CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There came a point during Michigan basketball’s 68-53 loss to Illinois on Friday when guard Eli Brooks cracked a smile in the middle of a defensive possession.
His team had traveled to State Farm Center without the benefit of traditional practices , after a spate of COVID-19 rippled through the roster and postponed two games in the span of a week. The Wolverines were without their best player in center Hunter Dickinson and a key reserve in power forward Brandon Johns Jr., both held out by coach Juwan Howard as they regained stamina after clearing health and safety protocols.