Michigan basketball was seeking revenge against Maryland after losing to the Terps 10 days ago in Ann Arbor, but with so much more on the line.
Facing the 2-seed in Indianapolis, the 3-seed Wolverines needed a win in order to advance to the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin on Sunday. And early in the second half, it appeared that the maize and blue were on the verge of punching their ticket after extending the lead to 15. However, a six-plus minute field goal drought allowed Maryland to storm back and take the lead. But Dusty May’s group remained patient, and even when they found themselves down by one point with five seconds left, they found a way.
Michigan point guard Tre Donaldson made a stunning catch and run down the court to score an end-to-end layup to secure the victory for the Wolverines, thus punching their ticket for the championship berth on the heels of an 81-80 win.
Here are our five takeaways:
1. Tre Donaldson and Roddy Gayle continue to play their best
It was only a week ago that Michigan basketball fans were bemoaning the play of the two guards, but both have been seemingly reborn now that it’s the postseason. Not only did Donaldson have the game-winner, but he hit clutch 3s — both at the beginning of the game as well as in the waning seconds, just before Michigan needed him to finish it out on the final possession. He finished with 12 points — five within the last 28 seconds.
Gayle only finished with nine points, but he had some spectacular plays, as well, including the alley-oop near the end of the first half to help push Michigan’s then-tenuous lead. He also hit his first 3 since Jan. 24 against Purdue.
If Michigan can get this type of production from these two, it’ll be a hard out this month when the NCAA Tournament starts.
2. This was a vintage, Dusty May-coached Michigan basketball win
You’ve heard the story of this game before — for much of the first two-thirds of the season. Michigan looked like the better team for long swaths, got a sizable double-digit lead, faltered offensively for a stretch, and then found a way to win. That’s not all, the turnover issues — which weren’t a problem on Friday against Purdue — came roaring back in a big way as the Wolverines had 19 turnovers compared to Maryland’s six.
This team certainly has a way to do things and this was another nailbiter that didn’t have to be. Especially considering…
3. The crazy stat disparities
The Wolverines outrebounded Maryland 47-18. They got off five more shots while having a field goal percentage three points higher. They hit just as many 3-pointers on fewer attempts. They had 44 points in the paint compared to Maryland’s 30 and had 18 second-chance points compared to Maryland’s four.
The big difference was the turnovers (which led to 29 points off turnovers — compared to Michigan’s 10) and foul shots as Maryland had 10 more attempts from the stripe than the maize and blue.
4. Need better defense in key moments
Michigan’s defense was suffocating for much of the game except against Maryland big Derik Queen, who finished with 31 points. The Wolverines need to be more consistent, especially when they’re struggling to score. When Michigan went nearly seven minutes without a field goal, it appeared as if Maryland was unstoppable, thus the 15-point lead was quickly erased.
To win the Big Ten Tournament, this type of play will not stand.
5. Onto Wisconsin
Rather than ‘On Wisconsin.’ The Badgers are a 5-seed but are one of the hottest teams at the moment in the Big Ten. John Tonje, the Wisconsin guard, was electric against 1-seed Michigan State on Saturday and is hard to slow down. The Wolverines did beat the Badgers already this season, but that was all the way back in December, and that win was one that aged extremely well. But UW is playing much better than it was then and will give Michigan everything it can handle.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Takeaways from Michigan basketball win over Maryland in BTT
