Head Coach John Beilein had plenty of reason to celebrate Michigan's third straight victory over Michigan State, becoming the first Michigan coach to do so since Steve Fisher (photo by MGoBlue.com)

It had been 16 years since Michigan last beat rival Michigan State three straight times, but with Denard Robinson and Roy Roundtree jumping around among the Maize Rage and a host of Michigan NFLers in the stands, the Wolverines did just that on Tuesday night. Michigan squandered an 11 point second half lead but held the Spartans without a field goal for the final 4:23 to win 60-59.

Zack Novak got the scoring started with a three on Michigan’s first trip down the court and the Wolverines jumped out to a 10-2 lead. Another Novak three put Michigan ahead 13-4 before State got its offense going. Michigan maintained a five-to-seven point lead throughout the first half, taking a 36-29 lead into the locker room.

The second half began much the same with Tim Hardaway Jr getting his first bucket of the game on a dunk and Michigan opening up an 11-point lead. But with 12 minutes remaining, Michigan State’s offense got going and its defense clamped down.

A basket by Keith Appling sandwiched between threes by Austin Thornton and Brandon Wood brought MSU within three. Novak answered with a jumper of his own, but State reeled off six more to grab its first lead of the game at 50-49 with just under seven minutes to play.

An Appling jumper widened State’s lead to three before Trey Burke and Thornton traded threes. With just over four minutes left, center Derrick Nix gave the Spartans their biggest lead of the game at 57-53, but it was the last basket the Michigan defense would allow. Burke hit one of two free throws and Hardaway followed with a jumper to pull Michigan within one. A pair of free throws by Thornton took it back to a three point game but Hardaway answered again, this time with a layup.

With under a minute remaining, Burke grabbed a defensive rebound, pushed it up the court, and found Stu Douglass wide open under the basket for a transition layup to put Michigan on top by one. State ran the clock down to 11 seconds before attempting a shot, which Jordan Morgan blocked. However, it went right back into Spartan hands and Draymond Green got of a good but unbalanced look from the free throw line. It clanked off the left iron and a follow-up tip came up short as time expired.

Burke led the way with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from downtown. Hardaway and Novak each added 10. Michigan held Green to just seven points, nine below his season average, and Appling to 10, three below his average. Michigan was outrebounded 31-18, but committed just eight turnover to State’s 14 and shot 51.1 percent form the field, 13 percent higher than MSU’s defense typically allows.

The win keeps Michigan near the top of the Big Ten standings and preserves the Wolverines’ unbeaten home record this season. Michigan now trails Illinois by one game with a lot of basketball left to play. The Wolverines return to action on Saturday with an out-of-conference game at Arkansas (13-5) before visiting Purdue (14-5) next Tuesday.

Trey Burke hit clutch free throws down the stretch to carry Michigan over Northwestern (photo by MGoBlue.com)

Michigan took to the court in the Crisler Center on a Wednesday night in which the Sugar Bowl winning football team was honored and held off a pesky Northwestern squad that it has had trouble with the last few years. The Wildcats led most of the game, but Michigan fought back with the resolve of Team 132 and picked up its 14th win of the season.

Northwestern started the game with an 8-0 lead before Michigan finally got on the board four minutes into the game. Michigan battled back to a 15-15 tie before Northwestern pulled away again and the Wolverines trailed 34-27 at the half.

In the second half, trailing 44-36, Michigan went on a 10-0 run to grab its first lead of the game. For the final 10 minutes, the two teams went back and forth, neither team leading by more than four.

With 2:44 remaining, Tim Hardaway Jr hit a three to tie the game at 54 and neither team would score again in regulation.

In overtime, Northwestern star John Shurna got scoring started with his first basket since the 9:15 mark of the second half, but Stu Douglass answered with a layup of his own. A pair of Evan Smotrycz free throws put Michigan ahead by two, but NW center Luka Mirkovic tied it up. On Michigan’s next possession, Trey Burke grabbed a pair of offensive boards and finally finished a short jumper to put Michigan back ahead.

