January in the Big Ten isn’t a time for style points, and Michigan earned none on Sunday afternoon. The Wolverines escaped Northwestern in overtime, 80-76, but it felt like every possession was a slog. And not just because the final minute of overtime took 21 minutes to play out.
It was clear writing the preview that Northwestern would prove a tough matchup for the Wolverines. The Wildcats matched up well with Michigan on both ends of the floor, and they excel at dictating the style of a game. There might not be another team in the league that drags their opponents into the muck as effectively as Chris Collin’s bunch.
From the opening jump, Northwestern controlled the style of play. This was a physical game where every cut, pass, and drive was contested. It was so physical that Northwestern’s Jalen Leach was ejected for kicking Vladislav Goldin below the belt in the second half, and Goldin was penalized with a contact technical for protecting the ball while being intentionally fouled.
The Wolverines put together one run in the first half; otherwise, it was a possession-by-possession stop-and-start affair. Neither team made more than half of its twos or a third of its threes, and there were a combined 68 free throws between the two squads.
It won’t be on any YouTube demonstrations of what Dusty May’s Michigan basketball looks like at its best, and it won’t be a game film that players will be eager to watch on Monday. Outside of Goldin’s 31 points, it felt like every other player on the roster could have played better for long stretches.
But it’s still a Big Ten win. Michigan executed when it mattered, held on in overtime, and secured a victory to prevent one ugly loss from turning into two.
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