Michigan Basketball: Previewing must-win match-ups for Wolverines

Michigan basketball is ranked 14th and has a long road ahead of them to make it to the top of the Big Ten. Here’s a look at some key match-ups.

Nobody thought they’d be here. Not the 2019-20 Michigan basketball team that’s missing three significant pieces and absent a recruit who committed but left when John Beilein departed for the NBA.

Juwan Howard’s return has been better than expected, and he has led this year’s hoops squad on a roller coaster of a season. Defeating the college basketball blue-bloods and then falling twice on the road only to return home for a devastating overtime one point disappointment to a top ten. They’re 9-3, but there’s not a single college basketball team that will overlook this Michigan basketball squad.

19 games remain in the regular season, and without further ado, here’s a look at some must-win match-ups going forward.

Any Big Ten road game

There are environments that have historically little to no success for road teams, and all of the Big Ten programs seem to have created that this season. Before Michigan State waltzed into Northwestern and narrowly escaped 77-72, conference teams were winless on the road, including the Wolverines, who had a terrible outing in Champaign.

With that said, winning on the road for the Wolverines will become essential for seating during March Madness, especially when playing the bottom feeders of the Big Ten. Although, at least early on, it’s difficult to tell who’s at the top and who’s at the bottom. Rutgers, who has averaged around three conference wins over the past five seasons, is 1-1 with a victory of Wisconsin and has the same overall record as UM.