With a highly rated recruiting class coming in, Beilein has a lot to look forward to (photo by Kevin C Cox, Getty Images)

Michigan fell behind in the first half of its NCAA Tournament opener against Ohio University on Friday night and was unable to fight back, falling 65-60. And just like that, it’s football season again.

With spring football beginning in the morning, Michigan basketball was hoping to keep its season alive, but ran into a touch matchup with an Ohio team that features outstanding guard play and smothering defense. Despite being just a 13-seed compared to Michigan’s 4-seed, the Bobcats were a tough draw from the get-go, and that’s why it’s called March Madness.

Michigan hung around early on after OU hit the first two shots of the game. Michigan went on a 9-2 run to take a 9-7 lead. The teams then battled back and forth with Michigan taking another lead at 18-17 with 9:35 remaining in the half. But it would be the last time the Wolverines would lead the game as Ohio used an 18-4 run to open up a 13-point lead. Michigan went on a 7-0 run of its own to end the half but still trailed by six.

The second half was much of the same as every time Michigan would pull within striking distance, Ohio would find an answer with a big shot. The Bobcats led by nine with 8:11 to play but Trey Burke scored nine straight for Michigan to cut the lead to three. After an Ohio free throw and layup, Burke hit another three to keep the Ohio lead at three with 4:12 to play.

However, Michigan went scoreless the rest of the way, missing all six of its shots, five of them being three-point attempts. Ohio didn’t score either until two free throws to seal the game with seven seconds left. Prior to that, Burke got a good look at a three but couldn’t connect. Michigan got the ball back but couldn’t get off a shot as Evan Smotrycz mishandled the dribble and OU took it away.

Burke led Michigan with 16 points, but made just 2-of-9 three-pointers and 5-of-15 shots overall. Smotrycz added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Tim Hardaway Jr scored 14.

Ohio shot 51.2 percent from the field – its fifth-best total of the season and nearly nine percentage points higher than its season average – and hit 6-of-16 three-pointers while holding Michigan to 40.7 percent shooting and 7-of-23 from long range.

Michigan’s season ends with a 24-10 record and despite the early exit, it should still be considered a successful season. The Wolverines won the Big Ten for the first time in 26 years and earned a 4-seed in the tournament. Stu Douglass graduates having played more games in the maize and blue than any other Wolverine and Zack Novak graduates having been named Michigan’s first academic all-american since 1982.

Replacing the two will be one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, led by Mitch McGary, ESPN’s 22nd-ranked player who held offers from Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Florida. Also in the class is ESPN’s 27th-ranked player, Glenn Robinson III, and the 79th-ranked player, Nik Stauskas. So remember, as much as it hurts right now, next looks even more promising.

Time to regroup and get ready to cheer on the Maize and Blue in the Big Dance (photo by Andy Lyons, Getty Images)

Michigan needed 45 minutes to beat Minnesota on Friday night but it took just a few to dig a hole too deep to climb out of against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

Ohio State came out feeding Jared Sullinger and hedging Michigan’s screens and the Wolverines had no answer.

The Buckeyes stormed out to a 16-3 lead and while Michigan somehow found a way to keep it within reach at the half, the door was blown wide open in the second as Michigan’s shooting woes continued. Just four minutes into the second half, Ohio State had opened up a 20 point lead to end any possibility of a comeback.

Trey Burke, a day after scoring a career high 30 points, was held to five on 1-of-11 shooting. He missed all seven of his three-point attempts and committed a career high eight turnovers. He did lead Michigan with seven rebounds, which just goes to show the kind of night it was for Michigan.

Tim Hardaway Jr led Michigan with 13 points on just 3-of-10 shooting, while Zack Novak added 10 and Corey Person scored seven in the last few minutes when the game was well out of reach.

For the game, Michigan shot just 30.9 percent and hit just 4-of-25 three-pointers while Ohio State shot 49.2 percent and made 5-of-14 from three. The 18 turnovers committed were the second highest of the season behind the 19 surrendered in a 63-50 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on December 13.

