Ann Arbor — Derrick Walton Jr. took the handoff from Zak Irvin in front of the Michigan bench. The shot clock was ticking down, and the lead over Big Ten-leading Purdue had dwindled from 22 to a half-dozen points Saturday at Crisler Center.
The Wolverines weren’t exactly reeling, but they were hardly rolling at this point. And with the U-M student section counting down the seconds in earnest, Walton knew he had to do something.
Not because it was Senior Day, or because this is his last hurrah. No, as Michigan’s captain and point guard had noted barely 24 hours earlier, on the eve of his final home game, it’s much simpler than that, actually.