Wolverine TV: Phil Martelli breaks down Michigan basketball win at Iowa
Michigan Wolverines basketball interim and associate head coach Phil Martelli met with the media following his team’s 90-80 victory over Iowa Sunday evening in Iowa City. Watch video of Martelli in the player at the top of the screen, courtesy of On3’s Hawkeye Report.
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• Tarris Reed Jr. scores 21 points, leads Michigan to 90-80 road win at Iowa
Phil Martelli breaks down Michigan win
The Michigan coach opened up with some remarks at the start of his press conference.
“In a Division I game, obviously, I don’t know if you’re going to have a lot of games where you have six guys in double figures,” Martelli said. “It speaks volumes about the contributions. And Tray Jackson — calling it honestly — if he had kept his mouth shut, we would’ve had a seventh guy in double figures.
“So, the key, to me was transition defense, transition defense, transition defense. We committed to that, we feared it, we knew that they laced up after Thursday night — Friday, Saturday, getting ready — to get 100 and to test us to see if we could do the same. Our transition defense and our shot challenges, even at the rim, were really what set this apart.
“I’m always one to pass the praise. [Michigan assistant coach] Saddi Washington is the defensive coordinator. He’s worked with these guys for three days on what we would face. And Howard Eisley did the scouting report.
“Road wins are like a game and a half. But, we’re coming in here having given away a home game. Indiana earned the game, but to lose a home game in this league, it’s really quite the setback.”
Sophomore forward Tarris Reed Jr. dropped 19 points and added 4 rebounds. He had been nearly unplayable over the last week or so but put together a productive outing.
“He looked like a confident player,” Martelli said. “And those other games, to describe it, he looked like a young player trying to hide in plain sight out there. Like, ‘Maybe the ball won’t come to me,’ or not listening as clearly, even to his teammates. I saw his mother and father in the front row, and I just heard [Michigan head coach] Juwan [Howard] just tell him, we’re going to have to work out an NIL deal to be able to get his mother and father to fly in for every game.”
Michigan will have nearly a week off before facing Eastern Michigan Saturday at Crisler Center. The Wolverines are now 5-5 and 1-1 in Big Ten play.
