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Michigan 68, Connecticut 63 In a game against a ranked Big East opponent where both Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims had "off" games, the rest of the team stepped up huge as the Wolverines grabbed their second victory against a ranked opponent. Manny Harris led the team with 18 points, but was kept in check for most of the game. Thanks to some timely late shots and a huge steal and dunk late in the game, he looked a lot better at the end than the beginning. DeShawn Sims only had 8 points, but once again, many of those buckets came late in the game, including a turnaround hook shot to break the final tie. Both Anthony Wright and Stu Douglass stepped up, with both hitting three 3-pointers en route to a combined 22 points. Zack Gibson also had a great game, scoring only 4 but brining great energy off the bench. Darius Morris and Zack Novak also played great defense, with Novak also providing the game-sealing 3-pointer with 90 seconds left. The defense stymied the UConn offense, with Kemba Walker leading the Huskies with 15 points. UConn, a Final Four contestant a year ago, is reeling now with three straight losses. Michigan 69, Indiana 45 It wasn't pretty by any stretch, but the fact is the Wolverines got it done in the late game Thursday night. They finally took care of business against a team that stole one from them on New Years Eve. However, the final score was not indicative of how tight the game really was for 30 minutes before Michigan pulled away. Manny Harris erupted in the second half for 17 points, finishing with 21. DeShawn Sims had 20 points along with 8 rebounds, as well. For the Hoosiers, Bum of the Game Verdell Jones III was held to 7 points but had 10 rebounds in the losing effort. Michigan won not by their typical 3-point barrage, but rather was able to score a ton of points inside as Sims dominated the likes of Tom Pritchard and Christian Watford. Though Watford was the only Indiana player to score in double figures, he was held in check throughout and found himself getting a lot of good looks on his 5 offensive rebounds. Next up is UConn, one of the toughest and most anticipated games of the year. The student ticket policy regarding previous game attendance will be in full effect, and expect a packed house even though it is Martin Luther King weekend. Northwestern 68, Michigan 62 It truly was a tale of two halves, as we saw two different Michigan teams on Sunday afternoon. The first half was much the same as we saw for 20 minutes at Penn State on Thursday night and for the entire game against Ohio State last weekend. But then in the second half, a Michigan team we have become accustomed to came out and dropped their second home game of the season and dropped their conference record to 2-2. After jumping out to a 31-14 lead in the first half, it appeared as if the Wolverines were off to another good game, but then Northwestern freshman Drew Crawford single-handedly brought the Wildcats new life, as he scored 11 straight points, including three long balls. With a nine point cushion at the half, Michigan saw their lead dwindle quickly, and Northwestern took the lead on a John Shurna 3-pointer roughly halfway through the second half. However, with two minutes remaining in the game, Darius Morris hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put Michigan back on top, but that was short lived as the Wildcats would score the next several points from the line and hold on for the narrow victory. Indiana comes to town Thursday night for a late game (9pm tip). However, students will be let in 90 minutes early and there will be free pizza to students on the concourse. Michigan 73, Ohio State 64 In Michigan's first game of 2010, the team looked more like the Wolverines from the early part of 2009. Not only did they win their first game against a ranked opponent, but it was their first victory over Ohio State since February 2008. Crisler was packed and as loud as ever. With most students still gone for the semester break, the few Maize Ragers in attendance managed to spark the entire stadium as the Wolverines put together a complete game. Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims looked like the pre-season All-Big Ten selections they are, as Harris scored 24 and Sims put up 28. Stu Douglass and Zack Novak both hit key 3-pointers as well, and Matt Vogrich was a man possessed in a 30-second spurt that put the crowd into a frenzy. Overall, it looked more like Michigan was the #15 team in the nation, while Ohio State was clearly in trouble without their do-everything guard Evan Turner. As Michigan continues to stay afloat at 7-6, they have two conference games in the next 6 days that are much more important than they appear on the surface. Victories at Penn State and against Northwestern would boost this team's Big Ten record to 3-1 and keep momentum in their favor, so look for those games coming up. Michigan 76, Coppin State 46 In their most complete game of the season, the Wolverines crushed the Coppin State Eagles by 30 points. And they did it with only 5 points from Manny Harris. With CSU keeping Manny in check with traps and double teams, the rest of the team stepped up behind DeShawn Sims and Stu Douglass. Sims scored 18 points basically at will, with the smaller Sam Coleman guarding him most of the time in the post. Douglass exploded for 20 points behind 6 3-pointers. Laval Lucas-Perry and Zack Novak also scored in double figures for the Wolverines, who are back over .500 at 6-5 this season. Only a handful of students made it out to Crisler, but the Maize Rage sounded like they were in full force to witness the potential of this Michigan team. After opening up a 20 point lead in the first half, the second proved to be more of the same, as they were able to score transition points and knock down more baskets from beyond the arc. Matt Vogrich hit a pair of 3-pointers late in the game to push the lead to 30, and both Ben Cronin and Josh Bartelstein saw some minutes late, as well. Michigan 64, Kansas 75 It was a tale of two games. For the first 16 minutes, Kansas destroyed Michigan in every facet of the game and could score at will either in the post or on the perimeter. But from about the 4 minute mark of the first half until the final buzzer, the Wolverines outscored the Jayhawks by 10 points, taking a Kansas 21-point lead down to 11 in the first few minutes of the second half. But from there on out, the Jayhawks held their own, maintaining at least that 11-point cushion the rest of the way. Manny Harris scored 16 points, being guarded most of the time by freshman Xavier Henry. Sherron Collins scored 19 for Kansas, who remain undefeated and the #1 ranked team in the nation. DeShawn Sims had one of his best defensive games to date, holding All-American candidate Cole Aldrich to no field goals. He also scored 19 of his own, but it was not enough to negate the rest of the Kansas team, which was led by Marcus Morris' 23 points and 10 rebounds. Michigan 67, Arkansas Pine-Bluff 53 DeShawn Sims returned to form Saturday afternoon as he and Manny Harris each took turns stealing the show in Michigan's victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Sims scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half, while Manny had 16 in the second half, including 3-4 from beyond the arc. No other Wolverine scored in double figures, though Darius Morris looked good with 8 points. The team also hit over 80% of their free throws for the first time all season. However, the 3-point shooting woes continued, with the team only hitting 25% of their 3-pt field goals. Stu Douglass, while only 1-7 from beyond the arc, dished out 4 assists, and Laval Lucas-Perry hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start off the game. Next up is a critical game at Utah, Michigan's first true "road" game of the year. They will be playing Wednesday night at 9pm. Michigan 58, Boston College 62 Bum of the Game Corey Raji showed us that it's a bad idea for the Maize Rage to name lefties with headbands the honorary "bum". Raji scored 24 points on 11-16 shooting as the BC held on late to beat the Wolverines. While the score indicates a close game, the Eagles held a steady 10-point lead for much of the game, only letting up in the final four minutes when Zack Gibson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to pull Michigan within nine points. Stu Douglass and Manny Harris then brought them back within six, but it wouldn't get any closer than that until the final seconds when Laval Lucas-Perry scored a last-second layup. Two years ago at Crisler, BC came in with super-scoring point guard Tyrese Rice as the Bum of the Game. Rice scored 27 points, with many of his baskets coming on pull-up 3-pointers and slashing to the basket. Raji took a diferent approach this year, scoring almost all of his points in the paint off of screens and defensive miscommunication. However, the Big Ten still pulled away for an ACC-Big Ten Challenge victory, winning 6-5. Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Iowa, and Indiana all lost their respective games. Next up for the Wolverines is Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday night, as they try to put an end to their three-game slide. Michigan 66, Alabama 68 For the second time in three days, Michigan fell to a less-than-stellar opponent. But for the first time this season, it was against a team we had no business losing to. Marquette proved to be an unstoppable force, with Coach Beilein calling them "too quick". But this Alabama team, a lower-tier SEC team, came back in the waning minutes to take out the Wolverines and send them home with a 3-2 record. Manny Harris scored 26 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and had 5 steals, but it wasn't enough as he and DeShawn Sims were the only players to score more than 6 points. Peedi scored 16, as four of the five starters played at least 32 minutes. Darius Morris also played 27 minutes, leaving little time for the bench. Stu Douglass managed 18 minutes, but hit only one shot - though it was a big-time 3-pointer to pull Michigan within one with a minute left in the game. Boston College looms large on Wednesday in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Corey Raji, the younger brother of former BC defensive tackle BJ Raji, is the bum of the game. Come out and support your Wolverines as they try to give the Big Ten their first victory in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in 10 years. Michigan 65, Marquette 79 One day after sneaking past Creighton in the first round of the Old Spice Classic, the Wolverines couldn't escape the quickness and intensity of Marquette, who marched into the championship game with a 14-point victory. Manny Harris, who has yet to find his jumpshot this season, finished with 22 points, scoring mostly on dribble-drives and getting into the lane. He also had 8 rebounds and 4 assists, but was 0-4 from beyond the arc. Laval Lucas-Perry was the only other Wolverine in double figures, scoring 12. Peedi Sims only scored 8, 12 below his season average. Lazar Hayward led a balanced scoring attack for the Golden Eagles, while Jimmy Butler added 17, Darius Johnson-Odom scored 14, and Dwight Buycks chipped in 13. Michigan will play Alabama (who lost to Florida State in the semi-finals) in the 3rd place game at 5pm on Sunday. The game can be seen on ESPNU. Michigan 83, Creighton 76 We saw two different Michigan teams on the court today: the top-15 team that we have become accustomed to, and a team that seemingly was not ready to play against one of the top mid-majors of the past decade. Luckily for all of us watching back in Michigan, that first one came out at the end and pulled off a huge win to advance to the semifinals of the Old Spice Tournament. Manny Harris was a mere rebound away from his second triple-double of the season while scoring 20 and dishing out 11 assists. Meanwhile, Peedi Sims and Zack Novak also pitched in, scoring 16 and 14, respectively. But