Wolverines to Close Week with Sunday Matinee at Wisconsin

Sunday, February 11

Madison, Wis.

Noon CT

Michigan

Wisconsin

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Wolverines to Close Week with Sunday Matinee at Wisconsin

2/9/2018 9:43:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» Michigan and Wisconsin meet for the only time in the regular season.
» A win by the Wolverines would give U-M its 20th victory and give John Beilein his eighth 20-win season in 11 years with the Wolverines.
» Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman leads the country with a 5.27 assist-to-turnover ratio, while U-M is eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten with a 1.57 ratio.
» Zavier Simpson is closing in on 100 assists as he leads the Wolverines with 93. If he accomplishes the feat, it would be the 10th straight season a Wolverine has reached the century mark.

NEXT GAME
Sunday, Feb. 11 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), Noon CST

The No. 20th-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team (19-7, 8-5 B1G) closes the week by heading to Madison, Wisconsin, Sunday (Feb. 11) for the only regular-season meeting of the season against Wisconsin (11-15, 4-9 B1G). Playing at the Kohl Center, tipoff is scheduled noon CST with the game broadcast on CBS.

THE SERIES WITH WISCONSIN
• Sunday's game will mark the 165th all-time meeting between Michigan and Wisconsin.
• U-M leads in the overall series, 93-71. Three U-M wins were the result of Wisconsin forfeiting games in 1982, '83 and '84 due to ineligible player.
• Sunday's game is the only regular-season meeting between Michigan and Wisconsin.
• U-M has a 34-45 record in Madison. Michigan has just one win in Madison since 2000. The lone win was a 77-70 upset over the No. 3-ranked Badgers on Jan. 18, 2014.
• U-M head coach John Beilein is 4-16 against Wisconsin.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE BADGERS
• Wisconsin has an 11-15 overall record, including a 4-9 mark in Big Ten play. The Badgers have a 9-5 home record this season. Wisconsin snapped a five-game losing streak with a 79-68 win at Illinois on Thursday night (Feb. 8). It was just the second win in 10 games.
• Wisconsin is led by 17.8 points per game from Ethan Happ. He is Mr. Everything for the Badgers, leading them in rebounding (8.4), assists (4.0), blocks (25) and steals (36).
• Brad Davison gives Wisconsin a second player in double figures at 11.3 points per game. He also leads the team with 46 three-pointers.
• Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in rebounding defense, holding its opponents to just 30.1 rebounds per game. In league play, the Badgers are second in the conference behind Ohio State, allowing just 31.4 rebounds per contest.
• Greg Gard is in his third season as head coach at Wisconsin after taking over during the 2015-16 season. Gard was an assistant for Bo Ryan at three different stops: Wisconsin-Platteville (1993-99), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1999-2001) and Wisconsin (2001-15).

MAIZE AND BLUE THINGS
• A win by the Wolverines would give U-M its 20th victory and give John Beilein his eighth 20-win season in 11 years with the Wolverines. An eighth 20-win season under Beilein would represent more than a quarter of U-M's 29 total 20-win campaigns in 102 years of playing basketball.
• U-M ranks third in the nation for fewest turnovers per game with 9.50.
• Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman leads the country with a 5.27 assist-to-turnover ratio, while U-M is eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten with a 1.57 ratio.
• Zavier Simpson is closing in on 100 assists as he leads the Wolverines with 93. If he accomplishes the feat, it would be the 10th straight season a Wolverine has reached the century mark. As a freshman, Simpson recorded 37 assists in 38 games.
• With his sixth 20-plus-point game at Northwestern, Moritz Wagner has taken over the team scoring lead (14.4 ppg). He also leads in rebounding with 7.2 rebounds per game.
• U-M is making 9.1 three-pointers per game. Duncan Robinson leads the team with 46, with Abdur-Rahkman second (career-best 42) and Wagner third (38).

QUICK HITTERS FOR THIS SEASON
• Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman has played in 124 consecutive games and made 52 straight starts. He has played in 129 career games, tied for 13th all-time at U-M.
• Abdur-Rahkman is the 52nd Wolverine to reach 1,000 career points (1,080, 45th).
• Abdur-Rahkman is the 23rd Wolverine to reach 100 career starts (101, t-20th).
• Duncan Robinson is the 68th Wolverine to play 100 career games (100, t-64th).
• Robinson leads U-M with 46 three-pointers, and his 205 career treys at U-M put him seventh all-time.
• Michigan has held eight opponents to 55 or fewer points this season.
• Once again, U-M is among the top five nationally for turnovers per game (3rd, 9.50).
• U-M has had 10 or fewer turnovers in 18 of 26 games, with a season-low five vs. Northwestern (Jan. 29)
• U-M has made at least eight three-pointers in 19 of 26 games, with 12 of 10 or more.
• U-M is 13-1 at home this season. The lone loss was a one-point setback against then No. 5/7 Purdue (Jan. 9), which sank a late free throw to escape with the win.
• Michigan's 82-72 win at then No. 4/4 Michigan State is the Spartans' lone loss at the Breslin Center (14-1).
• Michigan's 88 points are the most recorded against No. 3/3 Purdue this season.