Last week, we presented the final individual and team statistical breakdowns, all nicely color-coded to illustrate each player’s contribution to the team. Today, we’ll take a look at end of season profiles of each player, the highlights of his season, his contributions, and what he can improve for next season.

Before we get started, let me explain some of the numbers. The stat line at the top of each player’s profile is taken straight from last week’s stats post. The darker the maize, the higher his ream rank in that category. The darker the blue, the lower his team rank. At the bottom of each profile are more advanced metrics, such as effective field goal percentage (eFG%) and true shooting percentage (TS%), with my own twist on them to adjust for minutes played in relation to the total available minutes. That way, a player like Eso Akunne who only took eight shots all season and made seven, and played just 3.5 percent of the available minutes, doesn’t blow away everyone else on the team.

The Starters

Burke led the team with 14.8 points per game and will be crucial to Michigan's success if he returns next season

Nobody knew what to expect from the gaping hole that was the point guard position prior to the season, but by season’s end, it’s hard to picture what the team would have looked like without Trey Burke. The fabulous freshman who was plucked from behind enemy lines in Columbus, helped Michigan fans forget about Darius Morris and turned point guard into a position of strength.

He didn’t start the season opener against Ferris State and scored just three points in 18 minutes. But in his next four games, he scored 13, 14, 14, and 17 points, respectively while starting and playing 30-plus minutes each game.

On New Years Day, he racked up 27 points against Minnesota and two weeks later he scored 20 to lead Michigan to its third straight win over Michigan State. In February, he more or less shut down Ohio State’s Aaron Craft and scored 17 of his own to earn the win, and in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament, Burke lit up Minnesota once again, this time for a career high 30 points.

He was the floor general who played well beyond his freshman status. He played 89.2 percent of the possible minutes, averaging 36.1 minutes per game and it seemed to show in the final two games when he didn’t have legs against Ohio State and had trouble keeping up with the guards of Ohio University.

Burke is considering entering the NBA Draft but if he does return next season, Michigan will be poised to make a run for another Big Ten title.

Needs to improve: Turnovers. There’s really not much Burke wasn’t able to do as a true freshman. He played well beyond his years, hit clutch shots, led the team in scoring, and set the Michigan record for assists by a freshman. It’s nitpicking to suggest turnovers, but what else is there? He ranked tied for eighth in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio, but 10 Big Ten guards averaged fewer turnovers per game. If he can cut it down under two to the same level as Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor or Northwestern’s Dave Sobolewski, he’ll be a sure Big Ten player of the year candidate.

eFG% – 44.8
TS% –  48.0

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Tim Hardaway Jr struggled from the field in Big Ten play but was the team's second leading scorer

Hardaway was the star of the team last year and had high expectations heading into his sophomore campaign. He began the season right where he left off, averaging 16.2 points per game and shooting 47.8 percent overall and 34.3 percent from three-point range through the first 13 games.

But once conference play began, his scoring average dropped nearly three points to 13.5 and his shooting dipped to 37.7 and 25 percent the rest of the way, respectively.

He had a 2-for-14 night against Minnesota, 2-for-13 against Iowa, and 1-for-10 against Michigan State. He had a six-game stretch in which he hit just 7-of-35 threes.

Despite his struggles, he was still able to get his points and seemed to come alive at season’s end. Against Illinois on March 1, he scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds while hitting 6-of-7 shots, 4-of-4 threes, and 9-of-10 free throws. Against Minnesota in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament, he poured in 20.

He led the team in free throws made and attempted, averaging 4.4 attempts and three makes per game.

