Michigan Men’s Basketball downs Holy Cross in second game of 2018-19

Michigan’s football team had the spotlight on Saturday in their 42-7 win over Rutgers, but John Beilein’s men’s basketball squad also played their second game of the season and snagged its second win of the season over Holy Cross by a score of 56-37 at Crisler Center.

The night was headlined by forwards Ignas Bradzeikis and Charles Matthews, who scored 19 and 20 points respectively and were responsible for the bulk of the offensive output on the night. Isaiah Livers was the next closest player to being in double digits for the Wolverines with seven points.

It was another rough night shooting for Michigan, as they trailed by a score of 24-18 at the half. However, defense was once again a constant and the Wolverines would pull away with a second half scoring output of 38-13. On the night, Michigan shot 36 percent as a team and was 3-for-19 from three-point range.

Holy Cross would come out strong out of the gate with an 18-9 lead, but Michigan’s defense figured it out and held the Crusaders in check.

If there’s one thing to take away from the first two games, both 19 point victories, it is that this team is very much still a work in progress and that they are probably going to struggle to score this season, at least early on. In terms of pure shooting, this may be one of Beilein’s weakest groups as a unit, but they have the look of another elite defensive team. Bradzeikis is unafraid just two games into his college career and already appears to be one of their most-important players.

Next up, things do not get any easier for the Wolverines as they travel to take on No. 9 Villanova in a rematch of last season’s NCAA Championship game on Wednesday in a 6:30 p.m. ET tip.