Michigan Basketball: 5 Wolverines who thrived during 2018 exhibition trip
Charles Matthews
Mathews is the most talented of the returning players and will be counted on to lead the Wolverines this coming season. The team’s lone senior is one of two Wolverine players to start every single game a year ago. He does have one season of eligibility left after this season, as he redshirted in 2016-17, although he likely will turn pro following the conclusion of the campaign.
The Kentucky transfer had a heck of a first season with UM, setting career highs across the board. The 2018 NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player finished second on the team in points (13.0), rebounds (5.5) and minutes (30.1). He also produced four double-doubles.
Mathews was more explosive in Spain than he has ever been, thanks to a stronger and more chiseled body. The 6-foot-6 wing dazzled with his high-flying dunks and blocks. He sealed the Wolverines lone victory with a one-handed put-back dunk.
Overall, Mathews was consistent on both ends of the floor. He did seem to have a tendency to get off to slow starts, however. As the majority of his scoring on the trip came in the second half. He finished the three exhibitions with 39 points as he reached double figures in each contest.
Mathews is aiming to improve his perimeter shooting this season. He averaged nearly two treys a game, but only connected on 31.8% of his attempts. Over a quarter (25.8%) of the 21-year old Chicago native’s shot attempts were from beyond the arc in 2017-18.
Iggy Brazdeikas
Brazdeikas was very impressive during the trip and likely proved that he was worthy of a lot of quality minutes off the bench this season.
The former four-star recruit has a scorer’s mentality and proved during the trip that he is a bonafide bucket filler. The 6-foot-7 forward showcased a sweet jumper and a quick first step which allowed him to get into the paint. The left-hander also did a nice job finishing through contact.
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Brazdeikas was the Wolverines leading scorer in Spain. He poured in 47 points over the three games and even had spurts where he took over the game. The Ontario native tallied at least 15 points in each contest. Like most freshman,Brazdeikas needs to work on his defense and rebounding.