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Will Tschetter rips 'pathetic' effort from Michigan in loss to Illinois

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•about 19 hours•

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Will Tschetter
(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

ANN ARBOR – The Michigan Wolverines dropped a 93-73 contest to the Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday at home, which was an eye-opener for those hoping the team could round into championship form as the calendar turned to March.

What followed instead was one of of the worst efforts of the season, headlined by Illinois’ 19 offensive rebounds and a 62-point second half output from the opposition. A visibly disgusted Will Tschetter weighed in after the contest.

  ”We didn’t execute what the game plan was,” Tschetter said. “It was super lackadaisical by us. [Rebounding] was literally our second thing on our defensive keys. Or maybe our first thing, actually, so it was just really poor execution… We just weren’t ready to play today.”

The loss came at an inopportune time for the Wolverines, who are now a game behind rival Michigan State in the Big Ten standings for the regular season title. If it finds a way to keep winning, it could still hang three banners this year, so the team is not going into a shell and submitting the rest of the way.

 ”I mean, everything we were playing for is still in front of us,” Tschetter said. “Anything, everything we want is still there. So it’s just a look in the mirror kind of game. One through eight on our team has to look in the mirror and figure out what they need to change.”

Michigan’s struggles in its fourth game in nine days came via shooting the ball effectively, boxing out and getting rebounds and a general lack of running teams off the three-point line. All games are difficult this time of year, and Tschetter wants to see the team pick up its level of play.

 ”It’s nothing that we can’t do,” Tschetter said. “It’s March, every game is going to be tough. It’s a good dosage for what we’re going to have to do if we want to keep playing for the rest of the month. It was total attention to detail. We knew what they wanted to do. We know they wanted to cut. We knew they were gonna go and crash the glass and it’s just that players have to take responsibility.”

The want-to and turnaround is going to have to come from Michigan’s veteran players, and Tschetter said he was encouraged by guys like point guard Tre Donaldson and center Vladislav Goldin speaking u pafter the game.

 ”Tre had some great nuggets after the game and talked, and Vlad did [too],” Tschetter said. “I was really proud of them to talk. So yeah, it’s definitely gonna have to come from the older experienced guys, and I think that will happen.

He later said: “Tonight it was one through eight [who have to be held accountable]. I was actually really proud of Phat Phat [Brooks] at the end. LJ [Cason], [Justin Pippen] and felt like they really fought at the end. So I was really proud of them.

“But, you know, those first seven or eight guys, it was just pathetic.”

Michigan will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday night at Crisler Center with Maryland coming to town for a 6:30 p.m. ET tipoff.

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