This wasn't how I wanted to be reminded of the 2013 Final Four team.
Michigan's loss to end the regular season at Michigan State didn't cost them a Big Ten title, unlike 2013's finale, but there are some parallels. This team has now dropped two of their last three and is suddenly dealing with injury scares; Eli Brooks returned to the bench in a walking boot after rolling his right ankle while landing on Marcus Bingham and Franz Wagner reportedly limped off the floor after an awkward landing on his shot attempt just after the final buzzer.
The 2013 squad had the order the other way around. They started 20-1 but lost starting center Jordan Morgan to a badly sprained ankle that either kept him out or limited his effectiveness for much of the rest of the season. That team lost five of their last ten regular season games, one to a bad Penn State team, before falling apart in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals against Wisconsin.
Those parallels feel less comforting given the 2013 team had Mitch McGary ready to be unleashed in the NCAA Tournament, while the 2021 edition will lean on Zeb Jackson to fill in as the third guard for however long Brooks is absent. John Beilein's team had proven they could win without McGary. Juwan Howard's has fallen flat both times Brooks has been out, looking stagnant on offense both this afternoon and when he missed the blowout loss at Minnesota.
Any absence of Wagner long-term, meanwhile, would be a massive blow to this team's chances of making postseason noise.
not what you want to see [Campredon]
As for the game, Brooks exited after only four minutes, leaving a hole in Michigan's rotation that Jackson plugged for eight minutes in which he kept the ball moving around fine. On the occasions when the team created shots, which were less often than one would hope, they didn't fall. The Wolverines required assists on 17 of their 25 made field goals, a rate that surpasses "good passing" and gets into "nobody could finish plays" territory.
For the second time in three games, Wagner, Isaiah Livers, and Hunter Dickinson combined to shoot well below 50% (11/31 today), and Wagner didn't find his playmaking touch until Michigan was desperately digging out of a late 11-point hole. The Wagner-Dickinson pick-and-roll duo created two and-ones sandwiched around a Wagner steal to get M as close as two points with 1:13 to play, only for Josh Langford to hit a dagger three to answer.
Michigan got one more chance to make it a hair-raiser when Wagner made another three and then combined with Chaundee Brown to trap Rocket Watts on the sideline, where the MSU point guard stepped out for a turnover in a four-point game with 26 seconds remaining. Livers couldn't connect on a good look from three, however, and State iced the game at the line.
Rocket Watts hit some five-star shots [Campredon]
The Wolverines will want a few other chances back from this game. The team went 7/11 at the line and that understates the impact of missed free throws; both Mike Smith and Austin Davis missed front ends of one-and-ones when M got into the bonus midway through the second half and Dickinson couldn't cap off one of those and-ones.
Ultimately, though, this came down to shot-making. Watts had his best game of a tumultuous sophomore season, scoring 21 points—his highest output by eight points since December 4th against Detroit (23)—on a seemingly endless series of contested pull-up jumpers. Aaron Henry arrived at his 18 points in similar fashion, though he was able to craft his way to the rim a few more times. Joey Hauser needed only seven attempts to score 11.
Whether this week or next, Michigan needs to pull themselves together to deliver on the promise of this remarkable regular season. Barring the unforeseen, they'll still be afforded a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Which players are available, and how close they are to full health, will play a bigger role in this postseason than anyone would've hoped.
[Hit THE JUMP for the box score]
69