MI tipoff in Big Ten tourney delayed 20 minutes

Inside the MI locker room, with the practice jerseys they were forced to wear scattered across chairs and the floor, Wolverines players all had stories about the harrowing experience.

Broadcasters were drooling over themselves during the Rutgers-Ohio State game Wednesday night when they were saying no one would be excited to play the Scarlet Knights, but that has to also be true of a MI team that’s continuing to catch its stride at the exact right time.

There was no way MI would try to fly again Wednesday to get to a Big Ten Tournament game at noon Thursday.

Turnovers. Michigan scored 16 points off 14 Illini turnovers.

Michigan, the No. 8 seed in the tournament, is scheduled to play No. 9 IL at noon Thursday.

Led by a balanced offense featuring four (nearly five) players averaging double-digit points per game, the Gophers clearly found a system that worked down the stretch. The Illini trailed by 11 at the half. But once the team had arrived safely, and endured a 90-minute bus ride from the airport to the arena, the decision was made to push the start back only 20 minutes. Despite Michigan cooling off from the field in the second half and Abrams continuing to pile up points, the margin stayed at double figures. Wilson leads in rebounds with 5.4 while Walton tops in assists with 4.5 and in steals with 1.1 per game.

The loss likely makes for four seasons in a row without a spot in the premier postseason tournament, a first since the mid-1970s and Lou Henson’s first seasons on the job.

While an opening win over IL would help, the team is likely safely in the NCAA tournament field regardless of their tournament performance. See, now you have an office water cooler talking point. His seat is at hot as it gets.

Despite a chaotic 24 hours, the Wolverines, who played in their practice uniforms since their game uniforms were left behind, beat IL in the tourney opener 75-55 at the Verizon Center.