…not Michigan after a 56-53 loss to #16 Ohio State today.  Michigan started off the game down 29-8 with less than seven minutes left in the first half and struggled to make a game of it.  The Wolverines never led in the game and only tied the game once at 46-46.

Michigan hadn’t won in Columbus since 2003 so the loss wasn’t completely unexpected for the Wolverines.  According to ESPN, since the 1978-79 season the final remaining unbeaten D-I team was a Big Ten school.  Ohio State has been the undefeated team once and the other four instances Ohio State ended the perfection three times.

This loss doesn’t mean much for the Wolverines, I still project them to be a number one seed in the NCAA tournament by the end of the season.  In the polls the Wolverines should only fall to number three or four with a loss to a ranked team.

In the end a loss is better than finishing the regular season undefeated, and the added pressure off the team will help in the long run.  This team is still young with many of the contributors being either freshman or sophomores.

Hopefully the Wolverines will be able to recover from this loss because they are in the middle of the meat of their schedule. Michigan is next at Minnesota, followed by home against Purdue, at Illinois, home against Northwestern and finally at Indiana before home with Ohio State.  This stretch will show if Michigan’s early high season ranking was a mirage or a true rating of their talent.