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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

On Saturday, Michigan traveled to Iowa City and laid an egg in a place it has had trouble winning the past few years. A 75-59 loss to the 11-8 Hawkeyes sent Michigan plummeting down the national rankings and it doesn’t get any easier tonight.

#19 Michigan v. #9 Michigan State
	Tuesday, Jan. 17 7 p.m. ET ESPN Ann Arbor, Mich.
14-4 (4-2)	Record	15-3 (4-1)
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	Wins	Texas Southern 76-41 Ark-Little Rock 69-47 Milwaukee 68-55 E. Michigan 72-40 Florida State 65-49 Neb. Omaha 110-68 Central Conn. St. 89-69 #22 Gonzaga 74-67 Bowling Green 74-60 UMKC 89-54 Lehigh 90-81 #15 Indiana 80-65 Nebraska 68-55 #19 Wisconsin 63-60 OT Iowa 95-61
#6 Duke 75-82 Virginia 58-70 #11 Indiana 71-73 Iowa 59-75	Losses	#1 North Carolina 55-67 #6 Duke 69-74 Northwestern 74-81
69.3	Points Per Game	76.7
60.7	Scoring Defense	60.8
449-for-974 (46.1%)	Field Goal %	496-for-1,037 (47.8%)
391-for-949 (41.2%)	Def. Field Goal %	376-for-990 (38.0%)
150-for-431 (34.8%)	3-point %	101-for-278 (36.3%)
116-for-328 (35.4%)	Def. 3-point %	109-for-361 (30.2%)
199-for-281 (70.8%)	Free Throw %	287-for-413 (69.5%)
11.1	Free Throws Made/Game	15.9
33.8	Rebounds Per Game	40.7
31.2	Opp. Rebounds Per Game	30.7
13.5	Assists Per Game	16.9
11.5	Turnovers Per Game	13.9
5.0	Steals Per Game	8.3
2.4	Blocks Per Game	4.9
G – Tim Hardaway (15.7) G – Trey Burke (14.3)	Leading Scorer	F – Draymond Green (15.8) G – Keith Appling (12.9)
F – Evan Smotrycz (6.3) F – Jordan Morgan (5.7)	Leading Rebounder	F – Draymond Green (10.0) F – Branden Dawson (4.5)

Hated rival Michigan State invades Ann Arbor ranked 9th nationally, but also on the heels of a disappointing loss of its own. After reeling off 15 straight wins, the Spartans lost at Northwestern on Saturday.

Prior to that loss, Tom Izzo’s squad was arguably the hottest team in the Big Ten. MSU opened the season with a 67-55 loss to 1st-ranked North Carolina in the Carrier Classic and then fell 74-69 to Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic. The Spartans then reeled off 15 straight wins, including a 74-67 road win over #22 Gonzaga and an 80-65 win over 15th-ranked Indiana.

But on Saturday, just like Iowa did to Michigan, Northwestern proved that no matter the records, it’s tough to win on the road in the Big Ten. Thankfully for Michigan, tonight’s matchup is in the comforts of the Crisler Center where Michigan is unbeaten so far this season.

Michigan State is led by senior forward Draymond Green who averages 15.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in all but one game (nine points against Arkansas-Little Rock) and poured in 34 against Gonzaga. The 6’7″ forward has hit 24-of-59 three-pointers (40.7 percent) and hits better than 43 percent of his twos.

Sophomore point guard Keith Appling is second on the team with 12.9 points per game, though he’s just 16-of-53 from downtown. He has been hot and cold scoring-wise this season, but has scored at least 14 points in each of the last six games, including 25 against Indiana. He also put up 22 against Duke.

The only other Spartan averaging in double figures is senior guard Brandon Wood who averages 10.1. His season high is 20 against Nebraska Omaha.

The Spartans’ best three-point shooter is freshman guard Travis Trice who has hit 22-of-50 (44 percent) so far. He doesn’t score much, but gets 19 minutes a game and did put up 20 against Central Connecticut State on 4-of-4 shooting from three.

Inside, junior center Derrick Nix (7.7 ppg) and sophomore center Adreian Payne (6.8 ppg) have had their share of inconsistencies but have been improving throughout the season as replacements for Delvon Roe.

Despite Michigan’s struggles in the last two games (including the poorly-played overtime win over Northwestern), tonight’s game figures to be a hotly contested battle. Michigan won both games last season, sweeping the series for the first time since 1997. Green will be a tough matchup for either Evan Smotrycz or Zack Novak, but he has struggled the last three seasons against Michigan, averaging just six points a game. Michigan State ranks 9th nationally in rebounds per game, which will give the Spartans an edge, while Michigan will need to feed off of the Crisler Center crowd and get a hot hand shooting the three in order to pull off a third straight win over MSU.

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.

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.