Michigan
11-1,6-1Big Ten
Minnesota
11-4,4-4Big Ten
Michigan Suffers First Setback of Season at No. 23 Minnesota
1/16/2021 5:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» No. 7 Michigan fell, 75-57, at No. 23 Minnesota, ending its 11-game season-opening win streak.
» In his first U-M start, Chaundee Brown Jr., led the Wolverines with 14 points and grabbed three rebounds.
» Mike Smith collected a career-best 10 assists.
» The Wolverines were without senior guard Eli Brooks, who missed the game due to a strained right foot.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Williams Arena)
Score: #23 Minnesota 75, #7 Michigan 57
Records: U-M (11-1, 6-1 B1G), Minnesota (11-4, 4-4 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Jan. 19 -- vs. Maryland (Crisler Center), 7 p.m. (TV: FS1)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team had its 11-game season-opening win streak come to an end with a 75-57 loss to No. 23 Minnesota on Saturday (Jan. 16) at Williams Arena.
Playing without an injured Eli Brooks (right foot strain), Michigan's cold shooting -- a season-low 39.3 percent -- and season-high-tying 20 turnovers cost the Wolverines despite cutting their deficit to six points in the second half. U-M was unable to get over the hump, and the Gophers -- 11-0 at home this season with four wins over ranked foes -- pulled away for the lopsided victory.
Starting for the first time at Michigan in place of Brooks, senior guard Chaundee Brown Jr., led the Wolverines with 14 points and pulled down three rebounds, while senior guard Isaiah Livers added 11 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Franz Wagner nearly had his third double-double in four games as he finished with eight points and nine rebounds, and graduate transfer guard Mike Smith was held scoreless but posted a carer-best 10 assists.
Michigan (11-1, 6-1 Big Ten) was sluggish at the outset as Minnesota (11-4, 4-4 Big Ten) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead. The Wolverines got clean looks but could not convert their shots and turned the ball over seven times in the first 10 minutes, as the Gophers extended their lead to 24-12 with 4:45 remaining in the first half. Michigan fought back and rattled off nine straight points capped by a three-pointer from Livers. However, the Gophers answered with four points of their own en route to a 30-23 halftime lead.
Minnesota did a much better job of taking care of the basketball (three turnovers) and leveraged Michigan's first-half miscues into 10 more shot attempts in the opening half. The deficit could have been much larger had it not been for the Gophers shooting 0-for-11 from long range.
As the Gophers built an 11-point margin early in the second half, the Maize and Blue was able to trim it to six with 14 minutes remaining. However, a 20-9 Minnesota run over the next 10 minutes pushed the Gophers lead to 17 and reached as high as 23 points as the Wolverines fell for the first time this season.
The Wolverines have a quick turnaround as they will suit up against Maryland on Tuesday (Jan. 19) at Crisler Center. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on FS1.
