No. 2 Wolverines, No. 4 Illini to Clash in Super Tuesday Game at Crisler

Tuesday, March 2

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

Illinois

(Michigan Photography)

No. 2 Wolverines, No. 4 Illini to Clash in Super Tuesday Game at Crisler

3/1/2021 2:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» No. 2 Michigan will host No. 4 Illinois in a top-five showdown and ESPN Super Tuesday match-up at Crisler Center.
» Tuesday's game will mark U-M's eighth game against a ranked opponent, fourth vs. the top 10 and second vs. a top-five team. U-M is 6-1 this season against the nation's top 25.
» Franz Wagner has scored 20+ points in three of his last four games, including back-to-back season-high 21 points in his last two outings against No. 9 Iowa and at Indiana.
» Hunter Dickinson continues to lead U-M in scoring (14.8), rebounding (7.8) and double-doubles (4).
» Mike Smith (492) needs eight assists to reach 500 in his collegiate career

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The second-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team (18-1, 13-1 Big Ten) will begin its final week of Big Ten Conference play by hosting fourth-ranked Illinois (18-6, 14-4) on Tuesday night (March 2) at Crisler Center. Originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 11, the top-five match-up was rescheduled as U-M was in the midst of it return-to-play planning following a 14-day pause of the entire U-M athletic department due to the COVID-19 variant. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff on ESPN with Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) on the call.

Hail From Home

Game days may look different this season, but the tradition of cheering on Michigan men's basketball continues. Hail From Home is our way to virtually bring the excitement of game day to fans. Throughout the season, fans can look forward to a variety of digital engagements including a game day check-in with monthly prizes, fan cutouts at Crisler Center, game day playlists, Crisler scoreboard messages, special theme games, and more. » Hail from Home

Who are the Illinois Fighting Illini?

• No. 4 Illinois (18-6, 14-4) will visit Ann Arbor after holding off a late second-half charge by Wisconsin in the Kohl Center on Saturday (Feb. 27) to claim the road victory, 74-69.
• The Fighting Illini have one of the top offenses in the nation, averaging 81.2 points per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field. Illinois has 11 games of 80+ points.
• All-America junior guard Ayo Dosunmu, who has missed the last two games due to a broken nose suffered at Michigan State (Feb. 23), averages 21.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and a Big Ten-best 5.3 assists per game. He has two triple-doubles and is second on the team with 25 steals.
• Sophomore 7-foot, 285-pound center Kofi Cockburn averages a near double-double with his 17.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game and has 15 double-doubles. He is shooting a Big Ten-best 66.8 percent from the field and has a team-best 32 blocks. He shoots 56.9 percent on free throws.
• Senior guard Trent Frazier gives Illinois three in double figures with his 10.4 points per game. He leads with 48 three-pointers as nearly 70 percent of his offense comes via the long-range shot. Frazier adds a team-best 34 steals (1.4 spg) and is third with 64 assists (2.6 apg).
• Speedy freshman guard Andre Curbelo is averaging 8.1 points. 4.2 assist and 3.8 rebounds as he is one of the first options off the bench for coach Brad Underwood.
• Overall, Illinois balances the inside game with nearly 30 percent of its offense coming via long-range shots. Four Illini have 20+ three-pointers, led Frazier's 48, while freshman guard Adam Miller has 43, Dosunmu has 28, and senior guard Da'Monte Williams has 27. As a team the Illini are shooting 38.1 percent from deep.

All-Time Series with Illinois

• Michigan trails in the all-time series with Illinois, 85-89. U-M holds a 52-29 record in Ann Arbor, as the Wolverines have won nine of the last 11 meetings at Crisler Center. U-M has a 28-58 road record in Champaign, as the Wolverines have won five of their last eight at the State Farm Center. U-M is 5-2 in neutral-site games -- with six of those seven games played at the Big Ten Tournament. The one other neutral-site game was at the 1989 Final Four when U-M won a thrilling 83-81 semifinal game and went on to claim its first national championship.
• Michigan has eight games (4-4) against Illinois vacated due to NCAA sanctions, giving U-M an NCAA recognized 81-85 all-time record.
• There has been 14 games when both teams were ranked among the nation's top 25, as U-M leads, 9-5. The last ranked vs. ranked game was when the No. 24 Wolverines suffered a 70-51 loss at No. 21 Illinois on March 2, 1997 at Assembly Hall.
• Longest U-M win streak: 9 games (Jan. 18, 1992 to Jan. 9, 1996).
• Longest U-M losing streak: 11 games (Feb. 9, 2000 to Jan. 14, 2006)
• Largest U-M victory: +31 (84-53) at Illinois on March 4, 2014
• Largest U-M loss: -30, 2x -- at U-M (92-62) on Feb. 9, 1953 and at Illinois (96-66) on Dec. 15, 1952
• U-M's total 10+ point victories: 31 | U-M's total 10+ point losses: 45
• U-M's average winning margin: +8.4 (85 wins) | U-M's average losing margin: -11.0 (89 losses)
• U-M's highest total: 107 (Feb. 23, 1978; W, 107-93 in Ann Arbor) | Illinois' highest total: 100 (Feb. 22, 1969; W, 100-92 in Champaign)
• U-M's total series points: 10,591 (60.9) | Illinois' total series points: 10,849 (62.4)

