With Tuesday's impressive win in Columbus, Michigan improved its conference-leading record to 10-2, a half game ahead of Michigan State, whose barn they effectively torched on January 25.
Clearly, this is a team who understands what it takes to win. As was the case in East Lansing, the Wolverines trailed for much of the game on this night. Yet, like the game in East Lansing, they refused to stray from their strategy, mixing defenses and sharing the love offensively while biting off chunks of deficit like so many tacos on Taco Night in Columbus.
Before you knew it, two treys and a travelling call later, Michigan was off on a run that swung the game 17 points toward the Blue and emptied the stands faster than Luke Fickell ever could. Led by emerging freshman superstar Derrick Walton Jr., the maize and blue sucked the spirit out of a skeptical Ohio State squad as uncertain about the reasons for its upset wins as its upset losses.
A convincing 70-60 triumph. The third impressive road win over a ranked conference opponent. A win-in-any-building swagger coupled with the team's growing dominance inside the friendly confines of Crisler Arena, where their lone loss this season was by two points to #1 Arizona. (Junior Jon Horford has experienced the crushing taste of home-court defeat just four times in his college career.) It's the recipe for a high seed and another long tournament run.
But back to their rage against the hospitable host. Tuesday's win was their first at the Schott since 2003, the first-ever road win over a Thad Matta-coached Buckeye team. All of which is a big deal, as seemingly stronger teams had failed to eek out a win in the four-letter state let alone coast to one. Michigan's 77-70 win over then-#3-ranked Wisconsin on January 18 was its first win at the Kohl Center since the previous millennium. Somehow knowing Brian Ellerbe was their coach at the time seems even longer than the millennium mention.
And while knowing the team is now in the hard-working hands of coach John Beilein (see my postgame pic to the left), it explains much but not all of the team's dominance. After all, they've pulled off each of these improbable victories without their best player, their first-team pre-season All American, Mitch McGary, which makes this feat even more head-rattling. They've moved along with surprising ease despite the frequent disappearance of their other phenom, certain NBA draft pick Glen Robinson III. And they've managed to out-rebound most of their opponents while being among the nation's least-fouling teams. In fact, the aforementioned Horford is the only active player even taller than 6'8". So what gives, Michigencia?
The answer may rest in the unwavering, unimaginable floor leadership of Walton. The true freshman nine months removed from Detroit's Chandler Park Academy simply refuses to acknowledge much less overcome pressure. Facing the wrath of a fiercely zealous and Zubaz-clad Ohio State student section throughout much of the evening, Walton calmly executed the Wolverines' forty-minute gameplan as carefree as if he were running pick-up ball at the YMCA. By game's end Walton was four assists shy of a triple double.
With the last two stops on the Big Ten road train being West Lafayyette and Champaign, it's conceivable that Michigan could make it through the conference season with only two road defeats. One true road defeat actually, since I've long given up the thought of the Wolverines ever winning a game at Indiana's Assembly Hall. As impressive as five wins in the last seven games against Michigan State may be, this season's ridiculous road success is the best indicator of what we fans have waited nearly two decades to proclaim: Michigan Wolverines basketball is back. Really. I'm serious.
