For Michigan vs. Illinois Round 3, John Beilein expects a close one
It's not easy trying to project how the Michigan basketball team's Big Ten tournament opener will unfold.
The No. 8-seeded Wolverines face No. 9 seed Illinois at noon Thursday (BTN) at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., and the teams' two regular-season matchups were strikingly different.
Michigan's 16-point loss Jan. 11 in Champaign, Ill., is a contender for the season's low point. Illinois shot 64% from the field, 64% from three-point range and scored the second-most points in regulation against U-M all season (85). Illini center Maverick Morgan called U-M a "white-collar program" afterward.
The game was competitive until late in the first half, when Derrick Walton Jr.'s technical foul ignited a 12-0 Illinois run. The blowout crushed the Wolverines in the moment, then fueled them going forward.
In the rematch just 10 days later at the Crisler Center, Michigan took control in the first half and held Illinois to the lowest point total (57) by a Big Ten opponent all season. For U-M team that was one of the nation's worst defensively at that point, it was a statement.
As for Thursday's re-rematch?
"You can't really get anything on this one," U-M coach John Beilein said on today's Big Ten teleconference. "Both teams played really well on their home court. And now we're neutral, so expect a buzzer-beater type of game. Both teams, they have some experience, they have talented players, we both have talented players. John (Groce) has got a great plan over there. So I don't know what's going to happen. All we're going to do is get prepared to play a really good team that's really hot right now."
"Really hot" Illinois has won five of its past seven games, beating Northwestern twice and Michigan State once, but the two losses came to Big Ten bottom feeders Penn State and Rutgers.
Michigan is even hotter, winning six of its past eight, with both losses coming on the road. U-M also beat the Big Ten's No. 1 and 2 seeds, Purdue and Wisconsin, during that span.
"Their team play late in the year, our team play late in the year, we're different teams (than before)," Groce said. "There are some significant differences, in terms of quality play of both teams. I mean that in the positive sense for both teams."
Illinois' late-season run positioned it for an NCAA tournament berth until it lost at lowly Rutgers in Saturday's season finale. Now they need a multi-game run in D.C. to make up for it.
Michigan, on the other hand, was coming off of a heartbreaking last-second loss at Northwestern when it played one of its best games of the season Sunday, pounding Nebraska on the road to secure its NCAA tournament spot.
Beilein believes a strong finish makes a difference to the NCAA selection committee.
"What I think the committee does consider, I'm sure that they view, is improvement as the year goes on," Beilein said. "Good coaches get their teams to improve as the year goes on."
Notes: Walton today was named the Big Ten co-player of the week, along with Purdue post player Caleb Swanigan. He averaged 16.5 points and 11 assists against Northwestern and Nebraska. ... U-M received 16 voting points in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, making it the unofficial No. 29. ... The Wolverines received four voting points in this week's AP women's basketball poll.
U-M's Walton hands out school-record 16 assists in win over Nebraska
Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!