Michigan steamrolled Nebraska at home on Wednesday night thanks to a dominant performance on both ends of the floor. The Wolverines improved defensively after a disappointing defensive effort in the first matchup in Lincoln.
Nik Stauskas did a terrific job on Terran Petteway throughout the game. Stauskas’s size was effective against Petteway, who was just 2-of-10 from the floor for five points – his second worst offensive performance of the season. Stauskas forced 6.5 misses and 3.5 turnovers while only surrendering two made baskets. Michigan’s scheme completely negated Petteway, who had been on a scoring tear entering Wednesday’s game, and Stauskas keyed the entire approach.
- Spike Albrecht forced 2.5 turnovers including taking a nice charge after being switched onto big man Leslee Smith. Albrecht has carved out a niche forcing turnovers, especially at home, and he’s doing a great job of converting them to points in the opposite direction.
- I praised Caris LeVert’s defensive rebounding in the recap, but he’s improving rapidly across the board on the defensive end. LeVert is starting to turn his length and athleticism into production instead of sheer potential as he becomes more comfortable within the defensive scheme.
- Derrick Walton was tasked with sticking with Ray Gallegos and he did his job. Gallegos only attempted three shots. That’s the same Gallegos that had attempted 26 threes total in his last two games against Michigan. Gallegos rarely has trouble finding room to pull, which speaks to just how persistent Walton was chasing him.
- Jon Horford outplayed Jordan Morgan on the defensive end of the floor for the first time in a while. Horford forced four misses and drew a charge in just 16 minutes of floor time.
- Zak Irvin graded out poorly in some earlier defensive score sheets, but he did well against Nebraska. Irvin only surrendered one basket and did a good job of keeping Nebraska players in front of him defensively without giving up open jumpers.
- Glenn Robinson III got beaten one-on-one by Shavon Shields once or twice, but he also forced a team-high nine missed shots.
- The numbers say that Jordan Morgan had a bit of an off game, but he was very active in slowing Nebraska’s ball screen game. Walter Pitchford hit some difficult shots that you just have to accept.
PREVIOUS DEFENSIVE SCORE SHEETS:
- Defensive Score Sheet: Michigan at Indiana
- Defensive Score Sheet: Purdue at Michigan
- Defensive Score Sheet: Michigan at Michigan State
- Defensive Score Sheet: Iowa at Michigan
- Defensive Score Sheet: Michigan at Wisconsin
- Defensive Score Sheet: Penn State at Michigan
Find the full calculations regarding the defensive score sheet here. The primary stats that may be unfamiliar are:
- FM – Forced field goal miss (includes blocks)
- FTO – Forced Turnover (steals, charges taken)
- FFTA – Forced missed Free Throw Attempt
- DFGM – Allowed Defensive Field Goal Made
- DFTM – Allowed Free Throw Made
Defensive Rating (DRtg) is calculated based on the stops and scoring possessions assigned to the player, it’s an estimated measure of points per 100 possessions.
