No. 7 Michigan basketball went over five minutes in the second half of Saturday’s game against No. 19 Purdue without scoring. Yet when sophomore forward…
No. 7 Michigan basketball went over five minutes in the second half of Saturday’s game against No. 19 Purdue without scoring.
Yet when sophomore forward Isaiah Livers stepped to the free-throw line with 9:22 left, Michigan’s lead stood at 16.
The Wolverines (8-0,1-0 Big Ten) blitzed the Boilermakers (5-3,0-1) in the first half, taking a 16-point lead into halftime thanks to lights-out shooting and smooth ball movement.
And when the offense did slow down in the second half, Purdue still couldn’t close the gap because of Michigan’s defense, as the Wolverines pulled away, 76-57.
The Wolverines have now played three ranked opponents this season. And they’ve blown out all three by 17 points or more. This is, right now, one of the elite teams in college basketball.
Three takeaways from Crisler Center:
Purdue’s defensive strategy was to switch every screen, and Michigan made the Boilermakers pay.
The Wolverines’ offense moved the ball well and found plenty of open looks on the perimeter, which led to Michigan making 9-for-15 3-point attempts in the first half.
