The Michigan basketball team is now tied with Michigan State for first place in the Big Ten after an ugly win on the road against Nebraska. The Wolverines and Cornhuskers combined to shoot 28% from the floor on Monday night and 20% from deep. However, Michigan came away with the win, and that is the only statistic that matters when all is said and done. It wasn’t easy, but head coach Dusty May and his Wolverines left Lincoln with a 49-46 win.
For the most part this season, this Michigan basketball team has been fun to watch. Not on Monday, though. The Wolverines typically put up a lot of points, but nothing was working against Nebraska. Still, they found a way to win. Dusty May knows how important it is to be able to get the job done on off nights.
“This game will pay dividends later,” May said after the game, according to a post from Austin Oerman.
Neither team averaged more than .75 points per possession in this game, and according to Jared Berson, that is the first time that has happened this season.
“Michigan: 0.71 points per possession
Nebraska: 0.67 points per possession
The first Division I game all season in which both teams scored under 0.75 points per possession,” Berson said.
Michigan has now won seven of their last eight games, and none of them have been easy. Of those seven wins, the largest margin of victory has been four points. The Wolverines have been in a ton of close games down the stretch, and they are finding ways to get wins. May is right; that kind of stuff will pay off in March. Winning that many close games is not easy.
Monday night’s game was different, however. There are close games where both teams are playing well and lighting up the scoreboard. Then there are close games like this where both teams are struggling. Either way, you have to find a way to get the win, and Michigan did just that.
The physicality of Monday night’s game definitely played a role in the low-scoring slugfest. Effort was everywhere from both teams, and there weren’t a ton of fouls being called.
“I thought it was a very legally physical game,” May said.
At the end of the day, the only word that can be used to describe that one is ugly. But that doesn’t matter to May and his victorious Michigan squad.
“If this game were a beauty contest, we’d be sent home early,” May said.
With the win, Michigan is now 21-6 overall on the season, just one year after winning eight total games. The Wolverines are 13-3 in Big Ten play, and they now have three home games in a row before closing the season on the road against Michigan State. There is a decent chance that the regular season finale between the Wolverines and Spartans is for the Big Ten championship.
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