Game 17: Michigan at Minnesota Recap

How does an undefeated Big Ten team lose to a winless one? It fails to do what the things it has done well all season.

The one thing that has defined Michigan throughout the season is its ability to create shots in the paint and score at the rim. The Wolverines led the country in 2-point shooting at well over 60%, and their twin-tower lineup of 7-footers produces shots at the rim in volume.

Those shots didn’t go in on Thursday night in Minneapolis, and Michigan left with a shock overtime defeat to the Big Ten’s worst team.

Michigan made just 12 of 31 shots around the rim. Their 43% 2-point shooting was the worst of the season, and it was Minnesota’s best 2-point defensive performance against a high-major team. The increasingly automatic Vlad Goldin shot just 4-of-13 inside the arc and missed all five field goal attempts in the second half. He missed as many shots inside the arc on Thursday night as he had in Michigan’s recent five-game winning streak total.

It was one of those nights in a sport famous for those nights. And after a worst-of-the-year-by-far shooting performance at the rim and a poor defensive effort, it still took a Dawson Garcia buzzer-beater from near midcourt to settle the final score in overtime.