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.

With four games remaining in the regular season, Michigan travels to Northwestern hoping to keep its Big Ten title hopes alive. However, Northwestern will be fighting for its NCAA Tournament life in what some in the greater Chicago area have dubbed the biggest game in Northwestern history.

#13 Michigan v. Northwestern
	Tuesday, Feb. 21 8 p.m. ET Big Ten Network Evanston, Ill.
20-7 (10-4)	Record	16-10 (6-8)
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	Wins	UTPA 60-36 LSU 88-82 Tulsa 69-65 Seton Hall 80-73 Stony Brook 63-58 Georgia Tech 76-60 MVSU 92-67 Texas Southern 81-51 Central Conn. St. 70-64 Eastern Illinois 87-72 Penn State 68-56 #7 Michigan St. 81-74 Nebraska 84-74 Illinois 74-70 Iowa 83-64 Minnesota 64-53
#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	Losses	#8 Baylor 41-69 #21 Creighton 79-87 #2 Ohio State 54-87 Illinois 56-57 #13 Michigan 64-66 OT Wisconsin 57-77 Minnesota 52-75 Purdue 56-58 Purdue 77-87 #20 Indiana 66-71
66.5	Points Per Game	70.1
60.1	Scoring Defense	67.4
653-for-1,416 (46.1%)	Field Goal %	630-for-1,374 (45.9%)
588-for-1,395 (42.2%)	Def. Field Goal %	638-for-1,423 (44.8%)
215-for-616 (34.9%)	3-point %	231-for-605 (38.2%)
163-for-476 (34.2%)	Def. 3-point %	176-for-489 (36.0%)
275-for-385 (71.4%)	Free Throw %	331-for-481 (68.8%)
10.2	Free Throws Made/Game	12.7
30.9	Rebounds Per Game	29.7
31.4	Opp. Rebounds Per Game	34.8
13.2	Assists Per Game	15.6
10.7	Turnovers Per Game	10.2
5.1	Steals Per Game	6.2
2.0	Blocks Per Game	3.8
G – Tim Hardaway (14.3) G – Trey Burke (14.1)	Leading Scorer	F – John Shurna (20.2) G – Drew Crawford (16.6)
F – Evan Smotrycz (5.6) F – Jordan Morgan (5.0)	Leading Rebounder	F – John Shurna (5.6) G – Drew Crawford (4.5)

The Wildcats enter at 16-10, 6-8 in the Big Ten, and squarely on the NCAA bubble. ESPN’s Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Northwestern among his “last four in” but we Michigan fans know all to well from recent years, it’s a dicey place to be. At this point, every game counts, and a win over a team like Michigan could be the boost that gets the Wildcats into the Tournament. Add to that the fact that NW has never qualified for the Big Dance and that Michigan needed overtime to edge the Wildcats in Ann Arbor in early January, and tonight’s game will be a very tall task for Michigan.

In the last meeting, Michigan was outplayed for much of the game, needing a 10-point second half comeback to force overtime, but was able to pull it out in the extra period.

Northwestern stars John Shurna and Drew Crawford scored 21 and 20, respectively, and the Wildcats shot 50 percent from the field, but Michigan found a way to win thanks to 17 offensive rebounds and forcing 16 turnovers.

If there is a reason for optimism for Michigan heading into tonight’s matchup, it’s that the Wolverines shot just 33.3 percent from the field and 7-of-30 from three-point range and still won the game. It’s unlikely that either team will shoot as good (NW) or as bad (Michigan) as it did in the first contest.

Northwestern has lost two of its last three, having beaten Minnesota 64-53 on Saturday, and is 14-3 at home in Welsh-Ryan Arena this season.

As mentioned above, the Wildcats are led by senior forward John Shurna who became Northwestern’s all-time leading scorer on Saturday, and junior guard Drew Crawford. Shurna leads the Wildcats with 20.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while Crawford ranks second with 16.6 and 4.5. They stand #1 and #4 in the Big Ten in scoring and both rank in the top 12 in three-point shooting, both over 40 percent.

While they’re the big two, the Wildcats have a solid point guard in freshman Dave Soboleski who averages 9.4 points per game. He scored nine against Michigan in the first matchup.

Michigan could use another big game out of big man Jordan Morgan who played the best game of his career on Saturday against Ohio State. Wildcat center Luka Mirkovic averages just under six points per game and was held to two in Ann Arbor. The Wildcats like to go small, and are the only team in the conference that Michigan holds a rebounding advantage over on both ends.

I think it’s safe to expect a close, low scoring battle in which Shurna and Crawford will get their points. If Michigan shoots like it did in the January matchup, Northwestern will win, but don’t expect that to happen.

Last night’s 56-51 victory over Ohio State has left Michigan in prime position to capture at least a share of its first Big Ten title since 1986. With four games remaining on the conference slate, and trailing Michigan State by just a game, does Michigan have a realistic shot? Let’s take a look at the current Big Ten standings as well as the remaining schedules for the contenders.

