Newsstand: Big Ten standings tighten up with Michigan State loss
The Michigan Wolverines are learning how to win in the Big Ten under head coach Dusty May, which comes with the lesson that no night is a guaranteed victory. The rival Michigan State Spartans, who had a bit of a stranglehold on the conference lead, found that out Saturday with a loss at USC.
The setback gave the Spartans their first conference loss, which allowed Michigan and Purdue to climb within one loss of the conference lead. The Wolverines gained a game on Saturday with a 66-63 win over Rutgers in Piscataway.
“These were the games we were losing earlier in the year when things didn’t go well, we didn’t make enough plays,” May said after the game. “And so hopefully it’s a sign going forward because when you’re in the Big Ten Tournament or you’re on the road at Michigan State or whatever the case, you never know how the game is going to go. And then on to the NCAA Tournament, fortunately, if we continue to play well and get there, you’re going to have to win ugly once or twice. You’re going to have to win pretty once or twice. You’re going to have to probably win in between once or twice if you’re going to make a run. And so all of these experiences are really good for us.”
MSU now sits at 9-1 in the conference with Purdue behind at 9-2. Michigan moved to 8-2 in the Big Ten with its win on Saturday. The three teams are head of the pack on the rest of the Big Ten with the next closest team sitting at 7-4, a tie between Wisconsin and UCLA.
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The Wolverines play Oregon next on Wednesday at Crisler Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Tweets of the day
Michigan quote of the day
“It’s been five games now since we saw the Michigan that looked confident and well-oiled through five conference games … is this who they are, or can they get back to what they were? May told his team after an improbable comeback home win over Penn State that it was only a matter of time before they started ascending again, but we’re not so sure anymore. For one, the basketball IQ isn’t as high as we expected. They don’t seem to have a great handle on dealing with success, often putting it in neutral and making bad decisions when they get a lead.”
– TheWolverine.com’s Chris Balas on concerns with Michigan basketball
Headlines of the day
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