RUT

MICH

Wagner scores 20, No. 3 Michigan handles Rutgers 71-64

AP
Feb 19, 2021

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) The stage is set for another Michigan Wolverines-Ohio State showdown - this time on the hardwood.

Franz Wagner scored 20 points and Mike Smith added 12 to lift No. 3 Michigan to a 71-64 victory over Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Thursday night. Hunter Dickinson added 10 points for the Wolverines, who avoided a slip-up before their game at No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday.

''It's prime time,'' Smith said. ''You live for these days and these games. It's going to be a championship-caliber game for sure. You work so hard to play in these games, it's prime time, it's gonna be fun.''

The Wolverines and Buckeyes didn't renew their famous football rivalry last season. That game was called off for coronavirus-related reasons. So basketball will have to suffice. In addition to Sunday's matchup between two top-five teams on the men's side, Michigan and Ohio State will also meet in women's basketball that day, with both teams ranked in the top 15.

Jacob Young scored 16 points for Rutgers, which led early but lacked the offensive sharpness necessary to keep up with Michigan. The Scarlet Knights (12-8, 8-8 Big Ten) have never beaten the Wolverines. Michigan (15-1, 10-1) has won all 14 meetings.

The Wolverines won their second straight game since returning from a lengthy layoff after the athletic department paused activities because of the virus.

''That's as good of a team as I've played in my five years here in this league,'' Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said.

Rutgers led 9-4 early but couldn't score consistently enough to put the Wolverines in any significant danger. Brandon Johns Jr. made a 3-pointer that put Michigan up 22-17 and capped a 16-6 run.

Michigan led 37-28 at halftime, then scored eight of the first 10 points after the break to lead by 15.

Wagner set up a couple dunks by Dickinson in the second half with clever passes inside.

''I think for me it's important to stay aggressive, kind of take my time out there,'' Wagner said. ''Today I hit a couple more shots.''

NOT LOOKING AHEAD

Michigan coach Juwan Howard - who beat Ohio State in a regional final in 1992 as a player for the Wolverines - said he'd start worrying about the Buckeyes on Friday. He wanted to enjoy the win over Rutgers a bit more.

His team didn't show any signs of being flat Thursday.

''Only big game that we had coming up was Rutgers,'' Howard said.

BIG PICTURE

Rutgers: For the first few minutes, the Scarlet Knights looked like they could give Michigan problems with their scrappy defense, but it was always the other end of the court that was going to be a potential problem for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights had only three turnovers in the game, but they shot 40% from the field and made only three 3-pointers.

''They give you midrange. When we got to the rim, it's real hard to finish,'' Pikiell said. ''You've got to make shots in a game like this. We missed some open 3s that could've helped us.''

Michigan: The Big Ten-leading Wolverines continue to roll. Michigan was in control for essentially the whole second half, although the Wolverines weren't at their best near the end and let Rutgers cut the lead into single digits. When Michigan had problems offensively, its defense didn't waver.

''Our defense is our offense,'' Smith said. ''If we can't score, we're going to keep getting stops.''

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Michigan trails only Gonzaga and Baylor - two unbeaten teams - in the AP poll. Rutgers missed the Top 25 by only two spots this week, but the Scarlet Knights couldn't come up with the upset Thursday.

UP NEXT

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights host Maryland on Sunday.

Michigan: The Wolverines play at Ohio State. The Buckeyes were challenged a bit Thursday night but beat Penn State 92-82.

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Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister

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More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