Sullinger led Ohio State with 24 and Deshaun Thomas added 22. The pair combined to hit 19-of-29 shots.

As disappointing as the loss was, it means nothing in the long run. Michigan won a share of the regular season Big Ten title for the first time in 26 years and that’s the title that really matters. Conference tournaments exist for television and a chance for bubble (or worse) teams to get hot and play themselves into the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten Tournament didn’t even exist until 1998. In short, it’s not the real conference championship; it’s just the cherry on top.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never say a loss is a good loss, but the extra day of rest before the real tournament begins should benefit Michigan. After playing 45 minutes against Minnesota and then facing a bitter rival on Saturday, playing another bitter rival on Sunday would be draining. Burke was obviously not himself from the start against Ohio State after playing all 45 minutes against the Gophers. It will also take some of the focus off of Michigan heading into the Big Dance and John Beilein teams have always shown they play better as an underdog. Regardless, Michigan will still likely be a 3-seed or a 4-seed at worst.

Michigan will find out its fate during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday evening. The brackets will be announced beginning at 6pm EST on CBS.

#13 Michigan v. #7 Ohio State
Saturday, March 10 – 4:10pm EST – CBS – Indianapolis, Ind.
24-8 (13-5)	Record	26-6 (13-5)
Ferris State 59-33 Towson 64-47 W. Illinois 59-55 #8 Memphis 73-61 UCLA 79-63 Iowa State 79-66 Oakland 90-80 Ark. Pine-Bluff 63-50 Alabama A&M 87-57 Bradley 77-66 Penn State 71-53 Minnesota 61-56 #16 Wisconsin 59-41 Northwestern 66-64 OT #9 Michigan St. 60-59 Purdue 66-64 #20 Indiana 68-56 Nebraska 62-46 Illinois 70-61 #6 Ohio State 56-51 Northwestern 67-55 OT Illinois 72-61 Penn State 71-65 Minnesota 73-69 OT	Wins	Wright State 73-42 #8 Florida 81-74 Jackson State 85-41 N. Florida 85-50 VMI 107-74 Valparaiso 80-47 #4 Duke 85-63 UTPA 64-35 USC Upstate 82-58 S. Carolina 74-66 Lamar 70-50 Miami Ohio 69-40 Northwestern 87-54 Nebraska 71-40 Iowa 76-47 #8 Indiana 80-63 Nebraska 79-45 Penn State 78-54 #22 Michigan 64-49 #20 Wisconsin 58-52 Purdue 87-84 Minnesota 78-68 Illinois 83-67 Northwestern 75-73 #5 Mich. State 72-70 Purdue 88-71
#6 Duke 75-82 Virginia 58-70 #11 Indiana 71-73 Iowa 59-75 Arkansas 64-66 #3 Ohio State 49-64 #10 Michigan St. 54-64 Purdue 75-61	Losses	#13 Kansas 67-78 #15 Indiana 70-74 Illinois 74-79 #12 Mich. State 48-58 #19 Michigan 51-56 #15 Wisconsin 60-63
66.9	Points Per Game	74.6
60.9	Scoring Defense	58.5
769-for-1,668 (46.1%)	Field Goal %	845-for-1,755 (48.1%)
703-for-1,662 (42.3%)	Def. Field Goal %	658-for-1,615 (40.7%)
265-for-740 (35.8%)	3-point %	152-for-459 (33.1%)
192-for-558 (34.4%)	Def. 3-point %	179-for-562 (31.9%)
337-for-470 (71.7%)	Free Throw %	471-for-675 (69.8%)
10.5	Free Throws Made/Game	15.2
30.7	Rebounds Per Game	36.7
31.7	Opp. Rebounds Per Game	29.3
12.9	Assists Per Game	15.3
10.7	Turnovers Per Game	11.8
5.0	Steals Per Game	7.4
2.2	Blocks Per Game	2.7
G – Trey Burke (15.1) G – Tim Hardaway (14.6)	Leading Scorer	F – Jared Sullinger (16.9) F – Deshaun Thomas (15.3)
F – Jordan Morgan (5.6) F – Evan Smotrycz (4.8)	Leading Rebounder	F – Jared Sullinger (9.3) F – Deshaun Thomas (4.9)

