After Michigan's big 80-75 win over the Michigan State Spartans Sunday night, the college basketball world is praising the Wolverines for their three-game stretch of top-10 victories. At 7-0, John Beilein has his team atop the strongest conference in basketball, with wins over all four teams directly behind it in the standings.
However, one of the things that Michigan fans remember most from the 2012-2013 season is how little these regular-season streaks actually matter in March. Last year, Michigan started 7-1 in conference before losing six of 12 heading into March Madness. Late season losses to winless Penn State, Indiana at home and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament didn't stop Michigan from making a run to the National Championship game in April.
One glaring difference between the Final Four team and this year's squad is the confidence level when playing on the road.
In 2013, the Wolverines went just 4-5 on the road during Big Ten play. Seven of the team's eight losses on the season came away from the friendly confines of the Crisler Center, including a 23-point drubbing in East Lansing.
On Saturday night, Beilein's team went into that same city and took the Breslin Center by storm, stunning the No. 3 Spartans and remaining undefeated in the Big Ten.
The rivalry game upset was no fluke, as Michigan has quietly put together perhaps the strongest road resume in the entire nation.
Since the loss of preseason All-American forward Mitch McGary in late December, the Wolverines have knocked off Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan State on the road.
A closer look at these four teams shows just how impressive Michigan's showing on the road has been. Besides the four games against Michigan, that group has been nearly perfect on their home courts.
Minnesota is 12-0 at home with double-digit wins over Florida State, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Barn has been a tough venue for Big Ten teams recently, as the Golden Gophers have knocked off five top-20 teams there since December 31, 2012.
Nebraska has quietly opened the new Pinnacle Bank Arena in style, starting 8-1 at home with the only loss by one point to Michigan. Despite the team's 9-9 record, the new arena has given the Cornhuskers a definite advantage, including a win over No. 17 Ohio State.
The Kohl Center is always one of the most difficult places in the country to play for opposing teams. Before the loss to Michigan, Wisconsin was 10-0 at home this season, and 15-3 in 2012-2013.
Finally, in an arena that has been so unkind to Michigan in recent years, the Wolverines beat a team that was 9-1 at home this season but struggled to put Big Ten teams away.
After needing overtime to beat Ohio State and Minnesota, and escaping Indiana by five, Michigan finally made Michigan State pay for letting opponents hang around.
In total, the four teams are 39-1 against the rest of the country at home, but Michigan has defeated all of them.
There's a reason road wins count for more R.P.I. points on a team's resume. While nearly any team in the country can win at home (every Big Ten team currently has a winning home record), the teams that win on the road are the ones that make deep tournament runs.
If Michigan can win in the Barn, the Kohl Center and the Breslin Center, then it can take care of business in neutral site games. Though they still have five tough road games remaining, the Wolverines have proven themselves as an elite road team.
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