Michigan basketball survives Maryland, adds top-50 win to NCAA resume

It wasn’t pretty, but Michigan basketball hung on to beat Maryland by one and in the process, the Wolverines scored their second straight top-50 win.

After probably the worst half of the season, maybe the second-worst half, (Ohio State), Michigan basketball found a way to beat Maryland Monday night. And they did it, thanks to a great play call by John Beilein and two clutch free throws from Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman.

In the first half, Michigan basketball trailed the Terps, who came into the game 14-5, by as many as 14 points. At halftime, the lead was 10. But a big run to open the second half turned things around.

Jordan Poole him from 3-point range on three consecutive attempts. Moe Wagner also added a pair of triples. Isaiah Livers hit from deep too in the second half, as did Duncan Robinson. At one point, the Wolverines were 8-of-10 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Yet, Maryland refused to go away. The Terps needed a win for their own NCAA Tournament hopes and to push themselves into the upper echelon of Big Ten teams. For a minute in the second half, it appeared as though Michigan was going to let them.

After being up by as many as five points in the final minute, two late 3-pointers, in between two missed free throws by Zavier Simpson, gave Maryland a 67-66 lead with 3.5 seconds left.

After a timeout, Michigan, thanks to a great pass from Livers, got the ball to Rahkman, who was fouled. He made both free throws with one second left and the Wolverines escaped with the one-point win.

The reaction of some will be that Michigan basketball barely beat a team Michigan State dominated.

That’s true, but the Terps are also ranked 47th according to the RPI. In terms of the RPI, the win over Maryland was the Wolverines second-best of the season. That should only help a team that is already projected as a six seed by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

There are things to be concerned about. The slow start is one. That’s happened in a few games this season and with the difficulty of the Wolverines schedule, they can’t afford to keep allowing it to happen. The defensive intensity was lacking and the offense simply wasn’t sharp.

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However, in the second half, Michigan looked like its usual self. Zavier Simpson set the tone defensively. Poole and Livers paced the offense and Wagner was, well Wagner. He took over.

Wagner had another big game, scoring 18 and grabbing 11 rebounds. Poole also had 11. No other Michigan player scored in double figures. The Wolverines are now 16-4 and 5-2 in the Big Ten.

More importantly, Michigan basketball now has four top-50 wins. That’s the biggest takeaway from Monday’s win. That, and the fact that the Wolverines are still right in the thick of the Big Ten hunt.

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Hopefully, that continues. A road game looms Thursday against Nebraska. On Sunday, Michigan will be back at home to take on Rutgers. But if they win both of those games, making a run at a Big Ten title won’t just be a pipe dream, it will be a legit possibility.