The No. 1 Michigan Wolverines overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat unranked Northwestern 87-75 on Wednesday night. A decisive 45-17 run in the final stretch secured the road win at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The victory keeps Michigan atop the rankings ahead of a matchup with improving UCLA.
Michigan entered the game as a 15.5-point favorite but faced a tougher challenge than anticipated against Northwestern. The Wolverines trailed 58-42 with 14:04 remaining in the second half. From that point, Michigan outscored the Wildcats 45-17 to erase the deficit and pull away for a 12-point victory.
The large contingent of Michigan fans in attendance made the atmosphere feel like a home game, as noted by coach Dusty May. "When we took our lead, they just erupted," May said. "I told our guys, 'This is a home game.'"
With the win, Michigan improves to 23-1 and remains No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 rankings, as well as the NET, KenPom.com, BartTorvik.com, and EvanMiya.com metrics. The Wolverines' strong performance follows Arizona's loss to Kansas, positioning Michigan for a potential return to the top spot in the AP Top 25.
Next up for Michigan is a Saturday matchup against UCLA on CBS. The Bruins, who started the season ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP poll, have a 17-7 record and a NET ranking of 39th, up from as low as 78th in early December. UCLA has gone 5-1 in its last six games, including a Quadrant 1 win over Purdue. However, the Bruins face a tough stretch with games at Michigan, at Michigan State, and against Illinois at home.
This victory underscores Michigan's resilience and keeps their undefeated streak in Big Ten play intact amid a competitive conference schedule.