The last three meetings between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Michigan Wolverines have been very memorable for Badger fans, one way or the other.
Way back in February of 2002, the Wolverines jumped all over UW in Ann Arbor, riding an 18-4 start to a 64-53 victory. A few weeks later, the Badgers clinched a share of the Big Ten championship at the Kohl Center, with a 74-54 pounding of the Wolverines.
The most recent meeting between the two schools came on Jan. 8, the Big Ten opener for both schools. Michigan overcame a 15-point Wisconsin lead, en route to a 66-65 comeback victory that most people in Madison would like to forget. Daniel Horton scored 25 points for UM in that contest, including the game-winning basket with 7.1 seconds remaining. LaVell Blanchard added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolverines. The latest installment of Wisconsin versus Michigan takes place tonight at 8 p.m. at the Kohl Center.
For the Wolverines, this season has been something of a roller-coaster ride. After losing six in a row to open the season, the young Wolverines responded by winning their next 13. Now they stand at 16-9 overall, and in first place in the Big Ten with a 9-3 conference record.
The key to UM’s success has been the play of the freshman backcourt duo of Horton and Lester Abram. Horton was named this past week’s Big Ten player of the week, thanks to his 31-point performance in Michigan’s 78-67 win at Purdue. With that selection, he became the first freshman in the history of the conference to earn player-of-the-week honors three times in a season. The 6-foot-3 rookie leads the team in scoring, at 16.5 points per game, as well as assists, which he hands out at a clip of 4.4 per game. Horton has put up double-figure scoring totals in 11 of Michigan’s 12 conference games.
Joining Horton at guard is fellow freshman Abram. Standing 6-foot-6, Abram is able to contribute 4.4 rebounds per game to compliment his 10.0-point average.
At forward, the Wolverines feature a pair of wing players who can score and get the job done on the glass. Prior to Daniel Horton’s arrival on campus, LaVell Blanchard was the primary focus of the Michigan attack. Blanchard has led the team in scoring the past two seasons and has paced the team in rebounding in each of his three seasons at UM. This year is no different, as the senior co-captain is leading the way with 7.2 rebounds per game, and his 16.3 point scoring average is good for second on the team. Bernard Robinson, Jr. chips in with averages of 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.
In the post, the Wolverines rely on two more freshmen. 6-foot-9 Graham Brown gets the starting nod and contributes modest averages of 5.5 points and 4.3 rebounds to the Michigan attack. Coming off the bench is 6-foot-11 Chris Hunter, who brings a defensive presence to the Michigan frontcourt. Hunter is the team’s leading shot blocker and brings Graham Brown-like point (5.5 per game) and rebound (3.7 per game) production.
Like Wisconsin, the Wolverines have a short bench rotation. After Hunter, head coach Tommy Amaker will turn to senior guard Gavin Groninger and sophomore forward Chuck Bailey. With both teams boasting high-scoring starting lineups, bench play will be key.
In the Wisconsin-Michigan matchups of the Bo Ryan regime, the home team has won each of the three meetings. With the Big Ten title race coming down to the wire, the Badgers will need to hold serve again at the Kohl Center to keep their title hopes alive.
