It’s been a hectic past few days for the Michigan Wolverines, but they persevered in what coach John Beilein called a life lesson for his group. Apparently the plane mishap put things in perspective for the players, who had a quick turnaround and posted a first round victory over Illinois while wearing practice jerseys and arriving to the arena about two hours before tipoff. Waiting on the other end is the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers, but after what UM just went through, I doubt they’ll be frightened.
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Michigan closed the regular season by winning six of its last eight games, making a strong case for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. They improved their chances with a victory over Purdue in that stretch, beating the regular season champs 82-70 at home in the team’s only meeting. The Wolverines covered the 1.5-point spread in that game and they’ve gone 6-3 in their past nine games, including Thursday’s 75-55 win over Illinois.
Purdue has had the luxury of watching other teams battle during the first two days of the tournament and didn’t have a harrowing experience like the Wolverines did. But will the additional time off help them in their pursuit of the Big Ten tournament title? The Boilermakers closed the regular season winning eight of nine while going 5-2-2 ATS in that stretch. The only loss was a 12-point setback to the Wolverines in Ann Arbor where Purdue was a slight underdog, the first time the Boilermakers were given points since a non-conference matchup with Louisville in November, a game they also lost.
Last Meeting
Purdue headed to Ann Arbor back in mid-February riding a six-game winning streak and holding on to first place in the Big Ten standings. But that didn’t prevent the Wolverines from hanging the worst loss of the season on the Boilermakers. It was the final regular season home game for Michigan and the emotion of Senior Night may have had something to do with the outcome. Or it could have been the performance of Moritz Wagner, who scored 22 of his 24 points in the first half.
Going head to head against National Player of the Year candidate Caleb Swanigan, Wagner thoroughly outplayed Purdue’s big man as Michigan built a 15-point halftime lead and never let up. It was a complete game for the Wolverines, who shot nearly 55 percent from the field, hit 11 of 26 threes and made all 11 of their free throw attempts. Each time Purdue made a run Michigan fended it off and came away with perhaps their biggest win of the season.
Player to Watch
It’s hard not to like Swanigan and the way he plays. He is the reason why the Boilermakers are the Big Ten champs and headed to the Big Dance. And when he doesn’t play well, Purdue usually suffers. Swanigan scored 18 points when the teams met last month, but they were a tough get, and he was neutralized by Wagner.
That performance and the game’s outcome didn’t sit well with Swanigan and you can expect him to have a player of the year-type game when he gets another shot at the Wolverines. He ended the regular season with 20 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Northwestern, giving him 25 double-doubles for the year, tied for the NCAA lead.
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The Wolverines are running on fumes after their plane ordeal and having their arrival to the tournament delayed by a day. Not only that, they don’t have game uniforms. Once the adrenaline wears off, Michigan will be a sitting duck for the Boilermakers. You can expect Purdue to have a chip on its shoulder after losing in Ann Arbor two weeks ago. Even though they were the underdog in that contest, it still felt like an upset.
Swanigan has a better idea of what to expect from the Wolverines front court and the Boilermakers will be tuned on getting him the ball. An underrated aspect of his game is his ability to pass the ball. Purdue is the best three-point shooting team in the Big Ten and they were off in the first meeting. With the big man dishing when the D collapses, Vince Edwards, Carsen Edwards and others should find open looks. Making them has Purdue covering the 2.5-point spread.
College Basketball Odds: Purdue 77, Michigan 70
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