Juwan Howard’s crew entered the season with optimists hoping Michigan could find the cusp of the Big Ten’s upper crust.
Forget that. The Wolverines are looking to grab the whole pie, and nobody’s laughing at the notion.
Howard’s 10-0 crew rocketed from unranked not long ago to No. 9 in the most recent coaches’ poll. Michigan basketball fans are suddenly giddier than a Pfizer stockholder, and less invested onlookers give the Wolverines their due.
The Big Ten Network’s Andy Katz didn’t hold back, following U-M’s blistering 82-57 win over No. 16 Minnesota. It arrived via freshman center Hunter Dickinson’s career-high 28 points, Michigan’s hustle play end to end, and a lockdown defense that convinced another opposing coach.
Katz noted: “Right now, Michigan is the best team in the Big Ten.”
Gophers boss Richard Pitino pulled an anti-Izzo, noting his team might have played better but heaping generous praise on the opponent.
“They were very, very good defensively,” Pitino said. “They were very physical defensively. They were taking us out of our stuff; they were pressuring the ball. So give them credit. They did a great job on us.”
Any Big Ten contender these days becomes a national contender as well. That’s precisely what the Wolverines have turned into, although U-M radio play-by-play man Brian Boesch pumped the brakes (lightly, like in Michigan winter driving) on a U-M Final Four run.
He said it’s not necessary to talk about that at this point, with so much season ahead and key tests to come.
At the same time, he’s not downplaying what the Wolverines have going.
“Believe me, I’m not trying to put out the fire right now,” Boesch cautioned. “This is a team that is really playing well. I’m not trying to dampen expectations, because I do believe they have that capability.
But I don’t think it’s because, ‘Oh look, they’re 10-0.’ I think you need to look at the context in everything. What they’ve done so far is prove they are unquestionably a Big Ten contender. They are unquestionably an NCAA Tournament threat. And they are unquestionably on the short list of teams that have the potential to go to the Final Four.
But I don’t think it’s because, ‘Oh look, they’re 10-0.’ I think you need to look at the context in everything. What they’ve done so far is prove they are unquestionably a Big Ten contender. They are unquestionably an NCAA Tournament threat. And they are unquestionably on the short list of teams that have the potential to go to the Final Four.
“Those three things cannot be denied. They cannot be debated. This team is really good.”
The toughest tests remain ahead, starting next Tuesday with a home game against 9-2 Wisconsin. Top contenders Illinois and Iowa are much farther down the road in a back-loaded schedule, but they’re coming.
And that’s okay, Boesch pointed out.
“We do need to see what they can do against the Wisconsins, the Iowas, the Illinois of the world,” he said. “That is the next step. I think the schedule has really been built well.
“But the fact that Michigan has dominated its last two opponents really gives you a lot of confidence.”
The Wolverines enjoyed plenty of confidence a year ago, entering a home showdown with the Badgers. Howard’s first Michigan team had won five straight, including a victory at home over Michigan State, along with back-to-back road wins at Rutgers and Purdue.
They hit a brick wall against the Badgers.
“Wisconsin came to town and you’re thinking … yeah, Wisconsin has been playing all right, but we should be okay,” Boesch noted.
“And they lose. Wisconsin comes in and really controls that game. Wisconsin is a tough match-up for anybody. I am fascinated by this game coming up on Tuesday, because of what both teams can bring to the table and how both teams play. Wisconsin has been a thorn in Michigan’s side in recent years.”
Good as they’ve been, the Wolverines aren’t invincible, on any given night. At some point that will show, and nobody should get too shook if they lost two or even three in a row, Boesch contended.
“This league is a dogfight,” he stressed. “It’s incredible how deep it is. This team is good. This team has potential. What’s really going to matter is what happens in February and early March to get ready for that tournament.”
Heading his list of potential concerns against top teams? Foul trouble, especially for a 7-1 anchor.
“I’m really interested what will happen when this team faces any sort of foul trouble,” Boesch mused. “That’s going to come at some point. What if Hunter picks up two early fouls?
“I know, in a lot of cases, Coach Howard will pull him out and give him the rest of the half off. But how does that change things?”
What can’t change, Boesch noted, involves the Wolverines’ ability to adapt and shut down the strengths of other teams. That’s been on full display lately.
“More than anything else, in a league where you have so many good teams, what I’ve been impressed about is in the last two wins, not only has Michigan accentuated its top-of-the-line skills — and there are many — but they have taken away the best options for their opponents,” Boesch said.
“Northwestern was elite from beyond the three-point arc, offensively and defensively. Michigan shot it at 44 percent, held Northwestern to 28 percent. It was Michigan’s second best of the season, and Northwestern’s worst showing. You dominated an area where Northwestern came in with that as one of their calling cards.”
Minnesota’s Marcus Carr and big man Liam Robbins pace the Gophers in scoring. But with senior guard Eli Brooks, Dickinson and others stepping up, the Gophers’ duo fell a combined 16 points shy of their scoring averages.
“Carr had to force a lot,” Boesch said. “He didn’t get a whole lot going. And Liam Robbins? He scored the first five, and didn’t score again. That’s what will help more than anything else in this league.
“Michigan can adapt to a team’s strengths, and take them away. If they can continue that, in this league … that’s the skill set you need to be a Big Ten contender, and boy does that help when you face teams outside of your conference come tournament time.”
They are a Big Ten contender. They’ll also be a handful come tournament time, projected by some early birds on the line of two seeds.
All this, and a No. 1 recruiting class tucked in Howard’s back pocket for next year. Life is good at Crisler Center, even when then it’s only parents and cardboard cutouts looking on.
As a TV show, the Wolverines are tearing up the ratings.
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