Michigan basketball gets back on track with win over San Diego State

The Michigan Wolverines were back in action today looking to bounce back from their third loss of the season earlier this week at North Carolina. Michigan played host to the San Diego State Aztecs. The Wolverines had their most complete performance of the season against a talented Aztecs team. The Aztecs were led by Matt Bradley who had 22 points. Hunter Dickinson dominated with a double double, scoring 23 points and snagging 14 boards. The big fella also didn’t miss from behind the arc, going 3-for-3. Caleb Houstan and Eli Brooks were also in double figures, scoring 17 and 10. Frankie Collins provided a major spark off the bench, and Michigan came out with a 72-58 win.

First Half

Everyone is curious at the start of all Michigan’s games now to see if the offense can get their issues fixed and if anyone will get more playing time in attempt to fix said issues. In the first half, Michigan showed some good flashes on offense, and Frankie Collins was a big reason why. Collins didn’t crack the starting lineup, but he provided an immediate spark on both ends of the floor when he entered the game. Michigan got off to another slow start, the offense wasn’t running smoothly and there were a few careless turnovers. Collins entered the game and scored a driving layup, then got a steal and a dunk to fire up the Crisler crowd. Michigan looked like a completely different team with Collins out there and built a 10-point lead after trailing by one before Collins entered the game. When Collins left the game, the offense seemed to go stagnant again. San Diego State closed the gap and took a lead before a late 3 from Hunter Dickinson put Michigan up 36-34 at the break.

Second Half

This was Michigan’s best half of the season so far, and Moussa Diabate didn’t even play after feeling under the weather and leaving the game. Collins got increased playing time and did a great job running the offense. Don’t be surprised if we hear Collins name called in the starting lineups before Michigan’s next game. The defense looked great, too. In the midst of a 14-0 run for Michigan, SDSU had just nine points over 13 minutes into the half. Hunter Dickinson was also a force throughout the entire game, knocking down threes and being a beast down low on offense and defense. Michigan got out and running early in the second half. The Wolverines looked dominant from start to finish and built their lead up to 21 at one point. This was a much needed performance for the Wolverines that should boost their confidence moving forward.