Author: Drew Montag

The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team only played one game last week, and they lost it. On Saturday (03/09/2019), they lost at (#9) Michigan State 75-63. The loss leaves Michigan with a final regular season record of 26-5 (15-5 in the Big Ten). Michigan finished in 3^rd place in the league.

Time for more Questions & Answers:

Q: Oh well?

A: Yeah, oh well. Thanks to Purdue’s unexpected loss at Minnesota on Tuesday, the Michigan/MSU game was for a share of the Big Ten title, and Michigan lost that chance. It would have been great to beat MSU on their home floor for Senior Night on national TV and grab a share of the Big Ten title, but it didn’t work out. Fortunately, there are still other goals out there for Michigan to aspire to: a 3^rd consecutive Big Ten Tournament title, and a national title.

Q: So, what happened?

A: Michigan played a good, solid game for the first 26 minutes of the game, then fell apart for the last 14 minutes. UM led by 12 points (35-23) with 3:12 left to go in the 1^st half, but MSU cut the deficit in half by halftime (35-29). Michigan stretched the lead to 8 points (48-40) with 13:57 left, then went stone cold. Over the next 8 minutes, MSU went on a devastating 25-4 run that put the game out of reach (65-52 with 5:58 left). Michigan never got any closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

Q: How were the game stats?

A: Not very good. Michigan shot pretty poorly overall (25-for-62 = 40.3%), they shot 3-pointers fairly well (8-for-22 = 36.4%), and they shot free throws well (5-for-7 = 71.4%). They were absolutely crushed on the boards (46-20), but they won the turnover battle (5-12). MSU outscored UM from the free-throw line 23-5. Along with the 26 rebound edge, UM stood no chance.

Complete stats here.

Q: Who looked good for Michigan?

A: A few players had a good game:

• Ignas Brazdeikis had a good game, until he fouled out 5:10 left. He scored 20 points, including 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range.
  
• Jordan Poole was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 15 points. He didn’t shoot very well: 6-for-15 overall, 3-for-7 from deep.
  
• Jon Teske almost hit double figures (8 points), and did his best defending MSU’s smaller, more agile post players.
  
• Eli Brooks had one of his better games of the Big Ten season, with 5 points, including a 3-pointer.
  

Q: Who looked not-so-good for Michigan?

A: Everyone else:

• Zavier Simpson had his worst game in a while, when UM needed him the most. He scored 6 points on terrible shooting: 3-for-13 overall, 0-for-3 from deep. He usually plays good defense, but he couldn’t slow down MSU’s Cassius Winston (23 points).
  
• Isaiah Livers started in place of Charles Matthews again, and he had a mediocre game: 5 points on 2-for-6 (1-for-4 from deep) shooting.
  
• Colin Castleton was the backup center again this game, and he didn’t do much: 2 points in 9 minutes.
  
• David DeJulius played 7 minutes, and scored 2 points, on 1-for-5 shooting.
  
• Brandon Johns, Jr. played 13 minutes, and missed his only shot.
  

Q: Who else played this week?

A: Coach Beilein played a couple bench players in the last minute: Austin Davis and Adrien Nuñez. Neither of them attempted a shot.

Q: What did we learn this week?

A: We learned that Michigan still can’t deal with adversity. It’s been a problem all season. This team has the talent to beat anyone in the country, but the mental part of the game is what trips them up. When the going gets tough, especially on the road, Michigan often folds.

Q: What’s next for Michigan?

A: Michigan plays in the Big Ten Tournament this week, in Chicago. As one of the top four seeds, Michigan gets a double bye, and begins play in the quarterfinals on Friday (03/15/2019, 9:30 p.m. EDT, BTN) against the winner of the game on Thursday between (#6 seed) Iowa and the winner of the game on Wednesday between (#14 seed) Northwestern and (#11 seed) Illinois.

If Michigan wins on Friday, they advance to the semifinal round Saturday (03/16/2019, 3:30 p.m. EDT, CBS) against the winner of Friday’s game between (#2 seed) Purdue and the winner of Thursday’s game between (#7 seed) Minnesota and (#10 seed) Penn State.

The two top seeds on the other side of the bracket are (#1 seed) Michigan State and (#4 seed) Wisconsin, and the championship game in on Sunday (03/17/2019, 3:30 p.m. EDT, CBS).