Needs to improve: Shot selection and consistency. The root of his shooting woes this season was shot selection as he often forced up off-balance jumpers late in the shot clock or early threes not within the offense. He was at his best when he was driving to the basket off the dribble, drawing fouls and creating plays. The return of Trey Burke would really help Hardaway’s consistency, as will more of an inside presence with Jon Horton coming off of injury and Mitch McGary joining the team. Hardaway shot 36.7 percent from three-point range as a freshman while taking 20 more threes, so he’s capable of hitting them. If he can get back to that level next year, he’ll be tough to stop.

eFG% – 40.9
TS% –  44.4

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Zack Novak was arguably the most consistent player on the team, ranking in the top three in nearly every stat category

Four years ago, Novak was a barely-recruited prospect and one of John Beilein’s first commits. As a senior this season, he was one of Michigan’s most important all-around players. He started every game, averaging the third-most minutes per game (33.7), ranked third on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game, third in rebounding (4.5), third in overall shooting (47.6) percent, second in three-point shooting (40.9), and first in free throw shooting (85.7).

He scored a season-high 22 in Michigan’s Maui Invitational win over UCLA and also scored 17 and pulled in eight rebounds in a midseason loss at Arkansas. He made multiple threes in 14 games and hit at least one three in 26 of the 34 games. He also pulled down five or more rebounds 16 times.

However, he struggled in his final game, Michigan’s season-ending loss to Ohio, scoring just two points on 1-of-6 shooting. But throughout his career, Novak’s legacy was defined by more than just scoring. While he averaged 8.1 points per game throughout his four years, his main contributions don’t show up on the stat sheet. He played more minutes than any Michigan basketball player in history and his was the body often diving after loose balls and jumping in front of potential layups, drawing charges. Novak also became Michigan’s first academic all-american in 30 years and was just the second three-year captain in Michigan history.

Novak graduates in May with a business degree from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He won’t play in the NBA, but he has a bright future ahead and all the tools to succeed in life beyond basketball.

eFG% – 49.1
TS% –  51.4

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Stu Douglass played in more games than any Michigan player in program history

Like Novak, Douglass was scarcely recruited coming out of high school but became one of Beilein’s first commits. All he did was go on to play in more games than any player in Michigan basketball history, never missing a game throughout his career.

This season, he averaged 7.5 points per game, good for fifth on the team, and 78 assists, which was second to Burke. His best game of the season was the opener against Ferris State when he scored 14 points on 3-of-7 shooting from three, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out four assists. He also scored in double figures six other times and scored the game-winning layup in Michigan’s January 17 win over Michigan State.

Through his first three years, Douglass was known as a good three-point shooter, but this season he developed an ability to get to the rim and create a shot off the dribble. Several times, he set up his defender and hit a turn around jumper, something that was hard to imagine in years prior. He also became one of Michigan’s best defenders on the perimeter.

He finished his career fourth all-time in threes attempted (603) and fifth in threes made (205). He started the season coming off the bench, but made his way into the starting lineup for the final 16 games.

He graduates in May with an economics degree and will likely pursue a basketball career overseas. Next season, his steadiness will be missed and Michigan will have to find a capable ball-handler to spell Burke at times.

eFG% – 38.7
TS% –  40.4

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Evan Smotrycz was the team's best three-point shooter, hitting 43.5 percent of his attempts

Smotrycz was the type of big man that John Beilein loves: able to step outside and create a mismatch for a slower big guy, capable of knocking down threes or driving to the basket. This season, his minutes were down, but his offensive productivity increased from his freshman campaign.

He led the team in three-point percentage, hitting 40-of-92 attempts, was second in overall field goal percentage (48.1), led the team with 120 defensive rebounds, and was the team’s second-leading overall rebounder, averaging 4.9 per game.

He had a four-game stretch to end the non-conference portion of the schedule in which he scored 20, 16, 17, and 20, but scored in double figures just four times in the final 21 games. In one of those, his 17-points helped Michigan beat Penn State to clinch a share of the Big Ten title. In another, his 15 points helped keep Michigan in the NCAA Tournament game against Ohio. He hit 6-of-7 shots from the field and both three-pointers and also pulled in seven boards.

Smotrycz began the season in the starting lineup, but lost his starting job to Douglass for the final 16 games. He averaged 21.1 minutes a game and was efficient on the offensive end, but was often a liability on defense.

