Michigan Basketball faced the #1 team in the country tonight without one of their two best offensive players in Jett Howard. They were unable to come away with a victory, a brutal stretch in the middle of the first period and not quite enough stops in the second half put the nail in the coffin, but it was still a solid showing considering circumstances. Hunter Dickinson led the Wolverines with 21 points, Kobe Bufkin put up 16 and carried a lot of weight in the second half, and Joey Baker, thrust into the starting lineup, had 11. It was a decent performance, but decent wasn't enough to win in a 75-70 defeat to Purdue. 

The game got off to a hot start, neither team capable of going cold on offense for the first eight or so minutes of action. The score sat at 22 apiece with 11:17 remaining in the first half, the two squads trading bucket after bucket with Michigan going to Dickinson early and often. He started the game off with a triple, made a layup, and then sunk a few free throws, scoring 8 of Michigan's first 13. Bench points started to come through the likes of a Will Tschetter three and a Tarris Reed Jr. dunk, but that score came with a caveat- he was hit with a soft technical foul, his third foul of the first half, forcing Michigan to dig deeper into its already thin depth. 

For Purdue, the offensive solution was going to star center Zach Edey. He scored the first seven points of the game for the Boilers and remained a problem inside, with a flurry of scores beginning the game-changing run for the visitors. After Michigan led 28-26 with 8:02 to play, Purdue would embark on a 15-0 run consuming nearly five minutes of game time. Edey got it started with a pair of shots made in the paint sandwiched around a David Jenkins Jr. three, and from there the Purdue offense was off and rolling. The lead eventually stretched to 41-28 with 3:06 remaining in the half when the Wolverines started to fight back, a solid spurt to end the half that allowed the game to feel semi-competitive at halftime. Kobe Bufkin's layup ended the drought for Michigan, Hunter Dickinson stepped out for a three and made a pair of free throws, and one final stop had Michigan into halftime only down seven, 41-35. 

That last three minute run gave Michigan a chance going into the break, but they were merely hanging in there on defense. The Boilermakers' offense scored at a scorching 1.27 PPP clip in the first half, 51.9% from the field and dominating inside, 40% from three, and as many turnovers as offensive rebounds (4). Michigan's offense got off to that hot start but their overall halftime numbers were not as impressive. They kept the turnovers low (2) and snatched five offensive boards, but shot only 11/29 (37.9%) from the floor. 

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

The second half started strong for Purdue, bouncing back quickly from Michigan's late run. Michigan turned it over on their first possession and the Boilers went up the court and the Michigan defense lost Fletcher Loyer in coverage. Matt Painter's squad got him the ball and he swished the three. Dickinson turned it over on the next Michigan possession and before long, Edey was laying it in for another quick make. 46-35, lead back to double digits just like that.

Purdue stayed ahead by about that margin for the next several minutes, but Michigan attempted to mount a run and they were led by Kobe Bufkin in doing so. Bufkin was finishing at the rim, hitting shots in the midrange, and then capped it with a three to trim the Purdue lead to 52-46 with 13:31 to go. It was during this stretch of the game that felt like it was now or never for the Michigan offense to make a run and to their credit, they were getting that offense. Bufkin was the star, but Dickinson chipped in, and a layup by Jace Howard slashed the lead down to five.

What they didn't have, however, was enough defense. For nearly the remainder of the game (up until the late Michigan push in the closing moments), every score or small run by the Maize & Blue was immediately countered with a basket or two by the Boilermakers that got the lead right back to where it was. After Howard's basket to make it a five point game, Michigan would spend the next 12 minutes never trailing by more than ten, but also never getting any closer than five. They could get scores, but couldn't get stops. Or they'd get a few stops, but couldn't get scores. Whatever it took, Purdue found just enough to stay a nose ahead of the Wolverines and salt away the final minutes from the scoreboard. 

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Michigan kept battling, and did put together a furious charge with under a minute to go. They were down nine points with 45 seconds left when Zach Edey turned it over. Then the mayhem started. Dickinson hit a three, Purdue turned it over under pressure from Joey Baker right off the in-bounds pass, but Michigan couldn't convert on the ensuing possession. However, Edey missed the front end of a one-and-one and Baker got a quick layup to trim the lead to four. Loyer made his free throws, but Michigan pulled even closer when Baker banked in a three with five seconds left. 73-70. Michigan fouled Brandon Newman and the last hope rested on Newman missing the front end of another one-and-one. Unfortunately, Newman made them both and the Purdue faithful could collectively exhale. The meaningless Michigan shot at the horn was off the mark and the game was over. 

Michigan is now 11-9 on the season and 5-4 in conference play. They are back in action on Sunday for the beginning of a two game road trip, battling the Penn State Nittany Lions this weekend. That game is a re-match of one that Michigan won at Crisler earlier this month. The game is scheduled for noon EST and will be broadcast on BTN. 

[Click the JUMP for the box score]