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Boasting a four-game winning streak, Michigan hit the road again this weekend with a trip to Mackey Arena, home of the Purdue Boilermakers.
The Wolverines (17-9, 8-7 Big Ten) have won six of their past seven, but battle a desperate opponent today in the Boilermakers (14-13, 7-9).
Purdue, which has lost three straight games, has gone from a solid bubble team to potentially seeing their NCAA Tournament hopes vanish.
After missing the road game at Rutgers due to an ankle injury, forward Isaiah Livers returned to the starting lineup for the Wolverines.
Both clubs struggled offensively out of the gates. Good shots were tough to come by, and play was physical through the first 12 minutes as Michigan ground its way to a 17-11 lead.
The Wolverines got rolling towards the end of the first half. Leading 21-17, Michigan closed the opening period with a 15-4 run to take a 36-21 lead into the locker room.
POSITIVES:
- To call Michigan’s defensive turnaround impressive sounds like an understatement. The Wolverines were locked in on D to start this game, and held Purdue to just 27 percent (9-of-32) from the floor in the first half. Michigan defended the three-point line particulary well, as Purdue hit just 1-of-6 attempts from outside. The Boilermakers had to fight for every basket in that first half.
- Michigan did an excellent job protecting the rock in the first half. The Wolverines had just one turnover in the opening 20 minutes, which is incredible. Michigan moved the ball well offensively throughout the half, and has 11 assists already heading to the locker room.
- Franz Wagner was fantastic in the first half. He’s up to 11 points and has hit 3-of-4 attempts from three-point range. The freshman was a big part of Michigan’s run to end the first half.
NEGATIVES:
- The Wolverines got off to a very slow start offensively, and while they finished the half strong with a flurry of quick baskets, they still shot just 43 percent (15-of-34) in the opening 20 minutes. Michigan closed the first half with a flurry of three-pointers, but still shot just 6-of-17 from deep in the first half. You have to expect the Boilermakers will make a run at some point in the next 20 minutes, and the Wolverines may have to shoot better to pull out another road victory.