Michigan basketball wary of Northwestern with MSU approaching

Michigan is playing its best basketball of the season at the right time, having won two straight to get back in the NCAA Tournament discussion. The Wolverines play Michigan State Saturday with a chance to close the gap on the Spartans. 

RELATED: Wolverine TV: Saddi Washington, Frankie Collins talk Michigan basketball’s resurgence

First, though, is a home date with the only Big Ten team to beat MSU so far this year. Chris Collins’ Northwestern squad has won only two conference games, but one of them was in East Lansing. They played the Spartans to the wire at home and have been close in every conference game but one this season — a 20-point loss at Purdue Sunday.

“They’re a good team,” Michigan assistant Saddi Washington said Tuesday. “Their record does not reflect the kind of team they are. And if you look at the games that they’ve been in and the games they lost, they have been all single-digit games except for the last one. 

“They’ve got a three-headed monster with [Pete] Nance and [Boo] Buie and [Chase] Audige.”

The Wildcats beat MSU without Nance, who was out with an injury. The former Michigan target will play against the Wolverines Wednesday. 

With center Ryan Young (9.9 points per game), Northwestern has a number of capable, experienced players. Collins can mix and match — and has — to play different styles. 

That’s allowed the ‘Cats to stay in most games this year. Their problem has been finishing. 

“That’s a veteran team. I think seven of their nine guys are juniors and seniors,” Washington said. “So, they understand how to play in this league, how to win games in this league. They’re doing a really good job of spacing the floor and attacking and using all their weapons.

“They can go smaller and put Nance at the five, which causes a tough matchup problem. Or they can play thump and bump and they put Young in at the five. Their versatility makes it very challenging for [opponents]. I think the best part that gives them the best opportunity to win is they don’t turn the ball over. They’re one of the best teams in the country in terms of their turnover percentage, and so they make you defend.”

At the same time, this Michigan team has learned how to play together. They know what’s at stake, and that a home loss to a team that’s lost five of six would be tough to come back from. 

Washington, though, sees a team that believes it’s turned a corner. They’ve maintained a good attitude through the ups and downs of a 9-7 start, he noted. They’ve learned how to win on the road (Sunday at Indiana), and to finish games. 

“Through enough trial and error throughout the season, hopefully we’re starting to turn the corner and trend in the right direction,” he said. 

But they know the Wildcats are capable. They won’t be caught off guard. 

“You respect every opponent, and we watched enough film on them to understand and emphasize enough that this team is good,” Washington said. “Hey, they beat Michigan State at Michigan State without one of their best players. So, if that doesn’t resonate with you, then I don’t know what you’re looking at. 

“This is the Big Ten. There are no off nights in this league. That’s the approach we have. That’s the approach that Coach Juwan expects of our players. We’re going to come in and battle and do our best tomorrow night.”

Michigan defense continues to improve

Michigan has picked it up tremendously on the defensive end in the last three games. The intensity has been much better — more than that, though, they are understanding their roles.  

“I think our awareness of our assignments and what we need to do, especially in crunch time, because it’s a possession game,” Washington said of the improvement. “And at any given time during the course of a game, you can have a two or three-minute stretch that really kind of determines the outcome of the game.

“It’s just being committed to sticking to our habits and our principles to put ourselves in the best position to win, night in and night out.”

It’s been a collective effort, he added. Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks is the anchor and another coach on the floor. The freshmen and sophomores, meanwhile, are finding their voices.

“As much as these young people talk off the floor, it’s amazing how much sometimes you have to encourage them to use their voices on the floor during the course of games,” Washington said. 

Now they need to be “creatures of habit” and continue to do it each time out. It’s gotten much more consistent in January. 

“Doing those little things we’ve been trying to enforce since we got together in July as a unit. Every night, everybody’s showing up and it’s a new guy,” Washington said. “Those plays … with Moussa [Diabate] and Jace [Howard] in those last couple days, those are inspiring plays. Those are plays that don’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet, but are the results of their effort, their intensity. 

“It definitely changes the mood of your defensive awareness during the course of the game.”