Michigan needed overtime to survive Minnesota, but it got 30 points from Trey Burke to beat the Gophers and advance to a semifinal matchup with 3-seed Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Wolverines got off to a slow start and had to fight from behind all day against a determined Gophers team. Trailing by six with 1:17 to play, Michigan got back-to-back threes by Zack Novak and Evan Smotrycz to tie it at 56 with 19 seconds remaining. Minnesota missed a pair of jumpers and the game went to overtime.

In the extra period, Michigan got things started with threes by Stu Douglass and Burke sandwiched around a Minnesota free throw. Douglass hit another jumper to give Michigan a seven point lead, but Minnesota wasn’t done. The Gophers cut it to two with 21 seconds left but Michigan hit its free throws down the stretch and held on.

Burke led the way with a career high 30 points, topping his previous high of 27 the last time Michigan played Minnesota. Tim Hardaway Jr added 20.

Michigan now has a rubber match against Ohio State on Saturday at approximately 4:10pm Eastern time. The Buckeyes advanced by beating 6-seed Purdue 88-71 in the final game of the night on Friday.

The Buckeyes are obviously led by sophomore forward Jared Sullinger who averages 16.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Just like his buddy Burke, Sullinger poured in 30 points on Friday night. In the two matchups this season with Michigan, Sullinger was held below his season average both times, scoring 13 and 14, respectively.

Senior guard William Buford and sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas are also talented scorers, each averaging over 15 points per game. Thomas scored 25 and added 13 rebounds against Michigan on February 18. Buford was held to just six points in that game, hitting just 3-of-12 shots from the field.

The winner of the semifinal game will play the winner of the Michigan State-Wisconsin matchup, which is the first game of the day, beginning at 1:40pm EST. This marks the first time ever all of the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals of the BTT.

Below are the final game stats from Michigan’s win over Minnesota.

Burke scored a career high 30 points (photo by MGoBlue.com)

It got hairy at the end, but Michigan pulled out its fourth consecutive road victory to stay alive in the Big Ten title race, setting up a scenario in which Michigan is forced to root for one bitter rival to beat the other.

Michigan looked as if it was going to cruise to an easy victory, opening up an 18 point lead in the first half. Penn State closed the half with a 7-0 run to head into the locker room trailing by 11. Michigan shot 14-for-20 in the first half and 7-of-10 from three-point range.

The second half was similar as Michigan widened the lead to 54-35 with 11:43 to play. But Penn State went on a 15-2 run over the next six minutes to pull within six. The lead was cut to  four with 2:40 remaining but Trey Burke took his man baseline for a layup to stop the run. From there, Michigan got a jumper from Tim Hardaway and 5-of-6 free throws to hold on for the win.

Burke led the way for Michigan with 19 points while Evan Smotrycz had his best game of the Big Ten season with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, 3-of-4 from three. Hardaway added 13 and Novak scored 11 to give Michigan four players in double figures. Stu Douglass was just one away with nine points.

Aside from the first 15 minutes of the game when Michigan was unconscious from the field, it wasn’t pretty, but any road win in the Big Ten is a good one, even against the last place team. Most importantly, it put Michigan in position to have a shot at its first Big Ten championship in 25 years.

We now turn our attention to the Michigan State-Ohio State game at 4pm Eastern time, needing Ohio State to win in order to result in a three-way tie for the Big Ten title.