Perfect Material for the Broadcast

• Tuesday's game was originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 11. However, the game was rescheduled as U-M was in the midst of it return-to-play planning following a 14-day pause of the entire U-M athletic department due to the COVID-19 variant.
• Michigan has won its last seven games, including four on the road -- at Purdue (70-53), at No. 21 Wisconsin (67-59), at No. 4 Ohio State (92-87) and at Indiana (73-57). U-M is 6-1 on the road -- all Big Ten games.
• Hunter Dickinson continues to lead U-M in scoring (14.8), rebounding (7.8), blocks (31, 1.6 bpg) and field goal percentage (62.1%). He has 16 double-figure scoring games with four 20+ -- with a career-high 28 at Maryland (Dec. 31).
• Isaiah Livers has continued to show his versatility as one of U-M's top two-way players. He is averaging 14.5 points per game and has a team-best five 20+ point games. He is 38 points away from reaching 1,000 career points (962). However, it has been everything else he has done that has people on notice. He is averaging career bests in rebounding (6.2) and assists (2.2 apg, 42 total). Livers has 15 games of 5+ rebounds including a career-high-tying 10 twice -- at Purdue (Jan. 22) and at Indiana (Feb. 27). He adds 10 games of 3+ assists with a career-best four assists twice -- at Nebraska (Dec. 25) and at Ohio State.
• Franz Wagner has posted 20+ points in three of his last four games and has increased his scoring average to 13.3 per game. Overall, he has four total 20+ games this season. He is shooting 53.5 percent from the field thanks to his ability to get to the basket as he is shooting 62.9 percent on two-point field goals.
• Mike Smith need eight assists (492) to reach 500 in his collegiate career. This season, he is averaging 5.2 assists per game, which is second in the Big Ten and 41st nationally. He has recorded 11 games with 6+ assists, including a career-high 10 at Minnesota (Jan. 6) -- the first double-digit performance of his collegiate career.
• It is a bit buried in the stats, but Smith leads U-M with 47.8 percent shooting from long range. Hard to imagine after he started 1-for-9 to begin the season. However, since that start, he is 21-for-37 (56.7%), making at least one three-pointer in five of his last six games.

Can You Say Wow!

• Michigan's 18-1 overall record equals the program's top 19-game mark established by the 2012-13 and 2018-19 teams. Led by National Player of the Year Trey Burke, the 2013 Wolverines went on to the Final Four and a national runner-up finish while closing with 31-8 record. The 2019 Wolverines set a school record with a 33 wins (33-8), advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for a third straight year.
• Michigan's 13-1 Big Ten record equals the best 14-game mark since U-M legend Cazzie Russell's 1964-65 squad (13-1). That U-M team went on to win the Big Ten, advance to the Final Four, and finish as the national runner-up.

Michigan vs. the Ranked

• Michigan is 6-1 against ranked opponents, including three top-10 wins and one top-five. Only Kansas and Iowa have beaten more ranked foes, with seven apiece.
• The Wolverines' 6-1 record is tied for the best single season against ranked opponents in program history. Cazzie Russell's 1964-65 squad went 6-1 against ranked opponents, won the Big Ten, advanced to the Final Four and lost in the national title game to UCLA (91-80). Gary Grant's 1985-86 squad was 5-1 against ranked opponents, won a second straight Big Ten title, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• U-M has wins over No. 19 Northwestern (+19, 85-66), No. 16 Minnesota (+25, 82-57), No. 9 Wisconsin (+23, 77-54), at No. 21 Wisconsin (+8, 67-59), at No. 4 Ohio State (+5, 92-87) and No. 9 Iowa (+22, 79-57).
• The Wolverines' lone loss was a 75-57 (-18) decision at No. 23 Minnesota -- the only setback of the season.
• U-M has a +17.0 average scoring margin in its wins over ranked foes.
• Adding in a 4-6 mark last season, U-M coach Juwan Howard has a 10-7 record against ranked opponents, with six of those wins against the top 10.