In order to win a championship, teams often have to win close games.
But No. 15 Michigan has won nearly all of its close games in its pursuit of a Big Ten championship.
The latest hurdle to clear in that goal will come Sunday afternoon against Illinois in Ann Arbor, Mich.
If Michigan’s trend in Big Ten play continues, expect another close game against the Fighting Illini.
The Wolverines (22-6, 14-3) are 11-1 in conference games decided by four points or less, which is the main reason they are tied with Michigan State for the Big Ten lead with three games left.
The most dramatic of those close wins arguably came Thursday when Nimari Burnett sank a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Michigan an 84-82 home win over Rutgers.
“I know our guys have a very, very strong belief in each other,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “After the season we’ve had and the experience of being in so many of these games, I think they just feel we’re going to find a way. We don’t know what it’s going to look like.”
Michigan continues to rely on arguably the country’s best frontcourt tandem in 7-footers Danny Wolf (12.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg) and Vladislav Goldin (15.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg). They have created matchup problems all season for opponents on both ends of the floor with their versatile skills.
The duo has helped Michigan overcome a group of guards that has produced good moments but also has struggled to shoot the ball and contributed to Michigan leading the league in turnovers at 14.4 a game.
Michigan’s already thin bench has been tested even further the last two games with guards Rubin Jones (illness) and Sam Walters (back) out of action. It’s uncertain if either will play against Illinois.
Illinois (18-11, 10-8) also has dealt with illnesses and injuries in recent weeks, but the Fighting Illini snapped a three-game losing streak with an 81-61 home win on Tuesday against Iowa.
Big man Tomislav Ivisic seemed healthier after missing time with an illness and played well against Iowa (22 points, five assists, four rebounds). He’ll need to be productive again to battle with Wolf and Goldin.
Illinois is led in scoring by projected NBA lottery pick Kasparas Jakucionis (15.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Ivisic (12.8 ppg) and Will Riley (11.8 ppg.)
Illinois coach Brad Underwood said his team implemented some defensive and lineup changes after a 43-point loss to Duke last Saturday. He said he hopes the game against Iowa restored some swagger in his team.
“I think we can whoop anybody’s (expletive),” Underwood said. “I think just making some of the subtle changes gave them a different perspective and something different to think about.”
Illinois seems to be in good shape for an NCAA Tournament berth, but incentive remains for the Fighting Illini despite being out of the conference title race.
Illinois still has an outside chance of getting a double bye in the Big Ten tournament with a top-4 league finish, and earning another Quad 1 win, over Michigan, would be a big boost for NCAA Tournament seeding.
–Field Level Media
