The Wolverines put themselves in a tough situation by losing four of their last five games in the regular season, likely needing a strong showing in postseason conference play to make it into the NCAA Tournament. Starting out as the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten, Michigan will play Northwestern at noon on Thursday in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
The Maize and Blue’s one victory in the tough late stretch was against the Wildcats, with the Wolverines claiming a 72-63 win Feb. 24 in Crisler Center. Michigan surrendered the first 10 points of the game, but bounced back to win, riding a 19-point showing from Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman.