No. 4 Michigan basketball had a full head of steam and a 18-1 record entering last week, before the Wolverines lost two of their final three regular season games.

The Maize and Blue were drubbed by 23 points against Illinois last Tuesday, clinched the outright Big Ten regular-season championship Thursday night at home, beating Michigan State, and then dropped the rematch game Sunday to the Spartans in East Lansing.

Heading into this weekend's Big Ten Tournament, Michigan is focusing on trying to make corrections that will help it get back to playing championship-level basketball, which is what the Wolverines will need to do if they want to hang another banner or two this postseason.

While Illinois and MSU threw some looks at Michigan that it didn't handle very well, sophomore wing Franz Wagner insists it's more about the team looking at itself internally than anything else, and getting back to doing what it does well.

"I think the mistake that we did in some games was to focus too much on the other team," Wagner said Wednesday. "I think that’s gonna be a main focus for these next couple days of practice, that we gotta get back to our habits and how we want to play. If we do that the right way, I think we’ll have a great chance against any team in the league. That’s really our mindset coming into practice every day, and hopefully you can see it on Friday."

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For much of the season, head coach Juwan Howard's crew dictated the pace of each game, made its opponents adjust and was routinely blowing the doors off the teams, making them look undermanned and overpowered.

"When we attack the other team, we play really good," Wagner said. "On defense, it’s more of a mindset that I’m talking about. And then offensively, making sure we execute, get to our spots, cutting, passing, all those little things are what make us great.

"Just playing for each other, that’s the main thing. That’s one thing Coach Howard really stresses every day, playing for each other and having fun and enjoying someone else’s success, those are the things that make us really good."

Senior forward Isaiah Livers said late in the season that when Wagner is personally aggressive, the Wolverines are the best team in the country. Wagner had scored 20 or more points in three of four games from Feb. 18 to Feb. 25, but was held to two points against Illinois and 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting at MSU (he dropped 19 in the first meeting with the Spartans).

If Livers' words are in fact true, Wagner is the key to much of Michigan's success. He recognizes his importance and wants to find the right balance between being aggressive and playing within the flow of the game — something he has discovered plenty of times throughout his career.

"For me, being aggressive, but also not predetermining what I want to do out there," Wagner said when asked what he wants to personally improve on. "You can do a lot of things out there, but sometimes you can get stuck in one thing and try to do that over and over again. That’s kinda what I’m trying to work on, just making sure I’m ready for whatever the defense gives me, and knowing I can exploit whatever they do."

Michigan is bussing down to Indianapolis Thursday for the Big Ten Tournament, and will not leave the city until it either wins the NCAA Tournament, which will be held in the greater Indy area, or is eliminated.

While Wagner noted he has no prior experience like that he is about to go through to draw back on, the team is excited for the uncharted waters they're about to enter.

"I’m doing laundry right now," a smiling Wagner said. "I’m trying to get all my stuff together to get ready for the trip. No, I have no experience to draw on from what we’re about to do. I think it’s going to be very different, but like anything this year, you gotta embrace the time and try to make the best out of it.

The conference tournament is being held in Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts, and will be played in front of 8,000 or so spectators. The NCAA Tournament will also be admitting fans. Michigan and other Big Ten teams haven't played in front of fans, other than family members in over a year, and they're excited to finally get some of the pageantry back.

"I’m excited. It’s definitely going to be fun," Wagner said. "I don’t know how many people will be there. I know it’s a football stadium, so I’m guessing a little bit more than now, what we’re used to. It’s definitely going to be weird at first, for sure, because we haven’t done that in a year now. It’s gonna be a cool experience, and I think all the players are excited for it."

This will be Howard's first go-around coaching in the postseason, though his staff has plenty of experience to help him out. The closest thing to the upcoming tournaments that Howard has gone through at Michigan was last year's Battle 4 Atlantis in November, the early-season tournament that the Wolverines won by winning three games in three days.

Asked to recall how well Howard had the players prepared for that setting, Wagner said they were more than fine.

"I just remember feeling very prepared for the games, even though we only had a couple hours to prepare for them," he said. "In terms of X's and O’s, I think we were very prepared. But the mentality is even more important. Coach Howard is great at that, making sure that everybody’s ready to go. And if you’re not ready to go, it’s really on you. That’s his coaching style.

"He knows how to get the most out of people, and I think that translates to any type of environment in basketball. It’s definitely going to help us over the weekend."

Wagner, a second-team All-Big Ten pick by the coaches and third-team by the media, did not make the conference's All-Defensive team, despite leading the nation in defensive box plus/minus rating (6.5) and ranking sixth in the league in steals and 13th in blocks.

Even though it appears Wagner was snubbed, he doesn't need to use it as any extra fuel for the games ahead, saying that wanting to win for his team is enough.

"It’s alright," he said. "I mean, those are not the awards that any player plays for. We’re just trying to win a championship this coming weekend. I don’t really need any more motivation — I’m good on that end."

Michigan is the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and plays Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET against the winner of Maryland and Michigan State.

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