Following Burke’s jumper, Jordan Morgan was called for a technical foul, giving Northwestern guard Drew Crawford two free throws. He made one and the Wildcats were unable to take advantage of the extra possession. Burke went to the line and hit a par of free throws to put Michigan ahead by three. Two free throws by each team later, Crawford dunked it to pull NW within one. Burke went back to the line and made both, giving Michigan a three point lead with six seconds remaining.

Northwestern guard Alex Marcotullio put up a desperation three with one second left and Hardaway inexplicably fouled him, sending him to the line for three shots. However, he missed the first, NW was unable to tip in a buzzer-beater, and Michigan escaped.

Hardaway and Burke led the way with 19 for Michigan and Douglass added 10. Hardaway finally broke out of his three-point shooting slump, hitting 5-of-9 attempts, while Burke hit all eight attempted free throws.

As a team, Michigan took 18 more shots than Northwestern and fired up 30 threes to NW’s 13. The biggest key to Michigan’s success was its second chances, aided by 17 offensive rebounds. Northwestern also turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 16 times.

For Northwestern, Shurna got his 21 points, but most importantly, he disappeared for the final nine minutes of the game and overtime. Michigan’s defense did a good job of forcing tough shots and limiting the Wildcats to one shot possessions down the stretch.

Next, Michigan visits Iowa (10-8, 2-3) on Saturday at 1pm Eastern time before the first of two meetings with rival Michigan State on Tuesday.

Michigan had trouble stopping Cody Zeller, who scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting (photo by Andy Lyons, Getty Images)

Michigan took to the road Thursday night to face an Indiana team that had already upset first-ranked Kentucky and second-ranked Ohio State. It was Michigan’s second true road game of the year, but it wasn’t meant to be as the Wolverines put up a valiant effort, but fell 73-71.

Michigan had to battle back time and time again, but every time the Wolverines looked poised to take the lead, Indiana would do what it has done all season: hit a timely three. The Hoosiers, who came in second in the nation in three-point percentage, connected on 7-of-11 from downtown in this one.

Michigan also had no answer for Indiana’s big men as Christian Watford led the way with 25 points and Cody Zeller added 18. The pair combined to go 16-for-21 from the field and 8-for-10 from the free throw line.

For Michigan, Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 19 points, but struggled from long range, missing all seven attempts, including a couple in the last couple of minutes that would have given Michigan the lead.

Indiana jumped out to a 17-6 lead in the first nine minutes of the game and widened the lead to 33-18 with five minutes left in the first half. Michigan ended the half with a 14-6 run to go into the locker room down seven.

In the second, Indiana kept the lead around five throughout as Michigan kept battling back. Michigan pulled within two a number of times before IU took a 65-55 lead with seven minutes remaining. But Michigan wasn’t done yet. With three minutes left, a Hardaway dunk tied the game at 68, but the Hoosiers answered with a pair of free throws. After two missed threes by Hardaway and a missed jumper by Burke, IU went ahead by four with just 14 seconds remaining. Stu Douglass hit a three to pull within one with just three seconds left and IU hit the front end of two free throws. Zack Novak’s half-courter at the buzzer missed and Michigan dropped its third game of the year.

Michigan returns home to face 19th-ranked Wisconsin on Sunday at 1:30pm in the Crisler Center.

It wasn’t exactly how Brady Hoke planned it, but Michigan’s 23-20 Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech was a fitting end to Team 132′s season. The squad that endured three of the worst years in Michigan history fought to the end on Tuesday night and came away with an ugly victory, fulfilling Bo Schembechler’s legendary statement that “those who stay will be champions.”

#13 Michigan 23 – #11 Virginia Tech 20
	Final Stats
23	Final Score	20
11-2 (6-2)	Record	11-3 (7-1)
184	Total Yards	377
56	Net Rushing Yards	163
128	Net Passing Yards	214
12	First Downs	22
1	Turnovers	2
4-26	Penalties – Yards	7-68
5-181	Punts – Yards	1-36
23:10	Time of Possession	36:50
4-for-13	Third Down Conversions	6-for-15
1-for-1	Fourth Down Conversions	1-for-3
2-4	Sacks By – Yards	3-25
3-for-3	Field Goals	4-for-5
2-for-2	PATs	0-for-0
3-for-3	Red Zone Scores – Chances	4-for-6

The seniors who endured more than perhaps any other senior class in the 132-year history of Michigan football came up big in New Orleans. Rimington Award winning center David Molk injured his foot in pregame warmups and missed the first series, but fought through the pain the rest of the game. Junior Hemingway came up with two outstanding touchdown catches to bail out quarterback Denard Robinson. Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen held their own in the middle of the defense, tightening up when needed.