1st Half
RUTG
Scarlet Knights
28
MICH
Wolverines
37

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Myles Johnson vs. Hunter Dickinson (Scarlet Knights gains possession)
19:23		Ron Harper Jr. misses two point layup
19:21		Hunter Dickinson defensive rebound
19:07		Myles Johnson shooting foul (Franz Wagner draws the foul)
19:07	+1	Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 1 of 2	0-1
19:07	+1	Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 2 of 2	0-2
18:38		Myles Johnson misses two point hook shot
18:36		Franz Wagner defensive rebound
18:16		Hunter Dickinson misses two point turnaround jump shot
18:14		Caleb McConnell defensive rebound
18:05	+2	Caleb McConnell makes two point step back jump shot	2-2
17:46		Mike Smith misses two point jump shot
17:44		Geo Baker defensive rebound
17:35		Ron Harper Jr. misses three point jump shot
17:33		Eli Brooks defensive rebound
17:19	+2	Eli Brooks makes two point driving layup	2-4
16:58	+2	Geo Baker makes two point step back jump shot	4-4
16:43		Myles Johnson blocks Hunter Dickinson's two point dunk
16:41		Myles Johnson defensive rebound
16:27		Caleb McConnell misses two point turnaround jump shot
16:25		Franz Wagner defensive rebound
16:19		Franz Wagner turnover (bad pass)
16:13	+2	Ron Harper Jr. makes two point jump shot	6-4
16:13		Hunter Dickinson shooting foul (Ron Harper Jr. draws the foul)
16:13	+1	Ron Harper Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1	7-4
15:58		Isaiah Livers turnover (bad pass) (Geo Baker steals)
15:52		Ron Harper Jr. misses two point jump shot
15:50		Eli Brooks defensive rebound
15:48		Mike Smith turnover (traveling)
15:48		TV timeout
15:38		Eli Brooks personal foul (Geo Baker draws the foul)
15:19	+2	Caleb McConnell makes two point pullup jump shot	9-4
14:56		Franz Wagner misses two point jump shot
14:54		Wolverines offensive rebound
14:54		Caleb McConnell personal foul
14:36	+2	Austin Davis makes two point layup (Mike Smith assists)	9-6
14:15		Isaiah Livers blocks Caleb McConnell's two point layup
14:13		Austin Davis defensive rebound
13:58		Isaiah Livers misses two point step back jump shot
13:56		Caleb McConnell defensive rebound
13:49	+2	Jacob Young makes two point layup (Caleb McConnell assists)	11-6
13:34		Wolverines 30 second timeout
13:20	+3	Chaundee Brown Jr. makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Livers assists)	11-9
12:51	+2	Ron Harper Jr. makes two point turnaround jump shot	13-9
12:25	+2	Isaiah Livers makes two point step back jump shot	13-11
11:48		Caleb McConnell misses two point jump shot
11:46		Scarlet Knights offensive rebound
11:50		Scarlet Knights turnover (shot clock violation)
11:50		TV timeout
11:30	+2	Brandon Johns Jr. makes two point driving layup	13-13
11:02		Caleb McConnell misses two point turnaround jump shot
10:59		Wolverines defensive rebound
10:36		Chaundee Brown Jr. misses three point jump shot
10:34		Ron Harper Jr. defensive rebound
10:13		Jacob Young misses two point jump shot
10:11		Austin Davis defensive rebound
10:01	+2	Austin Davis makes two point dunk (Franz Wagner assists)	13-15
9:42		Jacob Young misses two point layup
9:40		Franz Wagner defensive rebound
9:33		Mike Smith misses three point jump shot
9:31		Montez Mathis defensive rebound
9:25		Montez Mathis misses two point driving layup
9:23		Chaundee Brown Jr. defensive rebound
9:21		Myles Johnson blocks Brandon Johns Jr.'s two point layup
