The Wolverines had a chance to complete the most impressive performance by a Big Ten team against Big Ten foes since unbeaten Indiana back in their unblemished season overall in 1976.

Now, Michigan did not play its best basketball this weekend yet knocked off Ohio State and Wisconsin in narrow games.

Before playing Purdue, even in the first half, second half, Purdue was better and

pretty handily better. They executed incredibly well offensively, did enough defensively to hand

Michigan its second loss against Big Ten competition this season. Now, no matter what happens in the

next three weeks or what happened to this weekend in Chicago, what the Wolverines did in Big Ten play will be

remembered for quite some time. Michigan beat every team in the league at least once.

Maze and Blue went 10 at 0 in conference on the road. Michigan will hang a banner because of it.

But let's face it. Coming up in the NCAA tournament, one of the key storylines yet again,

considering how good the league was,

was the Big Ten's more than a quarter-century drought for a national championship. And Michigan,

a one seat in the Midwest region, hoping to come through Buffalo and Chicago en route to Indianapolis,

will be a trendy pick to get there and to make noise on that Saturday night and

potentially Monday night in April. That's the path to true immortality in this league.

Wolverines can beat anyone in the country. And while another net cutting celebration would

have been awesome here on Sunday, Michigan's season will be defined by what happens in the next

three weeks. And if the Wolverines win six in a row, they'll be remembered forever in Ann Arbor,

and of course, throughout the Big Ten.

A tough one on Sunday for Michigan, but another tournament is on the horizon.

We'll talk about it here on this episode of Defend the Block.

We're talking Michigan basketball. Welcome to Defend the Block. We're talking Michigan basketball.

Welcome to Defend the Block, where we'll take you inside the basketball programs with

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