From jump, Maryland wasn’t going to let Hunter Dickinson have another trash talk fueled, 26 and 11 type performance.
The Terps did just that. They held Dickinson to 3 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes. Unfortunately for Maryland, Michigan showed that they are a lot more than the freshman big man.
Isaiah Livers was held to seven points in the first meeting. Tonight, Livers had 20 points while Mike Smith had 11 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds in the Michigan 87-63 win over Maryland.
“They’ve beaten the heck out of everyone in this building,” said head coach Mark Turgeon.
Early on, Maryland double-teamed Dickinson hard and the Wolverines made them pay. Livers and Smith were 5-7 from three in the first half as the Wolverines shot 8-14 from long distance in the first 20 minutes. “Our rotations and communications weren’t great,” said head coach Turgeon.
Michigan led by as much as 15 in the first half.
Maryland’s offense got a kick in the right direction when Dickinson went to the bench and Austin Davis came in. Donta Scott was able to take advantage of Davis’ slow foot speed on the perimeter.
A 5-0 run cut the Wolverines lead to nine points before Michigan closed out the half strong to lead 42-25 at the half.
Michigan came out in the second half and immediately hit a three pointer to go up 20.
Things would get testy later in the half. At the 16:22 mark, Morsell drove to the basket and thought he was fouled as he made a shot. No foul was called and he would pick up a technical along with Mark Turgeon and the Michigan bench.
After the free throws were shot, the Wolverines were up 23. The hope for Maryland at that point was the techs would serve as a mechanism to fire up the team and make a run. That never happened.
The Terps would never get closer than 18 points.
