As the Michigan basketball team's post-season hopes took another January body blow with a 68-62 loss to Northwestern, its best player maintained his faith.

Manny Harris believes Michigan is better than its 8-7 record.

“I don’t think the team should be at where we’re at,” Harris said. “What’s our record? 8-7? I don’t think we should be that team, but we probably wasn’t ranked 13th in the nation coming in, but we’re definitely not an 8-7 team. It is what it is. We’re 8-7. But how this team is, I think we should be a lot better than 8-7. We just got to stay focused and keep working at it.

“It’s not early anymore, but we still got chances and everyone wants to go to the tournament so we’re still gonna work hard.”

The losses, though, continue to mount and the chances at an at-large bid dwindle with each defeat. Besides a win over an Evan Turner-less Ohio State team a week ago, Michigan has no quality wins.

And to be considered for the NCAA tournament or NIT, it must finish the year one game over-.500 because the Northern Michigan win doesn’t count toward win totals for those tournaments.

In order to do that, Michigan will have to forget Sunday’s collapse.

“We’ll definitely learn from it,” sophomore guard Stu Douglass said. “Coach talked about living in the present. We’ll learn from it.”

Even if its present isn’t too rosy.

Michigan slows John Shurna Northwestern sophomore John Shurna had scored 20-plus points in his last five games. Yet from the start, the Glen Ellyn, Ill., native seemed off.

Part of that was due to forced shots early. It was also due to the defense of Michigan sophomore Zack Novak, who trailed Shurna everywhere he went from the second he crossed halfcourt.

“They played really good defense,” Shurna said. “You have to give them credit. I might have forced a couple shots early on, and then I let the game flow.”

In his place, freshman guard Drew Crawford hurt Michigan for 25 points. Yet Shurna rediscovered his stroke toward the end, scoring 6 of his 11 points after halftime, including a 3-pointer to give Northwestern a 50-47 lead - its first since early in the first half - and then another to give the Wildcats a 10-point lead, 59-49.

“He got open a couple times and made some big shots. I let him get away from me when I couldn’t,” Novak said. “He’s their go-to guy. We knew we’d have to contain him in order to have a chance to win, and instead I let him get away and he hit a few big ones.”

No call was correct, Manny Harris says All of Crisler Arena seemed to be yelling at officials Jim Burr, John Cahill and Steve Welmer toward the end of the game, when Harris drove down the floor and then ended up on the floor with nary a whistle.

Michigan trailed at the time and the Wolverines were looking for anything to keep them in the game. Afterward, Harris said the no-call was correct.

“I probably just tripped,” Harris said.

On his own feet, he was asked?

“Yeah,” Harris said. “I guess so.”

This and that Freshman guard Eso Akunne was deemed academically ineligible for the winter semester, ending his season. … Eight former Michigan athletes were inducted into the Hall of Honor at halftime: wrestler Rick Bay, track athletes Greg Meyer and Joanna Bullard, gymnast Wendy Marshall, hockey and football player Don Dufek Jr., diver Barbara Weinstein, football player Dave Brown and basketball star Glen Rice. … By scoring 17 points Sunday, DeShawn Sims became the 27th Michigan player to pass 1,300 points. Sims sits at 1,307 and No. 26, Courtney Sims, sits at 1,329. … Laval Lucas-Perry followed his 16-point game against Penn State by scoring no points against Northwestern, the fifth straight game he’s either scored in double figures or not at all.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.