Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from Wolverines win at Wisconsin

In the first half against Wisconsin on Saturday, Michigan basketball looked like a team that hadn’t played in more than three weeks.

But in the second half, the tide turned. The Wolverines found a rhythm on offense, then rode a dominant defensive effort to a 67-59 victory, one that might be the most impressive of the season for Michigan basketball, which is now 14-1 overall and 9-1 in the Big Ten.

Truthfully, it was hard to expect Michigan to win this game, but the fact that it did so, especially after falling behind by 14 points shows just how special this team can be.

Whatever it is, the Wolverines have it, and here are three quick takeaways from the win.

The rust factor was real

There were plenty of questions about how the long layoff would impact the Wolverines and it was pretty clear they weren’t in the flow of things, at least on the offensive end.

Even in the second half, many of the possessions were labored, which is partly due to the Badgers excellent defense, but nothing came easy and Michigan shot just 41 percent, missing a number of 2-point attempts it normally makes.

Wisconsin did a really good job of keeping U-M away from the basket in the first half, but Hunter Dickinson, Franz Wagner, Austin Davis and Eli Brooks were able to score inside in the second half.

Wagner and Isaiah Livers also made some big shots down the stretch and in the second half, the Wolverines looked like themselves as they outscored Wisconsin 40-20.

Michigan’s defense is elite

In the first half, it looked like Wisconsin had forgotten all about the shooting slump it was supposed to be in and that was in large part due to Aleem Ford not missing a shot in the first half.

After surrendering 39 points in the first 20 minutes, Michigan’s defense dominated in the second half and particularly down the stretch.

The Wolverines pulled within three early in the second half, yet the Badgers pushed the lead back to seven. At that point, a win seemed very much in doubt. But Michigan responded with a 10-1 run and held the Badgers without a bucket for more than three minutes.

Hunter Dickinson didn’t have a great game offensively. He finished with 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting but he had five blocks and more impressively, 15 rebounds. His defense on the perimeter on switches and in the paint was exceptional.

Dickinson wasn’t alone though, Eli Brooks was dominant on defense and Wagner was stellar on both ends of the floor as this team flat dominated the second half at Wisconsin — an impressive feat.

Best win of the year

In terms of the NCAA tournament resume, there’s no doubt this is Michigan’s best win of the year. Wisconsin was ranked 18th in NET rankings coming into the game. The prior win over the Badgers was the highest-ranked win according to those rankings but getting it on the road is more impressive, especially when you consider the three weeks off.

You really didn’t know if Michigan was going to keep up its winning ways or not against a really tough schedule, but Sunday’s win a really good sign that U-M won’t skip a beat.

That doesn’t mean the Wolverines are going to win every game down the stretch and the next two games — at home against Rutgers, then at Ohio State — are as tough as they come.

From a fan perspective or looking at the resume, this was an impressive win and one that makes you excited about the future prospects of Michigan basketball.