At season’s end, he announced he was transferring to a yet-to-be-named school. In hindsight, it explains some of the frustration with Smotrycz all season. His on-court demeanor and lack of effort at times were frustrating but his ability to knock down shots somewhat made up for it. Had he returned next season, his minutes may not have increased but if his offensive production remained the same, he would have been a crucial player to Michigan’s success.

eFG% – 30.7
TS% –  32.2

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Jordan Morgan led Michigan in FG percentage and rebounding

While Morgan’s scoring numbers were slightly down this season from his redshirt freshman year, he remained an important piece of the puzzle inside. Read: only pice of the puzzle inside. When fellow big man Jon Horford was lost for the season, Morgan’s inside presence became all the more important as the only guy big enough to defend opponents’ bigs.

He led Michigan and finished second in the Big Ten in shooting percentage (61.9) and led the team in offensive rebounds (75), total rebounds (191), and rebound average (5.6). His offensive rebound average (2.2) was good for sixth in the Big Ten.

Though his scoring average fell from 9.2 to 7.3 this season, he had a few great games offensively. His season high was 16, which he scored twice, against Iowa State on December 3 and Arkansas on January 21. He also had three double-digit rebounding nights, one of which was the highlight of his season when he recorded a double-double, grabbing 11 boards and scoring 11 points in helping Michigan defeat Ohio State. In that game, he virtually shut down Jared Sullinger.

Needs to improve: Playing like a big man. One of the most frustrating things to watch all season was Morgan grab an offensive rebound or get the ball under the basket, take a dribble, and get the ball stolen by a guard. If I had all the game tape to count, I bet it would tally at least a dozen times. He has the ability to score and once he has some help next season with Mitch McGrady and Jon Horford, should be able to excel as an upperclassman with a couple of years under his belt.

eFG% – 37.4
TS% – 36.7

The cross-eye-inducing periodic table below is the final statistical breakdown for your 2011-12 Michigan basketball team. For the sake of analysis, I took the liberty to color-code each statistical category based on the player’s final ranking on the team in that category. The darker the maize, the higher he finished, with the leader represented in dark maize and the number bolded. The darker the blue, the lower he finished, with the low man in dark blue and the number white.

As you can see, Michigan was essentially a six-man team. Matt Vogrich played in every game, getting a fourth of the game’s minutes on average and hit some big threes at times, and Blake McLimans played in roughly three-fourths of the games in a minor role but showed the ability to knock down some shots and pull down some rebounds. However, only six were actually regular contributors.  A healthy Jon Horford all season would have given Michigan seven.

Trey Burke was obviously the star, leading the team in points, assists, threes made, field goals, made, minutes, and blocks. Yep, you read that right; the point guard led the team in blocked shots. Tim Hardaway Jr led the team only in free throws made and attempted, though he did place second or third in the rest of the categories, the obvious outlier being three-point percentage in which he was sixth*. Zack Noak was steady all season long, starting every game, leading the team in free throw percentage, and placing third in virtually every other category. Jordan Morgan shot the best and pulled down the most offensive and total rebounds. Evan Smotrycz was probably the most efficient player on the team, at least offensively, compared to minutes played. He had the best three-point percentage and most defensive rebounds while serving as the team’s fourth-leading scorer and ranking highly in most of the other categories despite playing in barely over half of each game on average.

Further analysis will follow in the individual player season profiles over the course of the next couple weeks, but I also wanted to highlight some overall team stats and how they compared to last season.

Below are the final team stats from this season and the previous year. The column on the far right shows the percent difference for each stat category. Maize highlight means the team improved in that category and blue means it declined. Shockingly, this year’s team was virtually the same as last year’s across the board, but it produced three more wins and four fewer losses (and four more conference wins and five fewer conference losses).

The defense gave up one point fewer per game while defending the three declined slightly, although opponents shot 108 fewer three-pointers against Michigan this year. The team shot one more free throw than it did last season but made 12 more to improve its free throw shooting by 2.3 percent. On the glass, despite pulling down one less rebound per game, opponents grabbed two less per game, so Michigan still came out on top this season rebounding-wise. Assists were down by one per game and turnovers were up by one per game, but at least some of that can be attributed to starting a true freshman point guard and with Burke as the best player on the team, that’s not a huge deal.

