It’s been somewhat of an unusual season for Michigan. Dusty May’s Wolverines came out of the gate hot, overwhelming opponents in unprecedented fashion. How unprecedented? In a five-game stretch spanning late November to early December, Michigan defeated San Diego State by 40, Auburn by 30, Gonzaga by 40, Rutgers by 41 and Villanova by 28. With a roster that runs deep with starter-level talent, Michigan was the talk of college basketball, setting new highs in KenPom rankings along the way.
Since that torrid stretch, the Wolverines have come down to earth a bit. Still winning, but doing so less dramatically – and less overwhelmingly. Even the intensity level of Michigan’s games has diminished since that hot stretch. Last week’s top-five matchup against unbeaten Nebraska, a back-and-forth affair in which Michigan didn’t secure its final lead until there was just over a minute to play, lacked the intensity you’d expect from such a matchup.
A lack of intensity was not an issue Friday night in East Lansing. In the highly anticipated matchup between intra-state rivals, each coming into the game ranked in the top ten, the atmosphere was electric all night. Tom Izzo and Michigan State had been waiting for this game, and so had a raucous Spartan crowd, that made its presence felt the entire night.
Despite the hostile environment, it was Michigan that got off to a fast start. The visiting Wolverines jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead on the strength of a couple of early threes and strong inside play by Aday Mara. The Wolverines spent the rest of the half extending their lead, ultimately taking a 37-21 lead into the locker room.
Michigan was paced by Yaxel Lendeborg, who tallied 12 first-half points on 5-of-7 shooting, but got solid contributions from Eliot Cadeau (eight first-half points) and Try McKinney (eight first-half points). As a team, the Wolverines shot 45% from the floor and 42% from three in the first half.
For Michigan State, it was another story altogether. Jeremy Fears led the Spartans with 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting, but Fears got little help, with no teammate scoring more than three first-half points. As a team, Michigan State shot just 27% from the field and 17% from beyond the arc over the game’s first 20 minutes.
A 16-point deficit was far from insurmountable, but the way things were trending, it felt as though if Michigan State was to mount a comeback, it would have to turn things around quickly.
That it did.
Led by Fears and Coen Carr, who finished the game with ten points (many of which were loud points) and seven rebounds, the Spartans wasted little time, cutting Michigan’s lead to five points in just under four minutes. After their initial surge, the Spartans continued cutting into Michigan’s lead, albeit at a more deliberate pace. And when Fears converted a lay-up with 7:27 to play, the Spartans took their first lead of the game.
With the crowd in full throat and the home team on a roll, things didn’t look good for the visiting Wolverines.
No one has questioned the talent on this Michigan team. In racing out to a 19-1 record, the Wolverines have spent the majority of the season near the top of the polls and are on the short list of teams competing for a number one seed in this year’s NCAA tournament. Playing from ahead most of the season, however, the Wolverines have rarely been tested. They’ve been in close games, but none like this.
With the game on the line and facing a team that’s often been its kryptonite, on the road in front of a hostile crowd, how would Michigan react?
Quite well, it turned out.
When the game entered the championship rounds, if you will, Michigan was at its best, wresting back control of the game and outscoring Michigan State 28-14 over the final 7:27 of the game to earn a hard-fought victory.
“We’re learning how to win games in different ways,” May said after the game. Michigan won this one, “a slugfest,” in the words of May, through clutch play and grit.
Four Wolverines finished with double figures in scoring, but it was the clutch play and clutch plays down the stretch that determined this one. With Michigan State unable to find the net, Michigan got big baskets from Cadeau and Lendeborg to salt away the victory and finally quiet the crowd.
“I believe that our guys expected to win,” May said after the game. They played like it. And in one of the season’s biggest games, in a hostile environment, Michigan was the better team when it mattered most.
It was a big win, to be sure, but Michigan has little time to celebrate, as things won’t get easier for the Wolverines the rest of the way. In a back-loaded schedule, Michigan still has to face Duke, Illinois, Iowa and Purdue – all away from home – before a season-ending rematch against a Spartan team that will surely be looking for revenge.
If Friday’s game at Breslin is any indication, expect Michigan to be up to the challenge.