Michigan looked the part and then some in their toughest test to date, dismantling Wisconsin from the final ten minutes of the first half on en route to a blowout win. The No. 7 Wolverines (11-0, 6-0 Big Ten) played their best basketball of the season to keep their record clean.
Before we get into specific aspects of Michigan’s masterclass in Ann Arbor, it should be noted that the Badgers had things happen tonight that you can’t take anything away from. No. 9 Wisconsin (10-3, 4-2) played a game that they likely won’t repeat, with every rotation player not named D’Mitrik Trice or Micah Potter combining to go 18% from the floor. These nights can happen to anyone at anytime in a one-game scenario.
Michigan’s shooting and Wisconsin’s offensive struggles may have earned the Wolverines an early 7 point lead, but it wasn’t the reason the game turned into a varsity vs JV scrimmage.
From the final five first half minutes through the first ten of the second half, the Badgers gave up a 43-6 run that ended with Michigan up by 40. That is burn the film and never watch it again type of stuff that will, you have to hope, never come close to happening again this year. Wisconsin responded during the final ten minutes to create a 23 point margin of defeat that was nowhere near as lopsided as the game truly was.
This was an embarrassment for a senior-led team with high aspirations, but it doesn’t define them. It was a game on January 12, and there has not been a team in the history of college basketball who had their legacy written in January. That legacy is immortalized in March, and there is a long way to go until then. Even if we should burn a majority of this film, there are still lessons to be learned and legitimate questions to be asked after looking at it.
From coaching, to the Wolverines excellence, to lack of energy, here are five main reasons why Wisconsin was torn apart last night: