Michigan beat Indiana 69-55 at Crisler Saturday.
ANN ARBOR — Indiana’s 12-1 run early in the second half Saturday trimmed Michigan’s lead to five, 39-34. At that point, Moritz Wagner turned to a U-M coach on the bench and said, “We need one right now.” Duncan Robinson delivered. He set a screen for Eli Brooks, popped to the top of arc, took a pass, and drained a three. The Wolverines scored on their next possession, the Hoosiers never got closer than nine, and Michigan won its Big Ten opener 69-55.
It was one of just two baskets for Robinson, but it was the biggest of the game. He and fellow senior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had important bounce-back performances after struggling last time out.
John Beilein didn’t mention them by name, but when he called out his “veterans” for not being “gritty” in Wednesday’s loss at North Carolina, there was no doubt he was referring to Abdur-Rahkman and Robinson.
Neither dazzled with their offensive stats Saturday — combining for 14 points and five assists — but they played much better defensively and helped Michigan (7-2,1-0 Big Ten) get off to a great start.
“I was very proud of them, especially the way Duncan responded,” said junior Moritz Wagner. “He had a different look on his face. He was attacking the basket. Even if the shot’s not falling, which it wasn’t today… he kept playing, kept his demeanor, and led us. That’s big time.”
Abdur-Rahkman, who spent the last 10 minutes of the North Carolina game on the bench with Robinson, locked down Indiana’s leading scorer.
This was the type of response Beilein wanted when he challenged them in practice Friday.
“Both of them came out of the gates uncharacteristic of them in Chapel Hill, and today they came out and I loved the way defensively … both of them really bounced back,” Beilein said.
Abdur-Rahkman and Robinson have been role players throughout their careers and are now being asked to do more as players and leaders.
“When things aren’t going your way on both sides of the floor, you get a little frustrated, down on yourself,” Abdur-Rahkman said Friday. “As a captain, I can’t do that. (The North Carolina game was) one of the first times, probably, I’ve done that. I’ve just got to be better — not just with my performance, but with my leadership as well.”
Neither Abdur-Rahkman nor Robinson were available to the media after the game, but their play spoke for them. Michigan got off to a 16-2 start and Abdur-Rahkman had a hand in the first three baskets. He assisted on two threes — one by Robinson — and made one of his own.
Defensively, he blanketed Indiana’s Robert Johnson all afternoon. Johnson, a senior guard, entered the game as Indiana’s leading scorer at 14.1 points per game. He scored just six Saturday, while posting three turnovers against no assists. After Abdur-Rahkman’s admitted defensive lapses on Wednesday, it was encouraging to see him embrace the “stopper” role. He also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.
Robinson has struggled with his shot in this early season (22-of-61 from three; 36 percent) and Saturday was no different. Nine of his 10 shots were threes, and he just made just two. But Beilein thought he was more confident.
“I loved Duncan’s shots today. They looked much different than his last shots (against North Carolina). He wasn’t trying not to miss. He was trying to make.”
In a game where freshman Jordan Poole scored a team-high 19 points, the veterans helped set the tone after a difficult loss.
“I think we took this game really serious,” Brooks said. “There wasn’t really joking around in the locker room. Just the feeling of a must-win game pretty much.”