Tim Hardaway Jr found his shooting stroke, leading Michigan with 25 points and 11 rebounds (photo by John Dixon, AP)

On January 17, 1995, Boyz II Men had the number one hit, “On Bended Knee.” Also on that day, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake his Japan, killing over 6,000 people, and Michigan beat Illinois in Assembly Hall behind Jimmy King, Maurice Taylor, Maceo Baston, and Makhtar N’diaye. That flash from the past happens to be the last day Michigan beat Illinois in Champaign – until tonight.

It took 17 years and 14 tries but Michigan knocked off the Illini 72-61 to keep its hopes of ending an even longer drought – winning the Big Ten title for the first time since 1986 – alive.

Michigan got off to a fast start with a three-pointer by Stu Douglass and a dunk by Jordan Morgan before Illinois finally got on the board. Tim Hardaway Jr’s first three of the night put Michigan ahead 10-4 but Illinois scored seven of the next nine to cut the lead to one.

But Trey Burke hit back-to-back threes and a breakaway dunk to pull Michigan ahead 22-14 and draw an Illinois timeout. Michigan widened the lead to 13 over the next eight minutes before Illinois scored five straight. Michigan took a 35-27 lead into the half.

In the second, Illinois vowed to make it a game, using an 12-5 run to start the half and pull within one. Hardaway then decided to take over. He scored the next 11 points, including three straight three-pointers, to give Michigan a comfortable lead at 51-44 with eight minutes to play.

From there on, Illinois could only pull within five as Michigan made the most of its free throws, hitting 21-of-23 for the game. Seventeen of Michigan’s final 19 points during the last seven minutes of the game came from the free throw line, the only non-free throw a Morgan jumper which was followed up by a free-throw to complete a three point play.

Hardaway led Michigan with 25 points, hitting all four of his three-point attempts, 6-of-7 total shots from the field, and 9-of-10 free throws. He also led the Wolverines with 11 rebounds to complete his second double-double of the season. Most importantly, it was a refreshing departure from his struggles over the past two months. If his slump is indeed over, it comes at just the right time, heading into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, and will make Michigan very tough to beat.

Burke also shined for the Wolverines, scoring 21 points and recording five assists to break Gary Grant’s Michigan record (140) for assists by a freshman, which occurred in 1984-85.

No other Michigan player scored in double figures. Zack Novak struggled from the field, hitting just 1-of-7 field goals, but scored eight points as a result of making all six of his free throws. Morgan added seven points and seven rebounds.

The win brings Michigan’s record to 22-8 overall and 12-5 in the Big Ten and sets up what should be a thrilling Sunday. If Michigan wins at Penn State (12-18, 4-13) at 1pm, it will then be forced to root for Ohio State to beat Michigan State at 4pm. If that scenario plays out, Michigan will capture a share of the Big Ten title along with Michigan State and Ohio State.

Zack Novak hit four threes on Senior Night, but it wasn't enough (photo by Carlos Osorio, AP)

A day that began as festive with Zack Novak, Stu Douglass, and Corey Person being honored on Senior Night turned sour pretty quickly as Michigan dug itself a hole that it couldn’t climb out of against Purdue. With a chance to wrap up a perfect home record for the first time in 35 years and remain in the Big Ten title hunt, Michigan fell 75-61.

Purdue scored the first two baskets of the game as Michigan missed its first five shots before finally getting on the board nearly three minutes into the game on a Jordan Morgan dunk. But Purdue reeled off eight straight to build a 12-2 lead. Michigan pulled within three, but in what would be come a theme of the night, Purdue answered the charge with a run of its own, scoring seven straight to take a 19-9 lead.

Michigan battled back once again, playing the final ten minutes of the first half evenly before going into the locker room trailing 32-28.

Morgan got the second half scoring started with a layup but Purdue’s Terone Johnson scored six straight to widen the Boiler lead to eight. Michigan then went on a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to take its first lead of the game, 42-40, with 12:19 remaining. However, Purdue wouldn’t let Michigan take over, recapturing the lead and building it to seven.