The main area of increase was in attendance. The Crisler Center pulled in nearly a thousand more fans per game than it did last year thanks to a nearly perfect home record, staying in contention for the Big Ten title all season, and earning an ESPN College Game Day appearance for the Ohio State game.

Stay tuned in the coming days for the individual player season profiles, where we’ll evaluate each player’s contribution to the season, how it compared to his previous season(s), and the main areas of improvement for next season.

* Category rankings didn’t strictly go based on percentages. In some instances, such as three-point percentage, a player who rarely played had the highest percentage on the team (Eso Akunne) due to such a limited number of attempts (4-for-5). In those cases, priority was given subjectively to the starters and regular contributors before moving on to the role players.

It was a season that held such great promise only to culminate in a hollow feeling, the pain of a stinging defeat and an early exit overshadowing the successes that were achieved. However, the pain will soon recess and when we look back on the season, we’ll remember the milestones that were reached.

Beating Ohio State was one of the highlights of the season (photo by MGoBlue.com)

This team accomplished what the 26 Michigan basketball teams since 1986 could not: win the Big Ten, and it did so in a year in which the conference was at its best. Was Michigan truly the best team in the Big Ten? I think we would all by lying if we said yes, but it conquered the conference portion of the schedule well enough to earn a share of the title with two legitimate national title contenders, Michigan State and Ohio State.

This team featured a pair of seniors that will forever be remembered as the foundation of the Michigan basketball resurgence. John Beilein’s first two recruits came to a Michigan program that had just struggled to a 10-22 season, and took the Wolverines to the Big Dance three out of four years. Are Stu Douglass and Zack Novak among the best players in the Big Ten? Again, to say yes would have to be done while wearing maize colored glasses. Yet Douglass started more games in his career than any player in Michigan history and Novak became the first Wolverine to be named an Academic All-American in 30 years.

This team took a big step from being an under the radar bubble team with the ability to pull off upsets to a formidable foe that became the hunted rather than the hunter. It’s not an easy thing to do: live up to heightened expectations, especially when the crux of your team is underclassmen. Yes, the aforementioned senior leadership of Douglass and Novak cannot be understated, but the bulk of the weight was carried by a true freshman and a bunch of sophomores.

After routing Tennessee in its opening round game last season and narrowly missing the Sweet 16 with a near upset of Duke, Michigan looked poised to take another step forward.  But when sophomore point guard Darius Morris declared for the NBA Draft, the prospects of even matching that season’s record appeared dim. Enter Trey Burke. The “pride of Columbus, Ohio,” as he was called by Michigan’s public address announcer during pregame introductions of the Ohio State game, put Michigan on his shoulders and more than filled Morris’ shoes.

Burke quickly became a fan favorite, flashing a solid handle, the ability to knock down big shots, beat the defender off the dribble, and finish around the rim. He set the Michigan freshman assist record and was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year, as well as a Sports Illustrated Second-Team All-American.

His backcourt running mate, Tim Hardaway Jr., entered the season with high expectations after an outstanding freshman season of his own, but fell into a sophomore slump that he could never quite get out of. He finished second on the team in scoring behind Burke, but while his overall shooting percentage remained about the same, his three-point percentage plummeted from 36.7 percent to an abysmal 28.3.

Evan Smotrycz showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season but was also prone to mistakes, and the season-ending loss to Ohio was a perfect example. His 6-of-7 shooting night kept Michigan in the game, but his mishandling of the ball in the final seconds sealed the victory for the Bobcats.

Even Denard caught the Michigan hoops fever this season, regularly appearing in the Maize Rage (photo by MGoBlue.com)

Jordan Morgan also flashed some ability to dominate the game, such as in Michigan’s 56-51 win over Ohio State on February 18 in which he virtually shut down Jared Sullinger and recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds of his own. Yet, he also had a remarkable ability to disappear at times.

