2023-24 rutgers #1

Tarris Reed blocked his fourth shot of the first half and waggled the Mutombo no-no. As usual, the "Not Today" was for Michigan fans who dared to hope silly somethings like "This 15-point second half lead means we're going to win!"

An 18-2 Rutgerz run at the end of the game capped a 37-12 reversal over the final 17 minutes to turn what looked like a blowout into the most embarrassing loss of the most embarrassing season in program history. As usual, the opponent's big second-half run started with a terrible bench rotation, and continued through turnovers, confused defenders, and lazy boxouts. As usual, an opponent who couldn't find the bottom of the basket in the first half got hot in second as Michigan's own hot shooters cooled. As usual, the opponent had better answers out of halftime, better answers out of timeouts, and a better basketball team than Juwan Howard's last-place Michigan Wolverines.

With about 24 seconds to halftime and 4 on Michigan's shot clock, the announcers offered an interest statistic. Michigan was 7-7 this year when leading at the half, last in D-I basketball. Their opponent was 9-0.

The context of this was Michigan holding a double-digit lead for the bulk of the first frame, and how it seemed to be slipping away. Rutgers had just put together a run off a series of Michigan turnovers and a missed front end by Terrence Williams. His team's latest possession, a hopeless Nimari Burnett baseline drive and kick that was almost intercepted, began with 0:47 on the clock. Crisler Arena was grumbling about wasting a 2-for-1 opportunity at the end of the half. The lead was down to five.

The ball came to Williams with a Scarlet Knight climbing on his back. He gathered, stepped sideways, took a contested jumper, and swished it at the buzzer with 8 seconds left in the half. Rutgers's Derek Simpson tried to drive for the answer but Williams poked it away and tossed it upcourt to Olivier Nkamhoua, who slammed it home with 0.3 remaining. Michigan went to halftime with 11 turnovers but a nine-point lead against the worst opponent they'll host all year. Not this time, right?

[After THE JUMP: I go on; you don't have to.]

THE ESSENTIALS

WHAT	#91 Michigan (7-14, 2-8 B10) vs #105 Rutgers (10-10, 2-7 B10)
WHERE	Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI
WHEN	Saturday, 4:00 PM
THE LINE	Kenpom: MICHIGAN-5 Torvik: MICHIGAN-6
TELEVISION	BTN (link)

THE OVERVIEW

Here's what I learned from the 2021 football team: To experience the best, it's worth sticking around for the worst.

The football nadir was probably different for everyone, but it probably came at some point in 2020 between Ricky White torching the Michigan secondary and falling behind by 17 at Rutgers. Whether it happened for you during a rote destruction at the hands of Michael Penix, or it was when all of the critical 2021-'22 recruits came to town just to watch Wisconsin blow us out from the Brown Jug, somewhere in there I'm betting you decided the Harbaugh era was going to end in a sad "Well we tried."

As it turned out, for many reasons, that football season wasn't real. Vincent Gray and Gemon Green overcame The Worst Cornerback Performance Of All Time to each start in wins versus CJ Stroud and the best receiver room to ever come through college. The recruits ate some cheeseburgers and came to Michigan. Even the 17-point deficit to Rutgers evaporated in a 95-yard kickoff return by Giles Jackson, a slant to Mike Sainristil, an Oh Wide Open play-action pass to Cornelius Johnson, and 4th and Goal from the 1 with Hassan Haskins.

Some of you celebrated the comeback. Some of you took it wryly. Some found out about it later because you turned it off after Quinn Nordin missed a field goal (the one at the end of the half, not at the end of the first overtime). I quite clearly had no idea at the time what in all of that would be relevant going forward. Michigan made Haskins RB1 over 5-star Zach Charbonnet. NFL scouts saw something in Penix. Jay Harbaugh told his kickoff guys to put it out of the endzone the two times he had to face Giles Jackson. Cornelius Johnson would get behind a defense again; Mike Sainristil wasn't done making plays in the left side of the endzone. The NCAA made the burgers their first investigation of the NIL era. Tell me that was your takeaway.

This is all to say I don't know where this basketball program is heading, who's leaving, who's coming, who will be coaching it, or what, if anything, will end up being relevant about a Saturday home game with Rutgers during the worst season of my lifetime. Given the state of things I think it's more likely that Warde Manuel is gone by the end of the month than Juwan is back next year. But I also bet my friend an expensive dinner after the Illinois loss that Michigan will win another basketball game this season.

The bet makes a good excuse why I'm spending a Saturday cheering for this.

But the truth is way more corny: I'm going because Terrance Williams hasn't given up. Because Dug McDaniel is fun. Because Tarris Reed plays like there's a 10-year-old with a joystick inside of him. Because Olivier Nkamhoua chose to be here and refuses to admit it was a mistake.

Also because it's cheap enough to bring kids who don't know or care about the stakes.

Yes, I've watched them this season! I'm aware that Jon Sanderson said the culture sucks, and watched enough bad defense the last two years to know he's not wrong. In their last ten games they've given up second-half runs of 12-2, 13-2, 13-2 again, 13-2 again!, 14-4, 12-0, 16-0, 17-2, 15-2, 18-2, and 16-1, not to mention an 11-0 run in triple overtime.

But here's where we get to the Rutgers side of this. It's not Lucy holding the football; it's on a tee. That's no guarantee you won't still end up flat on your back--muscle memory and all--or that you'll gain any satisfaction from the kick. But it's been my experience since Rutgers joined the conference that the guys who play for us never take any win for granted,

and that celebrating the small victories makes the great ones that much sweeter.

[After THE JUMP: I put a cyan on the coach.]