Michigan Blows Big First Half Lead in 68-62 Loss to Northwestern

By Sean · Monday, January 11, 2010 · 12:36 PM |  Share | Leave a Comment 

Michigan jumped out to a 17-point lead in the first half against Northwestern on Sunday and appeared to be well on its way to extending its winning streak to three games. That is when Michigan pulled a Penn State, though, and completely fell apart. The Wildcats slowly cut down the lead as halftime neared, getting within 7. Then, as the second half got underway, Northwestern continued to slowly but surely inch closer and closer to Michigan, eventually tying the game around nine minutes into the second half.

Northwestern wasn’t done yet. The Wildcats got hot from three-point land and went from simply being tied to being up by 10 when the run was said and done. Shell-shocked, Michigan now had to make a comeback of its own with seven and a half minutes left in the game. Thanks mainly to Manny Harris, the comeback quickly got started and cut the lead down to 3 points only a couple minutes later.

The Wildcats scored on a jumper to go up 5 following the onslaught by Harris, but Stu Douglass answered with a three-pointer. After both teams went back and forth with a few misses, Darius Morris drained a three to give Michigan a 1-point lead with 1:28 left on the clock. Drew Crawford, who went off in this game for 25 points, made a pair of free throws to put Northwestern back on top, and after Stu Douglass turned the ball over again, Crawford made two more free throws to make it a 3-point game.

Douglass attempted to make it a 1-point game on a layup, but he missed it, giving Northwestern a chance to put the game away. Jeremy Nash missed the front end of a 1-and-1, however, giving Michigan another chance. Once again, though, that chance ended in a turnover, as Manny Harris tripped over himself and lost control of the ball. Northwestern sealed the game with more free throws to win 68-62.

Like usual, Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims produced most of Michigan’s offense. Harris had 24 points and Sims had 17. Both nearly had a double-double, grabbing 8 and 9 rebounds, respectively. Zack Novak and Stu Douglass got on the board with two threes each (Novak also had one free throw), but Laval Lucas-Perry failed to score for the third time in four games. Coming off the bench, Darius Morris made two threes and Zack Gibson made a midrange jumper. Anthony Wright and Matt Vogrich both got playing time but failed to score.

Michigan’s downfall in this game can be attributed to turnovers and allowing Northwestern way too many open looks from behind the arc in the second half. Once Northwestern upped the pressure on defense, Michigan just looked lost. I was shocked that they only turned it over 17 times, because it seemed like a lot more. Hell, every possession in the first part of the second half seemed like it ended with Stu Douglass turning it over, but he only had 4 at game’s end. Either way, the pressure did cripple Michigan’s offense and in turn led to open looks at the other end of the floor. Northwestern took advantage and went 11-24 from three-point land. Michigan had a great shooting percentage in the first half and saw it drop off a bit in the second, but the problem on offense wasn’t shooting – it was taking care of the ball.

Before yesterday’s game, I could optimistically look at the rest of the schedule and have a small glimmer of hope that Michigan had a shot at making the tournament with what would be considered a surprising run to finish the season. Now, though, it’s tough to find a scenario that is anything short of a miracle where Michigan makes the tourney. With an already unimpressive resume, Michigan can’t afford to drop games to Northwestern at home, as that only makes the hole they are in even deeper.

Regardless of Michigan’s tourney chances, the Wolverines do have a couple big home games coming up in the next week, with Indiana playing at Crisler on Thursday night (9 p.m. on ESPN) and UConn on Sunday (1:30 p.m. on CBS). I just don’t see any way Michigan can make the tournament barring a monster run to end the season, but if the Wolverines even want to have a chance, they will need to win both of these upcoming home games.