Michigan basketball vs. Wisconsin takeaways
Michigan basketball’s regular season is winding down. The Wolverines had three games left, including Sunday’s rematch against the Wisconsin Badgers.
The maize and blue fell to Wisconsin three games ago by five points. But Michigan was on a two game win streak entering its homestand against the Badgers. In order for Michigan to get its third win in a row, the Wolverines would have to do it without Jett Howard for the second game in a row.
Wisconsin got out to a 17-9 start in the first eight minutes of the game. But behind a strong final 10 minutes of play, Michigan finished off the first half up 35-27. Hunter Dickinson had a strong first half scoring 12 points and Kobe Bufkin was right behind him scoring 10 of his own.
The Wolverines fumbled the second half away. Michigan turned the ball over seven times in the final 20 minutes which led to Wisconsin getting right back into the game. The final five minutes of regulation was back and forth and it appeared Wisconsin was going to take the W until Hunter Dickinson hit an improbable 3 as the clock drained to zero — the game headed to overtime.
But overtime proved to belong to Michigan. The Wolverines — behind a strong overtime performance by Dug McDaniel — outscored Wisconsin 19-11 to take home an 87-79 victory.
Here are our three takeaways.
The Kobe Bufkin game
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Hunter Dickinson — who had 23 points — may have hit the circus 3 to end regulation and sent the game to overtime, but this game belonged to Kobe Bufkin who willed Michigan on top.
Bufkin scored his career high 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting. He also secured eight rebounds in the game.
The Michigan guard has been rising up draft boards in recent weeks and his name truly is going to be rising after his incredible performance. The Wolverines have lacked a true go-to scorer for most of the season. Jett Howard has had his moments where he came through in the clutch, but Howard is just a freshman who has those moments as well. It appears Michigan may have found its guy.
The Wolverines look to finally have a killer instinct
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Michigan came out slow like it did against Rutgers the previous game. But the Wolverines found their offense and took an 11-point lead against the Badgers on Sunday.
Largely due to uncharacteristic turnovers in the second half, it led to Wisconsin getting right back into the game and taking the lead in the final 10 minutes of regulation. The maize and blue lost seven games by five or fewer points and it looked as if an eighth losing contest was coming. But once Dickinson hit the magical 3 to end regulation, Michigan took control in overtime.
If you think about this Michigan team earlier in the year, this is a game that it would’ve lost by thinking ‘here we go again’. But, even without Jett Howard in the lineup, the Wolverines found grit and never lost confidence. Michigan kept playing its two-man game of Dickinson and Bufkin which ultimately led to a Wolverine victory.
Michigan is starting to resemble a NCAA Tournament team
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
As the saying goes, ‘better late than never’.
Michigan has won three straight contests and the Wolverines had a fantastic month of February. Depending on which bracketologist you listen to, the maize and blue were either sitting in the First Four Out or the Next Four Out going into the contest with Wisconsin.
Now after a must-needed victory and another Quad 2 win, the Wolverines are right in the thick of things getting a seed into the NCAA Tournament. Michigan has two games remaining in the regular season: Illinois and Indiana. If the Wolverines can win both of those games then they would be sitting pretty, but even just getting one win and making noise in the Big Ten Tournament — Michigan can be looking like a sure thing for the Big Dance.
The Michigan offense is currently looking really well and getting a healthy Jett Howard back in the coming days should make the offense soar higher.
