WBB upsets #22 Purdue for the 2nd straight year on the road, 65-49
WBB is rolling. 3-1 and tied for second in the B1G.
Second straight year Michigan has gone into West Lafayette and beaten a ranked purdue team.
A huge win in terms of the B1G race.
This was Michigan's 30th all-time victory against a ranked opponent and the first-ever in program history against #22.
Michigan is now 17-49 all-time against a solid purdue program. Despite the lopsided series record, Michigan has won 4 of the 6 meetings and is 2-0 at Mackey Arena under Kim Barnes Arico.
KBA hasn't even been at Michigan a full two seasons and is already the owner of the highest winning percentage among head coaches in program history at .673 and needs 3 more wins to pass Cheryl Burnett's (2003-04 - 2006-07; 35-83 record) career win total at Michigan.
January 15th, 2014 at 9:20 PM ^
January 15th, 2014 at 9:23 PM ^
January 15th, 2014 at 9:24 PM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 2:10 AM ^
a thought: the more fans that follow a team, the more talent that comes to play there, the more banners you get
January 15th, 2014 at 9:34 PM ^
January 15th, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^
January 15th, 2014 at 9:48 PM ^
January 15th, 2014 at 9:58 PM ^
Madison Ristovski had a big second half, hitting a huge 3-pointer late in the game when it looked like Purdue was going to get back into the game. She finished with a game-high 17 points in just 23 minutes of game action. Great defensive effort by the Wolverines, who held Purdue's top two scorers—Houser and Moses—to just 11 points. They both had been averaging more than 15 ppg. Very creative defensive strategy as Barnes Arico employed a diamond and one for much of the first half and part of the second, and that really seemed to flummox the Boilermakers.
This team is definitely exceeding expectations. But they're so young and not very deep that I have my doubts about them actually winning the Big Ten. If they do, Barnes Arico is an even better coach than I thought. Most so-called experts had them picked to finish near the bottom of the conference. I thought they'd be better than that and would be able to finish in the middle of the pack and sneak into the NCAA tourney. But the Big Ten looks wide open this year, with a lot of pretty good but no great teams, so a finish near the top seems like a real possibility.
This Purdue win will certainly look good on their tourney resume. Another positive is their 5-0 road record. They also have yet to lose two games in a row.
January 15th, 2014 at 10:03 PM ^
If Michigan wins the B1G, KBA is national coach of the year.
That would be insane.
January 15th, 2014 at 11:52 PM ^
Happy to hear that Madison is doing well. Considering the list of Division 1 athletes from my high school (University Liggett) is basically her and....her sisters, it's fun to see. Hopefully engineering lightens up a tad so I can catch a game, but that is unlikely.
January 16th, 2014 at 12:27 AM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 8:21 AM ^
At one time I thought Rice was likely to pick Michigan, but I'm very doubtful about that happening now. Other than the fact that Michigan is currently out of scholarships for 2015, it turns out her parents are both big MSU fans, plus the other guards Michigan has signed for 2014 or has commitments from for 2015 may have changed her thinking recently. In addition to MSU and several MAC teams, she's also being recruited by Illinois, Northwestern, and Dayton.
Also, an earlier poster above mentioned Madison Ristovski's sisters. For those who don't know, her sister Haleigh is currently a freshman at U-D, and Lola is a U-D commit for 2015. They have an uncle who's now a U-D assistant coach.
January 16th, 2014 at 6:10 AM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
No kidding. Man my last two years there (graduated in 08) we didn't even have a football team (I was gonna try out, but with only 19 of us they cancelled the team). Also I somehow forgot that there are a couple Knights that comitted to/playing for the baseball team here at UM.
January 15th, 2014 at 9:53 PM ^
Beating a top 25 team on their home court is quite an achievement. Hail to the victors!
January 15th, 2014 at 10:08 PM ^
Very big coming back from a loss to rival. Always tough to get over that mental hurdle and get ready for the next game. But the coaching staff kept them focused and this helps make up for the MSU loss when it comes to our tourney resume.
January 16th, 2014 at 9:07 AM ^
Great win for women! FYI: They are showing a replay of this game on BTN today at 10am.
January 16th, 2014 at 9:09 AM ^
Excellent game ladies!
January 16th, 2014 at 9:17 AM ^
I'm not sure what the fanbase for women's basketball at Purdue is like now, but if it's anything like it was 25 or so years ago when I was in grad school there, Mackey arena can get pretty crazy and be difficult for opposing teams. The only time I've ever seen an elderly woman cussing like a sailor in public was at a WBB game there, and it was aimed at one of the refs. The fans were numerous, knew their basketball, and were very vocal about supporting their team.
January 16th, 2014 at 9:17 AM ^
I'm not sure what the fanbase for women's basketball at Purdue is like now, but if it's anything like it was 25 or so years ago when I was in grad school there, Mackey arena can get pretty crazy and be difficult for opposing teams. The only time I've ever seen an elderly woman cussing like a sailor in public was at a WBB game there, and it was aimed at one of the refs. The fans were numerous, knew their basketball, and were very vocal about supporting their team.