Nik Stauskas Scores 21 of 25 in Second Half to Propel Michigan over Michigan State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 23, 2014

Nik Stauskas scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, fueling a 16-4 run by #20 Michigan as they went on to defeat #13 Michigan State for the second time this season, 79-70.

Down 36-34 at the half, the Wolverines turned on the jets and overwhelmed the Spartans in the second half, taking over the Big Ten lead in the process with an 11-3 mark. Michigan State fell to 11-4 in conference play, but is still a shoo-in for the NCAA tournament with a 22-6 record.

Stauskas was 9-for-13 from the field and hit three of five from beyond the arc. He added four points from the foul line, plus three rebounds and five assists.

19-7 Michigan took care of the Spartans back on January 25, winning the first-place showdown by an 80-75 margin. Since that win and before Sunday's game, the Wolverines had gone just 2-3, but now have the regular season title lined up, with four games remaining, all against unranked opponents.

Nik Stauskas Leads Michigan Past #10 Iowa, 75-67

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Even though the Iowa Hawkeyes were ranked #10 when they entered #21 Michigan's Crisler Center on Wednesday night, they had to be aware that the Wolverines had won seven in a row and were yet to be beaten (5-0) in Big Ten play.

After Nik Stauskas dropped 26 points on them en route to a 75-67 Michigan victory, the Hawkeyes understood why the Big Ten is no place for second-best and winning on the road is a tough task.

Stauskas, the 6'6" sophomore who was part of Michigan's Final Four squad last season, matched a career-high in scoring, hitting eight of 14 shots, including four of nine from three-point range, while adding five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

The Wolverine starters each played a minimum of 32 minutes in the win, with Stauskas leading the pack with 37 minutes of floor time.

Iowa led early, but traded leads with Michigan, until the Wolverines took control with less than four minutes left in the first half. After taking a 38-34 edge into the break, Iowa trailed the rest of the way, coming to within two points on a couple of occasions early in the second half. Michigan eventually edged away by as many as 11 points, but the Hawkeyes cut it to three with 2:34 remaining. Michigan was unfazed, hitting all six of their free throws in the waning minutes for their eighth straight win and a perfect, 6-0, mark in the conference.

Michigan defeated then-#3 Wisconsin on the 18th, 77-70, and will be tested again when they travel to Michigan State to play the 18-1 Spartans this Saturday. Michigan State leads the Big Ten with a 7-0 mark.

NCAA Regional Finals: Michigan, Louisville Romp into Final Four

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 31, 2013

South Regional: (4) Micchigan 79 (3) Florida 59 - Just more than three minutes into the game, this one was over.

Michigan hit six of there first eight shots, ran the score up to 13-0, and made a mockery of whatever defense the Gators thought they were going to play. Finally, Florida made a shot, putting their first two points on the board, but just as quickly, Trey Burke knocked down a three-pointer to put the Wolverines up 16-2 and on a glide path to Atlanta and the Final Four.

Michigan built the lead to as many as 24 points in the first half, though Florida whittled it down to 15 by the break, but an 11-point deficit was the closest they could get, as Michigan kept piling up the points.

Nik Stauskas was the dagger the wolverines used to gut the Gators, playing a nearly-flawless game, making seven of eight shots from the field, including all six of his three-point attempts for a game-high 23 points.

Michigan was excellent on defense, forcing 15 turnovers and holding Florida to 41% shooting.

The Wolverines will meet Syracuse on Saturday, April 6, in one of the regional semifinals.


Midwest Regional: (1) Louisville 85 (2) Duke 63 - Louisville, the only #1 seed remaining in the tournament, kept the Final Four from being a long-shot lover's dream by topping the Duke Blue Devils with a blowout second half after reserve guard Kevin Ware suffered a freakish broken leg that stunned the players, coaches, crowd and the national television audience.

Ware was contesting a Tyler Thornton three-pointer with 6:33 left in the first half when he came down on his right leg and the leg just seemed to buckle below the knee. The young man was carried off the court on a stretcher and is reportedly in good condition, though his return to action will take roughly a year.

The Cardinals took a three-point lead into the break, at 35-32, but came out on fire in the second, outscoring the Blue Devils 24-12 over the first 10:48 of the half, putting the game out of reach.

As usual, Russ Smith was spectacular as the game's high-scorer with 23 points. Smith and point guard Peyton Siva were as relentless on defense as they were on the offensive end. Siva scored 16 with four assists. The Cardinals made 11 steals and blocked nine Duke shots.

The Cardinals will face Wichita State in a national semifinal match-up on Saturday, April 6.