Big Ten Daily (Feb. 8): Finally, Michigan Snaps Losing Streak, Upsets No. 11 Wisconsin

After losing five straight games, Michigan was finally on the winning side. The Wolverines upset No. 11 Wisconsin 72-68, easily the biggest win of the season. Wednesday's victory over the Badgers also came on Juwan Howard's birthday.

This season has been a rough one for Michigan. But on Wednesday night, Wolverines coach Juwan Howard was able to celebrate his birthday with a smile. Michigan snapped a five-game losing streak, upsetting No. 11 Wisconsin 72-68 in Ann Arbor.

Michigan was led by Dug McDaniel, who scored 16 points in the victory. Three other Wolverines produced double-digit scoring totals, with Tarris Reed Jr. getting 12 points, Will Tschetter adding 11 and Terrance Williams II pitching in 10.

Olivier Nkamhoua was particularly strong on the glass, collecting 12 rebounds to go along with eight points. 

"It's nice knowing that our guys, with a smile on their face, get a chance to sleep on their pillow and hopefully the food tastes a lot better tonight than it did some other nights. At the same, being able to wake up with a smile on their face," Howard said after the game.

"It's been a grind. We will continue to grind."

Nearly a month had past since Michigan last won a basketball game. The Wolverines defeated Ohio State 73-65 on Jan. 15. Its only other conference win this season came in early December, beating Iowa 90-80 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Wednesday night's win was easily the biggest of the year for Michigan. Although their postseason hopes are essentially non-existent, perhaps the victory gives the Wolverines some confidence for the remainder of the year. 

They're going to need it.

Michigan has a brutal schedule ahead. It travels to Nebraska and No. 10 Illinois before hosting Michigan State. The Wolverines then travel to Northwestern, play No. 2 Purdue in Ann Arbor and end the month with a road trip to Rutgers.

Howard's crew ends with two games in march, traveling to Ohio State and hosting Nebraska. It's one of the more difficult schedules remaining in the Big Ten.

Will Wednesday night's win give the Wolverines some level of momentum for the rest of the year? We're going to find out pretty soon.

Hoiberg addresses Nebraska's road woes

Nebraska's road struggles continued Wednesday, dropping an 80-68 decision to Northwestern in Evanston. The Huskers remain winless on the road in Big Ten play this season.

There are only two teams left in the conference without a road victory in league play: Nebraska and Ohio State. Considering the Huskers' home success this year — defeating teams like No. 2 Purdue, No. 11 Wisconsin and Northwestern — it's hard to believe Fred Hoiberg's team hasn't been able to rattle off one win away from Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Winning on Wednesday was going to be a tough task. Northwestern has one of the top players in the conference in Boo Buie. The Wildcats have been solid at Welsh-Ryan Arena. 

Still, the lack of road success has been a lingering problem for Nebraska.

"Well, I think you look across the board, it's a lot of teams in this league. One, we're playing really good teams. I think I saw it's the lowest winning percentage in the last 50 years on the road in major college basketball. We've been right there in a couple.

"We took Rutgers to overtime, we had a really good game. We had a chance to beat Illinois in overtime. So, we've had two games that we felt like if things would've rolled a little bit differently, we would've found a way to win those. Win a couple games and we're feeling a lot better about ourselves. But we didn't."

Nebraska has three more opportunities to get a road win this season. Although it's played like a tournament team this year, winning one game outside of Lincoln in the Big Ten would serve as a huge boost to the resumé. 

The Huskers get chances against Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan on the road. All three are currently .500 or worse in conference play. 

Saban to ESPN

Nick Saban may no longer be coaching, but he'll continue to be involved with college football. He's trading in his whistle for a headset, joining the crew at ESPN.

The network announced that the former Michigan State, LSU and Alabama coach will be joining College GameDay, the premier pre-game show in college football.

“ESPN and College GameDay have played such an important role in the growth of college football, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to join their team,” Saban said in a statement. “I’ll do my best to offer additional insights and perspectives to contribute to College GameDay, the ultimate Saturday tradition for college football fans.”

Saban announced his retirement from coaching following the 2023 season. He won seven national championships in his career — six at Alabama and one at LSU. 

Saban coached at Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995-99), LSU (2000-04) and Alabama (2007-23). He posted a 292-71-1 record for his career.

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