2022-23 rutgers

1 hour and 8 minutes

The Sponsors

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1. Men's Basketball vs Wisconsin

starts at 1:00

Not firmly in the tournament but firmly on the bubble. Brian talks through the various scenarios that would work to get into the tournament. Who else got flashbacks during the Wisconsin banked 3?? Dug McDaniel hasn't quite turned the corner yet (he has the worst shooting at the rim of anyone in college basketball) but he also had consecutive Kenpom MVP performances. Able to keep winning without Jett, thankfully. Still just feels like they're a player short of being a top 20 Kenpom team. 

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

I hope you did not watch this game. Well, maybe you would've gotten enjoyment from Michigan winning a B1G road game to bolster their standing in the conference ahead of the upcoming conference tournament, but it was an objectively horrid basketball game. It looked less like D1 collegiate basketball and more like actors with no sports experience being asked to play basketball in a movie. Neither team had much of an offensive rhythm but clutch shots by Dug McDaniel and others, combined with some of the best and most aggressive defense Michigan has played all season, allowed the Wolverines to prevail with a 58-45 victory in Piscataway tonight. 

The start to the game did not indicate what would follow, aside from the general caliber of play. Rutgers got out to a commanding 13-3 lead while the Michigan offense was putrid to say the least. The Wolverines opened the game 1/13 from the field, including an 0/10 stretch that found the Wolverines well behind the Scarlet Knights. They missed plenty of open shots and played poor defense, allowing Rutgers to score at will. Hunter Dickinson finally connected on a hook shot and it began to swing momentum for the Maize & Blue, starting a 7-0 run that pulled the road team within a point. 

Rutgers put together a couple makes that stretched the lead back up to 19-12, a period brought on in part by Juwan Howard's decision to swap out several starters who had finally gotten the offense going. Jace Howard knocked down a corner three to begin what would be a strong finish to the final six minutes of the half for Michigan. Beginning with that shot, the Wolverines would string together a broader 13-2 run, including an 8-0 stretch after Rutgers was up 21-17, with Bufkin and Baker hitting threes to put Michigan ahead 25-21. Caleb McConnell made a turnaround jumper on a flimsy foul call (he missed the free throw) and then on the final play of the half, Dug McDaniel attempted a floater that came up short but he was fouled on the play. McDaniel went 1/2 at the line with the clock reading 0:00 and the teams went into half with Michigan ahead 26-23. 

[David Wilcomes]

The second half was something of a continuation from the first half. Cam Spencer started the half with a bucket for RU but Baker and Dickinson made a couple quick shots to put the Wolverines ahead 31-25. From there the game seesawed back and forth, Michigan riding with Will Tschetter at the four in a rather curious decision, but they always held the lead. At the under twelve media timeout the score was 40-37 Michigan with exactly ten minutes to go in the contest (Rutgers would hit a free throw out of the timeout to make it 40-38). Over the next three minutes, just two points would be scored between the two teams, as Michigan inserted Tarris Reed Jr. into the game and began ramping up the defensive pressure on Rutgers. They were sending aggressive doubles on the perimeter and completely disrupting an already poor Rutgers offense. 

Dug McDaniel's driving layup constituted the only points during that three minute window and Michigan led 42-38 at the under eight media timeout. That was the start of the sequence where Michigan began to wrest control away from Rutgers. Terrance Williams II and Kobe Bufkin made a couple pull-up jumpers and then Dug McDaniel made two of his own. The Scarlet Knights made a couple shots but were not quite able to keep up, turning the ball over repeatedly and continuing to fling up shots that were lucky to hit the rim. Michigan wasn't much better, but they made a couple more when it counted. By the time Kobe Bufkin split between two Rutgers defenders and laid it up at the rack, it was 52-42 Michigan with just 2:08 remaining and the home team was on the ropes. 

Paul Mulcahy missed a driving layup after another good Michigan defensive sequence and Hunter Dickinson was fouled upon snatching the rebound. Rutgers still had fouls to give, so they put the press on. Michigan's passing broke through the press and McDaniel found Reed under the basket for a layup. 54-42 and with 1:44 remaining, this was finished. Rutgers had no further answers offensively, Michigan tacked on a few more free throws and the time slipped away. When it was all over, Juwan Howard's crew came into New Jersey and won it 58-45. 

[David Wilcomes]

The offensive display from the two teams was pitiful but Michigan was demonstrably better. They were only 28% from three but made three more triples in total than Rutgers. More importantly, they forced more turnovers and had more go-to guys, with Bufkin and McDaniel rising to the occasion late. Dug was 6/12 from the floor and provided five massive steals, scoring 16 points to lead Michigan. Kobe Bufkin chipped in 14 and Dickinson added 13, while Baker made a pair of threes for six in an otherwise terrible offensive showing (2/11!). Will Tschetter added zero points in his 18 minutes, but Williams and Jace Howard each hit consequential jump shots at big moments in the game, while Reed helped tighten up the defense. It was not a great showing, but it was a team effort, especially in the absence of Jett Howard to get this one done. 

For Rutgers, it was dreadful. They shot 38% from the floor, 31% from three, and somehow shot 5/16 (31%) from the free throw line!!! Their leading scorer, Cam Spencer, scored just 11 points. The only other scorer in double figures was Cliff Omoruyi with 10 points. Rutgers was equally terrible in both halves, scoring 23 in the first and 22 in the second. They turned it over 13 times to the tune of 17 Michigan points off turnovers. Yuck. 

No matter how filthy this game was, a win is a win for a Michigan team that needs them in a season running out of time. The Wolverines are now 16-12 overall and 10-7 in conference play. With just three games remaining in the B1G season, Michigan has a home game against Wisconsin and two road games against Indiana and Illinois left. The next game is the one at Crisler against the Badgers, scheduled for Sunday at 2:00 PM EST and is scheduled to be broadcast on CBS. 

[CLICK THE JUMP FOR THE BOX SCORE]

Say what you will about what's become of this team's Muppet standards, but let it not be said that this team is out. Win Jettless by double digits at the RAC? When you only had one bucket in the game's first 8 minutes? You get the Muppets.

And you can't have one without the other.

Mmmmm sweet margin for error.