Caris LeVert had a triple-double on Tuesday. Derrick Walton wanted one of his own.
Walton tallied 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists (!!) as Michigan (9-3) eviscerated Youngstown State (5-7), 105-46, at the Crisler Center on Saturday evening. Walton didn't have his best shooting performance (4-of-10 FG), but it didn't matter because he was in total control with the ball in his hands, shredding the Penguins' zone defenses with crisp passes, and all over the defensive glass, hauling in all 11 of his rebounds on that end.
It was clear that Walton was headed for this milestone midway through the second half. With 10:17 left, he found Ricky Doyle for a short jumper that gave him 10 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. He needed just two more boards, and he didn't plan to make us wait much longer. In the next minute on back-to-back possessions, Walton skied for his ninth and 10th defensive rebounds to become the fifth Wolverine ever to post a triple-double, joining Gary Grant, Manny Harris, Darius Morris, and, of course, LeVert.
Derrick Walton completes Michigan's second triple-double of the week: https://t.co/VtA9fcfHSN
— Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) December 20, 2015
I think it's safe to say that Walton's left ankle, which was sprained, is just fine.
Walton was the headliner, but he wasn't the only Wolverine to shine, which isn't a surprise since Michigan scored a season-high 105 points in 71 possessions (1.48 PPP). LeVert was his usual spectacular self, following up the 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists he had against Northern Kentucky with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, six rebounds, and five assists. Aubrey Dawkins responded well from last game, in which he played only four minutes, by scoring a a season-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and throwing down two highlight dunks, which you can watch here and here. Duncan Robinson was the sharpshooter that he always is, knocking down 4-of-7 threes en route to 14 points. Robinson also had six rebounds and three assists. Heck, even D.J. Wilson, who'd missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, chipped in 12 points in just six minutes late.
This game never was in doubt. After the first four minutes, Michigan led, 14-3. Six minutes later, it was 29-9. Eight minutes after that, it was 50-20. Simply, while Michigan repeatedly picked apart Youngstown State's zone by getting the ball in the middle, the Penguins couldn't find open space on the other end. They are a team that tends to shoot lots of jumpers, but, against Michigan, those jumpers were contested. As a result, Youngstown State made only 15 of the 54 two- and three-point jumpers that it took (27.8 pct.). And it's noteworthy that Michigan contained YSU 6-foot-10 center Bobby Hain, who had 14.3 PPG and 7.4 RPG before tonight, to seven points (3-10 FG) and one board.
With Michigan holding a 30-point lead before the intermission, the second half had no drama. All that was in question was whether Walton would record a triple-double.
He did. Because one triple-double in a week isn't enough.