Michigan basketball thrashes Pitt, 91-60
Pitt got an early leg up on Michigan when the Wolverines struggled a bit defensively out of the gate. The Panthers opened a 13-8 lead, and some hot shooting by Jamarius Burton (7 of Pitt’s first 13 points) sparked them to 15 points before the first TV timeout.
Michigan, though, stayed the course, tightened it up, poured it on, and blew the Panthers out in the second half on the way to a 91-60 win. The Wolverines outscored Pitt by 25 in the second stanza.
Big man Hunter Dickinson was the catalyst once again. The Wolverines took their first lead, 18-17, at 11:20 when Dickinson scored inside for the third time. Sophomore shooting guard Kobe Bufkin also got off to a good start, making a triple and scoring five early points in a good sign.
Michigan made six consecutive field goals, with grad student Joey Baker setting up Tarris Reed for a bucket inside to give the Wolverines their biggest lead, 24-19. Jett Howard scored 8 in a row for the Wolverines as they took a 28-23 lead into the third tv timeout, 6 of them within five feet off penetration.
Baker continued to provide a spark. He scored off the dribble, and his triple gave Michigan its biggest lead at 35-28. The Wolverines made 8 straight shots at one point and took a 38-32 break into the half.
Jett Howard scored 10 points to lead U-M scorers at the break, while Dickinson added 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Wolverines had only 1 turnover in the first half to 9 assists and forced 6 turnovers at the other end.
Michigan struggled again from the 3-point line, however, making only 2 of 11.
Second half — Michigan pulls away with hot shooting
Michigan had a chance to expand its lead, but Dickinson missed 2 free throws on the first possession. The Wolverines were only 2-for-6 from the line at that point. A Jett Howard 4-point play made it 42-33 at 19:09, though, and Michigan seemed ready to break it open.
Howard hit another triple from the same spot on the same pass from Dickinson out of a double team to give U-M the 10-point lead. He picked up his third foul on the next possesson. Rather than send him to the bench, head coach Juwan Howard left him on the floor … and he subsequently picked up his 4th on a triple, and-one.
Junior Terrance Williams picked up the slack. He hit a triple from the corner and drove and finished after a Pitt turnover to push the lead to 50-39. Four straight from Jaelin Llewellyn made it 54-41.
The Wolverines then went nuts. Bufkin finished, and one — he had a career high 14 with 8 minutes left — and found Dickinson inside for an easy bucket. Baker continued to hit from outside. His fourth triple in 5 attempts made it 81-51 at 4:44, a 30-point edge.
Freshman point guard Dug McDaniel also played well off the bench. He scored 8 points and dished 8 assists, 7 in the second half, adding 5 rebounds. He also sparked the defense with a pair of steals.
Jett Howard led the Michigan scorers with 17 points despite fouling out and barely playing in the second half. Baker and Bufkin added 14 each, and Dickinson notched 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Michigan will play the winner of VCU and Arizona State tomorrow night.
