Postgame Notes: Michigan 87, Bryant 71
12/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 23, 2010
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• With the win over Bryant, Michigan improves to 10-2 on the season, the best start Michigan has had in John Beilein's four years at the helm. In addition, Michigan has won seven straight games, also a high under Beilein.
• Michigan is undefeated (9-0) at Crisler Arena this season.
• Michigan has won 26 of 30 non-conference games held at Crisler Arena under John Beilein. The Wolverines' only non-conference home loss in the last three years came last season in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, a 62-58 loss to Boston College on Dec. 2, 2009. Michigan hosts Kansas (currently ranked No. 3 in the country) on Jan. 9, 2011, in its final non-conference game of the regular season.
• Tonight's game was the first-ever meeting between Michigan and Bryant.
• With the win, John Beilein is now 56-55 (.504) at Michigan.
• Michigan hit half of its three-point attempts and shot an even 50 percent from behind the stripe (16-of-32), tying a school record for most triples made in a single game. The record was originally set on Dec. 13, 2008, against Eastern Michigan.
• Darius Morris led all scorers with a career-high 26 points (7-of-16 FG, 4-of-6 3FG, 8-of-10 FT) and tied a career-high with 12 assists. He also added six rebounds and did not turn the ball over once in 35 minutes.
• It was Morris' fourth double-double his career, all coming this season. He is tied for third all-time at Michigan in career points/assists double-doubles (four). Only Gary Grant (10) and Rumeal Robinson (9) have more points/assists double-doubles in their careers.
• Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a career-high 20 points (6-of-14 FG, 4-of-8 3FG, 4-of-5 FT). He also had five rebounds and two assists.
• It was the second time this season two Michigan players have scored 20 points in the same game. The first came on Nov. 21 against Gardner-Webb, when Darius Morris had 21 points and Jordan Morgan had 20.
• Evan Smotrycz scored 14 points (5-of-7 FG, 4-of-6 3FG) in the win over Bryant. He also added three assists and two rebounds.
• Michigan scored more than 80 points for the third time this season. Its 87 points are a season high, breaking the 86 points scored in the Dec. 6 win over Concordia. Michigan is 12-0 under John Beilein when scoring more than 80 points in a game.
• Seven different players made at least one three-point field goal. Hardaway Jr., Smotrycz and Morris each had four.
• The Wolverines had 20 bench points in the contest. Matt Vogrich had eight, and Stu Douglass and Jon Horford each had six.
• It was Michigan's fifth straight game with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Against Bryant, the Wolverines had 21 assists on 28 made field goals and turned the ball over only three times, a season low.
• The Wolverines held the edge over Bryant in points in the paint (20-18), points off turnovers (15-2), second-chance points (8-7) and fast break points (6-2).
• The game featured 10 ties and only one lead change. Bryant led 17-16 at the 10:14 mark in the first half but was never able to regain the lead. Michigan led by as many as 17 in the contest.
• Bryant scored 71 points on Michigan, the most points an opponent has scored on the Wolverines this season. The Bulldogs shot 48 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line in the contest.
• Michigan went with the same starting five against Bryant -- Zack Novak, Darius Morris, Evan Smotrycz, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jordan Morgan. The Wolverines have gone with the same starters in every game this season.
• Michigan is the only Big Ten school to start the same five players in every game.
• Attendance was 8,758.
