At the Buzzer: Michigan 68, Wisconsin 65

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Rapid reaction to Michigan’s 68-65 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal.

THE MOMENT

Yaxel Lendeborg coasted through Michigan’s first game in the Big Ten Tournament and was poised to repeat a similarly low-key performance in the Wolverines’ second — until the final second.

With 0.4 seconds on the clock, tied at 65, Elliot Cadeau swung it to Lendeborg at the top of the key. Lendeborg set his feet and let it fly, sinking the game-winner (just his fifth field-goal of the game, and his sixth of the tournament), to send Michigan to the final.

In a contest that almost fell out of the Wolverines’ grasp due to Wisconsin raining down 3-pointers on the other end, of course, it was a triple from Lendeborg that sunk the dagger.

THE TAKEAWAY

Michigan played perhaps its worst offensive first half of the season, and was tied with Wisconsin heading into halftime. Then, after going up by 15, the Wolverines needed a game-winning three from Yaxel Lendeborg.

It’s becoming clear that Michigan’s defense can reach another level at times. Friday against Ohio State, it took nearly the entire game for that defense to kick into gear. Saturday against the Badgers, the Wolverines did their job on D for much of the game — even while Wisconsin heated up from three.

Even Wisconsin going 7-for-17 from beyond the arc in the first half can’t cover up what Michigan does best, and how it stayed in the game throughout that flurry — 2-point defense. Wisconsin shot 21.4% from two, and the Wolverines stifled them possession after possession, while struggling to catch up on the other end. Due to foul trouble, Michigan was without starting point guard Elliot Cadeau for significant minutes, and figured out how to tie things up at halftime anyway.

When Cadeau returned, when graduate guard Yaxel Lendeborg started hitting his shots, when the Wolverines’ offense rediscovered its rhythm, Michigan started to pull away. But as Wisconsin did last time, a barrage of 3-pointers flipped the game and put the Wolverines’ chances in jeopardy.

This time, despite shutting down the Badgers for more than thirty minutes, Michigan — really, Cadeau and Lendeborg — matched Wisconsin’s shot-making when it mattered.

THE STAR

In a game the Wolverines stayed in — and led big at times — because of their defense, it’s hard to ignore Aday Mara’s impact. The junior center, as he always does, altered countless shots simply by standing around the rim, redirecting traffic away from the basket and forcing Wisconsin to put too much or too little on its layups.

The Badgers only made three 2-pointers in the first half, and Mara, who had three blocks in 13 first-half minutes, played a big role in that. And this game would’ve been closer for Michigan had Mara not played the way he did on the other side of the floor.

Mara was also effective on the block in the second half, helping Michigan regain control of the game with his interior scoring. He finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, two assists, eight rebounds, and five blocks.

His loudest offensive moment of the game came after he grabbed his own board after an unsuccessful post-up, laying it back in to draw the and-1 as he flexed and unleashed a scream. But his most crucial bucket tied the game at 62-62 with under two minutes left.

THE STAT

There are two stats that kept this one close: Michigan’s +21.1% differential in two-point shooting, and its -10.1% differential in three-point shooting.

The Wolverines controlled Wisconsin around the rim, but the Badgers shot the hell out of the ball from deep. Until the final minute, Michigan didn’t.

It got to a point in the second half where it felt like anytime Wisconsin released one from beyond the arc, it was going in. The Badgers went on 20-4 run late (which included five threes from Wisconsin forward Austin Rapp alone) to take a 59-58 lead — a lead that required such a run because Michigan had prohibited them from scoring everywhere else.

FOUR FACTORS