Central Michigan stuns Michigan basketball, 63-61, on late 3: Game thread recap
Michigan Wolverines (7-4, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (4-8, 0-0 MAC)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor.
TV: Big Ten Network Plus (online-only).
Radio: WWJ-AM (950).
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Game notes: The Wolverines are back in action after more than a week off; they lost to North Carolina, 80-76, on Dec. 21, in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina. The good news: All four of U-M’s losses this season — to the Tar Heels, Kentucky, Virginia and Arizona State — have come against teams projected to make the NCAA tournament in March. The bad news: Michigan isn’t even on the bubble, with close wins that shouldn’t have been, such as visits from Ohio and Lipscomb.
Also not on the bubble, in a much more expected way, are the Chips; CMU is 4-8 in coach Tony Barbie’s second season after going 7-23 last season. That includes an active four-game skid this season against Robert Morris, Tulsa, Missouri State and Youngstown State. Kevin Miller leads the Chips with 18.5 points a game, but hasn’t played since November. Brian Taylor is next up, at 14.6 points a game; the former Detroit Edison standout — who spent two seasons at UIC before transferring to Mount Pleasant before last season — also leads the Chips in boards, at 6.2 a game while shooting 44.7% from the field.
For the Wolverines, Hunter Dickinson is leading the roster, as expected, with 18.2 points and 8.4 boards a game. Freshman Jett Howard is doing a solid job as his, uh, wingman, with 15.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game while shooting 40.3% from 3-point range.
This is the final nonconference game for both squads; CMU opens MAC play with a visit from Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. while the Wolverines host Maryland at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. (Gee, wonder if a certain football team will make a guest appearance after a Saturday afternoon game?)
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Central Michigan stuns Michigan basketball, 63-61: Game thread recap