A Tim Hardaway jumper with pulled Michigan to within four with 4:36 to play, but back-to-back threes by Robbie Hummel sealed the game for the Boilers. Michigan was forced to launch threes and foul in an attempt to come back, but it was not to be.

Purdue got a career high 22 points out of sophomore guard Terone Johnson who entered the game averaging 7.6. His previous high was 16 against Wisconsin on January 12, but on this night he hit 9-of-12 from the field and all four free throws to steal the thunder from the Michigan seniors.

Novak and Trey Burke led the way for Michigan with 12 points apiece while Hardaway added 10. Novak hit 4-of-10 three-point attempts, but Hardaway missed all six of his tries.

Purdue shot 50 percent from the field and 7-of-15 from three-point range, and the Big Ten’s worst free throw shooting team hit 14-of-16 from the line. The Boilers came in with a great offensive game plan that Michigan was unable to solve. On nearly every possession, the Purdue guards used the high ball screen to draw a mismatch with Morgan guarding a guard up top, who then drove to the basket. Rather than switch to a zone, Michigan had no answer.

At 21-8 overall and 11-5 in the Big Ten, Michigan still has an outside shot at a share of the Big Ten title, but it would require Michigan State to lose both of its final games, at #24 Indiana and home against #9 Ohio State, and Michigan would have to win its final two. The next one is Thursday at Illinois before closing the regular season at Penn State next Sunday.

Despite Jordan Morgan's foul trouble, Michigan pulled out the overtime victory (photo by Paul Beaty, AP)

Michigan survived a classic trap game tonight at Northwestern, needing overtime to beat the Wildcats for the second time this season. Following an emotional win over Ohio State on Saturday, a trip to Evanston to face a Northwestern team giddy about the possibility of a first ever trip to the Big Dance was a recipe for disaster, especially for a team that was just 3-6 on the road this season. But Michigan overcame a seven point halftime deficit and early foul trouble to pull out a 67-55 overtime victory.

It was apparent from the beginning that Michigan was in for a tough one when Jordan Morgan and Evan Smotrycz each picked up two fouls early. John Beilein was forced to use Blake McLimans for the majority of the first half, giving the Wolverines no inside presence. Northwestern countered with a 1-3-1 that forced Michigan to chuck up a season high 38 three-pointers.

Michigan held Northwestern without a point for the first 4:23 but could only build up a 6-0 lead. The Wolverines then built a 11-3 lead on a Jordan Morgan layup and Stu Douglass three. The teams went back and forth until Matt Vogrich hit back-to-back threes to give Michigan a 20-13 lead with 9:25 remaining in the half. However, Northwestern closed the half on a 18-4 run as Michigan went just 2-of-10 in the final nine minutes.

Tim Hardaway Jr started the second half off with a layup and Burke hit a three to pull Michigan within two. Northwestern finally got on the board nearly five minutes into the half, and for the next five minutes, points were hard to come by. With 9:51 remaining, Douglass hit a three to cut the lead to one and after a NW free throw, Vogrich nailed a three to give Michigan its first lead of the second half.

Burke followed up with a layup, but five straight Northwestern points put the Wildcats back on top. John Shurna finally got into the second half action to give NW a four-point lead with 2:44 to play, but Burke answered with a three. After another Shurna basket, Hardaway hit a three to tie the game at 49 with 1:46 remaining.

Northwestern had a chance to take the lead in the final minute, but missed a pair of shots, giving Michigan the last possession, but a Burke three at the buzzer fell short, sending the game into overtime just like the previous meeting.

In the overtime stanza, it was all Michigan. Burke, Novak, and Douglass hit back-to-back-to-back threes to blow the game open before Northwestern could get on the board. From there, it became a free throw contest and Michigan hit enough of them to seal the win.

Burke led all scorers with 19 points to go along with five assists and just one turnover while playing all 45 minutes. Hardaway added 14 points despite hitting just 4-of-10 from the free throw line and Douglass scored 12, all on threes (4-of-7). Vogrich hit 3-of-6 from three-point range to score nine points.

