Winning basketball games in the Big Ten isn't easy. Michigan got a reminder of that on Wednesday night, as it nearly opened the door for four second-place teams in the conference standings.
Even with six games left, three against three of those four teams tied for second, two on the road, the door is still open. Just not as open as it would have been had Michigan basketball not been able to pull off a 16-point comeback to beat Northwestern 87-75.
The Wolverines outscored Northwestern by 28 points over the last half of the second half. Michigan finally started getting stops, and that allowed its size and athleticism in the open court to take over.
Looking back, it was the kind of game you need to win in order to win a Big Ten championship. Here are three things we learned on Wednesday night.
The best bench in college basketball
The bench delivered 33 points against Northwestern. L.J. Cason led the Wolverines with 18. He made what might have been the biggest bucket of the game. Northwestern buried a 3-pointer to go up seven points after the Aday Mara flagrant foul. Nick Martinelli buried a triple. Cason answered right back. Not long after, Trey McKenney was hitting a 3-pointer to take the lead.
It was the second straight game that the bench scored over 30 points. It averages over 30 and deserves the title of the best bench in college hoops.
Michigan basketball has the same weaknesses
There are a few things that tend to plague this team: 3-point shooting, turnovers, and missed free throws. Those were all issues against Northwestern.
The Wolverines missed eight free throws, shot 28 percent from 3-point range, and had 12 turnovers, which was five more than Northwestern.
Michigan opened the game 2-for-10 from 3-point range. It was giving the ball away too much, and outside of a defensive effort that wasn't anything to write home about in the first half, when the Wolverines struggle, those are generally the culprits.
Dusty May trusts his gut
Dusty May isn't afraid to make changes or ride the hot hand. Elliot Cadeau, who has been elite this season, only played five minutes in the second half. That was less about Cadeau and more about Cason and McKenney.
Those players had the hot hand. They were playing well on both ends of the floor, and it was smart for May to stick with the hot hand, even when some other head coaches wouldn't have.