Michigan Basketball: Season Outlook After Beating Purdue
By Brian Rosen
Michigan basketball needed a victory against Purdue on Saturday. The win, plus star Caris LeVert’s return, are great signs for the Wolverines.
Boy, did that one feel good.
Related Story: Takeaways: Michigan upsets Purdue
It was fitting that former Michigan Wolverines big man Mitch McGary was in the house for Saturday’s 61-56 victory against the Purdue Boilermakers. Two years ago, the Wolverines were down to Michigan State in the second half when an injured McGary held up the whiteboard during a timeout. Instead of a detailed play call, “Win the Game!” was scrawled across the whole board.
The Wolverines went on to win that game 80-75.
While McGary was restrained to watching this one from the bleachers, his win-at-all-costs mentality was evident on the floor.
It didn’t matter that Zak Irvin looked worse than ever in the first half, air balling multiple shots. It didn’t matter that Derrick Walton Jr., fresh off his best performance of the season at Minnesota, was 0-9 from the field until the 2:06 mark of the second half.
It didn’t matter that Caris LeVert, making his return, was held scoreless and didn’t see the floor in the second half.
The Wolverines just kept fighting.
Irvin caught fire in the second half, carrying the Wolverines on his back with strong dribble drives and clutch 3-pointers. His pull-up jumper to stretch the lead to three with 1:10 left was crucial. Walton drove to the hoop and banked in his most important lay-up of the season with 2:06 left, drawing the foul. His two free throws with 0:04 left in the game iced the win.
What’s Next
The Wolverines needed to win this game. After two clunkers against Indiana and Michigan State and a close win at winless Minnesota, Michigan losing to Purdue could have sent the season spiraling out of control. Up until just before game-time, LeVert was not expected to play, but the rousing ovation he received as he stepped onto the court showed how important he will be to this stretch run.
If LeVert emerges from this game healthy and is available for the rest of the season, these Wolverines could be in for a season-finishing run that would have seemed impossible just a week ago.
Michigan has games at Ohio State, at Maryland, vs. Northwestern, and at Wisconsin to finish the season. It needed a boost against Purdue, and it got it. The scrappy win just couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Wolverines will be riding high on momentum come Tuesday at Ohio State. A road game against the Wolverines’ most-hated rival? After today’s win, Michigan will be eager to step foot on that court in Columbus. They’ll be more than ready for some good ol’ Buckeye hate.
Michigan won’t be able to get away with shooting 25 percent from 3 in its upcoming battles. It will need more consistent production from Walton. Duncan Robinson will need to find his groove from beyond the arc, which he should be able to do with LeVert drawing more of the game-plan from here on out.
On a night where the Wolverines honored and raised awareness for Chad Tough Foundation, their performance and grit on the court was exemplary. The fight this team showed down the stretch of this game will need to remain a key characteristic for the rest of the season.
More wolverines: Football: U-M has too many scholarships
It remains to be seen just how LeVert will be integrated back into the offense on a game-to-game basis, but his return is a monumental boost for this bunch. With their top player back in the fold, the Wolverines could be firing on all cylinders down the stretch.