9:19		Chaundee Brown Jr. offensive rebound
9:19		Montez Mathis shooting foul (Chaundee Brown Jr. draws the foul)
9:19		Chaundee Brown Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2
9:19	+1	Chaundee Brown Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2	13-16
9:05		Isaiah Livers shooting foul (Ron Harper Jr. draws the foul)
9:05	+1	Ron Harper Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2	14-16
9:05	+1	Ron Harper Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2	15-16
8:55	+3	Mike Smith makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Livers assists)	15-19
8:47		Geo Baker misses two point layup
8:45		Isaiah Livers defensive rebound
8:39	+3	Brandon Johns Jr. makes three point jump shot (Chaundee Brown Jr. assists)	15-22
8:38		Scarlet Knights 30 second timeout
8:23		Ron Harper Jr. misses two point jump shot
8:21		Chaundee Brown Jr. defensive rebound
7:54		Chaundee Brown Jr. misses two point layup
7:52		Jacob Young defensive rebound
7:41		Isaiah Livers blocks Geo Baker's two point layup
7:39		Isaiah Livers defensive rebound
7:23		Brandon Johns Jr. misses three point jump shot
7:21		Ron Harper Jr. defensive rebound
7:12	+2	Myles Johnson makes two point alley-oop layup (Paul Mulcahy assists)	17-22
6:54	+2	Mike Smith makes two point pullup jump shot	17-24
6:33		Geo Baker misses two point dunk
6:31		Paul Mulcahy offensive rebound
6:23	+3	Ron Harper Jr. makes three point jump shot (Paul Mulcahy assists)	20-24
6:05		TV timeout
5:55	+2	Franz Wagner makes two point jump shot (Eli Brooks assists)	20-26
5:31	+2	Geo Baker makes two point pullup jump shot	22-26
5:20	+2	Isaiah Livers makes two point driving jump shot	22-28
5:00	+2	Geo Baker makes two point pullup jump shot	24-28
4:38		Isaiah Livers misses three point jump shot
4:36		Scarlet Knights defensive rebound
4:36		Terrance Williams II personal foul
4:08		Geo Baker misses three point jump shot
4:06		Hunter Dickinson defensive rebound
3:56	+3	Franz Wagner makes three point jump shot (Eli Brooks assists)	24-31
3:28	+2	Myles Johnson makes two point layup	26-31
3:02	+2	Hunter Dickinson makes two point layup	26-33
2:41		Ron Harper Jr. misses three point jump shot
2:39		Franz Wagner defensive rebound
2:30		Geo Baker personal foul (Eli Brooks draws the foul)
2:30		TV timeout
2:20	+2	Hunter Dickinson makes two point layup	26-35
2:12		Hunter Dickinson blocks Clifford Omoruyi's two point layup
2:10		Hunter Dickinson defensive rebound
2:04		Franz Wagner misses three point jump shot
2:02		Clifford Omoruyi defensive rebound
1:47		Caleb McConnell misses three point jump shot
1:45		Paul Mulcahy offensive rebound
1:32		Paul Mulcahy turnover (bad pass) (Franz Wagner steals)
1:10		Eli Brooks misses two point layup
1:08		Caleb McConnell defensive rebound
1:03		Montez Mathis misses two point layup
1:01		Isaiah Livers defensive rebound
0:49		Hunter Dickinson misses two point hook shot
0:47		Clifford Omoruyi defensive rebound
0:31		Isaiah Livers blocks Geo Baker's two point layup
0:29		Clifford Omoruyi offensive rebound
0:28	+2	Clifford Omoruyi makes two point putback layup	28-35
0:22		Wolverines 30 second timeout
0:05		Clifford Omoruyi blocks Eli Brooks's two point jump shot
0:03		Franz Wagner offensive rebound
0:01	+2	Franz Wagner makes two point jump shot	28-37
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
RUTG
Scarlet Knights
36
MICH
Wolverines
34

