Nik Stauskas had that look in his eye starting the second half. He had been held to four points in the first half, credited to the tough defense of Gary Harris and Keith Appling. Despite the constant pressure, he demanded the ball early and often in the second half, scoring Michigan's first seven points of the half. He would not slow down. Scoring 21 of his 25 in the second stanza, he exhibited his lights-out shooting ability, his knack for getting to the basket, and his high basketball IQ in dishing out five assists. A true comeback game from the certain 1st team All-Big Ten player.
Michigan State came out fast to start the game, jumping to a 22-11 lead, thanks to the unexpected shooting boost provided by sophomore Denzel Valentine (finished with three triples). Caris LeVert carried Michigan in the first half, scoring 14 points and igniting an 11-0 Michigan run (along with Spike Albrecht) midway through the first half. A LeVert three-pointer as time expired cut the Michigan State lead to two at the end of the half.
A second half clinic in offensive basketball was displayed by the Wolverines. The aforementioned Stauskas dominated in every facet, and led the 45-point outburst that showed the Wolverines making jump shots, taking the ball to the basket, and executing ball screens to near perfection. Coupling the lights-out shooting with just three turnovers committed by Michigan all day, the explosiveness this team possesses on the offensive end of the floor was on full display. Adreian Payne was caught out of position on ball screens multiple times, and the subsequent late defensive rotations gave the Wolverines good looks at the basket. Glenn Robinson III once again struggled with his long-range jumpers, but was efficient around the hoop, going 6-8 from two. Many of these looks came from penetration and a quick bounce pass or alley-oop to Robinson, who used the baseline to his advantage. The Spartans often lost track of him and paid for it, as he used his size and speed to cut to the basket time after time.
There is still concern for the Wolverines on the defensive end. Despite the increased intensity on that side of the floor, Michigan State still had several open looks (especially from three) they were not able to convert. The transition D also struggled at points, but was improved from the poor showing against Wisconsin last week. John Beilein did employ the 1-3-1 trapping zone yesterday to great results, as it not only prevented the Spartans from getting easy looks at the basket, but also neutralized the size advantage of Adreian Payne in the post. The size Michigan has on the wings makes the 1-3-1 a nice weapon to deploy in the NCAA tournament, but only if they can prevent the open threes that sometimes plague this defensive strategy.
The victory by Michigan gives them a half game lead in the B1G standings with four games to play, completely in control of their own destiny. Next up is a road test at Purdue this Wednesday. Tip is set for 7 PM.
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