Michigan has just one home game remaining, against Purdue, with the Boilers being the only remaining opponent in the top half of the conference. Michigan State has a pair of should-wins against Minnesota and Nebraska before finishing up at Indiana and home against Ohio State. The Buckeyes have home tilts against Illinois and Wisconsin before traveling to Northwestern and Michigan State.

For Michigan to win at least a share of the Big Ten, the Wolverines will need Michigan State to lose one of its remaining games. State’s visit to Bloomington, Ind next Tuesday looks to be the best chance. But that alone won’t wrap up the title. Michigan will need to win out, which is a tough task with three of the final four on the road. The toughest test should be Tuesday night’s contest at Northwestern. If Michigan can escape the purple trap, we could be looking at the first Big Ten title in 25 years.

[Ed: Standings updated Monday morning to reflect Sunday night results].

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.

After beating rival Michigan State for the third consecutive time last Tuesday, it traveled to Arkansas and laid an egg against a Razorback team that hadn’t beaten a quality opponent to that point. Michigan started slowly, allowing Arkansas to hit its first 11 shots, and dug itself a 20-point hole. While the Wolverines battled back valiantly, it wasn’t enough as Trey Burke’s attempted buzzer-beater rattled in and out.

#22 Michigan v. Purdue
	Tuesday, Jan. 24 7 p.m. ET ESPN W. Lafayette, Ind.
15-5 (5-2)	Record	14-6 (4-3)
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	Wins	N. Illinois 96-34 High Point 67-65 Iona 91-90 Temple 85-77 W. Michigan 80-37 Coppin State 78-57 Miami 76-65 W. Carolina 65-60 E. Michigan 61-36 IPFW 81-56 Iowa 79-76 Illinois 75-60 Minnesota 79-66 Iowa 75-68
#6 Duke 75-82 Virginia 58-70 #11 Indiana 71-73 Iowa 59-75 Arkansas 64-66	Losses	#15 Alabama 56-65 #11 Xavier 63-66 Butler 65-67 Penn State 45-65 Wisconsin 62-67 #9 Michigan St. 58-83
68.6	Points Per Game	71.8
60.8	Scoring Defense	60.3
497-for-1,080 (46.0%)	Field Goal %	507-for-1,162 (44.0%)
439-for-1,047 (41.9%)	Def. Field Goal %	438-for-1045 (41.9%)
164-for-480 (34.2%)	3-point %	154-for-434 (35.5%)
128-for-354 (36.2%)	Def. 3-point %	119-for-331 (36.0%)
213-for-301 (70.8%)	Free Throw %	269-for-428 (67.4%)
10.7	Free Throws Made/Game	13.5
33.1	Rebounds Per Game	34.8
31.1	Opp. Rebounds Per Game	34.2
13.3	Assists Per Game	13.5
11.3	Turnovers Per Game	9.7
5.0	Steals Per Game	7.5
2.5	Blocks Per Game	3.7
G – Tim Hardaway (15.1) G – Trey Burke (14.6)	Leading Scorer	F – Robbie Hummel (15.4) G – Lewis Jackson (10.0)
F – Evan Smotrycz (5.9) F – Jordan Morgan (5.6)	Leading Rebounder	F – Robbie Hummel (6.3) G – Kelsey Barlow (4.1)

Thankfully, Michigan doesn’t have to wait long to erase the bitter taste of defeat from its mouth as the Wolverines visit West Lafayette tonight to battle the Purdue Boilermakers.

Purdue enters at 14-6 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten. The Boilers are yet to beat a ranked team but have lost to all three they have played, a nine point loss to Alabama, a three point loss at Xavier, and Saturday’s 25 point beatdown at the hands of Michigan State.

Purdue is led by forward Robbie Hummel, who surprisingly isn’t hurt this season. The senior who missed all of last season and part of the previous season with knee injuries, is having a stellar season so far. He’s averaging 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, having scored in double figures in all but two games. One of those was Saturday when he was held without a field goal on 0-for-11 shooting. His only two points came on free throws and he wasn’t in foul trouble. But every star has his off nights and for Hummel they’re few and far between. He scored 17 against both Alabama and Xavier and has a season high of 24 against Iona and Coppin State. Two years ago, he poured in 35 against Ohio State including eight three-pointers. At this point this season, he’s shooting 35.1 percent from three (39-for-111).

Second on the team is senior guard Lewis Jackson who averages 10 points and nearly four assists per contest. He scored 26 in a win over Temple but has been held to five points or fewer six times. He’s not much of a three-point shooter, averaging just over one attempt per game, but makes 47.1 percent of his shots.

Fellow senior guard Ryne Smith is the team’s sharp-shooter, averaging 43.4 percent from downtown (53-for-122. Against High Point early in the season, he hit 8-of-15 from three-point range and has hit at least three in nine of 20 games. Saturday’s loss to Michigan State was the first game all season that he was held without a three.