On a day when Robinson and Michigan’s electric offense was never able to get going, everything that has been Michigan’s downfall the past few seasons won the game. The defense that couldn’t stop anybody the last three years held Virginia Tech to its fifth-lowest total yardage of the season. It was truly a bend but don’t break defense that never did break, allowing Tech to convert third-and-longs with ease, but clamping down when it truly mattered. Kicker Brendan Gibbons, who lost the kicking duties last season after starting 1-for-5, continued the clutch kicking he has displayed all season by booting three field goals including a 39-yarder to put Michigan ahead with four minutes remaining and the 37-yard game-winner in overtime.

Michigan certainly got its share of breaks when the Hokies were penalized for roughing the punter late in the second quarter, an interception was overturned, Frank Beamer inexplicably called a fake punt from midfield late in the game, a touchdown in overtime was overturned, and Tech kicker Justin Myer missed a 37-yard field goal in overtime. Both calls could have gone either way, but seemed to be correct overturns. Regardless, it’s uncommon to see two close calls overturned in a game and even more uncommon for Michigan to get all the breaks.

It didn’t look promising for Michigan from the start when two poor snaps forced the offense out of rhythm and Michigan went three-and-out. Virginia Tech put together a solid drive, but Michigan forced a 37-yard field goal. On the next drive, Robinson was picked off by Kyle Fuller, giving VT a chance to widen its lead. But Michigan forced another field goal, this time from 43 yards out.

Junior Hemingway caught both of Michigan's touchdowns (photo by Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)

After a Michigan punt, Virginia Tech put together another promising drive, but Michigan’s defense stuffed quarterback Logan Thomas on 4th-and-1 from the Michigan 4-yard line.

Michigan was forced to punt once again, but punter Matt Wile drew a roughing the kicker penalty, keeping the drive alive. On 3rd-and-17 from the VT 45-yard line, Robinson fired a back footer towards a double-covered Hemingway. It looked as if it would be picked off by the safety over the top, but Hemingway held on and cruised into the end zone putting Michigan ahead 7-6.

On the ensuing kickoff, J.B. Fitzgerald forced a fumble and Michigan recovered at the VT 26. On 4th-and-3 from the VT 19, field goal holder Drew Dileo ran to the right and threw a prayer towards the middle of the field. It bounced off a pair of Hokies before falling into the arms of lineman Jareth Glanda for a first down at the eight. A pass to the 1-yard line left Michigan with just two seconds left before halftime and Hoke elected to kick the field goal and take a 10-6 lead into the half.

The third quarter started out with a pair of punts and on the first play of Tech’s second possession, freshman Frank Clark picked off a Thomas pass, giving Michigan the ball at the Hokie 35. Four plays later, Robinson found Hemingway in the back of the end zone, again out-leaping the Tech safety and this getting a foot down in bounds. Just like that, with virtually no offense, Michigan had a 17-6 lead.

Tech wasn’t done, however, scoring 11 straight and keeping Michigan’s offense from widening the gap. With nine minutes remaining and the game knotted at 17, Tech faced 4th-and-1 from the Michigan 48. Instead of punting and pinning Michigan’s stagnant offense deep, Beamer chose to run a fake, which Michigan sniffed out and stopped, getting the ball back at the Virginia Tech 45. Robinson moved Michigan into field goal position and Gibbons gave the Wolverines a 20-17 lead with four minutes left.

But Tech put together another long drive, getting all the way down to the Michigan 8-yard line before facing a third down. A false start pushed it back to 3rd-and-7 and the Michigan defense stopped the Hokies two yards short. Myer nailed a 25-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.