Each of Michigan’s returning contributors has plenty of upside to go along with plenty to improve and the team will get a shot in the arm next season when the nation’s 11th-best (5th according to Rivals) recruiting class comes to town. Michigan should be able to play much bigger next season, which will be key to competing for the Big Ten crown once again.

But before we look ahead to what’s to come, let’s revel in the success of the season that just concluded. Take pride in the accomplishment of a Big Ten title, forget the early loss, and bid Douglass and Novak adieu as they move on to post-basketball careers. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to take pride in Michigan basketball, so soak it up.

Biggest Areas of Improvement:

1. Develop depth. Michigan was mainly a seven-man rotation all season long with the same five starting every game and Smotrycz and Matt Vogrich coming off the bench. Others, such as Blake McLimans and Colton Christian played sparingly, but rarely enough to contribute.

If Michigan is to continue to progress, it will need to build depth to give the starters some rest without significantly decreasing production. Burke played 1,227 of the 1,375 available minutes (89 percent) this season with the majority of his rest coming at the beginning of the year. By season’s end, the grind seemed to have taken a toll, especially after playing 45 minutes in an overtime victory over Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament. Michigan didn’t have a backup point guard to spell him. That blame can certainly fall on Darius Morris for leaving early just to wind up in the NBA’s D League, but the need for depth applies across the board as well.

Getting Al Horford back from injury and Mitch McGary will instantly boost the frontcourt, and Smotrycz’s development and the additions of Glenn Robinson III and Nik Stauskas will bolster the wings. Hopefully Burke’s classmate Carlton Brundidge will be able to develop enough to see the court as well, giving Beilein a solid eight- or nine-man rotation.

Mitch McGary should help solve Michigan's interior woes next season (photo by Jeremy Hogan, Herald-Times)

2. Become less one-dimensional. Early in the season, Michigan had some success inside with Jordan Morgan and Al Horford. But once Horford was lost for the season, Morgan was unable to command the paint and Michigan became very one-dimensional. It worked for the most part, but eventually became the team’s greatest undoing late in the season when opponents figured out how to slow down Burke’s penetration and Michigan’s three-point shooting.

Michigan shot 788 three-pointers this season, 17 more than the Big Ten’s next highest, Northwestern, but converted just 35 percent of them, which ranked eighth in the conference. Too many times, the offense couldn’t even get the ball down low, and when it did, Morgan had very little in the way of a post game. That’s okay when the shots are falling, but late in the season with tired legs, they weren’t.

Michigan is always going to be a three-point shooting team under Beilein, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, without any sort of threat inside, it leaves Michigan prone to losing games it shouldn’t. Horford and McGary will help greatly.

3. Become a better defensive team. Michigan ranked near the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in most defensive categories: scoring defense (4th), opponent field goal percentage (6th), and opponent three-point field goal percentage (5th), which isn’t inherently bad. But with an offene that wasn’t the best shooting offense and ranked eighth in scoring, there wasn’t much room for error. Michigan ranked last in the conference in steals and blocked shots and eighth in rebounding.

What that tells is that Michigan’s defense wasn’t stopping opponents as much as it was opponents just not executing. The one time all season that Michigan’s defense did really step up in an obvious way was the win over Ohio State when it harassed Aaron Craft all night long and made the Buckeyes work for every basket. The way Ohio University pressured Michigan on every possession in the NCAA Tournament game is the way a defense needs to play. Unfortunately, Smotrycz is a defensive liability every time he’s on the floor and Morgan isn’t tough enough or big enough to body most big men. Douglass and Novak, while hard-nosed, simply weren’t athletic enough to keep up with most guards.

Of course, when a team wins a conference title and earns a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament, it’s hard to find too many faults without nitpicking. But fixing those three areas of improvement could be the difference between a 10-loss season and a legitimate national championship contender next season.

Check back in the next few days for a profile and grade of each player’s season and areas for improvement next year.

Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson came to Michigan in the early 1990s among much fanfare, heralded as perhaps the greatest recruiting class ever, and advanced to two straight national championship games. Twenty years later, a team starting two barely-recruited seniors, two sophomores, and a true freshman, none of them nationally coveted recruits, accomplished something the Fab Five never did: win a Big Ten title.

