Bernard Robinson and Colin Dill had seen it slip away
before.
In their three previous years playing basketball,
Michigan’s seniors had yet to snag a victory on Senior
Day.
This year, it was different.
Robinson was his usual self, doing it all for Michigan, and Dill
made his first career start in the Wolverines’ 75-64 win over
the Buckeyes.
“If I had one word, I’d call it fun. It’s
definitely been a fun time,” Robinson said. “You learn
a lot here. We’ve been through almost everything you can be
possibly be through in basketball. I’ve enjoyed every minute
of it.”
In his 30 minutes of action, Robinson accumulated 13 points,
five assists and four boards. He also added two steals, giving him
54 on the season, and making him second in the category in the Big
Ten.
At times, Robinson seemed to be moving at full speed while
everyone else was moving in slow motion. With just over three
minutes to play in the first half, Robinson stole a pass from just
behind the mid-court line and took the ball the other way. Robinson
turned on the jets to breeze by three Ohio State defenders on his
way to the basket, and he converted a layup.
Dill played three minutes in the game and attempted one shot, a
long-range 3-pointer, which he missed. With Michigan comfortably
ahead in the game’s final minutes, the Maize Rage chanted
“We want Dill” until Amaker inserted the senior back
into the game.
“The last game is great, something you have been thinking
about since your freshman year,” Dill said. “Being able
to come out here for your last home game and win is
great.”
Shooting streak: In a season marred by inconsistent shooting,
Michigan seems to have found its stroke as of late. The Wolverines
shot 49 percent for the game yesterday, and held the Buckeyes to 43
percent.
“Our guys have been taking smarter shots and not seeking
out their shots,” Michigan forward Graham Brown said.
“(They have been) just letting the shots come to
them.”
The shooting margin spelled disaster for Ohio State, which is
1-11 on the season in games in which it has been outshot.
“I think the big difference was our inability to guard
them and stop them when we needed to,” Ohio State coach Jim
O’Brien said.
In its three prior contests, Michigan shot 48 percent against
Michigan State, 58 percent against Wisconsin and 48 percent against
Penn State. Before the homestand, the Wolverines managed just 41
percent and 32 percent in road losses to Minnesota and Iowa,
respectively.
Guard Lester Abram led the shooting campaign for Michigan,
hitting on 6-for-8 from the floor (75 percent) for 20 points.
Freshman Brent Petway was 5-for-7 (71 percent).
Out of the zone: Ohio State played zone defense for a
five-minute stretch in the first half, and Michigan struggled to
get good looks at the basket.
After a string of misses, Amaker brought Brown back in off the
bench, and the sophomore made a quick impact.
On his first possession back in the game, Brown caught a pass
from Bernard Robinson under the basket, and converted on a layup
from the left block.
On Michigan’s next offensive possession, Brown again took
a pass from Robinson, felt pressure coming and dished the ball to
Petway on the opposite block for a layup with 10:35 left to play in
the first half that knotted. the game at 17. The Wolverines would
never trail the Buckeyes after that point.
“Against all zones, you’ve got to get the ball down
to the baseline to flatten out the defense,” Brown said.
“Then you get it to the middle to break down the defense, and
that worked well for us early.”
Not liking what he had seen over those two possessions,
O’Brien decided to go back to a man-to-man defense on his
team’s next trip down the floor.