Michigan (24-7) blows out the Maryland Terrapins (19-12), 85-61.
Maryland has struggled this year, and is on the outside of the NCAA tournament looking in. With wins in their last two games against Rutgers and Northwestern, the Terrapins looked to defend their home floor and keep their winning streak going.
Unlike the Terrapins, Michigan has played well enough to find themselves cemented into the tournament. The Wolverines are possibly the hottest team in the Big Ten heading into the conference tournament, and look to have a good chance to repeat as Big Ten tourney champs.
Rough start to the 2nd half
After playing an extremely impressive first half, the Wolverines came out of the locker room ice cold. Through the first five minutes of the second half, Michigan only had 3 points.
This team can be susceptible to droughts. They shoot a lot of jump shots, they don’t shoot many free throws, and when they do get to the line they have only shot 66 percent.
Obviously it didn’t matter in the outcome of this game, but if Michigan were to get into a similar situation against a better team in the tournament it could be the end of their season.
Michigan bench scoring
One of Michigan’s biggest strengths is their bench.
Having a guys like Duncan Robinson and Jordan Poole coming off the bench is a great weapon to have. Either of those guys can get hot and take over a game.
Jaaron Simmons also seems to be coming into his own. The transfer looks a lot more confident than he did earlier in the year and it’s showing.
Michigan’s bench outscored the Terrapin bench, 28-13.
Player of the game – Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman
MAAR finished the first half with 22 points, shooting 6-10 from the 3-point line. Maryland only had 24 points in the first. While he cooled off after halftime, he still posted a career high 28 points. The senior guard stuffed the stat sheet with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal.
Here is the link to the full box score.
The next time you can catch the Wolverines is in the Big Ten tournament, and they still have a chance to get a double bye.
