Michigan Basketball: Wolverines use elite defense to beat Rutgers

Michigan basketball won its second straight game after returning from its pause thanks to a stellar defensive effort against Rutgers.

In Michigan basketball‘s second game back from a three-week pause, the Wolverines took care of business against another quality opponent.

Rutgers came into the night ranked 26th in the Kenpom rankings, while Michigan basketball was third and despite a solid effort from the Scarlet Knights, the Wolverines controlled the game throughout, and in the end, scored a 71-64 victory.

In the first half, Michigan limited Rutgers, a team that relies heavily on attacking the basket, to just 28 points. Michigan got a big bucket from Franz Wagner at the buzzer of the first half to go up nine and soon in the second half, the lead was 15.

Wagner continues to be dominant on both ends of the floor and scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting. He also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists and made 3 of 4 3-pointers.

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On the other end of the floor, Michigan’s length bothered Rutgers all night long and Wagner was a big part of that. Ron Harper Jr. went just 3 of 10 from the field and as a team, the Scarlet Knights were just 3-for-12 from 3-point range.

For the Wolverines, it was an average night offensively. They shot 49 percent (18-of-37) on 2-point attempts but they were 6-for-15 from 3-point range (40 percent). Isaiah Livers went 3 of 10 but U-M got 18 points off the bench from Chaundee Brown, Austin Davis and Brandon Johns, who scored five points and made a triple.

It was the third consecutive win for Michigan over Rutgers and the truth is that the Scarlet Knights struggle to match-up against the Wolverines. They rely heavily on forcing turnovers and they actually won that battle 11-3, which shows how impressive U-M was everywhere else.

You generally don’t turn the ball over eight more times than an opponent and win, but the Wolverines outrebounded Rutgers 41-29 and also had a six-point advantage at the free-throw line, as well as a nine-point edge on 3’s. That proved to be the difference.

Next up: Ohio State on Sunday in a massive game between top-5 teams.