Michigan Rallies to Stun #5 Nebraska, Sets Sights on #7 Michigan State
#3 Michigan hadn’t seen a lead in 36 minutes and 32 seconds. Enter Trey McKenney. The star freshman took a pass from Yaxel Lendeborg, drove baseline, and finished a tough layup through contact, sending the Crisler Center into a frenzy. This gave Michigan a 74-72 lead, which ultimately resulted in a 75-72 win over undefeated #5 Nebraska.
This game was a story of two halves. At first, Crisler was dazzled by electric offense, with Nebraska shooting 10/19 from beyond the arc, leading to a 50-48 lead at the break. Nebraska executed offensively and hit excellent shots, but Michigan kept up. Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara combined for 21 first-half points on 100% shooting, and it overall felt like a success for Michigan to be down only 2 with how good Nebraska was shooting.
The second half was the complete opposite. After 98 total first-half points, the two teams combined for only 49 second-half points. Michigan came out of the break playing sloppy, turning the ball over, and struggling to make a basket. When Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort hit his fifth 3 of the night to put Nebraska up 9 midway through the second half, it was starting to look like Cornhuskers would pull away.
However, a quick 10-3 run for the Wolverines cut the lead back to 2, leading to a riveting last 7 minutes. Michigan stepped up its physicality, holding Nebraska scoreless in the last 3 minutes while also continually getting to the free-throw line. This enabled the Wolverines to pull off the comeback and hand Nebraska their first loss of the season. Morez Johnson Jr. led the way for the Maize and Blue with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Nebraska was led by Pryce Sandfort and Jamarques Lawrence, each scoring 20 points respectively.
Areas for Improvement
Although Michigan showed a lot of grit to pull out the win, there were a few things that can be improved moving forward in the season. Yaxel Lendeborg had a particularly rough night shooting the basketball, going 0/6 from the 3 point line and scoring only 10 points. He was still a force in transition and elite defensively, but it was disappointing to see him be so passive in the half-court offense. The few times he attacked the basket, the results were positive for the Wolverines. He had a drive in the second half where he was able to follow his own miss for an easy layup, and he also created the go-ahead bucket by driving and kicking to Trey McKenney. Michigan could use a more assertive Lendeborg throughout the rest of the season, especially during the bright lights of March.
Elliott Cadeau also had a subpar game vs. the Cornhuskers. Cadeau went 2/9 from the field, finishing with 7 points, and despite having 7 assists, he also turned the ball over 8 times. Cadeau is the key to Michigan’s offense, with his ability to pick out passes that most are unable to see. As the point guard, he is the motor of the team, and when he is playing below his standard, Michigan’s entire offense struggles.
Overall, for long stretches, Nebraska looked like the better team. Despite being down two of their best players, they were able to take advantage of Michigan’s switching defenses, resulting in plenty of quality shots at the rim and from beyond the arc. Michigan showed a lot of fight, however, and was able to defend its home court, pulling out the victory in the top five matchup.
Michigan State Looms Ahead
Michigan’s rivals also pulled out a comeback victory on Tuesday vs. Rutgers, setting up an incredible matchup on Friday where Michigan will travel to the Breslin Center to face off against #7 Michigan State. Michigan has not won a game in the Breslin Center since 2018, and will be looking to avenge its 2 losses to MSU last season.
This matchup features the top 2 defenses in the country according to KenPom, and should be a stellar clash that will have major Big Ten standings implications. Michigan will have to take care of the basketball and hit open shots in order to see success on Friday. They will also have to shut down MSU’s Jeremy Fears, who has put up 36 points and 26 assists over MSU’s last 2 games. Look for Dusty May to face-guard Fears with Lendeborg, using #23’s defensive length to disrupt the MSU guard.
The game on Friday has the potential to be a classic, and Michigan has an opportunity to secure 2 top 10 wins in the same week, boosting its chances to win the Big Ten regular season championship and creating great momentum for the rest of the season. The game will be aired on Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST on FOX.