On Sunday afternoon, after taking care of business at Penn State, Michigan was forced to rely on help from its bitter rival, Ohio State. The symmetry was near perfect. In Michigan’s game, it built a huge lead, looking as if it was poised for a blowout, but let Penn State back in it and pulled out a six point win. In Ohio State’s game, the Buckeyes dug themselves a deep hole, trailing by as much as 15 and dampening the mood in Ann Arbor, before roaring back to win with a last-second jumper by senior William Buford.

The Big Ten tournament bracket

The Michigan team, which had arrived back at the team’s facility in Ann Arbor with a few minutes left in the game and was watching in the film room, erupted when Buford’s shot went in and again when a Spartan attempt was missed at the buzzer. Suddenly, the weight of the last 26 years was lifted from the Michigan basketball program and it was done so by a collection of guys nobody else wanted.

The seniors, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, were three-star guards coming out of high school, their only non-Michigan offers coming from Valparaiso and Western Michigan, respectively. Jordan Morgan and Tim Hardaway Jr were also three-stars with their best offers coming from Xavier and Minnesota, respectively. The man with the best offer sheet was freshman point guard Trey Burke who, also a three-star, held offers from Cincinnati and Butler among others. Only Burke was ranked nationally, the 26th-best point guard and 142nd overall, but as a collective unit, John Beilein’s squad overperformed all season.

Contrast Michigan’s starting lineup to those of the two teams it shares the Big Ten title with and there’s no logical reason Michigan should have been in the running.

Michigan State’s Draymond Green was a three-star who held offers from Kentucky and Ohio State; Adreian Payne was a five-star with offers from Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio State; Keith Appling a four-star offered by Xavier and Tennessee; Branden Dawson a five-star offered by Georgetown and Marquette; and Austin Thornton was the only one on par with a current Michigan starter’s offer sheet.

Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger was the nation’s fifth-best player; Deshaun Thomas the nation’s 22nd-best player; William Buford the nation’s 19th-best, with an offer from Kentucky; and Lenzelle Smith Jr and Aaron Craft were both three-stars with offers from second-tier programs.

That Michigan not only competed with these two, but split the season series and shared the conference title with both is a testament to the coaching of Beilein. The last time Michigan won a Big Ten title, Beilein was coaching Division II’s LeMoyne College, still two seasons away from his first conference title as a head coach.

The oldest player on the team, senior guard Corey Person, was born three years and three months after Michigan’s last Big Ten title. The youngest, freshman forward Max Biefeldt, was born seven years and four months after.

When the banner is hung in the Crisler Center rafters, it will go alongside those of the 1920-21*, 1925-26*, 1926-27*, 1928-29*, 1947-48*, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1973-74, 1976-77, 1984-85, and 1985-86 teams. Lucky number 13 is one Michigan players, coaches, and fans will not soon forget.

Michigan now turns its attention to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis where it lays claim to the second seed. The Wolverines will play on Friday at 6:30pm against the winner of the 7/10 matchup between Northwestern and Minnesota. Michigan beat Minnesota by five in its only meeting back on New Year’s Day and beat Northwestern in overtime twice.

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* The first five were Western Conference championships before the Big Ten was formed.

Yes, it’s a co-championship, shared with the two rivals, but it’s a championship. It means a banner in the rafters of the Crisler Center. It means a place in the Michigan and Big Ten record books. It means Novak, Douglass, Hardaway, Burke, and Morgan accomplished something Rose, Webber, Howard, King, and Jackson never did.

Not a player on this team was alive the last time Michigan won a Big Ten basketball title and John Beilein was at the helm of Division II LeMoyne College. Yet this gritty group of misfits and underdogs earned a piece of the regular season championship in the toughest conference in college basketball this season.

The Big Ten Tournament is on deck and the Big Dance will follow, but now is the time to celebrate. Congratulations to the 2011-12 Michigan basketball team. The Big Ten champions.

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.