The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team topped its third ranked opponent in as many games, putting together a 27-3 run in the second half to earn a 77-54 victory over No. 9 Wisconsin in a Big Ten Conference contest Tuesday night (Jan. 12) at Crisler Center.
The Wolverines improved to 11-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten with their decisive victory over the Badgers (10-3, 4-2 Big Ten).
Four of the U-M starters ended the night in double figures with junior Franz Wagner stuffing the stat sheet. The sophomore notched his third career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while also adding four steals and one block to his line.
Graduate student Mike Smith led the Wolverines with 16 points and dished out a team-best six assists, while Isaiah Livers added 13 points -- nine of which came off three-pointers -- six rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Freshman Hunter Dickinson continued his double-digit streak with 12 points and added six rebounds and three blocks.
Michigan shot 51.6 percent (32-for-62) from the field and 56.3 percent from beyond the arc with nine makes on 16 attempts. U-M dominated on the glass, outrebounding Wisconsin, 42-34, and scored 15 points off Badger turnovers, while scoring 38 points in the paint.
Michigan and Wisconsin played a fast-paced first five minutes with the Wolverines taking a 13-12 advantage on back-to-back baskets from Wagner with 13:57 left in the first half. U-M made a trio three-pointers over the three minute span before the defense stopped the Badger offense for more than two minutes to take a 26-19 advantage with seven minutes to play in the half.
The Michigan defense held Wisconsin scoreless for 6:19, which led to a 14-0 U-M run and gave the Wolverines a 40-23 lead heading into the halftime break. Wagner led the Wolverines with 11 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Livers added 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
U-M opened the second half just as it ended the first, going on a 14-0 run over a span of four minutes, capped off with four quick points from Dickinson and a triple from Smith, forcing Wisconsin to take a timeout with 15:30 rremaining.
The Badgers had no answer for the Wolverine offense. Michigan extended its run to 27-3 over eight and a half minutes and took a comfortable 67-29 advantage with just under 11 minutes remaining on the game clock.
Wisconsin ended the game with two small runs of its own, but it was not enough to overcome the 30-point second-half advantage Michigan had built up, and the Wolverines cruised to victory.
Michigan will be back in action Saturday (Jan. 16) when it takes on Minnesota in Minneapolis. Game time is schedulked for 1 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
