Ann Arbor, MI – 2015 NBA first round draft prospects, Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker combined for 37 points and 13 rebounds as the Badgers survived a shorthanded, but game Wolverine squad 69-64 in overtime.
Playing without guard Caris Levert (also a First Round prospect) for only the second time, Michigan was led by soph. guard Derrick Walton Jr. who had 17 points- including a triple with 1.3 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. He was supported by soph. wing, Zak Irvin with 12 points, including two treys.
However, the Kaminsky/Dekker duo prevailed – combining for 23 second-half points – 16 of those coming from the angular Kaminsky. The 7-0 All-American candidate happens to be the only player in the country averaging at least 16.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.5 bpg. Kaminsky was particularly effective on basket cuts against the Wolverines’ man defense and flash posts into the belly of the 2-3 zone. In both cases, the deceptively athletic center deftly finished with both hands. Kaminsky finished with a very Badger-like, efficient 22 points on 8-of-13 FGA and 6-of-8 FTA.
Sam Dekker
While Kaminsky’s athleticism is somewhat deceptive and underrated, Dekker’s is neither. He served notice again tonight with two resounding dunks – one a first half highlight transition two hander and a second half drive through everyone – catching the Michigan defense off guard. Usually an effective three-point marksman for his size, (6-9, 230), Dekker was only 1-of-6 from the arc, but his only five misses for the night came from there as he finished with a fairly efficient 6-of-11 FGA overall for 15 points.
The Big 10 leading and 6th ranked Badgers (18-2 and 6-1) travel to Iowa next Saturday and the young Wolverines (12-8 and 5-3) turn around fast – hosting Nebraska on Tuesday.
Don Sicko is a Correspondent and Scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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