Big Ten takeaways: Michigan watches the wheels fall off vs. Rutgers

Note: Michael Cohen is sharing takeaways on the action throughout the Big Ten Tournament. 

Game 1: Rutgers 62, Michigan 50

CHICAGO — The realization of a squandered season looked like this: head coach Juwan Howard, whose Michigan Wolverines were getting run off the court by Rutgers, putting hands to head in disbelief as his inefficient offense repeated mistake after mistake; director of player personnel Jay Smith grimacing and groaning and cocking his head back in frustration; shooting guard Kobe Bufkin rocketing a pass into the front row of courtside media at the United Center because he’d gotten caught in the air for the umpteenth time.

Michigan traveled to Chicago knowing it needed multiple wins to offset an unsightly start to the season that placed the Wolverines on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Howard’s team knew that its first and, eventually, only opponent in the Big Ten Tournament was in a similar position. Rutgers finished the regular season 19-12 overall and 10-10 in conference play. Just like Michigan, the Scarlet Knights needed to avoid an early exit to cement their postseason dream.

What unfolded Thursday afternoon was a rugged game between flawed teams with obvious limitations. Neither Michigan nor Rutgers shot better than 39% from the field. They combined to miss 25 shots from beyond the arc. There were nearly as many turnovers (14) as assists (15).

Wars of attrition are not things the Wolverines tend to win, and a disappointing 62-50 loss to Rutgers became the final nail in their maize and blue coffin. Michigan made just one field goal in the first 19 minutes of the second half as offensive futility reigned. The Scarlet Knights pulled away for a win that all but assures them of an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens the rest of the week.

Guards Cam Spencer and Derek Simpson combined for 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead Rutgers into the quarterfinals against top-seeded Purdue.

Center Hunter Dickinson (24 points) was the only Michigan player in double figures.

Hunter Dickinson hits the turnaround hook-shot and draws the foul

Contrasting styles in the post

Over the last two seasons, the most compelling on-court matchup between Rutgers and Michigan has been the low-block bludgeoning between Dickinson and Clifford Omoruyi — two of the best centers in the league for entirely different reasons.

The former is among the most polished big men in college basketball for the second straight year, his arsenal a kaleidoscope of half-hooks, leaners, up-and-under layups and, as his game evolved, the occasional 3-point shot. What Dickinson lacks in lift and burst he offsets with savvy and skill to lead the Wolverines in scoring (18.2 points per game) and rebounding (nine per game).

The latter is among the bounciest, most vertically-gifted big men in college basketball, his development jerking in fits and starts after moving to the United States from Nigeria. Omoruyi also lead his team in scoring (13.5 points per game) and rebounding (9.8 per game) but did so by playing above the rim. His high-flying alley-oops and put-back jams produced some of the league’s most jaw-dropping highlights this season.

In Chicago, the early portion of Thursday’s second-round matchup between Rutgers and Michigan, Omoruyi and Dickinson, encapsulated the chasm between their styles. The Wolverines built an early lead through Dickinson’s silky, almost artful, manipulation of the paint, his 13 points leading all scorers at the break. Omoruyi’s attempts to answer felt jagged and forced as he missed five of his first six shots from the field.

A nitpicky second foul on Omoruyi with 6:21 remaining in the first half afforded Michigan an opportunity to grow its 7-point lead against backup center Antwone Woolfolk, a 6-foot-9 freshman averaging seven minutes per game. But Rutgers fortified the lane with ball-swiping guards to double Dickinson on the block, and a defense that ranks fourth nationally in efficiency forced three turnovers in quick succession to claw back into the game. The Scarlet Knights closed the half by outscoring Michigan 14-10 as Omoruyi watched from the bench.

Rutgers’ Derek Simpson goes SKY HIGH and delivers a beautiful two-handed dunk against Michigan

Clamping down on Bufkin

The driving factor behind a late-season resurgence that reeled the Wolverines into discussions about the NCAA Tournament bubble was the ever-expanding repertoire of sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin, an in-state recruit from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bufkin endured a trying freshman campaign in which he was mired behind veteran guards Eli Brooks and DeVante’ Jones and then struggled during the limited minutes apportioned to him. He averaged just 3 points per game and was repeatedly exploited by hard-charging guards on defense.

Few players in the Big Ten made larger improvements from Year 1 to Year 2 than Bufkin, a burgeoning star who caught the attention of NBA scouts and executives during the second half of the season. Bufkin entered the conference tournament having reached double-figure scoring in 10 consecutive games. He averaged 20.3 points per game from Feb. 14 through the end of the regular season and shot 14-of-31 (45.2%) from 3-point range during that stretch.

But Bufkin’s inability to replicate that kind of scoring against Rutgers doomed the Wolverines in a game they needed for a shoddy NCAA Tournament resume. The poise and level-headedness he displayed for the better part of six weeks fizzled against the Scarlet Knights’ ball-hawking defense. Bufkin committed a season-high seven turnovers and finished with his lowest point total since Jan. 29 against Penn State.

Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell masterfully blended his defensive calls to frustrate the Wolverines. He paired sticky man-to-man defense with an aggressive 2-3 zone that pushed Michigan’s guards deeper and deeper beyond the 3-point line to initiate their offensive sets. And when passes were eventually whipped toward Dickinson on the interior, the Scarlet Knights repeatedly jumped the passing lanes for deflections and steals. An occasional burst of three-quarter-court pressure offered yet another confounding wrinkle.

When the final horn sounded, Rutgers had held Michigan to just four field goals and 19% shooting in the second half. Defensive resoluteness personified.

‘This team can play’

Steve Pikiell speaks on Rutgers’ impressive victory against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.  

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