Postgame Notes: Michigan 73, Illinois 55
3/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2015
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• With today's win, Michigan improves to an even 16-16 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament, including a 9-7 mark under head coach John Beilein.
• U-M has never lost its first Big Ten Tournament game under John Beilein (8-0).
• Michigan's 18-point win is the largest margin of victory since U-M bested Nicholls State by 29 (91-62; Nov. 29). The lead grew as large as 24 (last at 8:33) and the Illini's only lead came at 8:12 of the first half (19-17) and lasted just 19 seconds (7:53).
• After scoring an even 50 points in regulation time against Illinois (Feb. 12), U-M reached the 50-point plateau at 15:06 of the second half today.
• Overall, the Maize and Blue fired at a 49.2 percent (29-of-59) clip from the floor, including 46.7 percent from three (7-for-15), the team's third consecutive game with both those marks above 44 percent -- its longest such stretch of the season.
• U-M totaled 15 assists on 29 made field goals (51.7 percent), on par with the team's season average of assisting on 52.1 percent of its baskets (369-of-707). U-M has totaled 35 helpers over its last two contests and averages 11.8 per contest on the season.
• When U-M hit the 40-point mark in the first half, it became the first time this season the Maize and Blue had scored 40-plus points in the opening frame in back-to-back (March 7 vs. Rutgers; 47 points) games since tallying 50 against Hillsdale (Nov. 15) and 48 against Bucknell (Nov. 17) in the first two games of the regular season.
• Michigan had four players in double figures during today's win for the second straight game: Aubrey Dawkins (game-high 18), Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (15), Zak Irvin (14) and Max Bielfeldt (10). Prior to accomplishing that feat last weekend in the win over Rutgers (March 7), U-M had not had that many players score double digits since hosting Michigan State (Feb. 17).
• The win marks the first Big Ten Tournament game in which U-M had four or more scorers in double figures since five players found doubl -digits in an 83-66 win over Penn State (March 14, 2013).
• Zak Irvin found a new career high in the assists category in the first half alone, tallying five before the break and finishing with six, pulling down as many rebounds.
• Zak Irvin has had at least one three and multiple field goals in every game this season. He leads U-M with 74 long-range buckets. He has buried at least three field goals in 13 straight games dating back to Jan. 20 (at Rutgers), and had five or more field goals in nine of those 13 contests.
• With 14 points on Senior Day against Rutgers (March 7) and another 10 today, Max Bielfeldt has scored in double figures for the second time in his career.
• Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman tallied a career-high eight rebounds, adding two assists and a pair of steals.
• Aubrey Dawkins buried two triples on his way to an 8-of-12 shooting performance. Dawkins has hit at least one three in eight of his last nine contests, including multiple long-range buckets in three straight.
• Over his last three contests, Aubrey Dawkins has tallied 70 points on 25-of-37 shooting (67.5 percent).
• Spike Albrecht added five helpers, giving him five or more assists in nine of his last 11 games. He has 120 assists through 30 games (four per contest), a career-high season total.
• Michigan senior Max Bielfeldt made his second career (and second straight) start today, joining Spike Albrecht, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Aubrey Dawkins and Zak Irvin in U-M's starting five.
