Takeaways: Michigan Scores Critical Win Over Rutgers In NYC

Playing in front of a hostile crowd, Michigan won its neutral-site "home" game, earning an important win for its NCAA resume.

Michigan's NCAA hopes are alive and kicking: No doubt the Wolverines' four-game losing streak was a kick to the groin, including two at home, but Michigan rebounded with its first road victory of the year (Tuesday over Nebraska) and a Quad 1 win over Rutgers today that now gives U-M four Quad 1 wins (Gonzaga, Iowa and Creighton) and will boost its NCAA Tournament resume even further. 

Expect Michigan to drop into the mid-20s in the NCAA Net Rankings - they already moved up to No. 25 per Kenpom - meaning the Maize and Blue are still very much in control of their own destiny as February commences. Playing three of its next four at home (and its one road game at last-place Northwestern), U-M has a great chance to go 3-1 even without junior Isaiah Livers, who missed his second straight game. 

Career Night: In Livers' absence, sophomore Brandon Johns Jr. has come alive. He wasn't ready in his first stint filling in for Livers, averaging 7.8 points on 47.4 percent shooting in six games, but over his last two, Johns Jr. has scored 36 points, including a career-high 20 today, on 12 of 19 shooting (63.2 percent). 

Perhaps, most importantly in this game, he filled some of the void from the three-point line Livers usually contributes, making four from behind the arc as Michigan shot 13 of 28 overall from three (46.4 percent), U-M's greatest efficiency since shooting 52.2 percent in a win over No. 2 Gonzaga Nov. 29. 

Johns Jr. also had a number of hustle plays and pulled down seven rebounds, though he needs to box out better (a theme his entire team shares, as we'll get to in a moment) but over these last two contests, and especially in the win over Rutgers, Johns Jr. has made good on his incredible potential, and has been a saving grace for the Wolverines when it looked like their season would spiral further without Livers. 

Michigan should feel lucky: I've never seen a team have almost 40 fewer shots (Rutgers had 83 to U-M's 47) and win the game. I've also never seen a team get outscored 25-0 on second-chance points or give up 26 offensive rebounds - the Scarlet Knights had more offensive rebounds than defensive in the game - and pull out a victory. Yet, somehow the Wolverines did just that because they shot 46.8 percent overall with 16 free throws while Rutgers shot 32.5 percent with three FTs. 

For a former player like Juwan Howard, who was as good as it came at defensive rebounding, to coach a team that either refused to box out or got pushed around underneath the basket ... let's add that to the long list of things we never thought we would see. 

Fixing physicality and toughness on the glass will not happen overnight, but Saturday's performance simply cannot be tolerated. The Wolverines, to a man, should be embarrassed, and hopefully that humiliation manifests into a greater commitment and performance rebounding the ball against Ohio State Tuesday. 

Benchwarmers: Of the criticisms levied at Howard this year, probably the most consistent (and also most understanding for a first-time coach) is his odd substitution patterns. There was yet another head-scratcher Saturday as Howard employed four of his five starters for 20 minutes of second-half action. Only senior Jon Teske got a break, and it was just two minutes, as he played 18 overall. 

Michigan didn't make a field goal in the final 5:43 (but did make six free throws in the final 24 seconds) and saw Rutgers go on 12-0 and 9-0 runs as the Scarlet Knights cut U-M's lead down to three. The Wolverines were also outrebounded 12-6 overall, allowing eight offensive rebounds with just three defensive rebounds, in a four-minute stretch before sealing the game with the free throws. 

Did Michigan run out of steam from fatigue or was it just the typical slumping this team often has? Probably some of both, but I wouldn't advise Howard in the future to try to survive an entire half without his bench. 

Mixed Bag: Senior Zavier Simpson returned to the lineup after missing one game due to suspension for a violation of team rules, and his afternoon contained good and bad elements. Simpson had a game-high 10 assists and was clutch at the charity stripe, making 7 of 9, including all four attempts in the final 24 seconds, but the senior point guard also had a game-high six turnovers, on lazy passes or trying to do too much. He was 1 for 5 from the field too. 

In his one-game absence, junior Eli Brooks, sophomore David DeJulius and freshman Franz Wagner played with an unselfishness and confidence that led U-M to a win at Nebraska earlier in the week. Some of that unselfishness was on display again as ball movement was largely a plus for the Wolverines until the final five minutes. DeJulius took a significant backseat, playing just six minutes, while Brooks didn't look like the same player. 

To Brooks' and Wagner's credit, though, they both found ways to impact, Brooks hitting a key three after Rutgers had gone on a 6-0 run in the second half, and Wagner contributing 12 points, including three important free throws in the final few minutes.