Michigan basketball's woes in Madison continue; Wolverines fall to Wisconsin, 54-48
Michigan coach John Beilein talks with Stu Douglass during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wisconsin on Wednesday.
AP photo
MADISON, Wis. - Assistant coach Jeff Meyer pulled the Michigan seniors aside before their game Wednesday night against Wisconsin and told them these are games, these are wins, where players can leave a legacy.
The Wolverines came oh-so-close to fulfilling Meyer’s statement, until the Badgers snuck up on them like they do so many other opponents in the Kohl Center.
Michigan left Madison with a 54-48 loss, and wondering how this one slipped away.
The Wolverines led almost the entire game. Wisconsin didn’t tie the game until 36 minutes had elapsed, and didn’t take a lead until a little more than three minutes remained.
“This was a big thing we wanted to accomplish,” sophomore guard Stu Douglass said. “Especially against a ranked team, on the road, it’s ridiculous for a lot of teams.
“I thought we were going to get it, but it just slipped away a little bit.”
Michigan became the 151st loser to step into the Kohl Center since Bo Ryan took over nine years ago and 50th straight unranked Big Ten team to come into Madison and lose.
Michigan, which hasn't won at Wisconsin since 1999, appeared to be on the verge of blowing the game open multiple times in the first half. The Wolverines led by 11 points twice in the first half. With nine minutes left, Michigan led by nine, 39-30.
From there, the Wolverines unraveled.Â
The defense, which had contained Wisconsin guard Trevon Hughes, allowed him to spurt free. When Michigan started focusing on stopping Hughes and the other guards, sophomore swingman Rob Wilson got free and cut into the lane.
Wilson scored seven straight points and Hughes woke up, hitting a jump shot in the right corner to give Wisconsin (15-4 overall, 5-2 Big Ten) its first lead, 45-43, with 3:07 left. He finished with 20 points.
By then, it was all over. Michigan (10-8, 3-3) surrendered momentum, allowed the Kohl Center to work its magic and let the crowd back into the game. Michigan missed open shots. It struggled to find senior forward DeShawn Sims, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds in the post - a place he had been dominant all game. The Wolverines also went cold, missing 13 of their last 16 shots.
It’s how a lead - and a chance at a second straight marquee win - disappears.
“I thought we got some really good looks, didn’t make them and then got some guarded ones that they got going in now and then,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “But our defense was great.
Michigan's Manny Harris (3) gets a defensive rebound over Wisconsin's Tim Jarmusz, right, during the first half Wednesday. Also in on the play are Wisconsin's Trevon Hughes, left, Michigan's DeShawn Sims, second from left, and Zack Novak.
AP photo
“Trevon Hughes also was a thing that happened to us as well. We had to get better help off him when we drove. We did not do that.”
In the end, they couldn’t take advantage of a 34 percent shooting night from Wisconsin - the Badgers missed 12 of their first 13 shots and their first eight three-pointers - and another good performance from Sims.
At one point in the second half, Sims had 19 points. The rest of Michigan combined for nine.
“It was definitely a bad feeling, like any game we lost,” junior guard Manny Harris said. “But it was a little worse knowing that you was up the whole game and couldn’t close it out.”
Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.
Comments
treetowncartel
Thu, Jan 21, 2010 : 12:25 p.m.
When Sims launched that three pointer 10 seconds into the shot clock and 3:30 to go I thought back to the fab five and Jalen's ill advised shots. Problem is, Jalen usually made them. I should have shut the TV off right there, but i remained for the calamity that followed. They should have been feeding Sims on the block allowing for the double team to open up players like Harris and Douglass.
leathercouch
Thu, Jan 21, 2010 : 10:59 a.m.
the bigger issue is wisconsin started 1-13 and michigan was only up 11, they started hot but then forced shots and the settled for terrible shots. also sims cant do it all. harris NEEDED to step up and he shrunk as he has done in the past few games at the end of the game. also they decided not to defend hughes all game. like 12 mins left when he had 3 fouls and went to the bench they should have been attacking him the rest of the way. you could feel him heating up and hes was the energy of the team. attack him and force him to commit fouls. and if nothing else it will make him work that much more on defense. michigan got outcoached BIG TIME in the 2nd half. it was ugly. you cant put this on the refs, even though they were horrible. michigan had too many chances to put them away and failed on their own (missed lay-ups, stupid turnovers, stupid fouls on the perimeter) this team is in trouble next year if someone doesn't step up soon.
dogface
Thu, Jan 21, 2010 : 9:04 a.m.
Michigan played one of its best games of the year--only to be stolen by geriatric cowardly refs! Michael never seems to mention these guys! Everybody knew as soon as Michigan got a good lead the refs would take over the game. Thats why the badgers never lose at home! Does anyone know the score in fouls and turnovers?
XTR
Thu, Jan 21, 2010 : 6:51 a.m.
This team played better than expected in this game. Too bad a loss is a loss. Seems like a lock for the NIT. Sims and Harris gone? Well, that is what we get with Beilien at the helm. The 3 batches he recruited are only good for the smaller conferences. No height and heft and no NBA caliber talent like Harris. If Beilein can't do well with NBA talent Amaker recruited, UM is in for many looooong seasons after this year.
stevieboy
Thu, Jan 21, 2010 : 1:21 a.m.
What's going to happen to this team when Amaker's Recruits leave. I haven't seen any of Beilien recruits step up yet. But they give this guy an extension! Hmmmm....I really don't understand it. Where is the improvement? And don't mention the UCONN game as a sign of change. UConn is in a down year that they refuse to admit, so that really doesn't count on showing that UM Basketball has arrived yet. Beilein and his staff needs to recruit more bigger athletic players and Kids with more heart. You can't win championships or tournements with 6'5" average players. I haven't seen it in all the years I have been watching college basketball. This is crazy, I am really tired of watching this rollercoaster basketball team doing this crap over and over again. Lose to team you suppose to beat, beat teams you suppose to lose and then get luck on one or two good teams and beat them. If that's not inconsistancy I don't know what is. These guys are terrible. I am a big Michigan fan, and show patience and give teams a chance if there is improvement. But I haven't seen it with this group and we are only fooling ourselves if we are thinking this team is going in the right direction. It's not happening!
InRichRodWeTrust
Thu, Jan 21, 2010 : 12:16 a.m.
"Michigan basketball's woes in Madison continue as the Wolverines fall to the Badgers, 54-48" I don't think Michigan woes countines I thought they played a good game and they gave all they had. They just didn't have enough to overcome the home court advantage,which Wssc. has a big of an advantage than anyone in the big ten because they play physical and get away with it on their home court,plus all of the flops. Not making excuses I hope Michigan gets all the calls because of a great home court advantage against MSU on tuesday.
LakeErieMaize&Blue
Wed, Jan 20, 2010 : 11:38 p.m.
We'll see if that is true Tater.We will see!!It's SHOW and PROVE time now.Either put up or shut up.PERIOD!!No excuses.Every game has bad calls that could go either way.Make your shots(how many missed lay-ups did they have?),play good defense,limit turnovers, and make sound decisions on the court.Oh yeah,play together as a team!!And have the attitude that you should win(if you don't believe it then who will?)Every game have winning ATTITUDE and right now they don't have it out there!They just don't have it this year.Coach B has got to loosen up the offense.Open it up.Have everyone CRASH the boards(Sims and Novac can't do it alone) and have FUN.The pressure is off now.Play to win and have fun.We can do that the rest of the year can't we? GO BLUE!!!
LakeErieMaize&Blue
Wed, Jan 20, 2010 : 11:13 p.m.
And all they can score is 48 pts.? With this run and gun team full of shooters!I don't get it.Again it seems like they have NO ATTITUDE.Passsing inside to Sims guarantees 2pts and a foul if contested but the players on the court can't (or don't) want to figure it out! If the guys on the court can't figure it out that the more you feed Sims inside the better outside shots they will get then Michigan is in trouble!What am I talking about,they BEEN in trouble!We can't keep saying they are supposed to be good and every other night they GIVE games away!! No killer instinct! And they could only score 48pts.!!Where is the coaching?Gotta get better production out of these guys.We should be averaging 88.5pts. a game(easily)!!C'mon Blue!!Lets GO.
JadedBlackDepth
Wed, Jan 20, 2010 : 10:51 p.m.
This is bad, Sims and Harris are responsible for 34 of 48 points. They have carried the team all year, and they are both gone after this year. Sims for sure to graduation, and Harris will be a first round and would be out of his mind to return to this team as the only weapon. And the AD gives Beiline an extension. This is horrible state of play for UM basketball.
Macabre Sunset
Wed, Jan 20, 2010 : 10:29 p.m.
What a collapse on defense. No one other than Sims played with any heart, and he just ran out of gas. These are the games that good teams have to win. Michigan simply gave it away at the end. And that's why they'll struggle even to make the NIT this year.