At the Buzzer: Michigan 123, William & Mary 79

Rapid reactions to Michigan’s 123-79 win over William & Mary.

The Moment

After Roddy Gayle Jr. wrangled a defensive rebound in the early minutes of the second half, Elliot Cadeau streaked down the court and finished the possession with an and-1. Knocking in the extra shot, the Wolverines went on a 9-0 scoring run to finally pull away with the game after being up just five points coming out of halftime.

Within the first three minutes of the second half, the Wolverines stretched their tenuous first-half lead out to 16 points. Continuing to capitalize on turnovers as they did in the first half, Michigan pushed the pace down the court, resulting in a string of easy layups as the Wolverines ran away with the game.

The Takeaway

Every part of Michigan’s offense was on fire against William & Mary. Eclipsing the triple-digit mark for the first time this season, nearly every problem the Wolverines have had offensively disappeared against the Tribe’s hellter-skelter style.

Seven of the Wolverines players ended the night with double-digit scoring, including every starter. For the first time this year, the trio of starting guards found their rhythm early, transforming their defensive presence into offensive buckets.

Michigan’s bigs were on point too, limiting their shots from the outside and feasting in the paint. JP Estrella and Moustapha Thiam combined for 31 points while Goodman chipped in 11 of his own. Together, they grabbed 10 offensive rebounds.

And finally, just like against Marquette, the three ball was falling. Seven players knocked in a triple, and the Wolverines shot 35% from behind the arc on 40 attempts.

The Star

For the second game in a row, Michigan’s starting point guard finished with a double-double.

Cadeau scored just five points in the first half but created a litany of easy looks for his teammates, finishing with six assists in his first 16 minutes.

After kicking off the scoring streak in the second half, Cadeau followed up his and-1 with a three-pointer, ending the day 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.

While Cadeau’s play on the defensive side of the ball has been hampered by his tendency to foul, Cadeau flipped the script against William & Mary. Cadeau had three steals and a block against the Tribe and only got his third personal foul of the day with less than six minutes remaining in the game. Cadeau ended the night with 11 points and 11 assists in just 26 minutes of action.

The Stat

Michigan ended the first half with eight steals and four blocks, while forcing five more turnovers. By the end of the game, the Wolverines added on 4 steals and 4 blocks.

With almost every possession from the tribe featuring some sort of back-to-the-basket dribbling, Michigan’s guards racked up the deflections, while its bigs handled the rollers inside. With Michigan’s switching, the Princeton-style offense had little room to work, leading to a multitude of errant passes and forced shots late in the shot clock.

More importantly than just racking up the stocks, the Wolverines capitalized off them. Pushing the pace, Michigan scored 36 points off turnovers, good for 29% of their total points.

Four Factors