Michigan has won the last two Big Ten Tournament championships in a row, for an 8-game winning streak. They are seeded much higher this season than they have been the last two seasons. We’ll see if that helps.

The complete bracket is here.

That’s it for this week. Check back next week to see how Michigan did.

Go Blue!

Mr. March

Drew Montag

03/04/2019

 

 

Tom Izzo, Michigan State’s basketball coach, has a reputation for being “Mr. March”. The accepted wisdom is that his teams round into form and start playing their best basketball when March rolls around. Let’s look at the last three seasons, and compare that to Michigan’s record in March over the same period:

	Michigan State	Michigan
Regular season	0-3	2-1
Big Ten Tournament	2-2	8-0
NCAA Tournament	2-2	7-1
Totals	4-7	17-2

“Mr. March” indeed.

Here are all the game results, in case you don’t believe it.

Michigan State:

2016-2017

03/01/2017 L 73-70 Illinois (Regular season)

03/04/2017 L 63-60 Maryland (Regular season)

03/09/2017 W 78-51 Penn State (Big Ten Tournament)

03/10/2017 L 63-58 Minnesota (Big Ten Tournament)

03/17/2017 W 78-58 Miami (FL) (NCAA Tournament)

03/19/2017 L 90-70 Kansas (NCAA Tournament)

2017-2018

03/02/2018 W 63-60 Wisconsin (Big Ten Tournament)

03/03/2018 L 75-64 Michigan (Big Ten Tournament)

03/16/2018 W 82-78 Bucknell (NCAA Tournament)

03/18/2018 L 55-53 Syracuse (NCAA Tournament)

2018-2019

03/01/2019 L 63-62 Indiana (Regular season)

Michigan:

2016-2017

03/01/2017 L 67-65 Northwestern (Regular season)

03/05/2017 W 93-57 Nebraska (Regular season)

03/09/2017 W 75-55 Illinois (Big Ten Tournament)

03/10/2017 W 74-40 Purdue (Big Ten Tournament)

03/11/2017 W 84-77 Minnesota (Big Ten Tournament)

03/12/2017 W 71-56 Wisconsin (Big Ten Tournament)

03/17/2017 W 92-91 Oklahoma State (NCAA Tournament)

03/19/2017 W 73-69 Louisville (NCAA Tournament)

03/23/2017 L 69-68 Oregon (NCAA Tournament)

2017-2018

03/01/2018 W 77-71 Iowa (Big Ten Tournament)

03/02/2018 W 77-58 Nebraska (Big Ten Tournament)

03/03/2018 W 75-64 Michigan State (Big Ten Tournament)

03/04/2018 W 75-66 Purdue (Big Ten Tournament)

03/15/2018 W 61-47 Montana (NCAA Tournament)

03/17/2018 W 64-63 Houston (NCAA Tournament)

03/22/2018 W 99-72 Texas A&M (NCAA Tournament)

03/24/2018 W 58-54 Florida State (NCAA Tournament)

03/31/2018 W 69-57 Loyola-Chicago (NCAA Tournament)

2018-2019

03/03/2019 W 69-62 Maryland (Regular season)

The (#9) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they won them both. On Thursday (02/28/2019), they beat Nebraska 82-53 in Crisler, then on Sunday (03/03/2019), they won at (#17) Maryland 69-62. The two wins raise Michigan’s record to 26-4 (15-4 in the Big Ten).

Time for more Questions & Answers:

Q: The race for second place?

A: Yeah, unfortunately, Purdue is probably going to win the Big Ten regular season championship outright, but Michigan and Michigan State are now tied for 2^nd place in the loss column, and the last game of the season should decide that. Purdue is currently 15-3 in the Big Ten, with two games left: at Minnesota on Tuesday (03/05), and at Northwestern on Saturday (03/09). They will be heavily favored in both games, and if they win them both, they’ll win the league outright. Michigan is currently 15-4 and MSU is 14-4. MSU has two games left: home vs. Nebraska on Tuesday, and home vs. Michigan on Saturday. MSU should handle Nebraska, setting up the big game for 2^nd place on Saturday.

Q: So, what happened?

