Tuesday night in Ann Arbor, the #20 Michigan Wolverines downed #7 Purdue 75-73. The energy was palpable at the Crisler Center. Why, you ask? Well, it’s because the Big Ten has a new champ sitting at the top! It was a nail-biting, action-packed, back-and-forth game from start to finish. When the dust settled, the Maize and Blue had shell-shocked everyone.
Revenge For The Wolverines
Remember how we were all left aghast when the Wolverines suffered a brutal 27-point loss at Purdue’s Mackey Arena last month? The tables have now turned with this hard-earned win. The #20 Wolverines (19-5, 11-2) have now moved a half-game ahead of the Boilermakers. They also avenged that painful loss and are now causing quite a stir in the conference standings.
This victory holds a special place in our hearts since it’s the biggest yet under the reign of our first-year coach, Dusty May. And guess what? It might just be the set-up we need for another showdown for first place next week against Michigan State. Talk about a roller-coaster ride!
Game Recap
“Exciting” is not enough to describe how they’re feeling right now. They find themselves in mid-February, right in the heart of extremely meaningful games, competing for a championship with the top dogs of college basketball. And boy, aren’t we thrilled! What a breathtaking comeback it was. Trailing by double digits in the second half, the Wolverines fought back, took the lead during the final six minutes, and were up 73-67 following a put-back dunk by Rubin Jones with just 39 seconds to play.
Purdue didn’t go down without a fight. Braden Smith, with his impressive 24-point contribution, hit two late 3-pointers to give Purdue a lifeline, but unfortunately, he couldn’t connect on a shot when the buzzer sounded. The real stars of the show for us were Danny Wolf and Roddy Gayle Jr., with their 15 and 14-point contributions, respectively. Vladislav Goldin, playing under coach May since their Florida Atlantic days, also added a respectful 12 points to the tally.
Final Thoughts
This victory was another laurel added to the Wolverines’ cap, strengthening their position to be one of the top NCAA Tournament seeds. This is a far cry from the 8-24, 3-17 league play record from last year. This heated up the race at the top of the Big Ten standings, with three contenders now. With upcoming games against Purdue and Michigan for Michigan State, a lot can still change. Although it’s early days, going from a last-place finish last season to the top is a welcome change.
Coach May summed it up best when he said, “I’m proud that our guys are still improving collectively and individually.” Indeed, it’s more about the journey than the destination, but boy does being on top feel good! Onto the next one, Wolverines. It will be fun to see how far Coach May can take this in year one at the helm.
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