No. 7 Michigan Back On Track After 87-63 Rout Of Maryland
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Mike Smith made three early 3-pointers as No. 7 Michigan raced to a 17-3 lead, and the Wolverines had little difficulty beating Maryland 87-63 on Tuesday night.
Michigan made its first five 3s — Isaiah Livers had the other two — in an opening flurry that put the Wolverines (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten) in immediate control. Michigan led 42-25 at halftime and stretched its advantage to as many as 25 points in the second.
Livers led Michigan with 20 points and Franz Wagner contributed 15. Smith had 11.
The Wolverines were coming off their first loss of the season, Saturday at Minnesota. Eli Brooks missed that game with a foot injury. He returned Tuesday and scored seven points.
Maryland (8-7, 2-6) was led by Donta Scott's 13 points, but the Terrapins couldn't keep up with Michigan's terrific outside shooting. The Wolverines went 12 of 24 from 3-point range and Maryland was 4 of 19.
Michigan swept the regular-season series. The Wolverines won at Maryland 84-73 on Dec. 31.
BIG PICTURE
Maryland: The Terrapins have won only two Big Ten games, but they were both against ranked teams on the road. They've never beaten three Top 25 teams on the road in one season, and they didn't come particularly close against Michigan.
Michigan: The Wolverines made their loss to Minnesota look like just a bump in the road, putting Maryland in a big hole early and not letting up. This looked a lot like a number of other games Michigan has played lately. The Wolverines beat Minnesota by 25 and Wisconsin by 23 before losing the rematch with the Golden Gophers.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Michigan didn't drop at all after splitting last week's games against Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Wolverines justified that confidence from the voters Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Maryland: The Terrapins play at No. 17 Minnesota on Saturday in another chance to beat a ranked team on the road.
Michigan: The Wolverines play at Purdue on Friday night.
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