Michigan suffered a heartbreaking loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament final after leading for the first 19 minutes of the second half. Here are five takeaways in place of a game recap as we roll into NCAA Tournament week.
1. Wasted possessions doom Michigan against Michigan State — again
Once again, Michigan had a lead against Michigan State and let the Spartans steal a win.
This time around, Michigan gave a double-digit lead away in the second half but weathered the storm. The Wolverines regained a two-possession lead late in the half only to watch the Spartans steal the game down the stretch.
Isaiah Livers buried a triple to give Michigan a 5-point lead with 2:29 to play but the Wolverines didn’t score again. Michigan State scored the final 10 points of the game and walk away with a 65-60 win and another trophy.
“It’s not the last couple minutes. It’s about the full volume of 40 minutes,” John Beilein said afterward. “You can’t give away five or six possessions in a game and say ‘my bad.’ You can’t do that. Tell me a bad shot Michigan State took today; you wouldn’t even find one. Good teams value each possession.”
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