LINCOLN — By tip-off Sunday night, the Michigan men’s basketball team already knew its postseason fate. After Iowa’s victory earlier that day, the Wolverines knew a matchup with No. 9 seed Illinois awaited them in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament in Washington D.C later this week. But before Michigan could turn the page on its regular season, the Wolverines had one last task to attend to — a road contest with Nebraska (6-12 Big Ten, 12-18 overall) in Pinnacle Bank Arena. While Michigan had more games to look forward to, the Cornhuskers had nothing to lose. In their final game of the season, they were playing with house money. The Wolverines had already beaten Nebraska, 91-85, at Crisler Center in January, but Michigan had won just two games on the road this season. With the stage set for the Cornhuskers to play the spoiler — damaging Michigan’s NCAA Tournament stock — the Wolverines (10- 8, 20-11) did what they were expected to do instead, blowing out Nebraska, 93-57, on Sunday night. “It’s just a testament to how we develop our guys,” said senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. “We’re so battle-ready for each and every single adjustment that’s thrown at us. Our coaches do a great job of putting us in the right positions, and it’s all about us at that point, just making the right plays.” Throughout the game, Michigan proved that it was simply on another level, as the Wolverines played their ideal roles for the team. Walton played the maestro, orchestrating the offense with total command as he finished with a game-high 18 points and a single-game program-record 16 assists for his fourth double- double of the season. Senior wing Zak Irvin played his right-hand man, taking on the secondary playmaker role to the tune of 15 points with three 3-pointers. He topped off the night by scoring the bucket that clinched his fellow captain Walton’s assist record. Junior guard Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman played the energizer, aggressively making moves all over the court. His 13 points were highlighted by a stretch of five consecutive points in the opening five minutes when he slammed home a dunk before Walton set him up for an open 3, which Abdur-Rahkman hit. Sophomore forward Moritz Wagner and redshirt sophomore forward DJ Wilson played the reliable big men they have become, nailing four 3-pointers and collecting nine rebounds while commanding the paint on defense. Redshirt junior guard Duncan Robinson, senior forward Mark Donnal and freshman guard Xavier Simpson played their key bench roles, from Robinson’s 3s to Donnal’s relief of a foul-ridden Wagner to Simpson’s defensive posture. With the cast of characters coming together, Michigan clicked on both offense and defense for all 40 minutes. The Wolverines shot a blistering 63 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from beyond the arc, while the Cornhuskers shot just 41.2 percent and 13.3 percent, respectively. “It gives us a lot of confidence, giving us some momentum going into our game on Thursday, especially how well we shot the ball but also just how well we played defensively from start to finish,” Irvin said. “I mean, that’s going to be huge for us to be able to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament.” For a team that has been both breathtakingly good and frustratingly bad at times this year, Michigan showed that it had come into its own down the stretch of the Big Ten season. Against Nebraska, the Wolverines provided the exclamation mark for their 6-3 second-half record — including blowouts over Michigan State and Indiana and upsets over then-No. 11 Wisconsin and then- No. 14 Purdue — earning their largest margin of victory at 36 points. In front of a packed crowd eager to celebrate the Senior Day of guard Tai Webster, who scored a game-high 28 points in the first matchup, Michigan sent many fans rushing toward the exits halfway through the second half. Despite the large lead the Wolverines had, Michigan coach John Beilein said he didn’t feel comfortable. “I’m nervous through all these games all the way through until it’s over,” Beilein said. “... That’s the way it is.” Given the times the Wolverines have played down to the level of their opposition or failed to close out games in crunch time, his hesitance made sense. But on this night, he had no reason to worry. Michigan dominated Nebraska from start to finish, and even though the outcome may not have impacted their Big Ten Tournament seed, the Wolverines will still go into Thursday afternoon rolling because of it. Ashame can be reached at ashabete@umich.edu and on Twitter @Betelhem_ Ashame. Please be kind. 2B — March 6, 2017 SportsMonday The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Wolverines’ thundering road leads back to Illinois J ust over a month ago, on Feb. 4, the Michigan men’s basketball team was in a dire position. Ahead of a home game against lowly Ohio State — which the Wolverines would go on to lose — they were sitting at 14-8, with a 4-5 record in a weak Big Ten. As it stood, they were in line to be the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and far from a safe bet to make the NCAA Tournament. It’s surreal, then, that after a month in which the Wolverines have been as hot as any team in the conference, they still find themselves as a No. 8 seed when the Big Ten Tournament begins this week. They knocked off both of the Big Ten’s two best teams, scored blowout wins over Michigan