The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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troit grabbed the starting point guard spot from game one, and went about learning — and contributing — on the fly. He demonstrated a fierce, unwavering assertiveness away from the home court. In the Puerto Rico Tipoff, Walton helped trigger Michigan's monumental comeback from a 16-point second-half deficit against Florida State to an 82-80 overtime win. He fired in 15 points and dished out six assists in that game, nailing a trio of three-pointers and even grabbing four rebounds among the Seminoles' considerable length. Walton also acquired some seat-of-his-pants knowledge — watching as Albrecht guided the Wolverines down the stretch in the near miss at home against No. 1 Arizona — and showed himself ready at the onset of Big Ten play. His seven points and four assists helped push Michigan past Minnesota 63-60, and his heroics in Michigan's 71-70 win at Nebraska made the difference. Walton bombed in a more-than-half-court shot at the end of the first half, giving the Wolverines a 33-30 lead. Then with U-M down by one late, Walton's baseline drive and score over and through 6-8, 255-pound Leslee Smith provided the game winner. A charge call wouldn't have been a shocker in that situation, but the rookie wasn't afraid to charge toward a win with 21 seconds remaining. "I loved the way it went — I loved the way it went," Beilein beamed. "… I am just glad we finished it." Walton, a true freshman, averaged 8.1 points and 2.8 assists per game in Michigan's 13-4 start this season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL The fearless finish didn't surprise ESPN college basketball analyst Tim McCormick, although even he questioned the whistle on the game-turning play. "The end-of-the-game shot was really gutsy," McCormick said. "To me, it looked like a charge. But he's really got swagger. "He believes in himself. He's not Trey Burke, but he's certainly moving in the direction of being an upperdivision Big Ten point guard." That's all he needs to be, according