Matthews Changed Beilein's Options by Stroking So Well at Free Throw Line
12/15/2018 8:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Something very interesting happened when John Beilein pondered setting up one of the game's final plays with free-throw shooting prowess entering his equation.
Instead of going away from Charles Matthews, who was shooting .558 at the free-throw line on the season and was 4-for-8 from there in the first half, the Wolverine head coach instead opted for Matthews because he'd made 7-for-8 in the second half on his way to matching his season high of 25 points.
"That was big for Charles to get to the line," Beilein said after Saturday's (Dec. 15) 70-62 win over Western Michigan. "In fact, I was drawing up a play to get Jordan Poole the last shot if they hadn't fouled us. I was trying to say, 'Do I want Charles to get the ball? Should he be the second option?'
"I was ready to make Iggy (Ignas Brazdeikis) the second option, and I realized Iggy was 0-for-3 (at the line despite entering the game shooting .814) and Charles had just made 5-of-6 or something. I made Charles the second option. We didn't throw it to him, but I had that type of trust in him."
Matthews was exiting the Crisler Center locker room when I mentioned his coach's comments to him, and a smile crossed his face.
"I respect that," Matthews said. "When I shoot free throws, I think the next one's going in. That's the way it is."
How satisfying was it?
"It was really good," said Matthews. "I felt really good."
He made 11-of-16 free throws, making four more than he'd ever had in one college game while also taking four more than he'd ever attempted.
Matthews shot .558 from the line last season, but has improved to .610 after 11 games.
He did more than shoot well from the stripe, though. Matthews also grabbed 10 rebounds against the Broncos, was 6-for-13 from the field while adding two assists, and played his usual vice-grip defense with one block and three steals that tied his career best.
Matthews was the No. 1 reason why the No. 5-ranked Wolverines (11-0) avoided losing to a heavy underdog, which is now 5-5 with losses to Nicholls State and USC Upstate.Â
"When things aren't going well," said Beilein, "when you're about to get upset, you've got to have some resiliency. And I love what I saw from our team today.
"Charles made big shots. Zavier (Simpson) made big shots. Charles went to the foul line, and we hadn't had to win a game this year from the foul line, but we went 4-for-4 down the stretch when they fouled us."
Matthews and Poole both made a pair to seal the game, and Matthews drained a three-pointer that all but locked up the outcome with a 66-58 lead and 1:13 remaining.
In the end, it was enough to have Matthews (25 points), Simpson (15) and Poole (14) shooting well on a day when nobody else scored more than four points.
Beilein told his team afterward: "We've just got to focus on really getting better. … When everybody's telling you how good you are, we've got to get to 212 (degrees) every single time no matter what people are telling us."
Still, Matthews found the boiling point against a lesser opponent.
"I respect the game," Matthews said. "I respect each and every one of my opponents. So, I'm giving it my 110 percent every time I'm out there."
He ended up with 10 rebounds (seven on defense) for his fifth career double-double, and his first since helping the Wolverines avoid a first-round NCAA Tournament upset against Montana in March.
Matthews had the focus and purpose required in this one, while many of his teammates did not.
"What I liked about it was in the beginning, when he did not shoot foul shots well," said Beilein. "He just stayed in there and stayed focused, kept fighting and fighting, and this kid is so much about the team.
"He showed that today, and that is real big for us to have your most veteran player, fourth year in college, being that (good at the line) because he was not good in the beginning. And down the stretch we tried to get the ball in his hands as much as we could."
Matthews came on strong late last season, earning the Most Outstanding Player award after NCAA West Regional wins over Texas A&M and Florida State in Los Angeles advanced the Wolverines to the Final Four.
He averaged 13 points and 5.5 rebounds in his first season of eligibility after transferring from Kentucky, and this season is second on the team with both 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.
"He's never one that's going to turn down an opportunity to hunt," said Beilein. "He was hunting, and at times last year he would hunt himself right into a charge or into a turnover. He's been doing a much better job of that. His turnovers are down (from 2.1 per game last season to 1.5), and he did a great job tonight of fighting through defenders and either get fouled or…"
Beilein's voice trailed off and he noted that Matthews got WMU's Josh Davis, averaging 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds, into foul trouble. Davis got his fourth foul in the first minute of the second half, fouled out late in the game, and finished with four points and four rebounds.
"That was a big part of this game," noted Beilein.
Matthews caught fire late in the first half, and stole a ball before driving for a dunk that tied the score with 1:08 remaining. Then he grabbed a defensive rebound before driving the length of the court to drop in a finger roll just before the buzzer to give Michigan its first lead of the game, 30-28.
"I think we knew that we had the energy of the game and the momentum of the game," said Matthews. "We fed off that. We just got stops and gained momentum."
Matthews pointed to point guard Simpson for being instrumental in also sparking the team with a strong all-around game that included five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Simpson had been shooting .217 on three-pointers this season, making 5-of-23, but was 3-for-4 behind the arc against WMU.
"He's our Pit Bull," said Matthews. "It's unfortunate that if he isn't making his threes or free throws, he's not playing well (according to critics). But they don't talk about all the things he does to help this team win. He works hard on those shots."
Just like Matthews and his teammates do on free-throw shooting after practice. Beilein has said many times that Matthews and Simpson (.412 at the line this season) make very high percentages of those shots then.
And in this game, Matthews was .688 on free throws after a slow start. The Wolverines could definitely live with that percentage. It would allow Matthews, who often draws contact while driving to the hoop, to be that much more of an option down the stretch with teams looking to foul Michigan for a chance at a comeback.
Beilein had all the "trust" required to draw up a play that could send Matthews to the line with this game on the line. That option will make the Wolverines much tougher to beat if the trend continues.