Time		Play	Score
19:29		Isaiah Livers misses two point jump shot
19:27		Paul Mulcahy defensive rebound
19:22		Jump ball. Paul Mulcahy vs. Hunter Dickinson (Scarlet Knights gains possession)
18:58	+2	Caleb McConnell makes two point jump shot (Myles Johnson assists)	30-37
18:33		Ron Harper Jr. shooting foul (Hunter Dickinson draws the foul)
18:33	+1	Hunter Dickinson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	30-38
18:33	+1	Hunter Dickinson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	30-39
18:10		Geo Baker misses three point jump shot
18:08		Eli Brooks defensive rebound
18:03		Geo Baker shooting foul (Mike Smith draws the foul)
18:03	+1	Mike Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 3	30-40
18:03		Mike Smith misses regular free throw 2 of 3
18:03	+1	Mike Smith makes regular free throw 3 of 3	30-41
17:50		Isaiah Livers personal foul (Ron Harper Jr. draws the foul)
17:42		Geo Baker misses two point jump shot
17:40		Caleb McConnell offensive rebound
17:27		Geo Baker misses two point step back jump shot
17:25		Isaiah Livers defensive rebound
16:57	+2	Hunter Dickinson makes two point dunk (Franz Wagner assists)	30-43
16:33		Eli Brooks shooting foul (Myles Johnson draws the foul)
16:33		Myles Johnson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
16:33		Myles Johnson misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:33		Isaiah Livers defensive rebound
16:20		Myles Johnson blocks Franz Wagner's two point layup
16:20		Wolverines offensive rebound
16:10	+2	Isaiah Livers makes two point fadeaway jump shot	30-45
15:42		Hunter Dickinson shooting foul (Ron Harper Jr. draws the foul)
15:42		TV timeout
15:42	+1	Ron Harper Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2	31-45
15:42	+1	Ron Harper Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2	32-45
15:16		Eli Brooks misses three point jump shot
15:14		Geo Baker defensive rebound
15:09	+2	Paul Mulcahy makes two point driving layup (Geo Baker assists)	34-45
14:48		Hunter Dickinson misses two point layup
14:46		Isaiah Livers offensive rebound
14:43	+3	Franz Wagner makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Livers assists)	34-48
14:23		Ron Harper Jr. misses two point fadeaway jump shot
14:21		Hunter Dickinson defensive rebound
14:14		Isaiah Livers misses three point jump shot
14:12		Wolverines offensive rebound
13:51		Jacob Young shooting foul (Franz Wagner draws the foul)
13:51	+1	Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 1 of 2	34-49
13:51	+1	Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 2 of 2	34-50
13:30	+2	Jacob Young makes two point jump shot	36-50
13:04	+2	Franz Wagner makes two point jump shot	36-52
12:56		Mike Smith shooting foul (Jacob Young draws the foul)
12:56		Jacob Young misses regular free throw 1 of 2
12:56	+1	Jacob Young makes regular free throw 2 of 2	37-52
12:28	+2	Hunter Dickinson makes two point dunk (Franz Wagner assists)	37-54
12:17	+2	Caleb McConnell makes two point driving jump shot	39-54
11:55	+2	Mike Smith makes two point turnaround jump shot	39-56
11:33		Ron Harper Jr. misses two point turnaround jump shot
11:31		Hunter Dickinson defensive rebound
11:22		Clifford Omoruyi blocks Hunter Dickinson's two point layup
11:20		Wolverines offensive rebound
11:20		TV timeout
11:00		Clifford Omoruyi blocks Brandon Johns Jr.'s two point turnaround jump shot
10:58		Clifford Omoruyi defensive rebound
10:48	+2	Clifford Omoruyi makes two point alley-oop dunk (Geo Baker assists)	41-56
10:27		Brandon Johns Jr. offensive foul (Ron Harper Jr. draws the foul)
10:27		Brandon Johns Jr. turnover
10:06		Caleb McConnell misses three point jump shot
10:04		Austin Davis defensive rebound
10:04		Clifford Omoruyi personal foul (Austin Davis draws the foul)
9:44		Isaiah Livers misses three point jump shot
9:42		Caleb McConnell defensive rebound
9:34		Montez Mathis misses two point layup
9:34		Clifford Omoruyi offensive rebound
9:34		Isaiah Livers personal foul (Clifford Omoruyi draws the foul)
9:27		Jacob Young misses two point floating jump shot
9:25		Scarlet Knights offensive rebound
9:17		Jacob Young misses two point jump shot
9:15		Scarlet Knights offensive rebound
9:16		Austin Davis personal foul (Clifford Omoruyi draws the foul)
9:16		Clifford Omoruyi misses regular free throw 1 of 1
9:16		Austin Davis defensive rebound
8:56		Chaundee Brown Jr. turnover (lost ball)
8:37	+2	Caleb McConnell makes two point driving layup	43-56
8:19		Montez Mathis personal foul (Eli Brooks draws the foul)
8:05		Hunter Dickinson misses two point layup
8:03		Caleb McConnell defensive rebound