In the first extra period, after two straight runs for five net yards, Thomas connected with receiver Danny Coale in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. But after review, it was ruled incomplete and Tech was forced to settle for its fifth field goal of the game. This time, however, Myer pushed it right, giving Michigan the ball needing just a field goal to win.

Three runs by Fitzgerald Toussaint set up Gibbons in the middle of the field for a game-winning 37-yard field goal that was right down the middle, giving Michigan its first BCS bowl victory since a 2000 Orange Bowl win over Alabama.

Team 132 celebrating the Sugar Bowl victory (photo by Matthew Stockman, Getty Images)

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Team 132 became just the fifth Michigan team ever to win 11 games in a season, and it did so with defense. Tech’s offense came in averaging 415.8 yards and 28.5 points per game. Michigan held the Hokies to 377 yards and 20 points. Michigan also held running back David Wilson to his second-lowest rushing total of the season, 82 yards. He came in averaging 125 and had surpassed 123 yards in 10 of 13 games.

And so, what began with an embarrassing loss to Appalachian State, continued with two losing seasons without bowls, the worst three-year stretch in Michigan history, and NCAA sanctions, ended with wins over Notre Dame, Nebraska, Ohio State, and a Sugar Bowl victory. The plight of the senior class of Team 132 was summed up in Sugar Bowl MVP Hemingway’s postgame interview on the trophy podium, with tears streaming down his face: “It shows our hard work. It shows everything we put in from Day One, all the long days, long nights. Man, I’m telling you, it feels good man. Too good.”

Hemingway himself serves as a microcosm of the entire senior class. He entered as a heralded receiver out of Conway, South Carolina and showed promise of breaking out as a sophomore when he caught a 33-yard touchdown in Michigan’s 2008 season opener against Utah. But he developed mono, forcing him to miss the rest of the season, receiving a medical redshirt. Over the next couple years, he fought injuries before becoming Robinson’s go-to guy this season. And when all was said and done he was the one who stepped up with two tremendous touchdown catches and earned the Sugar Bowl Most Valuable Player award.

He’s just one of many seniors who will be missed next season, but their legacy will live on. Just like the Navy SEALS that Team 132 patterned its season after, Michigan found a way to get it done through adversity with grit and a determination that 10 wins was just not enough.

Michigan will head into the offseason with a likely Top 10 national ranking, 15 starters returning, and what should be a top 10 recruiting class. And when Team 133 takes the field in Dallas on Sept. 1 it may very well be the start of a national championship run against the defending national champions.

Tim Hardaway Jr led all scorers with 26 points (photo by MGoBlue.com)

Michigan opened Big Ten play on Thursday night with a convincing 71-53 win over Penn State. It was Michigan’s sixth-straight win since losing to Virginia exactly a month ago.

It took the offense a few minutes to get going, but once it did, it pulled away. Evan Smotrycz scored the first bucket of the game, but Michigan went scoreless for the next three minutes. Tim Hardaway Jr hit a jumper and Trey Burke scored twice to put Michigan ahead and the Wolverines never relinquished the lead. The defense forced nine turnovers in the half.

Michigan took a 36-22 lead in the locker room and then widened the lead to 20 on a Jordan Morgan dunk three minutes into the second half. The lead got to as many as 22 at 54-32 and the closest Penn State could get was 16 as Michigan cruised to a comfortable win.

Hardaway led the Wolverines with 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting, despite connecting on just 1-of-7 three-pointers. Smotrycz turned in his third consecutive double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Burke was the only other Wolverine in double figures with 13 points. He also added a team high seven assists.

Michigan shot 47.2 percent from the field and hit 13-of-15 free throws, while holding Penn State to just 26.7 percent shooting from downtown.

Michigan now has a couple of days off before hosting Minnesota (12-2, 0-1) on Sunday at 4pm.

Evan Smotrycz turned in his second straight double-double (photo by MGoBlue.com)

Michigan returned to the court Thursday night with a hard-fought 77-66 win over Bradley in the newly-named Crisler Center. All five Wolverine starters scored in double-digits, led by Evan Smotrycz’ second straight double-double. The sophomore scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Michigan shot just 35 percent in the first half as Bradley made it a game, taking a 33-33 tie into the locker room. Bradley’s Taylor Brown hit a long three at the buzzer to tie the score heading into the half.

