Michigan Basketball: 3 Takeaways from Wolverines win at Purdue
Michigan basketball went into Purdue as four-point underdogs and came away with an impressive win. Here are three key takeaways from the 71-63 win.
After becoming the first team to win at the RAC on Wednesday, Michigan basketball notched another impressive road win Saturday at Purdue.
The Boilermakers are a top-30 team in the NET rankings and so it’s another quadrant-1 win for the Wolverines, who have now won three in a row on the road and four in a row away from Ann Arbor.
The good vibes started flowing in warmups as Isaiah Livers was a go for Michigan basketball after missing the last game and while Livers didn’t have a huge day offensively, he made an obvious impact, especially on defense, where they Wolverines were dominant.
At times the offense was crisp but the defense played at an elite level as U-M improved to 18-9 overall and 9-7 in the Big Ten. It was also the seventh win in eight games and for some immediate reaction, here are three key takeaways from the 71-63 win.
Franz Wagner keeps growing up
It’s incredible to see how far this Michigan basketball team has come in just a few weeks and some of the best growth has come from freshman Franz Wagner, who was all over the place in Mackey Arena.
Wagner drilled a couple of 3-pointers in the first half and threw down a dunk as Michigan built a 15-point lead in the first half. Wagner also finished with five rebounds and a steal. It’s funny you don’t hear much from his doubters now and as the season approaches the closing stretch, he’s becoming a force and he’s not even 19 years old. His clinching dunk in the finals seconds gave him a career-high 22 points.
Michigan is as good as any Big Ten team with Livers
It’s too bad that the Wolverines didn’t have Livers all season long because if they did, the Big Ten title race could have been much different. Isaiah didn’t have a spectacular game offensively, he missed some shots, but his intelligence and overall ability still creates shots for others. Wagner is one player that seems to benefit from Livers being out there.
It’s hard to say whether he’s making a bigger impact on offense or defense, but there is no doubt that with a healthy Livers, who had 19 points, Michigan basketball is as good as any team in the Big Ten and that’s something to keep in mind with the Big Ten tournament rapidly approaching.
Forget the bubble, Michigan is pushing for a 5 seed or better
It’s hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago, Michigan’s NCAA tournament hopes were sincerely in doubt. But when you win six of seven games and with four of those wins coming against NCAA tournament teams, it doesn’t take long to move up the seeding chart.
During the game, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi said Michigan was moving towards a five seed with a win over Purdue and with games looming against Ohio State, Maryland and Wisconsin, plus the Big Ten tournament, a five or even a four seed is well within reach.
At this point, there is ZERO doubt though that Michigan basketball is going back to the big dance.