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Posted on Mon, Feb 20, 2012 : 4:46 p.m.

Michigan basketball team says Northwestern won't be the only desperate club Tuesday in Evanston

By Nick Baumgardner

Northwestern basketball coach Bill Carmody was asked Monday whether his team's home game against Michigan on Tuesday was the biggest game in program history.

It's no secret, Carmody's Wildcats are on the bubble again, and they'll be playing desperate Tuesday (8 p.m., BTN).

But who says the Wolverines aren't in the same boat?

"They'll be inspired," Michigan coach John Beilein said Monday. "But at the same time, it's not like we're in the middle of the pack and not fighting for something.

"We have something we're fighting for right now. We're in the hunt to be the best of the best."

BILL-CARMODY.jpg

A victory against Michigan would help Bill Carmody and Northwestern's chances of making into the NCAA tournament.

Associated Press

At 16-10, 6-8 in the Big Ten, Northwestern was listed among the "last four out" in ESPN "Bracketologist" Joe Lunardi's latest NCAA tournament projection.

And, as most know, the Wildcats have never — ever — advanced to the Big Dance.

In need of an RPI boost, and really any added win, a Northwestern victory against Michigan (which holds an RPI of 14) would got a long way in helping the Wildcats find their way toward the steady side of the bubble.

The Wolverines know all about white-knuckling it down the stretch, as Michigan barely played its way into the tournament a year ago.

This season, things are different for the Wolverines, as they appear to again be on firm ground when it comes to NCAA tournament status.

But that doesn't mean they're not desperate.

Michigan (20-7, 10-4) hasn't won a regular-season Big Ten championship in 26 years, and with just four games to go, ending that skid is a real possibility.

"It's going to be something we have to really stay focused for, we can't let up these last few games," said Michigan senior captain Stu Douglass, whose team is a game back of first-place Michigan State in the Big Ten standings. "We don't play teams (that are ahead or tied with us), we don't play Michigan State or Ohio State again to win it.

"We play teams you've got to stay mentally focused for, and Northwestern will be perfect for us, because we know we can't relax with their system."

Beilein, as expected, said he wasn't concerned about any type of emotional letdown after beating Ohio State.

Not just because of what's at stake for Michigan, but also because of how things have gone for the Wolverines recently in Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Last season, in Evanston, Ill., Michigan lost by 14 to the Wildcats — an effort Beilein described as one of the team's worst.

"It's almost like guarding us," Michigan forward Jordan Morgan said of playing Northwestern and its Princeton-style offense. "It's hard action to guard, and the way we guard it is different from all our normal rules and principles.

"You've got to be on your toes."

One team's desperate to keep its season alive, one's desperate for a championship? There may be varying degrees of desperation, but Michigan says that doesn't mean much.

The Wolverines may have less to lose Tuesday, but they certainly have much more to gain.

"We realize they want this game as bad as ever," Douglass said. "As much as we want to get in, it'd also be fun to keep a team out of the tournament, too."

Checking the schedules?

Beilein said last week that his team has started to acknowledge its chances of winning a Big Ten championship.

But that doesn't mean he's overly active when it comes to standings watching, or checking to see what the other contenders have in front of them.

"I got enough things on my mind," Beilein said. "I'm not worried about who they're playing."

In terms of RPI, Michigan has the easiest remaining schedule with road games against Northwestern, Illinois and Penn State and a home game with Purdue.

Ohio State and Michigan State still have to play each other. The Spartans still have to visit Indiana, while Ohio State has to play Wisconsin.

Morgan's momentum

Morgan put together the best performance of his career Saturday against Ohio State, netting the first double-double of his career with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

A player who has seen his fair share of peaks and valleys in the past two years, Morgan says the goal is to build off the Ohio State performance.

"I had a lot of energy (against Ohio State) and I felt like my motor was pretty high," Morgan said Monday. "Coach Beilein doesn't settle for lackluster effort from me, especially. He knows how good this team can be, and he (knows) how good I can be.

"That's why he pushes us so hard."

Beilein says Morgan's performance against Jared Sullinger on Saturday should, if nothing else, give him confidence moving forward.

Starting Tuesday at Northwestern.

"He was outstanding," Beilein said. "If you can guard somebody like Sullinger, you can play against a lot of people."

Home away from home?

Tuesday will be another road game for Michigan, but the Wolverines certainly won't be without their supporters in Evanston.

Whenever Michigan visits Northwestern — whether it be in football or basketball — several Chicago-area UM alums seem to make their presence known, a fact Douglass said the team is aware of.

"When we go to Chicago and New York, there's always a bunch of Michigan alums," Douglass said. "It helps a little bit, that gym's pretty small and it doesn't get too loud.

"But anything on the road like that can help."

Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.

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Comments

trigg7

Tue, Feb 21, 2012 : 6:09 p.m.

27and counting... Iguess Jeff blow has not ben watching MSU? peaking at the right time again, can you say deeep run again. Just look up who do you see as usual. UM wont get the call's the get at home.

jeff blue

Tue, Feb 21, 2012 : 1:50 a.m.

I hope that we can take this down in about 2 weeks!!!! 26 Years since the Michigan basketball team has won a Big Ten regular season title. Is this the year the drought comes to an end JEFF

jeff blue

Tue, Feb 21, 2012 : 1:47 a.m.

Hi All, This is a great article and this wiil be a huge game at Northwestern. We don't underestimate the Wildcats: 1. Michigan has been inconsistent on the road, with 4 Big Ten road losses. 2. Northwestern has a good team this year - they are right on the bubble 3. I think that everyone respects Bill Carmody as a coach 4. MSU has lost two road games by 1 point, but they lost by much more at Northwestern I expect that Michigan will be about a 4 point favorite, which means the margin for error is really small. We are clearly the better team, but must have 100% focus. And, oh, I guarantee that MSU loses at least one more Big Ten game: road games at Minny & Indiana + home game at OSU -- they could lose 2 or 3. GO BLUE.....

Kevin Shabinski

Tue, Feb 21, 2012 : 1:32 p.m.

I would be worried about winning out instead of guaranteeing loses by other teams. MSU is a super strong team, and has a really good chance of winning out the regular sesaon. Probably not a B10 tourney win as well, but you never know. UM is going to have its work cut out for it in Evanston. Boring, sleeper of a game that could knock them out.