The end of the regular season is (finally) here.
I tried to make the basketball previews more fun by tying them into The Office, but as it turns out, there was very little that could save this season. The Michigan Wolverines are firmly in 14th place and will have another contest on Wednesday evening to start the Big Ten Tournament , and that very well may be the end of all of this.
Sunday’s final regular season game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers is fairly anticlimactic. While the visitors are hunting for a double-bye, they are facing a heavy underdog without much to play for other than pride on Senior Day. The Huskers routed Michigan in the first matchup a month ago, and even though this one is in Ann Arbor, the outcome is expected to be similar.
Still, maybe this is a chance to end the season on a positive. Nimari Burnett, Terrance Williams, and Jaelin Llewellyn are being honored, with the former two having the potential to return next year. The talent has shown up at times this year, but full 40-minute efforts have been rare. With the road almost ending, though, no sense in holding back now.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (21-9, 11-8) at Michigan Wolverines (8-22, 3-16)
Date & Time: Sunday, Mar. 10, 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
TV/Streaming: BTN
Nebraska’s win over Michigan in February began a run of four-straight wins and five over the past six games, helping to move into that (Big Ten West) grouping near the top of the standings. The advanced metrics have risen as well, with the Huskers now sitting 34th in Kenpom, nearly 20 spots higher than that first game.
Though the defense has been really solid in conference play, the offense has been fun as well. In fact, the Huskers rank third in both offensive and defensive eFG rate, which is a great way to win ballgames. No team attempts more threes, and Nebraska is of course led in this department by the exciting Keisei Tominaga.
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”
A classic quote to take us home here. Michigan won just 10 games in John Beilein’s first season, but followed that up with the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 14 years. That soon gave way to five postseasons that made at least the Sweet Sixteen, including two Final Fours, in Beilein’s final seven years. In short: the good times were plentiful.
It was always going to be a tall task for Juwan Howard to carry that momentum, but an early Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen provided some (false) belief. Now Michigan is on its way to a worse record than that first Beilein year, with little reason to think another deep Tournament run is likely any time soon. The good old days are long gone; hope you remember them fondly.