WASHINGTON D.C. -- The team that couldn't get here -- literally and figuratively -- is the Big Ten Tournament champion.
Michigan, riding seniors Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin, beat Wisconsin, 71-56, on Sunday to claim the program's first conference tournament title since 1998.
This year's Wolverines -- now 24-11 overall -- are the highest-seeded Big Ten team to ever win the event. They captured the league's automatic bid to this year's NCAA Tournament in doing so.
Walton scored 22 points. Irvin added 15. D.J. Wilson chipped in 17.
Now Michigan will soon learn where it's headed for the NCAA Tournament.