State and Indiana and all but clinched an NCAA bid. In one sense, that last piece is all that truly matters. Michigan’s Big Ten Tournament will count for little more than seeding, and, regardless of their position in the conference tournament, the Wolverines are playing like an entirely different team than they were in February. But there is one aspect of being the No. 8 seed that creates an irresistible storyline leading up to this tournament for Michigan. The team it will face, Illinois, is due at least partial credit for starting the Wolverines’ second- half run in the first place. By now, of course, Maverick Morgan’s name has become a verbal punching bag in Ann Arbor. When he called the Wolverines’ a “white-collar” team after the Illini beat Michigan, 85-69, in Champaign on Jan. 11, it lit a fire. How fitting it is that, as the Wolverines now look to go on another run — this time through a conference tournament they seem suddenly equipped to navigate — it will start with Morgan and the Fighting Illini. Ten days after “the white- collar game,” Michigan exacted revenge by outplaying Illinois at Crisler Center. It’s worth mentioning, of course, that it took some time, even after that win, before the Wolverines rounded into the form they have been in down the stretch. But it was still easy to see the different mentality they cultivated. And while back-to-back losses to the Spartans and Buckeyes put that new mentality in question, Michigan has gone 6-2 in the last month, with its only two losses coming in overtime and on a buzzer-beater. The whole way, it has looked like a tougher, livelier team. Now, just in time for the postseason, the Wolverines will get an up-close reminder of what sparked that initial flame — and how far they’ve come. Even though the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game — in which Michigan has played each of the last three years — is typically considered a toss-up, the Wolverines’ recent run should have them favored over Illinois. They have a senior point guard in Derrick Walton Jr. who is playing with a graceful brand of desperation. They have a big man in Moritz Wagner who, at any given time, is liable to be the best player on the court. And, most importantly, they have a supporting cast that is willing to accept the roles they’ve needed to accept in order to experience this success. Consider, for a moment, that at the time of the “white-collar” comment, Zak Irvin was the relatively unquestioned go-to guy on the team. Now, Irvin, though still a gifted scorer, has accepted a secondary role as Walton has surged to the forefront. Some of this was surely not of his choosing — a lengthy slump forced other Wolverines to step forward — but to watch this Irvin after seeing him in the early going is to see a player increasingly comfortable with not dominating the ball. Off the bench, two players at opposite ends of their Michigan careers have added punch, too. Freshman point guard Xavier Simpson has emerged as a viable backup or complement to Walton, while senior forward Mark Donnal has added a handful of sublime blocks — the epitome of someone rejecting the “white- collar” label. Hardly any of this could have been said a month ago, when a rematch win over Illinois looked like it might have been among the highlights of the season. Thursday, the Wolverines will get a chance to win a game against Illinois that they’re expected to win. They’d be wise not to forget why that’s the case. Bultman can be reached by email at bultmanm@umich.edu and on Twitter @ m_bultman. AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily Senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. is playing the best basketball of his career, and he leads a Michigan team that went 6-2 down the stretch of the regular season. MAX BULTMAN outset. They finished the first half shooting 59.3 percent from the floor and 53.3 percent from beyond the arc, led by sophomore forward Moritz Wagner’s 11 first-half points off three 3-pointers and perfect mark from the floor. This time, though, the Wagner show didn’t last the whole game. Senior wing Zak Irvin and junior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur- Rahkman each finished the game with 15 and 13 points, respectively, and senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. pulled the strings like a puppeteer — notching nine of his 16 assists in the first half before singlehandedly dismantling the Cornhuskers in the second stanza. Though Nebraska opened the second half with a layup, it turned the ball over on the next three consecutive possessions. At the 16:37 mark, Walton had already notched a double- double. With just over 11 minutes remaining, there were fans already heading toward the exits. And with 10 minutes left in the contest, Michigan led by 30. BY THE NUMBERS Michigan at Nebraska 209 John Beilein’s win total at Michigan after Sunday’s victory, tying him with Johnny Orr for first in program history 16 Assists for senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. on Sunday, a new program record 36 Michigan’s margin of victory against Nebraska, its largest of the Big Ten season 8 Michigan’s seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, which the Wolverines will open Thursday AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily Seniors Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin had Michigan firing on all cylinders Sunday at Nebraska. Wolverines do the expected BASKETBALL From Page 1B BETELHEM ASHAME