles Matthews then upped the ante by swishing a three-pointer from beyond the top of the key.
Later, in the postgame locker room, Michigan coach John Beilein beamed when recalling that shot and told his team: "There was unbelievable spin on the ball. I think it rotated 5,000 times on the way to the basket."
Poole (above) and Matthews (below) made big baskets in the second half to thwart Penn State's comeback bid.
Matthews said: "I was just so happy that shot went in. I believe in myself, and I believe every shot that I take is going in. So, I don't ever get discouraged when shots aren't going in."
Matthews got two quick fouls, sat for about nine minutes of the first half, and then responded by getting 12 of his 14 points after intermission. He used some shake-and-bake moves to drive for a bucket that provided the game's next scoring after his three-pointer.
Josh Reaves and Stevens didn't back down, though, both hitting baskets to make it a nine-point deficit. But time was running out, and when Ignas Brazdeikis drained a trey from the corner with 1:57 to play for a 63-51 lead, that was the dagger.
Michigan closed it out with the 17-12 run needed to win. Beilein noted that during last season's march to the NCAA championship game, it was usually Moritz Wagner, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman or Duncan Robinson taking those big shots when they were needed. Sometimes Matthews or Zavier Simpson answered the call.
"Most of those guys hadn't been in that situation before," said Beilein. "Iggy has not been out there in that situation. J.P. wasn't.
"But that stuff is contagious. If you don't get it done, then you're worrying about it again. So, that's the contagion that we want."
Matthews added: "That was huge. You know it's a game of runs, and they got our attention by trimming the margin. So, it was good for us to get hit in the mouth and show that we can still respond."
Poole began that response with his buckets.
"We know basketball is a game of runs," said Poole. "We can't get too stressed out if they go on an 8-0 or 9-0 run. It's about staying calm and having the confidence to make your shots, and we put faith and trust in the open guys.
"Being able to get on a run is something we're always capable of, and we're always capable of getting the ball back with our steals. That's something that separates us from other teams."
Making the win more impressive was that it came with versatile sixth man Isaiah Livers out with back spasms. Livers was a game-time decision, and Beilein said it was too early to determine his playing status for Sunday's (Jan. 6) home game with Indiana.
Livers is an outstanding all-around player who is particularly versed in shut-down defense, and it's fair to say that Penn State big man Mike Watkins wouldn't have gotten 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench with Livers figuring into the equation.
"We miss Isaiah," said Poole. "He's an amazing defensive force and is a glue guy who can play all five positions on defense. Having him on the floor today would've gotten us into a lot of transition baskets and enabled us to run more."
However, Wolverine backup center Austin Davis combined with starter Jon Teske to keep Watkins from being the difference. Beilein praised both afterward for their play because they maximized their minutes.
"We didn't know if Isaiah was going to play or not," said Davis, "and I'm just always ready to come in and contribute wherever the team needs me."
Poole added, "Austin gave us a spark."
The biggest reason Michigan stayed in control is because the seven players whom it leaned upon all were capable of winning the game.
"We all work very hard, and we all take great pride in our games," said Davis, "and we all really do trust each other. We all want each other to succeed. That meshes everybody so well, and we're all great friends outside of basketball, too.
Simpson's work on the defensive end was as vital to the victory as his offense.
"If one of us succeeds, we all succeed. So, we know that if somebody's going that night, we get them the ball."
Everybody in the starting lineup contributed between eight and 17 points, with Poole scoring the most.
"We're extremely talented as a team," said Poole. "Guys know how to get to their spots and get to their shots. Having six guys who are able to make a big impact on offense and play with defensive strengths, too, is something that's extremely beneficial."
Brazdeikis added: "We have so many threats on the court. Any single player on the court can score at any single moment, and that's what makes us so dangerous. We're so versatile out there, and that's why we won.
"What I love about this team is that we never have to rely upon one person who has to put up numbers in order for us to win. There were games when either I, Charles or J.P. didn't score (much), and we still managed to find ways to win. That's because we're so versatile. And 'X' (point guard Simpson) really pushes us to our potential."
Simpson held his counterpart, Rasir Bolton, to six points with a ratio of one assist to seven turnovers. Simpson had eight points, including a key trey, while posting five assists and one turnover.
Bolton missed all three treys he attempted, and his team was 1-for-14 with one banked shot going down. Michigan suffocated Penn State around the arc. The Nittany Lions never got comfortable anywhere, and their ball movement was lacking. They had six assists to 18 turnovers as a team.
Brazdeikis was a big part of the defensive surge with 10 rebounds on that end of the court. He took it upon himself to more than double his 5.1 rebounding average with his first college double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) while playing Stevens, a tough junior, even up.
Beilein noted: "I'm really pleased with Iggy's growth defensively."
Brazdeikis said: "I've got to do whatever it takes for the team to win. So, whether that's more rebounds, more assists, more steals, being more active, that's what I'm going to do. I knew they had really good forwards and really big forwards. So, I really paid attention to boxing out and getting every single rebound I could.
"It feels real good getting my first double-double, but it feels even better getting our third Big Ten win."
They answered the Penn State run as a team, and their reward was remaining one of four undefeated major college teams in the nation.
