A season can tip in January.
Seniors know that well.
Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr. have lived through it all in their first 3 years so they understand the ripple effects of a bad loss.
And with 11:53 to play against Penn State on Wednesday, trailing by 12 points, they were cruising toward that cliff.
So Irvin took over the huddle, yelled at his team that they would not start the Big Ten 0-2 and demanded things change.
Stunningly, they did as Michigan flipped the game upside down and rallied for a 72-69 win over the Nittany Lions at Crisler Center.