The Michigan defense held Shurna to 14 points, six below his season average, and his third lowest total of the season. The Wolverines also held Drew Crawford to just six points, 10 below his season average, and his second lowest total of the season.

Michigan returns home for its final game in the friendly confines of the Crisler Center on Saturday at 6pm against Purdue (17-10, 7-7). Seniors Zack Novak, Stu Douglass, and Corey Person will be honored.

Novak and the Wolverines took five charges to stymie Sullinger and the Buckeyes (photo by Tony Ding, AP)

Michigan capped off an incredible day with a prime-time, nationally televised win over 6th-ranked Ohio State. The day began with ESPN College Game Day broadcasting live from the Crisler Center, continued with six football commitments for the 2013 class (more on that to follow), and culminated with a 56-51 win over the Buckeyes.

Michigan scored the first six and never looked back, holding the lead for the rest of the game. The lead grew to as much as 10 in the second half and the closest Ohio State ever got was one at 17-16 with five minutes left in the first half.

It was clear from the onset that John Beilein’s game plan was to control the tempo offensively and jump the high screens and double-team Jared Sullinger in the post, forcing the Buckeyes to settle for shots from the outside. And it worked to perfection.

Michigan held OSU to just 10-of-26 shooting (0-for-9 from three) in the first half, but the Wolverines shot just 37.5 percent themselves from the field, allowing the Buckeyes to stay within striking distance. In the second, Michigan hit 13-of-23 and held the Buckeyes to just nine field goals.

The Buckeyes turned to Sullinger in the second half, and he finished the game with 14 points, but the Michigan defense harassed him all game, drawing a pair of charges and keeping him out of rhythm. It was Deshaun Thomas who almost singlehandedly kept the Buckeyes in the game, scorign 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds while Sullinger struggled and William Buford was held to just six points on 3-of-12 shooting.

For Michigan, it was the Trey Burke show as the freshman dominated Ohio sophomore point guard Aaron Craft, scoring 17 points and five assists while holding Craft to just four points, three turnovers, and two assists. With Ohio State trying to claw back in the final minutes, Burke hit a layup with 1:20 remaining and a jumper with 14 seconds remaining, both to put the Wolverines back up by two possessions.

On the former, Burke pulled Craft out near midcourt and beat him off the dribble to the left, drove the lane and converted a layup. On the latter, he drove through traffic to the right and lofted up a floater that kissed off the glass to seal the win.

Tim Hardaway Jr added 13 and hit both threes he attempted, while Jordan Morgan played perhaps his best game of the season, scoring 11 points and pulling down 11 boards.

The win was Michigan’s first over Ohio State since a 73-64 victory on Jan. 3, 2010 and keeps Michigan in contention for its first Big Ten title since 1986. The Wolverines stand a game behind Michigan State in the loss column with four games to play. The Spartans remaining schedule includes road games at Purdue, Minnesota, and #20 Indiana, and home tilts with Nebraska and current-#6 Ohio State. Michigan returns to action on Tuesday at Northwestern and will look to close out the home portion of its schedule undefeated next Saturday against Purdue.

Hardaway led the way for Michigan with 19 points (photo by Michael Conroy, AP)

Michigan visited West Lafayette on Tuesday night looking for its first true road win of the season and first win in Mackey Arena since 2003. And win it did, reversing the score from Saturday’s loss to Arkansas, and beating the Boilermakers 66-64.

Michigan broke out to a 14-7 lead thanks to seven points from Stu Douglass. The lead then widened to 20-12 with eight minutes remaining in the first half. Purdue fought back, scoring the next seven points to pull within one, but Michigan answered with jumpers from Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway and a pair of free throws by Jordan Morgan. Purdue closed out the half on a 7-2 run to pull within two at 30-28.

