Postgame Notes: #17 Michigan 68, Syracuse 65
12/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2014
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
• Tonight's win marked the 15th meeting in the all-time series between U-M and Syracuse, with Michigan now trailing, 8-7. It is also the first time in the last five contests between the two schools that the matchup was not played on a neutral floor, including the most-recent game before tonight, the 2013 Final Four contest that U-M won, 61-56, to advance to the national title game.
• Michigan and Syracuse's meeting tonight was part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which the Big Ten led 2-0 heading into tonight's action. U-M improves to 6-8 all-time in the conference-faceoff event.
• With tonight's win, U-M improves to a 4-3 home record all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Prior to this evening's contest, U-M had played three of its four most-recent ACC/Big Ten Challenge games on the road.
• In scoring 68 points against the Orange, U-M topped Syracuse's opponent average score by nearly 17 points (51.7 points per game before tonight).
• U-M assisted on 19 of its 25 made field goals (76 percent). As a team, the Wolverines average an assist on 56.3 percent (103-of-183) of all made baskets this season.
• The Maize and Blue committed just seven turnovers as a team while forcing a season-high 19 from Syracuse. Tonight's game marked the fourth time this season that U-M has committed single-digit giveaways.
• U-M totaled seven steals as a team, bringing its season average to 6.0 per contest (42 in seven games).
• After shooting just 36.1 percent (13-of-36) in the first half, including 17.6 percent (3-of-17) from three, the Maize and Blue fired 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from the floor in the second half, including 50 percent (8-of-16) from outside the arc.
• U-M collected 11 offensive rebounds in the first half alone before finishing with a season-best 17. U-M had only reached double-digit offensive rebounds in two games this season prior to tonight's win.
• The Maize and Blue put five scorers in double figures for the second time in as many games: Zak Irvin (game-high 18), Caris LeVert (12), Ricky Doyle (12), Spike Albrecht (11), and Kameron Chatman (10). Chatman also led the way on the glass and set a new career high with his nine rebounds
• Zak Irvin has reached double figures in each game this season. Today, he led the Wolverines with 18 points on 7-of-17 (41.1 percent) shooting, including 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) from outside. It marks the third game this season in which he has paced U-M in scoring.
• Spike Albrecht finished with a season-high 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. He also tallied a career-high nine assists.
• Over the last two games, Albrecht has dished out 16 assists while committing zero turnovers, and his 6.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (32 assists and 5 turnovers) paces the Maize and Blue.
• Ricky Doyle had 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including a career-high four makes from the charity stripe (in five attempts). Doyle also tied a career high with six rebounds, five of which were on the offensive end, giving him a career high in that category as well while playing a career-best 25 minutes.
• Kameron Chatman finished in double figures (10 points) for the second game in a row and the second time in his career, and he grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
• Today's attendance was 12,707, marking the second sellout this season.
• Michigan's lineup today included: Derrick Walton Jr., Zak Irvin, Caris LeVert, Kameron Chatman and Mark Donnal.
