At the Buzzer: Michigan 77, Minnesota 67

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Rapid reactions to Michigan’s 77-67 win over Minnesota.

THE MOMENT

Minnesota hung around for a while on Tuesday. Sophomore L.J. Cason was the one who finally put them away. Just before the under-eight timeout, Cason hit back-to-back threes to vault Michigan’s lead to 14.

The Wolverines continued to play Cason alongside junior guard Elliot Cadeau Tuesday night, as Cason’s minutes are rising steadily. Cason’s two threes to finally give the Wolverines separation also gave him his fifth game in double figures in the last seven. The sophomore guard finished iwth 14 points including four made 3-pointers on six attempts.

THE TAKEAWAY

It wasn’t the prettiest, but Michigan can rest assured knowing it’ll be hanging a banner at the end of the season. The Wolverines clinched a share of the Big Ten title with Tuesday night’s win, and are a single victory away from claiming it outright.

In the opening half, Michigan gave Minnesota far less trouble at the rim than the Wolverines’ frontcourt usually gives teams. The Gophers were 8-for-9 on shots at the rim and down just four points at halftime, despite shooting 25% from three and 0% from the midrange. The Golden Gophers continuously beat Michigan on backcuts and blown switches for layups at the rim.

Michigan also had some forgettable, sloppy turnovers in that first half and even a few in the second. Graduate Nimari Burnett, senior Roddy Gayle Jr. and freshman Trey McKenney — all the two guards — committed live-ball turnovers, leading to seven points of turnovers for Minnesota in the first half.

The Wolverines can take some pride in finding their shot form deep again after it cost them against the Blue Devils. The Gophers’ zone let Michigan have a lot of those looks rather than ones at the rim. The gamble, however, didn’t pay off as the Wolverines’ shooting performance was a total reversal of the previous game, and enough for them to pull away in the second half against Minnesota.

Michigan finished the game with 14 made threes at 42%.

While it’s far from the most notable performance of the season — against a middling and beat-up conference foe — for the Wolverines, it will most notably be the game in which they clinched a share of the conference title for the first time in five years.

THE STAR

In most facets, Elliot Cadeau operated the point with his typical efficiency against Duke, but he just couldn’t get the ball to pass through the net. Just a few days later, he put together a confidence-inspiring performance on Tuesday against Minnesota that left the disappointment in D.C.

Cadeau opened both halves with a 3-pointer. He also looked more confident in getting to the basket, making shots at the rim. In all, Cadeau put up 15 points and rounded out the stat sheet nicely with five assists and four rebounds. Though his best stat may have been committing only one of the Wolverines’ 14 turnovers.

THE STAT

Minnesota’s bench didn’t score a single point Tuesday. The Gophers’ sixth man in a six-man rotation played just seven minutes. The game just wore them down — it’s no coincidence that Michigan was able to pull away about midway through the second half. With Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and a slew of other injuries, Minnesota is just in a tough position at this point in the season.

In comparison, the Wolverines’ bench scored 35 points thanks to really efficient nights from Cason and McKenney. Most of Michigan’s rotation played less than 25 minutes, and only Cadeau saw more than 30 minutes on the court.

Four Factors