Adversity is the 2023 season theme after a 60-56 Michigan win over Minnesota 

ANN ARBOR — Michigan scrapped and clawed to get past last place Minnesota Sunday in Ann Arbor, pulling out a 60-56 win … and that’s about all the good news. The Wolverines threatened to pull away a few times before poor turnovers, missed bunnies, etc. allowed the Golden Gophers to claw back and stay within striking distance down the stretch. 

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Junior center Hunter Dickinson found his free throw stroke after having the yips for a bit, making 9 of 9 down the stretch on his way to 23 points. That helped save Michigan and improve the Wolverines to 5-3 in the conference and set up a huge home contest with first place Purdue Thursday night in Ann Arbor. 

But that’s where the positives end. The Wolverines lost freshman Jett Howard late in the first half to what appeared to be an ankle injury. He needed help to get off the floor, and even though he hadn’t scored in the first 18 minutes, U-M felt his absence. The Wolverines would finish 2-for-14 from 3-point range and won despite shooting 37 percent to Minnesota’s 40. 

“To the media and to everybody else, there probably is an ugly win. For me, at this level of my career, I think a win is a win,” Dickinson said. “Especially in the Big Ten, because you see so many upsets form other teams. Minnesota just went into Ohio State and beat them.

“When that happens, I don’t think you can call this one an ugly win. I think this is a good ball club, a well-coached ball club with great players. For us to weather the storm like we did in the first half was really huge for us.”

It was hard to tell if it was Michigan’s defense or Minnesota’s anemic offense that made the difference. U-M spotted the Golden Gophers 8 points and fell behind by 10 midway through the first half. Michigan methodically clawed back, missing several shots in an 8-0 run but making more than the Gophers, who went 7 minutes without a bucket. 

Even then, it was 23-all at the half. And when the Wolverines threatened to pull away, they left a shooter open — even missed breakaway layups (grad student Joey Baker won’t live it down, especially when it led to a triple on the other end — a 5-point swing). 

More concerning was the lack of confidence on too many possessions. Without Jett Howard, the Wolverines needed some of their other scorers to step up. Other than Dickinson, who got over his recent free throw issues by making 9 of 9 (and Michigan needed every one of them), nobody seemed particularly comfortable. 

Sophomore Kobe Bufkin is slumping a bit from long range. Freshman Dug McDaniel made 2 triples — Michigan’s only 2 — and Baker left one 2 feet short. 

But Juwan Howard wasn’t going to dwell on the negatives. He talked about the injuries a bit, but he was pleased with the win. 

“I agree with Hunter, and every coach in the Big Ten would agree with Hunter, as well … it goes back to years before me, while I was here and years after,” the Michigan coach said. “The ball is not always going to fall for you offensively. Defensively, you have to win in the mud. That’s one of those victories where we learned a lot compared to Maryland.

“This time, only giving up six offensive rebounds instead of 15, that’s a big improvement … And we took care of the basketball, 10 turnovers instead of 18 turnovers [at Maryland]. Defensively, I give big credit to how hard the guys played, being dialed into what we worked on. Minnesota … every team is good in this league. You saw it when Minnesota beat Ohio State at Ohio State, so they’re capable.”

But the schedule’s about to get a lot tougher, and though Howard didn’t say it, it appears Michigan will be without Jett Howard for a while. 

“With different types of lineups, we’ll get a competitive group,” Juwan Howard said. “Offensively, we’ll figure it out, and defensively — no matter who is out on the floor — one thing we can control is bringing the effort.

“No one said it’s going to be easy. We’re facing a lot of adversity with injuries. We’re facing adversity from a lot of tough, close games early in the year. We’ve bounced back. Saying that, there’s a lot of season left, and we’re not going to be losing the trust and the confidence we have. We have a goal as a team. Each game we’re going to keep grinding.”

Starting Thursday night against Purdue, which will likely be the No. 1 team in the nation. Somehow win that one, and there’s new life for a team that still needs some key wins — a key win — for the resume. 

“We got a win today. And by the way, we are in second place in the Big Ten if you are not paying attention,” Howard said. 

Which is true. At the same time, there are much tougher tests to come, and Michigan has played one of the easier conference schedules, to date. If they’re going to make a run at the NCAA Tournament, they’re going to have to be much better than they were Sunday, and there will need to be significant improvement across the board. 

It’s not impossible. But it’s pretty much a must-win Thursday. It’s make-or-break time, and it would be tough even if Michigan had “all hands on deck,” as Howard likes to say. 

There’s still opportunity. But it’s crunch time now with the Boilers coming to town and road games at Penn State and Northwestern on tap.

In two weeks, when Michigan plays Ohio State at home, we’ll likely know if this team still has a shot at achieving some of its goals. Given the inconsistency and the adversity they’ve faced this year, it’s hard to be optimistic.