Another double-double for Michigan guard Darius Morris nets him another top star
In a game where a lot of players had small but significant performances, Michigan sophomore guard Darius Morris stood out.
Again.
Morris had 20 points and 10 assists in Michigan's 76-69 win over Penn State on Sunday and earned the AnnArbor.com first star of the game.
Who joined him? Click below to find out. If you agree, disagree or just want to talk about it, let's chat in the comments.
First Star — Darius Morris, Michigan It wasn’t the cleanest game from Morris, but he still led Michigan with his fifth double-double of the year (20 points, 10 assists) and made six critical free throws down the stretch to help seal the win. His four turnovers were more than normal, but he was efficient shooting the ball (6 of 10) and his only rebound was one of the biggest as it came late with Penn State trying to come back.
Second Star — Talor Battle, Penn State As is often the case, Battle was the best player on the floor and it’s a shame he doesn’t have more around him. The senior guard scored 31 points, the first time a Michigan opponent scored 30 points since Iowa's Aaron Fuller last season. He was also fairly efficient, making 11 of 20 shots and 5 of 12 3-pointers.
Third Star — Zack Novak, Michigan Novak didn’t do much in the first half due to foul trouble but he scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds in the second half, including a critical 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:44 left that Battle said “buried us.” Sophomore Matt Vogrich called Novak the “heart and soul” of this Michigan team and there’s a reason. He’s the leader. He showed it Sunday.
Three Stars Season Tally: Darius Morris, Michigan: 9 Jordan Morgan, Michigan: 4 Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan: 4 Zack Novak, Michigan: 4 Evan Smotrycz, Michigan: 2 Stu Douglass, Michigan: 2 Jon Horford, Michigan: 1 Jeff Meyer, Michigan assistant coach: 1 Matt Vogrich, Michigan: 1 Rocko Holmes, Concordia: 1 Keith Wright, Harvard: 1 Landon Clement, North Carolina Central: 1 Talor Battle, Penn State: 1 JaJuan Johnson, Purdue: 1 Ryne Smith, Purdue: 1 Scoop Jardine, Syracuse: 1 Kris Joseph, Syracuse: 1 Randy Culpepper, UTEP: 1 John Bohannon, UTEP: 1 The rims at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J.: 1
Michael Rothstein covers Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.
Comments
cnorman
Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 12:27 p.m.
can't argue with the 'star' allocation----but i'd put novak in the top three in just about each game. NOBODY NOBODY plays harder---certainly nobody at 6'2. when he leaves, there MUST be an award named for him. michael, you mentioned that he didn't get much done in the first twenty---i don't believe that he had a shot in the first half. this team is a long way from contending for the upper tier of the league or for any post season tournament, but one stat does amaze. ten turnovers----a long way from the 22 or so averaged in the amaker years.
InsideTheHall
Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 11:03 a.m.
Nowak was the #1 star. Morris needs to shed the Dan Horton in his game and play under control to reach his full potential.
Pete S.
Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 10:29 a.m.
For the first time since Beilein got to UM, he has a team that plays as a TEAM. I liked Manny and Sims, and both were great players, but this team is a lot more interesting and fun to watch. And thank goodness, something to distract us from all the turmoil going on with the football program right now. This team has a legit chance at a NCAA tournament berth this season and is really setting up well to contend for B10 title in the next 2-3 seasons.
LBGoBlue
Sun, Jan 2, 2011 : 10:16 p.m.
The ultimate testimony to the sad state of the football program is that both the men's and women's basketball programs as of today are closer to competing for a Big Ten championship in the next 2-3 years. Obviously, neither of those programs has the tradition of excellence, resources, and fan interest of football. They do, however, seem to have decent coaching. and that makes a world of difference. It's time for a change at Schembechler Hall.