Kornacki: The Stories Behind Michigan's Dominance of North Carolina
11/29/2018 10:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- There was no stopping the University of Michigan in this one. Never mind that North Carolina, the No. 11-ranked team in the country, was the opponent. U-M was playing its suffocating defense, and Ignas Brazdeikis (24 points), Charles Matthews (21) and Jordan Poole (18) couldn't be stopped with the ball in their hands.
When it was all over Wednesday night (Nov. 28) during a raucous Maize Out at Crisler Center, it was Wolverines 84, Tar Heels 67.
Any chance North Carolina had of staging a second-half comeback seemed highly unlikely after blocks on successive plays against 6-foot-7 Leaky Black.
Jon Teske, the Wolverines' 7-foot-1 center, spiked a shot by Black as if it were a volleyball. It was the most dramatic of his five blocked shots, and he locked elbows and arms with Matthews as the sellout crowd of 12,707 roared its approval.
Black took the ball on the ensuing possession and got a half step on Matthews while confidently going up for a shot as he neared the basket. Matthews hit the ball out of his hand as if it were on a batting tee.
"That whole sequence was led into just by us settling into the pace of the game," said Michigan defensive coordinator Luke Yaklich. "They are incredibly fast, and you can't mimic what they do in practice. But in the last eight minutes of the first half, we really settled in.
Teske had five blocked shots to go with six points and five rebounds.
"Once we got entirely settled in in the second half, we were able to play half-court defense. Once we got into the half-court, we were allowed to set up our help defense, and that's where 'Big Sleep' (Teske) and Charles go to work and we can block those shots.
"It was an incredible sequence of events there. We had a couple threes go in at the other end that really got the crowd going. Crisler was unbelievable tonight."
The fans went absolutely bonkers after the blocks, taking the air out of the visitors, who never got closer than 11 points after that.
Asked about that locking elbows and arms with Teske, Matthews said, "You play for one another. You feed off each other's energy, and when you've got a bunch of boys like that, that's what you play for."
When Yaklich walked down the hall in the locker room, he began demonstrating the proper defensive stance for recruits and his face turned red as he barked out instructions.
"Don't scare him off, Coach," Brazdeikis said with a chuckle.
Beilein added: "Luke Yaklich says, 'We are going to contest shots with every fiber of our being.' He actually says that, and we do."
There are going to be games when the offense doesn't get going like it did against Carolina. The Wolverines made 11 of 22 treys and shot .574 overall for the game, providing an avalanche on both sides of the floor that put the Heels on their heels all night long.
But defense will help this Michigan team -- just like last year's Final Four finalists -- stay in any game, and win many of them.
"We all have extremely high levels of offense," said Poole. "But we did a really good job of finding the defense first. We know that the offense is going to be there. We put those two together and we're an extremely hard team to stop."
Brazdeikis said, "We focused so much on transition defense. They emphasized a lot to us having to get back." He certainly did his part, locking down Luke Maye most of the way.
Cameron Johnson, Coby White, Nassir Little and Maye came in averaging a combined 59.4 points -- almost exactly 15 per game for everyone in that Tar Heel foursome -- but they combined for 32 against the Wolverines as the entire team shot .394 from the field and .333 on 21 treys.
Maye, who scored 27 points in helping beat Michigan, 86-71, last year, scored just two points in the second half and 11 in the game.
White, who averaged 26.0 points against Texas and UCLA last week, had a team-high 12 points. He was 7-for-10 on three-pointers against the Longhorns but was denied that shot by Zavier Simpson all night long and was 0-for-2 behind the arc.
"White making seven threes against Texas," noted Beilein. "That's right up Xavier's alley. 'You mean I get to guard that guy? That's exactly what I want.'"
On the other end of the floor, Simpson shut out White (2) from behind the three-point arc.
Simpson and Matthews are total terrors on a team stocked with strong defenders. They are the alpha dogs among a pack that prides itself in playing like pit bulls.
