Michigan erases late deficit to defeat Nebraska

The Michigan Wolverines survived another home scare, this time against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Much like the Northwestern game, the Wolverines erased a late seven point deficit to come out with a win. Despite sitting for the majority of the first half, Hunter Dickinson still had a monster performance, going for 26 points, and leading Michigan to an 85-79 victory.

First Half

The first half wasn’t pretty. Dickinson picked up two early fouls, and the Wolverines struggled to generate offense from that point on. As 15 point favorites, it was expected that Michigan would pull away after a close start, but it was the Cornhuskers who reached a doubled digit lead in the first. Things were tight for the first 10-15 minutes before Nebraska created some separation, growing their lead to 10. Michigan was able to get it back down to three, but Nebraska quickly got it back to 10, and ended up taking a 44-37 lead into the break. Giving up 44 in a half to the Big Ten’s worst team is...not good. Bryce McGowens led the Huskers with 14 in the half while Devante Jones led the Wolverines with 10.

Second Half

The beginning of the second looked like a completely different game. It took just two and a half minutes for Michigan to take the lead, as they opened on a 12-2 run before Nebraska had to call a timeout. Michigan eventually grew the lead to 10, but this one was a game of runs. Nebraska responded with a run of their own and grew their lead to as much as seven. The Wolverines wouldn’t back down, however. Trailing 73-66 late, Michigan rallied back and took a 77-75 lead with just under three minutes remaining. Michigan got the lead up to four before Nebraska tied it up again. The Wolverines were eventually able to make enough shots, and ice the game away with free throws.

Michigan improves to 11-8 and 5-4 in Big Ten. Next up is at Purdue on Saturday. It’ll be a tough one, but any opportunity for a resume building win is big for this team.