Piscataway NJ – Coming into tonight, no road had won at the RAC this year as visiting teams combined to go 0-17 on the season. With the chips on the table, that changed on Wednesday as an unlikely Michigan team that was playing without its leading scorer found a way to do something that had not yet been done this season. Down 9 early in the second half, things didn’t look good for the visitors but an extended 17-4 run proved to make all the difference in the game. Zavier Simpson led the Wolverines with 16, while Franz Wagner added 12. Geo Baker had 16 for Rutgers in a losing effort.
The RAC environment has been consistently tough and that was no different in this one. “It’s loud, I’ll say that,” Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard said postgame. “You have an energetic crowd. It’s a small environment. It’s one of the smaller arenas in the Big Ten and everyone talks about this historic place. I’m just glad I got to witness it.
Both these teams roll out of here tied in the loss column in the Big Ten as both teams have 7 losses, with Rutgers being 9-7 and Michigan being 8-7 in league play. Rutgers has a tough closing stretch with 3 of their last 4 games on the road but with that comes an opportunity for a big win. Michigan will have to play at another tough environment in Mackey Arena on Saturday as they travel to take on Purdue.
Bracketology Effect: Michigan solidifies itself on the six-line with this win. Rutgers moves down from the eight-line to the nine-line with the loss.
Betting Effect: Covered: Michigan +2.5, Under 133.