Michigan Basketball: Wolverines NCAA berth is locked after Rutgers win
Michigan basketball was shorthanded Wednesday night but still found a way to notch a huge road win over Rutgers. Now, U-M it’s a lock for the NCAA tourney.
Battling foul trouble, an injury to Isaiah Livers, a raucous crowd and a really good Rutgers squad, Michigan basketball faced a big test Wednesday night at the RAC.
And the Wolverines passed it with flying colors, beating a team tied for third in the Big Ten coming into the night and improving to 8-7 overall in league play. It was the sixth win in seven games for Michigan basketball and the second win over Rutgers in a month. The first was at Madison Square Garden. This one, a 60-52 win by the Wolverines came at the RAC, where Rutgers was unbeaten.
About an hour before tip-off, Michigan fans got the news that Livers wasn’t going to play and while it was a blow, with the way Brandon Johns had been playing, it didn’t seem like a deal-breaker.
"GRIT...If you stay ready you don't have to get ready."
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) February 20, 2020
We love @JuwanHoward's postgame interviews - especially after a @umichbball win. 😏 pic.twitter.com/UEgGiwhtWw
But after getting into foul trouble, Johns didn’t make much of an impact. In fact, he scored just one point. Colin Castleton helped fill the void with five off the bench and more importantly, David DeJulius scored 10. His defense was also on point, as were the rest of the Wolverines.
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In the second half, Rutgers barely shot over 20 percent from the field and when it was all said and done, the Scarlet Knights scored just 21 points. Michigan basketball went on an 8-0 run at one point and then put together a 7-0 run after that.
Clutch 3-pointers down the stretch by Eli Brooks and Jon Teske helped keep the game on ice, as well as one from Franz Wagner, who finished with 12 points. That was second only to Zavier Simpon who scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and had two steals. He also made two 3-pointers and eclipsed 1,000 points.
The biggest development was that the Wolverines, who have been trending in all the bracketology projections put themselves into the lock category. The team is now 8-7 in the Big Ten and has a ridiculous resume that now includes three straight wins away from home.
Another challenge awaits Saturday at Purdue and the stakes only get higher as a top-four finish in the Big Ten could now be within reach.