The game remained close through the first nine minutes of the second half before Michigan took over. Leading just 52-49, with just under 12 minutes to play, Michigan embarked on a 19-7 run to take control. Michigan shot 59 percent in the second half.

Tim Hardaway scored 16 points and Jordan Morgan added 15. Freshman point guard Trey Burke tallied 12 points and eight assists, while Zack Novack added 11. Burke struggled from the outside, connecting on just 1-of-7 three-pointers, but Smotrycz was the man of the match, hitting 5-of-7 from downtown and 7-of-11 overall.

Michigan opens Big Ten play next Thursday against Penn State (8-5) in the Crisler Center.

Tim Hardaway Jr bounced back from a rough Virginia outing to lead the Wolverines with 19 points (photo by John T. Greilick, AP)

Michigan rebounded from its loss to Virginia with a 76-66 win over Iowa State in Crisler Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Iowa State controlled the first five minutes and the last five minutes, but Michigan dominated the middle portion. After falling behind 10-4 in the first five minutes, Michigan got eight straight points from point guard Trey Burke. The freshman made a layup and two threes to put Michigan ahead. The two teams traded baskets before an Eso Akunne three sparked a 10-0 Michigan run right before the half.

Michigan took a 34-25 lead into the half and then began the second with a 21-8 run to blow the game open. Iowa State made it a ballgame in the last few minutes, cutting a 22-point Michigan lead down to six with 22 seconds remaining, but Michigan hit its free throws to seal the win.

Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 19 points and six rebounds, while Jordan Morgan turned in his best performance of the season with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Zack Novak added eight points and 11 rebounds, while Burke had 13 points.

Michigan now has a week off before returning to action next Saturday against Oakland in the Palace at Auburn Hills in Detroit. Oakland is also 6-2, with losses to then-#15 Alabama and Arkansas but beat Tennessee last week, so they won’t be an easy win.

John Beilein's crew falls to 5-2 on the season (AP photo)

Michigan took to the road for its first true road game of the season but came away with a 70-58 loss to Virginia in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

It was clear early on that it would be a defensive battle with two of the better defensive teams in the nation. It took a minute and 15 seconds for the first basket of the game, a three-pointer by Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski. Zack Novak put Michigan on the board a minute later with a three of his own.

Michigan got in trouble, however, when Tim Hardaway Jr. picked up his second personal foul just six minutes into the game and he sat the rest of the half. Still, Michigan played the first half evenly, taking a one-point deficit into the half.

In the second, Michigan pulled ahead by five at 39-34, but Virginia used a 19-2 run over the course of the next seven minutes to pull away. It was too much for Michigan to overcome and Virginia made its free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Novak led the way for Michigan with 12 points, while Trey Burke added 11 and Evan Smotrycz tossed in 10. Smotrycz, Jordan Morgan, and Stu Douglass each grabbed five rebounds, while Burke added four and four assists.

Michigan was outrebounded for the game 36-26, including 10-3 on the offensive end, resulting in 13 second-chance points for the Cavaliers. The main discrepancy in the game was free throw shooting. Virginia was able to get to the line considerably more than Michigan, attempting 15 more free throws and making 13 more.

The Wolverines had trouble stopping Virginia forward Mike Scott who scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Guard Joe Harris also poured in 18 points for the Wahoos.

Michigan returns to action on Saturday at noon at Crisler Arena against Iowa State.

At the beginning of the season, new head coach Brady Hoke took a page out of Lloyd Carr’s book to set the tone for the season. When Hoke was an assistant at Michigan, Carr gave the 1997 team pickaxes during the national championship season to symbolize climbing a mountain, based on the book “Into Thin Air.” This year, Hoke themed the season after SEAL Team 6, which brought down and eliminated Osama Bin Laden at the beginning of May. The correlation was teamwork and unity. Each and every member of the team was in this together.