the savior today was Laval Lucas-Perry, who caught fire in the second half, knocking down three straight 3-pointers en route to 18 points. Even though the Wolverines held a steady lead throughout the first half, Creighton made a big run in the second half, pulling ahead not long into the second frame. Leading by as many as seven, the Blue Jays looked poised to pull off the upset, as they shot over 60% in the second half. Yet the rest of the team began to pick up the pace as the half continued, with both Peedi and Stu hitting huge shots late in the game. Stu's NBA-range 3-pointer tied the game with 3 minutes left, and Manny took it from there, carrying the team for the final minutes and overtime. Next up is Marquette, tomorrow at noon on ESPN. Michigan 77, Houston Baptist 55 On a night where most players on the Michigan team were shooting poorly (4-21 to start the game), it was big man DeShawn Sims who pulled the Wolverines out of their shooting slump in the first half. Peedi hit four 3-pointers, all from the exact same spot in the corner in front of the Houston Baptist bench, as he helped the team open up a 41-29 halftime lead. He would go on to hit another three-ball in the second half as he finished with 22 points along with 6 rebounds. Manny Harris led all scorers with 25 and also had a team-high 8 rebounds. Zack Novak contributed 7 rebounds as well, with many coming on the offensive end. Zack Gibson continued his impressive start to the season, scoring 8 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in only 14 minutes off the bench. For Houston Baptist, Bum of the Game Mario Flaherty scored 17 points and had 14 rebounds despite the constant heckling from the Maize Rage. He played all but two minutes of the game, and afterwards told Rage Page contributor Sam Sedlecky that he would finally accept his Facebook friend request. The two are now Facebook friends and have a blossoming relationship. Andrew Gonzalez was the only other HBU player in double figures, putting up 14 points. Michigan 97, Northern Michigan 50 It was only a game against a Division-II opponent. It was a game against a team that finished below exhibition opponent Wayne State in the GLIAC conference a year ago. But fans are still excited about the Michigan basketball squad's impressive victory over the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday night. On a weekend when football seemingly couldn't get any worse and the hockey team dropped back-to-back games against rival Michigan State, basketball emerged as the lone bright spot. Manny Harris had a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Wolverines in a game that was never close. Emerging as the kind of shooter that coach John Beilein envisioned, Matt Vogrich came off the bench to hit 5-5 3-pointers en route to 15 points. Zack Gibson also contributed 11 on a nice array of dunks, short jumpers, and put-backs. The Maize Rage was packed once again, as students filled the bleachers and the overflow section behind the basket. There were even a good number of students in the upper deck - an area not expected to be needed until later in the season - as the number of students in attendance may have exceeded 1500. Bum of the Game Marc Renelique scored 11 for the Wildcats, but was 0-7 from beyond the arc in the first half. Tough defense by Darius Morris and Laval Lucas-Perry helped limit NMU's leading scorer, while Michigan also out-rebounded their opponent 48-28. Next up is Houston Baptist on Friday, November 20 (the night before the OSU football game). Doors open at 6pm, as the Wolverines try to continue their impressive start to the season. Michigan 73, Wayne State 54 - Game Notes Manny Harris led all scorers with 25, Zack Novak had 15 (all on 3-pointers), and every player saw the floor as the Wolverines took down the Wayne State Warriors, 73-54. The starting lineup was Peedi, Manny, and Air Novak in the frontcourt, with LLP and (surprise!) Darius Morris at the guard spots. Darius looked decent defensively, especially since he was often guarding a player six inches shorter than him (Wayne State started three players under 6 feet tall), but offensively seemed to have some trouble scoring the ball. He still had three assists and looked like a great distributor. The other freshmen did not see as many minutes, though all showed some promise in their little time on the floor. Peedi only had 9 points on 3-9 shooting, but was constantly double-teamed in the post because of his height advantage on everybody who tried guarding him. He essentially split time at center with Zack Gibson, who played nearly as many minutes as the All-Big Ten third teamer. Northern Michigan comes to Ann Arbor next Saturday - 7pm start. What are the pundits saying? "Anticipation" is a good word to use when referring to our basketball team this fall. We anticipate a team that will be competing for a Sweet 16 berth. We anticipate no fewer than 20 wins for the second year in a row. And we anticipate one of the best years in Michigan basketball history. And the rest of the nation has started to take notice. Lindy's has us ranked ninth in the nation (third in the Big Ten), and Manny is gracing the cover with Kalin Lucas. Obviously, this is only a regional cover, but it still has all of us in the 'Rage excited for this season. The Sporting News has us in the top 25, and Rivals is counting down the top 30 teams in college basketball; with 26 to go, we still have not appeared on the list. OVER 100 STUDENTS COME OUT TO MASS MEETING The Maize Rage held their first mass meeting in three years Monday, September 28, and the Kuenzel Room in the Michigan Union was packed beyond capacity. Maybe it was the free food and drinks, but in all honesty it was probably the fact that John Beilein made an appearance. After President Nick Mattar and Superfan X Will McDowell spoke, coach Beilein gave a great speech about the importance of the Maize Rage and how it is the 'Rage that really gives the team the most support. |
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