Morez Johnson Jr., No. 4 Michigan aim to exploit Oregon’s interior

Michigan dominated the paint on Wednesday night and bounced back from its first loss of the season.

The fourth-ranked Wolverines will seek a similar outcome when they face Oregon on Saturday in Eugene, Ore.

Following a 91-88 home loss to unranked Wisconsin last Saturday, the Wolverines headed to the Pacific Northwest and defeated Washington, 82-72.

Morez Johnson Jr. powered for 16 points and career-high 16 rebounds, while center Aday Mara made all but one of his 11 field-goal attempts for a season-high 20 points. The Wolverines outscored the Huskies 50-28 in the lane.

"As a coaching staff, we communicate throughout the game and there were anywhere between three and 300 instances where we said to each other 'Rez is an absolute dog, Rez is an absolute beast,'" Michigan coach Dusty May said of Johnson. "We were very repetitive because he made so many plays that made us appreciate him."

Mara credited his teammate for leading the team to the victory, a game in which the Wolverines led most of the way.

"His ability to help us in rebounding is something I've never seen before," Mara said. "I think that was better than me scoring 20. For (Wednesday's) game, one of the keys was rebounding and I think he did great. It's way easier when you have a player like this on your team."

Michigan's defense overall was much tighter than the previous game.

The Wolverines (15-1 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) held the Huskies to 37.5% shooting overall and 27.3% on 3-point attempts. The Badgers shot 50% from the field and 45% from long range while knocking Michigan from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Oregon (8-9, 1-5), a perennial NCAA Tournament team, has endured a rough season thus far. The Ducks have lost three straight games, including a 90-55 blowout at Nebraska on Tuesday.

They now must deal with the Wolverines and Michigan's in-state rival, Michigan State, which will visit Eugene on Tuesday.

"We got our (butts) kicked and they played harder than we did," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "They outrebounded us, outfought us at every turn. (I'm) very disappointed in my ball team. We've got a tough stretch coming up with (Michigan and Michigan State). It's not going to get any easier for us."

Nebraska led by 12 at halftime on Tuesday and the game turned into a complete rout in the second half with the Cornhuskers leading by as many as 39 points. Nebraska shot 53% and scored 23 points off 16 Oregon turnovers.

"It's an embarrassment for a program that's been to five Sweet 16s, a couple Elite Eights and a Final Four to have a performance like that," Altman said. "I'm embarrassed for our program. I'm sure our fans are going to have a lot to say about that one."

The team's top scorer, Nate Bittle, was held to 10 points with three rebounds in 25 minutes. The 7-footer averages 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds.

He'll have his hands full trying to contain the 7-foot-3 Mara, who transferred from UCLA after last season.