The second half began much the same way as the first went: Michigan scoring a few baskets to pull ahead, but never enough to pull away. Each time it looked as if Michigan were poised to put the game away, Purdue would go on a run to get right back in the game.

In the first five minutes of the second half, Michigan built a 10-point lead at 41-31. However, Purdue went on a 20-6 run to grab its first lead since the beginning of the game. A Morgan layup and a Douglass three put Michigan back on top 52-51 with just under seven minutes to play. From there on, the teams battled neck-and-neck, neither leading by more than four points, and trading leads six times.

Trailing by one with a minute and a half left, Zack Novak found Morgan open under the basket and Morgan slammed it home to put Michigan ahead 65-64. Purdue was unable to score and Evan Smotrycz hit the front end of two free throws to give Michigan a two-point lead. A last-gasp attempt by Purdue’s Lewis Jackson missed and Michigan earned its first win at Purdue in its last seven trips. The defense held the Boilers without a field goal for the final 3:54.

Michigan was led by Hardaway’s 19-point effort on 8-of-15 shooting. Morgan and Douglass each added 12, while Smotrycz scored 10. Burke was held to six points, his third lowest output of the season, and lowest in Big Ten play. He shot just 3-of-10 from the field, but dished out six assists.

The Wolverines shot 54 percent from the field and hit 6-of-14 three-pointers while holding Purdue to 44.2 percent overall and 9-of-26 from downtown. Purdue’s stars, Robbie Hummel and Jackson got their points, 16 and 17 respectively, but no one else stepped up for the Boilers.

The win keeps Michigan atop the Big Ten standings and sets up an important road game at Ohio State on Sunday.

Zack Novak hit 5-of-7 three-point attempts and led Michigan with 17 points (photo by MGoBlue.com)

Michigan traveled to Fayetteville for a unique midseason out of conference matchup with Southeastern Conference opponent Arkansas. While it meant nothing for the Big Ten race, a win would have allowed Michigan to maintain its momentum from its third straight win over rival Michigan State. But it wasn’t meant to be as Michigan fell 66-64 in front of a packed Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas jumped out to an early 11-2 lead as Michigan missed four of its first five shots. Zack Novak hit the first of his five three-pointers but through the first 10 minutes of the game, Michigan had fallen behind 29-10. The Michigan offense finally came alive, outplaying the Razorbacks for the final 10 minutes of the first half and went into the locker room down 46-33.

Arkansas opened the second half with a three, but eight straight points by Jordan Morgan and a layup by Novak got Michigan right back in the game, trailing by just six. Michigan then went ice cold, failing to score a point for nearly six minutes, and Arkansas widened its lead  back to 13. But Michigan wasn’t done yet. Morgan ignited a 12-1 Michigan run. Another Novak three pulled Michigan to within two with 3:48 to play.

Over the final three minutes, the teams traded a pair of baskets and Michigan was forced to foul, trailing by two with 21 seconds remaining. Arkansas freshman guard B.J. Young missed a free throw, but the Razorbacks grabbed the offensive board and Michigan had to f0ul again. Once again it was missed and this time Michigan grabbed the board. In the final seconds, Trey Burke got off a three but it rattled in and out at the buzzer and Arkansas pulled off the upset.

Novak led the way for the Wolverines, scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds. His 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range was the lone bright spot for the team as Michigan went 8-for-28 from downtown. Morgan contributed 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Burke was the only other Wolverine in double figures with 13. He also added seven rebounds and six assists for a well-rounded day. Tim Hardaway Jr continued his recent struggles, scoring just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting.

Michigan outrebounded the Razorbacks 35-29 and pulled down 13 offensive boards, but Arkansas attempted 21 free throws to Michigan’s seven and made seven more than Michigan did.

Michigan returns to Big Ten play on Tuesday night with a road trip to West Lafayette, Ind. to battle the Purdue Boilermakers (14-6, 4-3) who just got drubbed by Michigan State 83-58.