#15 Michigan 40 – Ohio State 34
	Final Stats
40	Final Score	34
10-2 (6-2)	Record	6-6 (3-5)
444	Total Yards	372
277	Net Rushing Yards	137
167	Net Passing Yards	235
23	First Downs	18
2	Turnovers	1
3-29	Penalties – Yards	5-47
2-95	Punts – Yards	3-120
35:10	Time of Possession	24:50
5-for-11	Third Down Conversions	5-for-12
1-for-2	Fourth Down Conversions	1-for-2
4-15	Sacks By – Yards	1-3
1-for-1	Field Goals	2-for-2
5-for-5	PATs	4-for-4
4-for-4	Red Zone Scores – Chances	3-for-3

Prior to the Nebraska game a week ago, Hoke had a group of Navy SEALs speak to the team and provide inspiration. The team was given actual tridents that the SEALs wear. On Saturday, Team 132 stepped off the team bus wearing the tridents around their neck and proceded to fight for 60 minutes to achieve the supreme mission it set out for when the season began: beat Ohio.

The seven-year plague the Buckeyes strolled into Ann Arbor with had not been lost on maize and blue faithful across the country and even though the season was a bust for OSU, everyone knew they would put up a fight in college football’s greatest rivalry. No one, however, expected what was about to ensue.

Ohio State took the ball to start the game and came out passing. An offense that hadn’t thrown the ball more than 18 times in a single game all season and slumbered through the first 11 games looked like a force to be reckoned with, whipping the ball around the field.

It was clear from the outset that the tendencies broken by OSU Offensive Coordinator Jim Bollman were not expected by Hoke and Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison. On the Buckeyes’ first possession, freshman quarterback Braxton Miller found a wide open Corey Brown for a 54-yard touchdown to stun the Big House crowd. On the play, safety Thomas Gordon broke on the inside receiver, DeVier Posey, and no one followed Brown.

In the second quarter, Miller broke loose and ran for a 19-yard touchdown, and on the ‘Bucks next possession Miller connected with Posey for a 43-yard touchdown – the second long touchdown pass of the game against a Michigan defense that hadn’t given up big plays all season.

Miller played a great game for a true freshman in his first Ohio State-Michigan game, but missed a number of wide open receivers that could have sealed Michigan’s fate. And that was the difference in this game. While Miller played well and took advantage of Michigan’s defensive mistakes but couldn’t make the big plays when needed, Denard Robinson silenced his critics with the best game of his career.

Denard turned in an all-time great performance against Ohio State (AP photo)

Robinson threw for 167 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Most impressive is that he had as many touchdowns as incompletions. He connected on 14 of 17 passes and looked in complete control of the offense all game. Aside from a second quarter fumble that gave Ohio the ball at the Michigan 31 and resulted in an OSU touchdown, Robinson turned in the type of performance that has made legends out of the rivalry over the years.

He became just the fourth Michigan quarterback to throw for three touchdowns against Ohio State – the first since Drew Henson in 2000 – and his 170 rushing yards were the third-highest total for a Michigan rusher in The Game, behind only Tim Biakabutuka’s 313 in 1995 and Jamie Morris’ 210 in ’86.

But while Robinson accounted for all of Michigan’s touchdowns and the majority of the total yards, he didn’t do it all alone. Fitz Toussaint rushed for 120 yards on 20 carries – his third straight 100-yard game – and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Robinson and Toussaint became the first Michigan duo to record 1,000-yard seasons since Gordon Bell (1,388) and Rob Lytle (1,030) did it in 1975.

In addition to Robinson’s and Toussaint’s performances, the receiving corps player perhaps its best game of the season. Each receiver was sharp and held onto all of the catchable balls. Whether it was Junior Hemingway coming back to catch Michigan’s first touchdown or Martavious Odoms catching a bullet in traffic and weaving through five defenders into the end zone or Drew Dileo hauling in a 28-yarder on Michigan’s final drive, they all came to play.

Defensively, while the 34 points allowed were the most given up all season, credit has to be given to the unit that tightened up in the second half, allowing just 10 points, and made the stop to seal the win. Michigan sacked Miller four times and freshman linebacker Desmond Morgan led the team with 10 tackles. On the outside, freshman cornerback Blake Countess made a great leaping pass break-up in the first quarter on what would have been a long gain, and Courtney Avery picked Miller off to end the game.

