Michigan's Darius Morris (4) tries to drive past Bowling Green's Jordan Crawford during the first half of the Wolverines' 69-50 win Thursday night at Crisler Arena.

Lon Horwedel| | AnnArbor.com

Darius Morris had a simple message for his teammates before Thursday’s game at Crisler Arena: He doesn’t need to score, but he’ll pass enough to get 10 assists.

What transpired during the Michigan basketball team’s 69-50 thumping of Bowling Green in a preliminary round of the Legends Classic wasn’t exactly Morris’ vision -- he scored six points -- but he was right on when it came to getting his teammates involved.

“His main goal is to get 10 assists," freshman forward Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “Zero points and 10 assists. He told us before this game he wanted to get 10 assists and he ended up getting 11.”

Morris tied his previous career assist high -- seven against Northwestern last year -- by halftime. He finished with 11, the best total by a Michigan player since Manny Harris had 11 last November against Creighton.

What pleased Morris the most was the soundness of his game. He played within the system. For the most part, he didn’t force passes. He made the smart pass.

The sophomore point guard had three turnovers in the second half, but by then the game was already decided. And Michigan coach John Beilein called Morris’ first half perhaps the best he’s played since he arrived in Ann Arbor.

The most glaring difference this season for Morris is his ability to keep things simpler than a year ago. Last season, as a freshman, Morris would often go for the flashy pass instead of the simpler one.

This year, he mixes the flash in with the fundamental. That was no more evident than on his 10th assist, when he found an open Jordan Morgan underneath the basket and hit him with a no-look pass in the lane.

“The plays, they were slowing down to me (more) than last year,” Morris said. “I see things maturing and I know exactly what to expect when we run a play and I also try to do the simple play.

“I think in the second half, I got a little complicated and had three turnovers. When I keep it simple is when I’m at my best and when the team is at their best.”

As Morris kept Michigan in control, a play by Zack Novak ended up changing the game.

Behind 14 of A’usten Calhoun’s game-high 16 points for Bowling Green (1-2), the Wolverines (2-0) were up one, 28-27, with three minutes left in the first half when sophomore guard Matt Vogrich turned over the ball. Bowling Green guard Luke Kraus stole it and had a wide open layup. Out of nowhere, Novak came from behind and blocked it.

A potential Bowling Green lead turned into a Michigan spark the Falcons never recovered from.

Novak fed off the energy. So did the crowd and his teammates, going on an 11-2 run to end the half and take control of the game.

“I guess I’m leading the team in blocks, I’m not sure,” said Novak, who, indeed, is leading the Wolverines with three blocks after two Thursday. “I’m going to enjoy it while I can because it probably won’t last very long.”

After the block, Vogrich redeemed himself with a 3-pointer. That sent Novak into a yelling, fist-pumping excited rage and sent Michigan into a new mode of focus. Evan Smotrycz, who scored a team-high 14 points, made two 3-pointers in the run and Morris got involved, finding Morgan for a layup.

It turned what was a close game into a blowout and left Michigan feeling like it took another step in its maturation process.

No one more so than the Wolverines’ point guard.

“Everybody is taking steps progressively,” Morris said. “I feel like this game I took a little step.

“But I still have a long way to go.”

Michael Rothstein covers University of 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.