ANN ARBOR -- Michigan is halfway through its Big Ten schedule and the questions the team faces are small and specific. There are no concerns about toughness or defense, no re-tooling the lineup because of injuries. Instead, John Beilein is thinking about ball-screen offense and better execution in the first few minutes of games.
The Wolverines head to No. 3 Purdue Thursday with a 17-5 overall record and 6-3 mark in conference. Nine games in, nine to go, and Michigan's record seems fair. Blowing a 20-point lead at Ohio State stung, and Michigan certainly could have beaten Purdue at Crisler two weeks ago, instead losing by one.