Beilein's eyes sparkled when he added: "He (Matthews) and Zavier are the most driven defensive players I've ever coached. This is what they want to do, and the offense is a residual of it."
Tar Heels coach Roy Williams told reporters he'd never been this frustrated in 31 seasons as a head coach. Beilein said, "That is one of the biggest compliments I've ever had. ... They've traditionally had one of the best offenses anywhere."
Williams would call timeouts and offer his team solutions, but nothing he drew up stemmed the tide.
When the Tar Heels cut what had been a 22-point lead to 73-62, Matthews and Brazdeikis quickly got things back under control. Matthews swished a three-pointer from out top, and Brazdeikis pulled down a defensive rebound before knocking down a pull-up jumper. It was 78-62 with 3:49 remaining.
Game over.
The Wolverines didn't have any rhythm in the early going, falling behind by as many as 10 points. Brazdeikis came out after picking up a quick foul three minutes into the game, and Michigan didn't play effectively without him. He returned with his team trailing, 21-13, and instantly ignited a comeback.
Iggy drove through several Tar Heels for a finger roll for a bucket, was fouled, and added the free throw. Then he nailed a three-point shot, and just like that, in 29 seconds, North Carolina's lead was down to two points.
The Wolverines went on a 17-2 run, and Brazdeikis had 13 points in 14 minutes during the first half.
Brazdeikis' three-point play helped ignite the first-half comeback.
"I said that as soon as I get back in, I'm going to have to make some plays, be aggressive, and get back into the groove of the game," said Brazdeikis. "My confidence never wavers, no matter what. And anyone on our team can make plays.
"It's only a matter of time until we get our offense going. We have so many killers and hunters on the court. We've got Charles over here who is our leader. J.P. (Poole) can score any time. I can score any time. Every one single player on the court's a threat. So, the offense is just going to come for sure."
Matthews, standing next to Brazdeikis in the jubilant locker room, offered this: "And we're unselfish. That's probably the biggest part about it right there. We don't care who gets the shot. We don't care who gets the glory."
That is a significant, telling comment, and I asked Beilein about it.
"That is one of the most difficult things for kids to understand," said Beilein. "And that's been a trademark of our teams. It may tear other teams apart, and there is so much on that for us that we have to teach it every day.
"It's natural for kids: 'How many points did you get? How many points did you get? Oh, he had five.' But in one tournament he (Matthews) had 25 points one night (against George Washington) and five the next (against Providence). Those are tough things to handle for other people, but not for our guys. And we've got to keep that going."
Brazdeikis leads the team with 55-percent field goal accuracy and 16.9 points per game, and his three highest scoring games have been the last three: 20, 20 and now 24. Matthews is close behind at 15.4, and Poole's at 10.1. But Simpson, Isaiah Livers, Teske and Eli Brooks also are strong contributors to the offense.
Brazdeikis is an unusual freshman, this Lithuanian-Canadian, whose father, Sigis, made the trip from Toronto with friends and coaching associates for the game. Beilein encouraged Sigis to "get some coffee in you" before driving home.
Iggy, when asked for his thoughts after this win over a formidable foe, said, "It felt really good, but we can't dwell on this victory (Michigan is 7-0). This is just a November win for us, and it's only the beginning. It's a big mark for us. It shows us where we're at, but we need to improve."
I joked with Iggy about not sounding like a freshman, and he said, "Yeah, I feel prepared for this moment."
Beilein shook his head and smiled about that comment, quickly crediting Iggy's parents, Sigis and Diana.
"That's why he's had some success," said Beilein. "He's very grounded, and his family has really done a great job of raising him to be very appreciative of the opportunity he has to be at Michigan. It's just really fun to coach him."
With defense, offense and character, these Wolverines get high grades. They aren't without faults, but they can be a handful to try to beat. Just ask Roy Williams.
