Caleb Houstan’s assertive performance opens Michigan’s offense

Less than seven minutes after halftime, Caleb Houstan was feeling himself.

The freshman wing had gone a perfect three of three from behind the arc in the first half and looked to continue with his hot hand in the second half.

He saw sophomore center Hunter Dickinson start to set the screen and used it to create space for his shot. Little space was made. The defender was still right beside him, but Houstan didn’t notice. His eyes were on the basket. Off-balance and quicker to release, he shot a difficult 3-pointer with little hesitation.

It bricked badly.

The shot itself may have been an ill-advised attempt, but the message behind the play spoke for itself. Houstan was playing with confidence, a newly found aggression that opened the offense. 

“Every shooter goes through a little rough stretch,” Dickinson said. “But I think today was a really good showing from him, and I think that was a big reason why we won today.”