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Preview: Wolverines (12-3) at Boilermakers (13-2)
Date: January 07, 2016 7:00 PM EDT
Michigan got to 2-0 in the Big Ten quite easily without its top scorer, but bettering that for the third time in four seasons might be a tougher task even if Caris LeVert returns.
The Wolverines head to Purdue on Thursday night with the 20th-ranked Boilermakers hoping to avoid a second straight home loss and hand Michigan its fifth in a row against the Top 25.
LeVert suffered a lower left leg injury in a 78-68 win at Illinois on Dec. 30 and missed Saturday's 79-56 home victory over Penn State. Coach John Beilein said LeVert's status will be determined by his level of pain in Wednesday's practice and Thursday's shootaround but stopped short of offering any further details. The vague nature of the injury is in itself ominous considering LeVert was limited to 18 games a season ago because of a left foot injury.
"We don't know all the specifics," Beilein said. "I don't want to speculate on what we don't know yet. I think in time, we'll know more."
Things went just fine without him against the Nittany Lions with Zak Irvin and Mark Donnal scoring 16 points and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman adding 14 as the Wolverines (12-3, 2-0) shot 59.2 percent. Irvin has averaged 11.7 points and shot 54.5 percent in the last six games, while Donnal's effort was an encore to a career-high 26 points against Illinois.
"I think everyone has to step up," Irvin said. "Caris does a lot for our team. He's one of the best players in the country, and we've all just got to have that mindset, that we've all got to pick up what we do to the next level."
Michigan has won six straight with plenty of offense, shooting 55.5 percent and 45.3 from 3-point range with an average winning margin of 31.1 points. But with this game followed by a visit from No. 3 Maryland and a trip to Iowa, those just aren't sustainable numbers. Especially without LeVert.
Michigan was 5-9 without the 6-foot-7 guard last season, and he'd been performing better than ever to start his senior year with 17.6 points per game on 50.9 percent shooting - 44.6 from long range.
Even with him this season, the Wolverines were unable to come close against ranked opponents. Michigan's four straight losses to Top 25 foes have come by an average of 14.8 points, including a 74-60 neutral-site defeat to Connecticut on Nov. 25 and an 82-58 loss at SMU on Dec. 8.
The Wolverines had won four straight meetings before a 64-51 loss last Jan. 3 at Purdue as LeVert was held to six points on 2-of-8 shooting.
The Boilermakers (13-2, 1-1) are coming off Saturday's 70-63 loss to Iowa after building a 17-point first-half lead, losing for the second time in four games as offensive struggles have crept in. Purdue has been held under 70 points in four straight games after reaching that mark in 10 of the first 11. It's averaged 65.0 points, shot 40.0 percent overall and 27.8 from 3-point range in the last four.
"The team was not functional in certain areas. If the guards get into tough spots, guys have got to come to the basketball," coach Matt Painter said. "We just didn't do a good job."
No starter had more than seven points against the Hawkeyes, but top scorer A.J. Hammons has averaged 16.6 in his last five. Fellow big man and No. 2 scorer Isaac Haas has been limited to 5.5 points on 39.1 percent shooting in his last four.
Date: January 07, 2016 7:00 PM EDT
Michigan got to 2-0 in the Big Ten quite easily without its top scorer, but bettering that for the third time in four seasons might be a tougher task even if Caris LeVert returns.
The Wolverines head to Purdue on Thursday night with the 20th-ranked Boilermakers hoping to avoid a second straight home loss and hand Michigan its fifth in a row against the Top 25.
LeVert suffered a lower left leg injury in a 78-68 win at Illinois on Dec. 30 and missed Saturday's 79-56 home victory over Penn State. Coach John Beilein said LeVert's status will be determined by his level of pain in Wednesday's practice and Thursday's shootaround but stopped short of offering any further details. The vague nature of the injury is in itself ominous considering LeVert was limited to 18 games a season ago because of a left foot injury.
"We don't know all the specifics," Beilein said. "I don't want to speculate on what we don't know yet. I think in time, we'll know more."
Things went just fine without him against the Nittany Lions with Zak Irvin and Mark Donnal scoring 16 points and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman adding 14 as the Wolverines (12-3, 2-0) shot 59.2 percent. Irvin has averaged 11.7 points and shot 54.5 percent in the last six games, while Donnal's effort was an encore to a career-high 26 points against Illinois.
"I think everyone has to step up," Irvin said. "Caris does a lot for our team. He's one of the best players in the country, and we've all just got to have that mindset, that we've all got to pick up what we do to the next level."
Michigan has won six straight with plenty of offense, shooting 55.5 percent and 45.3 from 3-point range with an average winning margin of 31.1 points. But with this game followed by a visit from No. 3 Maryland and a trip to Iowa, those just aren't sustainable numbers. Especially without LeVert.
Michigan was 5-9 without the 6-foot-7 guard last season, and he'd been performing better than ever to start his senior year with 17.6 points per game on 50.9 percent shooting - 44.6 from long range.
Even with him this season, the Wolverines were unable to come close against ranked opponents. Michigan's four straight losses to Top 25 foes have come by an average of 14.8 points, including a 74-60 neutral-site defeat to Connecticut on Nov. 25 and an 82-58 loss at SMU on Dec. 8.
The Wolverines had won four straight meetings before a 64-51 loss last Jan. 3 at Purdue as LeVert was held to six points on 2-of-8 shooting.
The Boilermakers (13-2, 1-1) are coming off Saturday's 70-63 loss to Iowa after building a 17-point first-half lead, losing for the second time in four games as offensive struggles have crept in. Purdue has been held under 70 points in four straight games after reaching that mark in 10 of the first 11. It's averaged 65.0 points, shot 40.0 percent overall and 27.8 from 3-point range in the last four.
"The team was not functional in certain areas. If the guards get into tough spots, guys have got to come to the basketball," coach Matt Painter said. "We just didn't do a good job."
No starter had more than seven points against the Hawkeyes, but top scorer A.J. Hammons has averaged 16.6 in his last five. Fellow big man and No. 2 scorer Isaac Haas has been limited to 5.5 points on 39.1 percent shooting in his last four.
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