The Boilers are very guard-heavy but shoot worse than Michigan from the field (43.6 percent). Tonight’s matchup pits a pair of teams eager for a win following a disappointing loss, and Michigan looking for its first true road win of the season. It’s games like this that need to be stolen on the road in order to win the Big Ten. Look for John Beilein’s team to come out hungry and pick up a hard-fought victory before a brutal stretch at Ohio State, home against Indiana, and at Michigan State.

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.

Michigan doesn’t get long to celebrate its third straight win over hated rival Michigan State as the Big Ten’s leader returns to action this afternoon with an odd out of conference matchup with Arkansas.

#19 Michigan v. Arkansas
	Saturday, Jan. 21 2 p.m. ET CBS Fayetteville, Ark.
15-4 (5-2)	Record	13-5 (2-2 SEC)
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	Wins	S.C. Upstate 83-63 Oakland 91-68 Utah Valley 67-59 Grambling 86-44 Miss. Valley State 97-64 SE Louisiana 62-55 E. Kentucky 71-57 Louisiana Tech 77-63 Charlotte 80-67 Texas Southern 77-49 Savannah State 83-66 #16 Miss. State 98-88 LSU 69-60
#6 Duke 75-82 Virginia 58-70 #11 Indiana 71-73 Iowa 59-75	Losses	Houston 78-87 #10 UConn 62-75 Oklahoma 63-78 Mississippi 63-71 #2 Kentucky 63-86
68.8	Points Per Game	76.9
60.6	Scoring Defense	65.5
472-for-1019 (46.3%)	Field Goal %	456-for-1,037 (44.0%)
415-for-999 (41.5%)	Def. Field Goal %	398-for-1019 (39.1%)
156-for-452 (34.5%)	3-point %	110-for-316 (34.8%)
123-for-343 (35.9%)	Def. 3-point %	97-for-317 (30.5%)
207-for-294 (70.4%)	Free Throw %	285-for-413 (69.0%)
10.9	Free Throws Made/Game	16.8
33.0	Rebounds Per Game	37.9
31.2	Opp. Rebounds Per Game	38.8
13.2	Assists Per Game	15.2
11.3	Turnovers Per Game	13.5
5.2	Steals Per Game	9.3
2.5	Blocks Per Game	6.4
G – Tim Hardaway (15.4) G – Trey Burke (14.6)	Leading Scorer	G – B.J. Young (15.0) G – Mardracus Wade (11.1)
F – Evan Smotrycz (6.1) F – Jordan Morgan (5.5)	Leading Rebounder	F – Devonta Abron (5.1) G – Julysses Nobles (4.1)

The Razorbacks come in with a record of 13-5 but a quick look at the schedule shows that those 13 wins came against a collection of misfits and nobodies. The highest ranked team the Razorbacks beat was 16th-ranked Mississippi State. Other than that, a nine point win over LSU and a 23 point win over common opponent Oakland.

Arkansas did hang with UConn in early December before falling 75-62. The Razorbacks also lost to by 25 to #2 Kentucky last Tuesday as well as Oklahoma, Mississippi and 9-9 Houston.

Arkansas leading scorer, junior forward Marshawn Powell, suffered a season ending knee injury in the second game of year after scoring 19 and 20 points in the first two games, respectively.

The leading healthy scorer is freshman guard B.J. Young, who averages 14.7 points per game. He has been held to single digits in just four games, one being his first career game in which he played just 14 minutes. He scored 28 against UConn and 24 against both Oklahoma and Mississippi State. He’s a capable three-point shooter, having hit 28-of-67 (41.8 percent) so far and he’s shooting 51.3 percent overall from the field.

The second-leading scorer and best three-point sharpshooter is sophomore guard Mardracus Wade. The 6’2″ guard is averaging 11.1 points per game and shooting 49.3 percent from downtown (37-of-75). He has hit at least one three in all but two games so far and has hit multiple treys in 12 of the 18 games.

Inside, the Razorbacks rely on 6’8″ freshman Devonta Abron and 6’9″ senior Michael Sanchez. The pair doesn’t contribute much to the scoring, averaging 5.8 and 4.6 points per game, respectively, but Abron is the team’s second leading rebounder. 6’10″ freshman Hunter Mickelson also adds a solid inside presence despite scoring just 4.4 points per game, as he ranks second nationally with 2.7 blocks per game.

As a team, Arkansas is very young, plays an uptempo style similar to that of Memphis, and rotates a lot of players in and out in order to do so. The Razorbacks shoot slightly worse than Michigan (44 percent) but hold opponents to just 39.1 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three-point range. They grab a lot of rebounds (five per game more than Michigan) but also give up a lot (nearly eight more than Michigan allows).

Arkansas is the type of team Michigan usually plays very well against, as John Beilein’s system is predicated around taking care of the ball and controlling the tempo. Expect a game much like the Memphis game early in the season where Michigan got the Tigers out of rhythm and picked up a win. It’s a game Michigan should win but if the Razorback pressure causes Michigan to turn the ball over, it could be a lost opportunity for the Wolverines. This type of midseason out of conference matchup obviously does nothing for the team’s goal of winning the Big Ten, but is the kind of game that could impact its NCAA Tournament resume come Selection Sunday, good or bad.

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.