Michigan wins 10th in a row at Garden, beats No. 25 Rutgers
New York - Brandon Johns Jr. scored a career-high 20 points and Michigan won its 10th straight in games at Madison Square Garden, beating No. 25 Rutgers 69-63 on Saturday.
Jon Teske added 14 points as the Wolverines (13-8, 4-6 Big Ten) improved to 12-0 against Rutgers, including a victory in the 1976 Final Four.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 01: Jon Teske #15 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Madison Square Garden on February 01, 2020 in New York City. The Michigan Wolverines won 69-63. (Photo by
Michigan used a 20-5 run over a 10-minute span in the first half to take a 27-17 lead. Montez Mathis hit 3-pointers on back-to back possessions as Rutgers (16-6, 7-4) chipped away, pulling within 37-34 at the break.
Mathis had a steal and a fast break layup that put the Scarlet Knights up 38-37 with 17:39 to go. Teske's layup a couple minutes later put the Wolverines ahead, and his 3 with just under 12 minutes left made it 51-42.
Michigan built its lead to 16 points before Rutgers rallied, closing to 65-63 with 19.2 seconds to go when Geo Baker hit a 3 for his only basket of the game.
Mathis had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Rutgers.
BIG PICTURE
Michigan: The Wolverines have struggled as of late, despite rising to as high as No. 4 in the AP poll after a 7-0 start. Before defeating Nebraska this week, they had lost four in a row and five of the last six. Two wins in a row could get a once-promising season back on track.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights are in the midst of their best season in recent memory. Receiving an AP Top 25 ranking for the first time in 41 years two weeks ago, the Scarlet Knights are well on the way to their first postseason appearance since the 2006 NIT and can play their way into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990-91.
SIMPSON RETURNS
Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson returned after serving a one-game suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules, missing Michigan’s win at Nebraska on Tuesday night. That was the first game Simpson had missed in his Michigan career, snapping a streak of 135 in a row. The senior averages 12.8 points and 8.3 assists per game and a team-high 33.7 minutes per game. He had nine points and 10 assists in his return.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
After climbing into the rankings, the Scarlet Knights will likely fall out after going 1-1 this week.
B1G DOUBLEHEADER
Michigan is 22-9 overall in the current Garden, and hasn't lost in the building since falling to Duke in 2008. It wasn’t just Rutgers vs. Michigan in basketball. The two schools had a wrestling match at the Garden prior to the basketball game in the B1G Super Saturday. Michigan won on the mat.
UP NEXT
Michigan: Host rival Ohio State on Tuesday.
Rutgers: At No. 15 Maryland on Tuesday.