Michigan 72, Northwestern 63: Wolverines MAARch Closer to NCAA Tournament Berth

Michigan Basketball (20-9, 10-6 B1G) defeated the Northwestern Wildcats (17-11, 5-10 B1G) by a score of 72-63 on a snowy night in Ann Arbor in a game it could not afford to lose.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman led the way for the Wolverines with 19 points, while Derrick Walton Jr. added 16 points of his own. Alex Olah scored 19 points for the Wildcats.

Michigan struggled to get it going early on, allowing Northwestern to jump out to a 10-0 lead and did not score a basket until the 14:14 mark of the first half, but they were able to pull within one at halftime at 29-28.

There are two regular season games to go. Michigan next travels to Madison on Sunday afternoon to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. A win on the road in a hostile environment would go a long way in cementing the Wolverines' NCAA Tournament odds.

They will end the regular season on Saturday, March 5 at home against the Iowa Hawkeyes.