STATE FARM CENTER (Champaign, Ill.) — It had been five years since Michigan won the outright Big Ten regular-season title. It had been 20 years since Michigan and Illinois matched up as top-10 teams. And, most importantly for Dusty May’s squad, it had been 2,605 days since Michigan had beaten Illinois. On Friday night on … Read more
No. 3 Michigan went into Champaign on Friday night and had its way with No. 10 Illinois, and Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood knows it. “Demand it in practice. This group wants to win. They care a lot, and, so, that’s not going to be a problem. But the lesson was learned. They [Michigan] … Read more
The smiles and sheepish grins began spreading wider and wider around the 9:13 mark of the second half, following back-to-back eye-popping buckets from Michigan center Aday Mara, the second of which extended the Wolverines’ lead to 13 points. He followed his skyscraping alley-oop dunk with a remarkable offensive rebound-turned-twisting-reverse layup that drew a foul and … Read more
Meet the most effective finisher in the Big Ten: Morez Johnson Jr. The men’s college basketball season is ramping up with high-stakes games every night and the NCAA Tournament just around the corner. In those key regular-season games, March Madness stars introduce themselves to the nation with magical moments and Cinderella runs. We’re teaching you … Read more
Nearly five decades into a Hall of Fame career, there aren’t many nights that qualify as unfamiliar territory for Rick Pitino. His résumé includes seven Final Fours and two national titles. Now at St. John’s, he’s far more accustomed to making history than enduring it. But a 72-40 loss to UConn on Wednesday night was … Read more
Olivia Olson scored a career-high 31 points, including a driving jumper with 3.2 seconds remaining in overtime, to give No. 8 Michigan an 88-86 victory over 13th-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday night. Ohio State’s Chance Gray hit a 30-footer on the ensuing trip down the floor, but the senior did not get her shot off … Read more
Elliot Cadeau had 15 points and L.J. Cason scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half as No. 3 Michigan beat Minnesota 77-67 on Tuesday night to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title for the first time in five years. The Wolverines (26-2, 16-1) can earn an outright championship … Read more
Men’s college basketball delivered its loudest week of the season, especially at the top. Duke earned a gritty win over Michigan on Saturday, proving the Blue Devils’ defense is on another level. If March gives us a rematch between these two programs, no one would complain. But as contenders surged, the other storyline that took … Read more
Michigan is the No. 1 overall seed in the preliminary rankings by the committee that will select the 68-team men’s field for the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines, who headline the AP Top 25, were joined by Duke, Arizona and Iowa State as the 1-seeds in Saturday’s reveal show on CBS. Selection committee chairman Keith Gill, … Read more
The game of the year in college basketball takes place Saturday night in Washington, D.C. It will be the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines (-2.5, 148.5) taking on the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils, and this game could be an early preview of a Final Four matchup that we end up seeing in early spring. Michigan is … Read more