Michigan loses on Hail Mary layup

Evanston, Ill. — Heading into Wednesday night’s matchup, Michigan and Northwestern were going in different directions.

The Wolverines were rolling and the Wildcats were trying to find their footing in a game with major Big Ten and NCAA Tournament implications.

Michigan overcame a miserable first half riddled with turnovers and misses only to fall short on a buzzer-beating layup in a 67-65 loss Wednesday night at a raucous Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Derrick Walton Jr. scored 15, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman 13 and Zak Irvin 12 for Michigan (19-11, 9-8 Big Ten), which squandered two chances in the final minute to take the lead.

Vic Law scored 18 and Bryant McIntosh 13 for Northwestern (21-9, 10-7), which…