Columbus, Ohio native Trey Burke (left) and sophomore Tim Hardaway Jr. (right) hug after beating Ohio State. Photo Credit: Melaine Maxwell / Ann Arbor.com
After beating rival No. 8 Ohio State Saturday night the No. 13 rated Michigan basketball team is feeling pretty good.
The Wolverines are currently third in the Big Ten and has their best rank nationally since 1997.
That is all fine and great but it won’t mean a thing if they can’t finish out the Big Ten schedule.
Yes, it has the easier road to finish out the season in comparison to No. 6 Michigan State and the Buckeyes, but the Big Ten this season is one of, if not, the best conference and Michigan has to hit the road for three of the last four games.
Starting Tuesday the Wolverines head to Welsh-Ryan Arena to face a desperate Northwestern team who is ridding the bubble for a tournament bid and a win Tuesday could secure that bid.
The Wildcats already have proven they have what it takes to beat the top teams in the conference at home when they took out the Spartans 81-74. They also took U of M to overtime in Crisler Arena.
Saturday the Wolverines host Purdue who took them wire in earlier this season 66-64 and at home.
The Boilermakers are looking to lock up a tournament bid as well and a win over a top 15 team like Michigan will go a long way.
On March 1 the Wolverines head to one of the toughest places to play in the nation, let alone the Big Ten.
They’ll travel to Champaign, Ill and go into Assembly Hall.
This one will be the toughest test before the season’s end.
Ohio State, MSU and Gonzaga, to name a few, have gone to Assembly Hall this season and came out with a loss.
The Illini are well coached and they are also in desperate need of some wins.
Last up is Penn State.
Michigan will travel to University Park, Penn. to finish the season and that can be a tougher test then it looks.
The Nittany Lions have had a tough season and are at the bottom of the conference but they have played tough.
Iowa, Illinois and Purdue all lost and they took No. 24 Indiana to the wire. They’re 6-3 against the Big Ten teams at home this season.
The Wolverines have had a lot to celebrate this season but if they don’t finish out the season and back their way into the NCAA tournament it can make this season to remember one fans will quickly forget.
