The ugliest of victories has put Michigan in a pretty position for a Big Ten regular-season title.
The 15th-ranked Wolverines now will try to protect their home court for the next three games, beginning with a matchup against Rutgers on Thursday night in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan, which averages 79.7 points per game, had to rely on defense and grit when it visited Nebraska on Monday. The Wolverines shot a paltry 29.5 percent from the field and 18.5 percent on 3-point attempts in a 49-46 victory.
“It was two teams almost mirroring each other where we were both determined not to let the other team’s best players beat them,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “And I think we both accomplished that. We found a way to win the big possessions. We made just enough big shots and came out on top.”
The Cornhuskers converted just 25.8 percent of their field-goal attempts. Brice Williams, one of the Big Ten’s top scorers, carried them with 26 points but shot 9-for-21 from the floor. His teammates had just seven field goals in 41 attempts.
“We find a way, no matter what. Whatever way we get it done, we find a way,” Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said during a post-game radio interview. “We have plenty of games where shots weren’t falling or there were games where we did have shots falling.
“I feel like through the ups and downs, we stay levelheaded, we stay in that medium. I feel like that’s the way we thrive. We don’t have a specific way we need to win. There’s no telling what the game requires us to win.”
The Wolverines (21-6, 13-3) had a six-game winning streak snapped by Michigan State — the other prime contender for the league’s top spot — on Friday. Michigan will host Rutgers, Illinois and No. 16 Maryland before a rematch with the No. 8 Spartans in East Lansing on March 9.
The Scarlet Knights (14-14, 7-10) have won their last two games, including 95-85 at home over Southern California on Sunday.
“We played with great energy. These guys are getting better, and so we just keep plugging away one game at a time,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “Now we’re on the road in Michigan, one of the best teams in the league that we are playing for the second time.”
Guard Dylan Harper has gotten into an offensive groove. He had 34 points in an 89-85 win on Feb. 19 over Washington, then supplied 25 points and nine assists against the Trojans. Harper also sparked the defense with six steals.
Rutgers’ total set a school record for regulation points in a Big Ten game.
“Dylan Harper dominated the basketball game,” Southern California coach Eric Musselman said. “He’s going to be a lottery pick. When you look at the game and have a freshman have those stats, you aren’t going to win that game.”
Harper missed Rutgers’ first game against Michigan this season due to injury. The Wolverines secured a 66-63 road win on Feb. 1 behind Danny Wolf’s 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.
–Field Level Media
