On Thursday night, the Michigan men’s basketball team won the Big Ten title of the regular season, ensuring their percentage of conference wins were better than Illinois’s, regardless of how the teams’ final games went. .
But after Fighting Illini won in Ohio and the Wolverines lost in Michigan, many Illinois supporters – including coach Brad Underwood – claimed the Fighting Illini’s 16-4 record in the league, including a clash win straight into Michigan on Tuesday is worthy of sharing a Big Ten title with Michigan, who made it 14-3 in the league game. Michigan played three games less after a COVID-19 shutdown that spanned the entire athletic department of the Wolverines caused Michigan to postpone five games, only two of which were compensated.
“I know that, no one has won more games than us,” said Underwood on Saturday. “And we play them all.”
Of course, the argument for Michigan is that it lost one game less than Illinois. Both teams lost in the state of Michigan recently, but Fighting Illini stumbled upon Rutgers, against Maryland and against the state of Ohio – teams that the Wolverines are combined 4-0 this season.
Asked about the situation after Sunday’s loss to the Spartans, Michigan coach Juwan Howard had an emphatic response to the notion that his team was not the champion of the Big Ten.
“I don’t get into these things, man,” said Howard after Michigan’s 70-64 years. “You are not going to get any bytes of sound from me or any fucking bulletin board, I don’t care about any of that. I only care that we are champions of the Big Ten and I am very proud of our guys for working hard since June and grinding.
“All strangers, being able to spin and sacrifice what their university life should be. But they still manage to have a season and then be stars in their own roles. It is incredible what our student-athletes were able to withstand and overcome and, at the same time, accomplish something special, which is the title of the Big Ten. So, I will not leave anyone – I repeat, anyone – try to ruin it for them. They deserved it. “
In terms of real change being made, the Big Ten has already established that the Wolverines are the champions of the Big Ten through the winning percentage. This has been the league’s approach to unbalanced schedules during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is not expected to be reconsidered because a fan base requires it.
The Wolverines’ lost games, which were decisions made in conjunction with the Big Ten, were street games in Northwestern and Penn State and a home game against Indiana. Michigan won 3-0 against all of these teams.
Michigan just lost to Illinois on Tuesday, 76-53, but will try to regroup in the Big Ten Tournament as the 1-seed, with a potential rematch against Fighting Illini on the horizon.