It’s not easy to guard or get by a lanky 7-foot-3 player. That’s a lesson Aday Mara just taught Oregon.
On Saturday, the No. 4 Michigan men’s basketball team’s junior center brutalized the Ducks on both sides of the ball. As a big man with the ability to shine in multiple facets of the game, he simply overwhelmed Oregon with his constant presence.
Oftentimes having his minutes staggered with sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr., the Wolverines rely on a one-two punch with Mara to affect the interior on both offense and defense. But with Johnson in foul trouble early, Michigan leaned on Mara to keep things consistent.
And Mara was able to hold down the fort defensively for the Wolverines despite heavy minutes in the first half. Using his length to deter would-be shooters and drivers, Mara kept the paint free. When the Ducks dared to shoot over or around him, not much dropped with Mara sending back three attempts in the process.
“I thought going into the game we’d have to hit 10 or 11 threes just because they’re so big inside with Mara,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We just didn’t get the good looks, we shot 33%. Your’e going to have to go maybe 10-for-24 to beat them.”
While the Ducks couldn’t get shots to drop with Mara patrolling the paint, Michigan could with his interior presence. Being fed touches down low, Mara flashed his most unique offensive ability: his passing. Being a threat to score considering his size, defenders stuck close to Mara, allowing him to kick the ball out to open shooters along the perimeter. He even displayed a behind-the-back pass that led to a shooting foul on the Ducks. As a facilitating threat, Mara was able to find his own quality shots as well.
As expected of a player of his size, Mara’s biggest pitfall this season has been his free throw shooting, making less than half his attempts from the charity stripe coming into Saturday’s game. But Mara hit his stride by making 6-of-9 free throws, stretching what would typically be a single-digit win into a double-digit win.
“Put them on the free throw line too much,” Altman said. “That’s where we really got beat.”
Mara’s reliability kept the Wolverines in it when Oregon attempted to put its foot on the gas. Going into the second half down, the Wolverines needed a spark. And over the first eight minutes of the second half, Mara was just that, making all three of his shots while helping open up opportunities for others.
In Mara’s 25 minutes on the court, he led the way even if the box score doesn’t fully say so. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Ducks had been completely worn out by Mara, drowned out in the paint and punished for his passing.
And in the ensuing 40 minutes of game time, the Ducks learned that it’s not easy to work around Aday Mara.
