A two-week pause with no practice or team gatherings.

A 23-day stretch between games.

An opponent that hasn't lost two regular season games to the same Big Ten team since 2018.

And oh, yeah, a 14-point deficit at one point, 12 points at halftime.

Any of those hurdles could have sunk the Wolverines on Sunday.

And to be honest, because of that context, especially off the floor,

I don't think this team would have caught too much criticism had they lost on Sunday.

This was an uncharted situation for any team, especially a Michigan club that has seemingly done everything right,

both on and off the floor, with regards to the pandemic.

Yet the Wolverine scratched and clawed and overcame as much adversity as I can

remember a Michigan basketball team facing, and they went on to win in Madison by eight,

indeed completing the regular season sweep.

The two games against Wisconsin represent two landmarks

and probably the two foremost landmarks

for this Michigan men's basketball team

to this point this season.

On January 12th, the Wolverines announced

to the college basketball world

that they can beat anybody.

They are bona fide national championship contenders.

33 days later, the Wolverines announced to the college basketball world that they can

overcome anything this pandemic season can and may throw at them. No matter where this season

...