Michigan 70, Elon 50
If you tuned into BTN tonight, you got to see one of the rarest sights in sports.
An Elon dunk.
Yes, Michigan allowed Phoenix forward Federico Poser to throw one down in the first half, equaling Elon's total from the entire 2018-19 season. It was a low point in a slow first-half start. Elon led for most of the first ten minutes and were within four points as late as the 2:42 mark of the half. Brandon Johns blocked a Poser shot just before the buzzer to keep M's halftime lead at 31-22, though this act of revenge felt hollow.
[Hit THE JUMP to see if Michigan canceled the season, plus the box score.]
Jon Teske led M in scoring, blocks, and steals. [Campredon]
Juwan Howard's squad chose to continue on despite the dunk. They got excellent guard play as the game went on. David DeJulius sparked the team with some impressive shots in the first half on his way to ten points and eight rebounds. Eli Brooks equaled DDJ's point total, finding a variety of ways to score—including an impressive lefty runner—and providing a highlight no-look assist to Isaiah Livers. Zavier Simpson hit 4/5 twos (and, uh, 1/6 threes), a couple of them off drives to the left, and dished out seven assists against two turnovers.
Jon Teske led the team with 16 points, going 5/10 from the field and 6/8 from the line with seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Elon guard Marcus Sheffield, a Stanford grad transfer, topped all scorers with 22 points on 9/16 shooting; he hit an impressive array of midrange shots to take advantage of M's drop pick-and-roll coverage.
Michigan, now 3-0, gets a week to practice before facing Houston Baptist next Friday. That'll be their final tune-up before traveling to the Bahamas to face Iowa State to tip off the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
November 15th, 2019 at 9:39 PM ^
DDJ looked good. Gaining confidence every game. That double double was so close.
X was X, Teske a beast, Livers did his thing in the second half...good stuff.
But more importantly i think is how the coaches talk to the players and adjust game plan. A la JB and Co.
im excited to see what this team looks like with added depth of Franz. Could make a little noise in the league.
hail
November 15th, 2019 at 9:46 PM ^
In the past two games DDJ has started to look like what we hoped he would be. I gotta admit, I was skeptical after the App State game (combined with his performances last year) but it appears as if the light has turned on. He seems comfortable on the court and I haven't seen as many erratic shots.
If Franz heals up and plays like we hoped, we might end up having a pretty damn good offense. Brooks has completely surprised me with his level of play this year and Livers has steadily improved since he got here. Franz might just be the difference between this team being pretty good and being really good—not something I expected this year.
November 15th, 2019 at 9:42 PM ^
UNDEFEATED
UNSTOPPABLE
November 15th, 2019 at 9:44 PM ^
Really like Coach Howard’s leadership. Very clear this team is still learning to play together and doesn’t always look sharp. Howard has a great sense of when to call time outs and what to say to his team to get them in gear.
November 15th, 2019 at 9:49 PM ^
If Teske had 7 rebounds and DDJ and Castelton each had 8, how is it that Teske led in rebounds?
November 15th, 2019 at 10:48 PM ^
Ah, well...
Fixing.
November 18th, 2019 at 11:56 PM ^
Didn’t mean for that to come off rudely, appreciate your work ACE!
November 15th, 2019 at 11:53 PM ^
Illuminati, duh
November 15th, 2019 at 10:01 PM ^
You can tell they’re still figuring stuff out on both ends and that leads to some meh stretches.
Wagner coming back and being what everyone thinks should push them to another level.
November 16th, 2019 at 9:15 AM ^
The interesting thing will be seeing where his minutes come from. Nunez, probably, but then who? I'd frankly like to see Simpson and Livers playing fewer minutes than they have been so far, at least against weaker teams. It's a long season. Would like to see DeJulius out there running things on his own for 5-10 minutes a game. Defense would drop off, but having more of a shooting threat on the point would be a boost.
November 15th, 2019 at 10:06 PM ^
It would have been nice for Livers to get another point (or more), to get 5 guys in double figures.
November 15th, 2019 at 10:14 PM ^
Seemed like Michigan was playing at 3/4 speed most of the game.
Continue to be impressed by Howard’s game prep and in game coaching. He is more advanced than I thought he would be.
This team should continue to improve as the season moves forward. DDJ, Brooks and Johns look much more comfortable and are contributing. We need Castleton to kick it up another notch and I think he will.
November 15th, 2019 at 10:34 PM ^
Elon dunked. Cancel the season.
November 15th, 2019 at 10:55 PM ^
One observation on the difference between JB and JH as coaches. I was at game and you get the feeling that kids are not afraid to make plays and make mistakes once in awhile. JB had a shorter leash. The improved play by sophomore and junior players is mostly due to JH’s style.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:59 PM ^
I think the style definitely helps. But, it's also necessity. If Beilein was here, Jalen Wilson and likely another grad transfer would be on the roster so having a short leash would be more realistic. I think a lot of the improvement from DDJ especially is a result of the fact that he is getting the opportunity to just play.
November 16th, 2019 at 1:28 AM ^
Yes. Not having the auto-bench hovering has done wonders for everyone's confidence.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:35 PM ^
Simpson's shot looks a little better and he seems infinitely more confident in taking it. Maybe that pays off as the year goes along?
November 15th, 2019 at 11:38 PM ^
Really like that DDJ is gaining confidence, and it seems as if Nunez is also no longer reluctant to shoot, even though the results are not so much there yet. If Nunez starts hitting (and it is hard to believe he won't when you watch his sweet stroke) or Franz is what we think he is, that would make three or four really good shooters, a dynamic playmaker, and a 7 footer who is legit...this team is going to be fun to watch!
November 16th, 2019 at 3:17 AM ^
Man, I love watching the improvement in Eli Brooks' game. He's a totally different player this year.
November 16th, 2019 at 5:38 AM ^
Not sure why Elon is D-1.
November 16th, 2019 at 8:46 AM ^
No mention of Bajema burning his redshirt?
November 16th, 2019 at 10:17 AM ^
If we're counting on a fifth year Bajema playing for us, Juwan has already been fired and we're on a rebuild.
November 16th, 2019 at 9:15 AM ^
When Castleton and Bajema are on the court at the same time, you would swear there are only 3 out there when they turn sideways! They need some beef. Or pizza, I guess.
Also, a very good crowd for such a nothing game. Place was no more than half full at tip-off but then nearly full by the start of the second half.
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