Michigan Wins The Big Ten Championship With A 69-50 Blowout Of MSU
Miss any of the Michigan Wolverines' basketball triumph over Michigan State at Crisler Center this evening? We have you covered with a complete recap of how the win unfolded below...
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First Half
Fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith got Michigan on the board first tonight, connecting on a two-point jumper at the free throw line at 19:43 to make it 2-0. Smith followed it up with another two-point jumper soon after to put Michigan up 4-0 right off the bat.
The Maize and Blue went up 7-0 on a three-pointer from senior guard Eli Brooks from the right wing at 17:04, before MSU junior forward Aaron Henry finally got his team on the board with a lay in at the 16:09 mark to make it 7-2.
A Spartan turnover led to a Michigan bucket from Brooks on the other end, with MSU getting called for goaltending to extend U-M's lead to 11-4 with 13:56 to go in the half. The Wolverines' margin was 11-6 at the under-12 media timeout.
The game had featured sloppy offensive play up to that point, with seven total turnovers between the two teams (four by Michigan and three by Michigan State). Brooks was the Maize and Blue's leading scorer at that juncture with seven points.
Things then turned into the Hunter Dickinson show. The freshman center scored on three consecutive offensive possessions, the final of which was an and-one that put U-M up 18-10.
Dickinson did his damage against MSU junior big man Thomas Kithier during the sequence. A 6-0 run from the Spartans trimmed Michigan's advantage to 18-16 though, before two free throws from senior forward Isaiah Livers ended their run and made the score 20-16 with 6:45 left in the half.
Sophomore guard Franz Wagner gave his club its biggest lead of the night up to that point (27-18) with a triple in transition at 5:06, and Michigan's edge was 30-23 at the under-four media timeout.
U-M was shooting a hot 60 percent from the field at that juncture, though its eight turnovers were a concern. The 18 total fouls at that point had also made it hard for both clubs to get into a rhythm.
The Big Ten referees decided to call a flagrant foul on Henry after he hit Wagner in the face while going for a bucket with 2:45 left in the half, giving the sophomore two free throws on the other end.
He made one to put Michigan on top 31-26, before registering a layup in traffic on the ensuing possession to extend the lead to 33-26. The Wolverines ended the half strong, with junior forward Brandon Johns driving baseline and laying it in with 48 seconds to go to make it 37-28, before draining two free throws with 16 seconds left to give U-M its biggest lead of the night at 39-28.
The Maize and Blue shot a red-hot 58 percent for the half and outrebounded MSU 16-9.
Second Half
Michigan State began the second half on a quick 4-0 run, but after that is when Michigan took over. Wagner drilled a three-pointer at 17:40 to make the score 42-32, with Smith assisting on the play.
Dickinson — who had sat for the final several minutes of the first half with two fouls — made his presence felt in a big way by slamming home a dunk at the 16:44 mark, with Smith once again assisting on the play.
His jam made the score 44-32. Smith rained home a three-pointer of his own at 15:56, before Dickinson threw down another huge dunk on the following possession to blow the game wide open and put Michigan up 49-32.
The Spartans were forced to call a timeout, and U-M was on a 10-0 run. Wagner stretched the Maize and Blue's lead to 18 at 54-36 (its biggest of the night up to that point) by connecting on a triple from the top of the key with 12:27 remaining.
The referees called MSU sophomore center Julius Marble for a flagrant hook-and-hold with 9:03 left, allowing Wagner to drill two free throws and give his club a comfortable 56-36 edge.
Livers stretched the lead to 23 (59-36) when he tallied a deep three-pointer from the left wing with 8:50 to go. Wagner drilled his fourth triple of the night soon after with 6:20 remaining to make it 64-36, representing a 25-4 Michigan run.
The Wolverines' lead was 66-40 at the under-four media timeout, and the club was holding MSU to just 23.8 percent shooting in the second half at that point. Head coach Juwan Howard took Brooks and Austin Davis out of the game with 3:20 remaining, with the few parents and family members in attendance giving them a standing ovation.
Livers left the court for the final time with 1:24 to go, kissing the block M at midcourt on his way off the floor. The triumph sealed the Big Ten championship for Michigan, marking the 15th regular-season title in school history.
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