Charles Matthews leads Michigan after attending grandmother's funeral
George Sipple
Michigan basketball coach John Beilein had a lot of questions about his team on Saturday morning.
Beilein came to Little Caesars Arena wondering if Charles Matthews would make it to the game, after attending a funeral for his paternal grandmother on Friday in Chicago.
Beilein also didn’t know if Duncan Robinson would be able to speak after dealing with laryngitis or if Moritz Wagner would play after suffering an ankle sprain in the win at Texas on Tuesday.
But it was Detroit Mercy who didn’t have any answers for the Wolverines in the Hitachi College Basketball Showcase. The Wolverines ended the first half with a 54-19 lead and went on to win, 90-58.
Matthews and assistant coach DeAndre Haynes arrived at Little Caesars Arena about 40 minutes before tip-off. Matthews scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half on 7 of 10 shooting.
“It’s tough, but she’s in a better place now,” Matthews said of his grandmother, Mary Thomas. “I’m pretty sure she’s watching down over me for the rest of my life. Just happy we could come out here and get a win."
Robinson scored all 11 of his points in the first half for the Wolverines (10-3).
Wagner, U-M’s leading scorer and rebounder, didn’t play.
Jon Teske made his first career start in place of Wagner and finished with a career-high 15 points. Teske also grabbed 10 rebounds in a career-high 28 minutes.
What Matthews did in the second half shouldn’t be overlooked, though. After scoring three points on 1 of 6 shooting in the first half, Matthews was the best player on the court in the second half.
"He's a heck of a talent that's learning every day," Beilein said. "I see big steps. Decision-making is still something that he's working on.
"When people load up against him, he's going to have to hit the open man. I think his assists will continue to grow."
Beilein said it was important for Matthews to be at the viewing.
“It’s not some distant relative,” Beilein said. “It’s his grandmother. She’s in her 60s. She died young. He had a special relationship with her.”
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Beilein said Michigan went through 45 minutes of film and a walk-through on Saturday morning that Matthews missed.
“I was a little bit worried on some things, but we got out to such a great start it didn’t matter,” Beilein said.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 16-4 lead and went on a 19-0 run in a span of 3:36 to build a 42-13 advantage. Matthews took over in the second half.
“When you get on the court, I feel like everything goes away,” Matthews said. “All your problems just erase.”
Matthews said Beilein gave him the option of remaining with his family, but he didn’t want to miss the game.
“I said I want to be here and play,” Matthews said. “That’s what I love to do. This is what she loved me doing as well. I wanted to come out here and play the game.”
Matthews said as soon as he arrived Beilein stopped his pre-game speech and gave him a hug. “When you see people caring about you outside of basketball," Matthews said, "that makes you run through brick walls for them.”
Zavier Simpson added 12 points and a team-high seven assists with no turnovers for the Wolverines.
Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!