A: The Nebraska game was a nice, solid, encouraging win. Michigan opened up a quick early lead (5-0), built on it (10-2), and never let Nebraska get close. It was a 22-point lead (43-21) at halftime, and Nebraska never got closer than 17 points the rest of the way. It was a great game to have as the last home game of the season. Everyone got to play (with one exception), and it was a fun, stress-free game. The one exception: Charles Matthews who missed the game (and the Maryland game) due to an ankle injury he suffered in the MSU game. It was a shame, because Charles is the only senior on the team, and it was Senior Night. Charles has one more year of eligibility left, but Michigan is short one scholarship next season, so he will probably either try his luck with the NBA draft or go elsewhere for his “grad year” transfer.

The Maryland game was much more exciting. Maryland led early, but Michigan never let them get very far ahead, typically 3-5 points. Michigan tied the game repeatedly, but couldn’t “get over the hump” and get ahead until there was 2:16 left in the 1^st half, when they finally pulled ahead 24-22. Michigan finished the half on a 4-0 run to lead by 4 at halftime, 28-24. Maryland had a 9-2 run early in the 2^nd half to reclaim the lead, 36-35 with 15:50 to go. They still led, 43-41, with 11:23 left, when Michigan went on a 12-2 run of their own, and led 53-45, with 4:38 to go. Maryland never got closer than 5 points the rest of the way. It was a great win, especially since road wins are so hard to get in the Big Ten.

Q: Any problems with the officiating?

A: Nah, they were reasonable, for Big Ten refs.

Q: How were the game stats?

A: About what you would expect: great for the blow-out win over Nebraska, and barely acceptable for the close win over Maryland.

In the Nebraska game, Michigan shot very well overall (30-for-54 = 55.6%), they shot 3-pointers very well (12-for-22 = 54.5%), but they didn’t shoot free throws very well (10-for-19 = 52.6%). They crushed Nebraska on the boards (43-31), but they lost the turnover battle badly (13-7). The 3-point shooting was the reason Michigan won.

In the Maryland game, Michigan shot decently overall (25-for-57 = 43.9%), they shot 3-pointers pretty poorly (6-for-20 = 30.0%), and they shot free throws very well (13-for-15 = 86.7%). They lost the rebounding battle (35-31), but they won the turnover battle (4-9). Since Maryland had almost identical overall (25-for-58) and 3-point (6-for-20) shooting stats, the difference was at the free throw line, where Maryland only shot 6-for-10. Those extra 7 points were the exact margin of victory.

Here’s an amazing bit of trivia: all five starters for each team hit double figures in the Maryland game. I can’t remember when that has happened before.

Q: Who looked good for Michigan?

A: A few players had a good week:

• Ignas Brazdeikis had a great week, with 20 points vs. Nebraska and 21 points vs. Maryland. He was the spark that pushed Michigan into the lead in the last 10 minutes of the Maryland game.
  
• Jon Teske also had a very good week, with 22 and 11 points. Those 22 points are a new career high for Jon. He also had 10 rebounds in each game, for two double-doubles. Jon shot 3-pointers great in the Nebraska game (3-for-3) and terribly in the Maryland game (1-for-6). However, the one 3-pointer that he hit vs. Maryland was very timely (a dagger).
  
• Isaiah Livers hit double figures in both games, with 12 and 11 points. He started both games in place of Charles Matthews. Isaiah also had 10 rebounds in the Nebraska game, for a double-double.
  
• Zavier Simpson only hit double figures in one game this week, with 4 and 12 points, but he had 10 assists in each game, giving him a rare “points and assists” double-double in the Maryland game. He hit four or five of his amazing running hook shots in the Maryland game.
  
• Jordan Poole also only hit double figures in one game this week, with 6 and 12 points.
  
• Colin Castleton had a great game against Nebraska (11 points and 3 rebounds) and a quiet game against Maryland (2 points). Up until the Nebraska game, Colin had only scored 6 points all season, and hadn’t scored in 2019. He was great vs. Nebraska.
  

Q: Who looked not-so-good for Michigan?

A: A few players had an “off” week:

• Eli Brooks played in both games, and failed to score. After playing pretty well in the early games, Eli hasn’t done much in months, with a total of 10 points in 2019.
  
• David DeJulius played in both games, and scored 2 points vs. Nebraska.
  
• Brandon Johns, Jr. played in the Nebraska game, and scored 2 points. He didn’t play in the Maryland game.
  

Q: Who else played this week?

A: Coach Beilein played everyone in the last minute of the Nebraska blow-out:

• C.J. Baird took one shot, a 3-pointer, and splashed it!
  
• Austin Davis didn’t attempt a shot.
  
• Adrien Nuñez attempted three 3-pointers, and missed them all.
  
• Rico Ozuna-Harrison didn’t attempt a shot.
  
• Luke Wilson didn’t attempt a shot.
  

Q: What did we learn this week?

A: We learned that Michigan can beat a good Big Ten team on the road. Michigan hasn’t done very well recently against ranked opponents on the road, so the Maryland win was huge.

Q: What’s next for Michigan?

A: Michigan only plays one game this week, and it’s HUGE. On Saturday (03/09/2019, 8:00 p.m., ESPN), they play at (#6) Michigan State. This is the last game of the regular season.

Yes, Michigan just played MSU last week (02/24/2019) in Crisler, and MSU won. Yes, it’s going to be a lot tougher to beat them in Breslin. It looks like Purdue is going to win the Big Ten title, so this game will be for 2^nd place. Michigan has the talent to beat MSU, they just need to play their “A” game. It helps that Michigan has almost a week between games to prepare for this one.

That’s it for this week. Check back next week to see how Michigan did.

Go Blue!

The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they won one and lost the other. On Thursday (02/21/2019), they won at Minnesota 69-60, then on Sunday (02/24/2019), they lost to (#10) Michigan State 77-70 in Crisler. The win and the loss leave Michigan with a record of 24-4 (13-4 in the Big Ten).

Time for more Questions & Answers:

Q: It was fun while it lasted?

A: It was a fun season so far, but losing at home to MSU pretty much spoils it. Sure, Michigan can still beat MSU in two weeks, and maybe even sneak back into a tie for 1^st place in the league (if Purdue loses again), but this loss took all the fun out of the season. It also ended Michigan’s 22-game home winning streak.

Q: So, what happened?

A: The Minnesota game was a nice, solid, encouraging road win. After an early 6-6 tie, Michigan went ahead for good, and won going away. Michigan shot the ball well, and kept their poise.

The MSU game was close for the entire 1^st half, and Michigan actually opened up at decent lead (51-45) with 15:42 to go, then the roof fell in. Over the next almost 10 minutes, Michigan went stone cold and MSU caught fire, resulting in a 17-4 run that made the score 62-55. MSU kept the lead around the 7-9 point range for the rest of the game, made their free throws, and earned the win.

Q: Any problems with the officiating?

A: For the first time this season, Michigan lost without Lewis Garrison officiating. However, DJ Carstensen has officiated 3 of Michigan’s 4 losses, including the MSU game. I’m sure DJ Carstensen is a fine official, and it’s just a coincidence.

Q: How were the game stats?

A: About what you’d expect: good for the Minnesota win, bad for the MSU loss. Michigan hit their 3-pointers in the win, and didn’t in the loss. Complete stats here (Minnesota) and here (MSU).

Q: Who looked good for Michigan?

A: A few players had a good week:

• Jordan Poole had 22 and 15 points.
  
• Ignas Brazdeikis had 10 and 16 points.
  
• Jon Teske had 17 and 10 points. He also had 11 rebounds vs. MSU, for a double-double.
  
• Zavier Simpson 5 and 19 points.
  

Q: Who looked not-so-good for Michigan?

A: A few players had an “off” week:

• Charles Matthews had 9 and 4 points. He really disappeared in the MSU game.
  
• Isaiah Livers had 4 and 6 points. He had two turnovers in less than a minute in the MSU game which completely killed any momentum UM had going.
  
• Eli Brooks played in both games, and failed to score.
  

Q: Who else played this week?

A: Coach Beilein played a few bench players this week. They didn’t contribute much:

• Colin Castleton played in the Minnesota game, but didn’t score.
  
• David DeJulius played in both games, and scored 2 points vs. Minnesota.
  
• Brandon Johns, Jr. played in the MSU game, but didn’t score.
  

Q: What did we learn this week?

A: We learned that Michigan isn’t as good as we thought/hoped. They’re not bad, just not as good as it appeared after the first 17 games. Since then, UM is 7-4.

Q: What’s next for Michigan?

A: Michigan plays two games again this week, one at home and one away. On Thursday (02/28/2019, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN), they play Nebraska in Crisler, then on Sunday (03/03/2019, 3:45 p.m., CBS), they play at (#24) Maryland.