Ryan Van Bergen is one of those seniors that stayed and emerged a champion (photo by the Detroit News)

Credit is also due to placekicker Brendan Gibbons who made just 1-of-5 field goals last season, but stepped up with a clutch 43-yard field goal with two minutes remaining to force the Buckeyes to have to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown instead of a field goal.

Twenty three seniors played their final game in the Big House and they exemplify what a Michigan Man is all about. While many of their former teammates left when the going got tough or decided to jump ship early, these 23 men stuck it out through three different head coaches, multiple coordinators and different schemes. It wasn’t easy, but each and every one of them will tell you it was worth it.

When Denard took the final knee and the clock hit zero, the team unity that was built over the last few months on the principles of the Navy SEALs was on display for all to see. Just as the team does at the end of practice every Friday, the ball was thrown up in the air, and when it landed, the entire team fell to the ground, as if a bomb had gone off. It was a fitting display of a Michigan band of brothers playing for each other and overcoming adversity. And just like SEAL Team 6 ended Bin Laden’s reign of corruption in the middle east and dumped his body out to sea, Michigan’s Team 132 put an end to Ohio’s seven-year reign in a sea of maize and blue.

The victory, and what is likely to follow in the coming days with the expected hiring of Urban Meyer to become Ohio’s next head coach, restore the vigor to the rivalry that has been in hibernation the past few years. Miller looks to be the real deal for OSU and Robinson will be a senior next season. With Hoke’s reinforced significance on beating Ohio, Mattison’s defensive genius, the youth that has stepped up on Michigan’s defense, and the emergence of Toussaint as a feature back, it’s exciting to look forward to the coming years of Michigan football and beating Ohio yet again.

Until the teams meet 364 days from now in Columbus, Michigan has the upper hand and the bragging rights, and Ohio State will have to figure out a way to win without access to free cars, under the table cash, and free tattoos.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points in the second half but it wasn't enough to overcome a large halftime deficit (photo by Eugene Tanner, AP)

Michigan put up a good fight but Duke was too much for the Wolverines on this night, handing Michigan its first loss of the season.

Michigan fell behind 9-0 in the first four minutes before Jordan Morgan got Michigan on the board. The Wolverines pulled to within 11-9, but Duke used a 19-6 run to blow the game open at 30-15 before going into the half with a 12-point advantage.

Michigan came out hot in the second half, cutting the lead to five at 40-35. But Duke was too much. Each time Michigan seemed poised to come back, a timely three would be made or rebound grabbed to keep Michigan at bay.

Duke built a 66-49 lead with 7:32 remaining, but Michigan still had some fight left. A pair of buckets by Morgan and a jumper and free throw by Tim Hardaway Jr. cut the lead to 11. After trading baskets, Michigan cut it to eight and kept chipping away, but time was running out.

Hardaway made two straight layups to pull Michigan within six with 1:15 remaining and after some Duke free throws, Zack Novak hit a three to cut it to five. But that was as close as Michigan would get as Duke made the most of its free throw opportunities, going 13-for-16 down the stretch.

Hardaway led the way for Michigan with 19 points, all coming in the second half after getting held scoreless in the first. Freshman Trey Burke held his own, scoring 17 points and dishing out nine assists, while Morgan scored 12 and pulled down six rebounds and Novak added 11 points.

Michigan outrebounded the Blue Devils 31-27 and played a great second half, scoring 53 points on 62 percent shooting, including 5-for-11 from three-point range. However, it was the first half that doomed Michigan. They hit just 10-of-29 shots in the first 20 minutes, going 2-for-10 from three, and the hole they dug was too much to overcome.

Duke was the more balanced team, with the ability to score from all five players on the court. Austin Rivers (20 points), Seth Curry (17), and Andre Dawkins are too dangerous to be left open, but the big guys inside are dangerous enough to draw attention as well. Even so, Michigan proved it can hang with one of the best teams in the nation, and the test will serve them well in Big Ten play.

Michigan will conclude the Maui Invitational on Wednesday at 7:30pm Eastern time against the winner of Kansas and UCLA in the consolation game.