7:55		Caleb McConnell misses three point jump shot
7:53		Franz Wagner defensive rebound
7:36		Hunter Dickinson turnover (traveling)
7:36		TV timeout
7:16		Caleb McConnell misses two point turnaround jump shot
7:14		Hunter Dickinson defensive rebound
6:52		Franz Wagner offensive foul (Paul Mulcahy draws the foul)
6:52		Franz Wagner turnover
6:34		Mike Smith shooting foul (Montez Mathis draws the foul)
6:34		Official timeout
6:34		Montez Mathis misses regular free throw 1 of 2
6:34	+1	Montez Mathis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	44-56
6:33		Montez Mathis personal foul (Mike Smith draws the foul)
6:19		Myles Johnson shooting foul (Isaiah Livers draws the foul)
6:19		Isaiah Livers misses regular free throw 1 of 2
6:19	+1	Isaiah Livers makes regular free throw 2 of 2	44-57
6:04		Hunter Dickinson personal foul (Myles Johnson draws the foul)
6:04		Myles Johnson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
6:04	+1	Myles Johnson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	45-57
5:45		Hunter Dickinson turnover (lost ball) (Caleb McConnell steals)
5:40		Jacob Young misses three point jump shot
5:38		Franz Wagner defensive rebound
5:26		Isaiah Livers misses three point jump shot
5:24		Hunter Dickinson offensive rebound
5:10	+2	Mike Smith makes two point driving layup	45-59
5:00		Jacob Young misses two point jump shot
4:58		Hunter Dickinson defensive rebound
4:33		Eli Brooks turnover (bad pass)
4:17	+2	Myles Johnson makes two point dunk (Ron Harper Jr. assists)	47-59
4:16		Scarlet Knights 30 second timeout
4:16		TV timeout
4:08		Myles Johnson blocks Isaiah Livers's two point layup
4:06		Wolverines offensive rebound
4:05		Ron Harper Jr. personal foul (Franz Wagner draws the foul)
4:05	+1	Franz Wagner makes regular free throw 1 of 2	47-60
4:05		Franz Wagner misses regular free throw 2 of 2
4:05		Ron Harper Jr. defensive rebound
3:58		Ron Harper Jr. misses three point jump shot
3:56		Austin Davis defensive rebound
3:46		Mike Smith turnover (lost ball) (Jacob Young steals)
3:41	+2	Jacob Young makes two point layup	49-60
3:34		Geo Baker personal foul (Eli Brooks draws the foul)
3:34		TV timeout
3:34	+1	Eli Brooks makes regular free throw 1 of 2	49-61
3:34	+1	Eli Brooks makes regular free throw 2 of 2	49-62
3:24		Geo Baker misses two point jump shot
3:22		Mike Smith defensive rebound
3:01		Caleb McConnell shooting foul (Austin Davis draws the foul)
3:01		Austin Davis misses regular free throw 1 of 2
3:01	+1	Austin Davis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	49-63
2:47		Paul Mulcahy turnover (lost ball) (Eli Brooks steals)
2:36		Mike Smith misses two point step back jump shot
2:34		Myles Johnson defensive rebound
2:21	+2	Myles Johnson makes two point reverse layup	51-63
2:21		Austin Davis shooting foul (Myles Johnson draws the foul)
2:21	+1	Myles Johnson makes regular free throw 1 of 1	52-63
1:54		Franz Wagner turnover (bad pass) (Caleb McConnell steals)
1:47	+2	Myles Johnson makes two point layup (Jacob Young assists)	54-63
1:47		Franz Wagner shooting foul (Myles Johnson draws the foul)
1:47	+1	Myles Johnson makes regular free throw 1 of 1	55-63
1:47		Scarlet Knights 30 second timeout
1:26		Eli Brooks misses two point jump shot
1:24		Austin Davis offensive rebound
1:16		Wolverines 30 second timeout
1:08	+3	Franz Wagner makes three point jump shot (Eli Brooks assists)	55-66
1:00		Caleb McConnell misses two point layup
0:58		Myles Johnson offensive rebound
0:53		Myles Johnson misses two point putback dunk
0:51		Caleb McConnell offensive rebound
0:50	+2	Jacob Young makes two point reverse layup	57-66
0:50		Scarlet Knights 60 second timeout
0:33	+2	Austin Davis makes two point layup (Eli Brooks assists)	57-68
0:23	+3	Jacob Young makes three point pullup jump shot	60-68
0:21		Geo Baker personal foul (Mike Smith draws the foul)
0:21	+1	Mike Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	60-69
0:21		Mike Smith misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:21		Ron Harper Jr. defensive rebound
0:16		Mike Smith shooting foul (Jacob Young draws the foul)
0:16	+1	Jacob Young makes regular free throw 1 of 2	61-69
0:16		Jacob Young misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:16		Chaundee Brown Jr. defensive rebound
0:15		Jacob Young personal foul (Chaundee Brown Jr. draws the foul)
0:15	+1	Chaundee Brown Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2	61-70
0:15	+1	Chaundee Brown Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2	61-71
0:10	+3	Jacob Young makes three point pullup jump shot	64-71
0:00		End of period

+ 3

Jacob Young makes three point pullup jump shot