It’s certainly weird that Michigan has played 17 Big Ten games and still hasn’t played Nebraska, but that’s the way the Big Ten set up the schedule. Nebraska is currently 15-13 (5-12 in Big Ten), with lots of embarrassing losses, and no impressive wins. Pre-season polls picked Nebraska to finish 3^rd or 4^th in the league, but that isn’t going to happen. This is a team that Michigan should beat, especially on Senior Night. They just need to shake off the terrible performance vs. MSU and play their “A” game.

Michigan just played and beat Maryland in Ann Arbor on 02/16/2019. It will be tougher on the road, but Michigan can do it.

That’s it for this week. Check back next week to see how Michigan did.

Go Blue!

The (#6) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games last week, and they lost one and won the other. On Tuesday (02/12/2019), they lost at Penn State 75-69, then on Saturday (02/16/2019), they beat (#24) Maryland 65-52 in Crisler. The loss and the win leave Michigan with a record of 23-3 (12-3 in the Big Ten). Michigan is tied for 1^st place in the Big Ten with Michigan State. Purdue also has 3 losses, but they haven’t played as many games as Michigan and Michigan State.

Time for more Questions & Answers:

Q: Bad news, good news?

A: It’s not just that Michigan lost a game (bad news) and won a game (good news), it’s who they lost to (cellar-dwelling Penn State) and beat (ranked Maryland). The loss to PSU is one of the more shocking and demoralizing losses in the last 20 years, but Michigan bounced back nicely with a solid win against a good Maryland team. The win vs. Maryland makes it 14 times in a row that Michigan has won the next game after a loss. That’s impressive, especially compared to some other nearby Big Ten school that lost three games in a row just a couple weeks ago.

Q: So, what happened?

A: The PSU game started out OK, but went bad quickly. The score was tied 7-7 with 16:29 left in the half when PSU went on a 10-2 run, and never trailed again. Michigan got as close as two points (20-18 with 10:38 left in the 1^st half), but let the game get away. PSU led by 13 at halftime (40-27), and 16 before the 2^nd half started, due to 3 free throws on two technical fouls on Coach Beilein at the end of the 1^st half. Michigan did manage to get the lead back down to four points (55-51 with 8:21 left), but PSU pushed it back up to double digits, and held off UM down the stretch. Michigan was cold and flat, and PSU was hot and fired-up. PSU had their traditional meager crowd, generously listed at 9120, so Michigan can’t blame their performance on a rowdy, sold-out arena. They just had a terrible night.

The Maryland game went much better. Michigan opened up a quick 10-point lead (12-2) by the 15:10 mark, and never trailed. They kept the lead in the 9-11 point range for the entire 1^st half, and led by 9 (27-18) at halftime. Maryland played better in the 2^nd half, and kept within 6-8 points most of the time, getting as close as 3 points (42-29) with 10:21 left in the game. Michigan pushed the lead back up to the 9-11 point range, and kept it there for a convincing win.

Q: Any problems with the officiating?

A: No comment.

Well, I guess I do have a few comments, but most of them are unprintable. Let’s just say that the officiating in the PSU game was bad, even by Big Ten standards. How bad? Coach Beilein has only been ejected from two games in his career, and this was one of them. The other time was in 1981. He has to be pretty upset to get ejected.

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but looking at the officiating crews for Michigan’s three losses, a couple names pop out:

At Wisconsin (01/19) – Lewis Garrison, DJ Carstensen, Donnie Eppley

At Iowa (02/01) – Lewis Garrison, DJ Carstensen, Terry Wymer

At PSU (02/12) – Lewis Garrison, Paul Szelc, Rob Riley

I’m sure Lewis Garrison is a fine official, and it’s just a coincidence. Same with DJ Carstensen.

Q: How were the game stats?

A: Confusing. The stats for the loss (PSU) are much better than the stats for the win (Maryland).

In the PSU game, Michigan shot well overall (25-for-49 = 51.0%), they shot 3-pointers decently (7-for-20 = 35.0%), and they shot free throws pretty well (12-for-16 = 75.0%). They lost the rebounding battle badly (35-25), and they tied in the turnover battle (12-12). The rebounding edge was the difference.

In the Maryland game, Michigan shot decently overall (25-for-59 = 42.4%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (7-for-26 = 26.9%), and they shot free throws very well (8-for-10 = 80.0%). Once again, they got hammered on the boards (39-30), but they won the turnover battle handily (6-16). Those extra 10 possessions were the difference in the game.

Q: Who looked good for Michigan?

A: A few players had a good week:

• Charles Matthews was the high scorer for Michigan in both games, with 24 points vs. PSU and 14 points vs. Maryland. He also had 6 rebounds in each game.
  
• Jordan Poole only hit double figures in one game (17 and 8 points). He had an awful week shooting 3-pointers: 1-for-8 vs. PSU, and 0-for-3 vs. Maryland.
  
• Ignas Brazdeikis also only hit double figures in one game (6 and 13 points). He was limited to 17 minutes in the PSU game by foul trouble.
  
• Jon Teske didn’t hit double figures in either game (5 and 9 points), but he played a key role defensively in the Maryland game, holding Maryland’s big gun (Bruno Fernando) scoreless in the 1^st half, and limiting him to 12 points total. On the downside, he shot terribly in the Maryland game: 4-for-13 (1-for-7 from deep).
  
• Isaiah Livers also didn’t hit double figures in either game (7 and 7 points), but he was a key contributor on both ends of the court. He helped out a lot on Fernando in the Maryland game.
  

Q: Who looked not-so-good for Michigan?

A: A few players had an “off” week:

• Zavier Simpson had a terrible game vs. PSU, but a good game vs. Maryland. However, his performance vs. PSU probably cost Michigan the game. He did score 8 points in the PSU game, but he shot terribly: 2-for-9 (2-for-6 from deep). He also had more turnovers (6) than assists (4). He had 12 points in the Maryland game.
  
• Eli Brooks played in both games, and finally scored some points: 2 points vs. PSU, 0 points vs. Maryland.
  
• Brandon Johns, Jr. played in both games, but didn’t score in either game.
  

Q: Who else played this week?

A: David DeJulius played 6 minutes in the Maryland game, when Simpson picked up his 2^nd foul in the 1^st half. He did OK, with 2 points, and no assists or turnovers.

Q: What did we learn this week?

A: We learned that Michigan can lose to anybody on the road. Michigan is much better than PSU, but with the wrong combination of cold shooting, a hot opponent, and terrible officiating, the big upset is always possible. We also learned that Michigan is very good at ending their losing streaks at one game.

Q: What’s next for Michigan?

A: Michigan plays two games again this week, one away and one at home. On Thursday (02/21/2019, 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN), they play at Minnesota, then on Sunday (02/24/2019, 3:45 p.m., CBS), they play (#11) Michigan State in Crisler.

Minnesota is currently 17-9 (7-8 in Big Ten), with Big Ten wins over Wisconsin and Iowa, and Big Ten losses to Ohio State, Illinois, and Nebraska. Michigan has already played and beaten them (59-57) back on 01/22/2019 (the Charles Matthews buzzer-beater). They were tough in that game in Ann Arbor, and they’re likely to be much tougher in “The Barn”. Michigan has not played very well on the road in the Big Ten this season (4-3), so this game is very much in doubt.

Ah, my own personal nemesis, Michigan State. I hate Michigan State more than all the other schools Michigan competes against put together. The home basketball game vs. MSU is THE game I want Michigan to win the most of any contest in any sport the whole year, every year.

Michigan State is currently 21-5 (12-3 in Big Ten), with Big Ten wins over Iowa (twice), Purdue, Maryland, and Wisconsin, and three consecutive losses to Purdue, Indiana (at home), and Illinois. Their losses correspond roughly to Michigan’s three losses: Purdue == Wisconsin, Indiana == Iowa, Illinois == Penn State. They have some height (a couple 6’11” guys), and two “marquee” players: Nick Ward and Cassius Winston. Ward is another bruiser underneath, so Teske is in for a battle. Moe Wagner routinely embarrassed Ward, but he’s in the NBA now, so it’s Teske’s job to control him. Winston is a lock for 1^st team All Big Ten. He’s a great player, but he hasn’t played against a player like Zavier Simpson this season. It should be quite a matchup. Michigan should win this game, but they’ll have to play as well as they have all season to do it.

That’s it for this week. Check back next week to see how Michigan did.

Go Blue!