Michigan takes down Illinois, 70-61

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- If misery loves company, so does the end of it apparently. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Evan Smotrycz broke out of severe slumps at the same time Sunday afternoon to lead No. 22 Michigan to a 70-61 victory over Illinois at the Crisler Center. Hardaway and Smotrycz combined to score 22 of their teams 37 points in the first half, building a six-point lead that the Wolverines never let escape. We had been waiting for that, Michigan coach John Beilein said of the turnaround by Hardaway and Smotrycz. We needed that. It was like a shot in the arm. It propelled our defense. And it propelled the Wolverines to their 15th consecutive home victory going back to last season. Michigans last loss at Crisler came nearly a year ago February 23, 2011, on an improbable last-second, three-point bank shot by Wisconsin. The Wolverines are 14-0 now at home this season. The last time they won their first 14 at Crisler was in 1985-86, when they won their last Big Ten regular-season championship. Sundays victory kept Michigan (19-7, 9-4) in contention for the conference title, just a half game behind first-place Michigan State and Ohio State (both 9-3). Hardaway entered the day shooting 36.1 percent in Big Ten games, including 19.4 percent from three-point range. He had scored a total of 10 points in the last two games while missing all nine three-pointers. Smotrycz, meanwhile, was shooting 31.1 percent from the field, 23.5 percent on three-pointers, and averaging 4.8 points in conference play. Smotrycz also had hit double figures only once in the previous 12 games, including going scoreless at Nebraska four days earlier. His playing time was evaporating rapidly, from 25-plus minutes earlier in the season to around 10-15 a game lately. All those struggles were put aside in the first half when Smotrycz scored 12 points on 3-for-4 shooting and 4-for-4 free throws, and Hardaway added 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Each hit both of his three-point attempts. When their two worst three-point shooters go 4-for-4 in the first half, its a killer for you, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. Smotrycz, who lost his starting job during his struggles, ended up playing 18 minutes in the half because of foul trouble to starting center Jordan Morgan. Neither Smotrycz nor Hardaway did as much damage in the second half, but it didnt matter. What they did by halftime was more than enough. It was a great relief, just seeing one go in and then another one, Hardaway said. Guys still have confidence in me, still get me shots, Smotrycz said. Its good to finally see some drop. Ive just been trying to bring energy to the team in other ways every day in practice. This was probably a by-product of that. Hardaway often settles for long-range shots instead of trying to drive to the basket. This time, he did a little of both and it made a difference. They ran out so I gave them a pump fake and tried to get in the lane, Hardaway said. As for the frustration he had been feeling, Hardaway said, I tried not to worry about it, just go out there and play hard. It was effort showing between the two of us (he and Smotrycz) this entire week. Not hanging our heads, just keep on shooting. Hardaway finished with a team-high 15 points. Smotrycz had 13. Matt Vogrich was the unlikely hero in the second half, coming off the bench to make two three-pointers to help put the finishing touches on the Illini (16-9, 5-7). If we get that type of bench production, we can keep winning at a pretty high pace, Beilein said. Michigan, which had been alternating wins and losses for the last month, won back-to-back games for the first time since beating Wisconsin and Northwestern January 8 and 11. The Wolverines still havent lost two in a row all season. Illinois has shown nowhere near that type of consistency. The hot seat is only getting hotter for Weber, whose team has now lost six of its last seven. Weber took the Illini to the NCAA championship game seven years ago, but in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately era, he hasnt done enough in some peoples opinion. If the Illini dont bounce back here in the next month to make the NCAA Tournament, it could be the end for Weber. Youve got to have a sense of urgency, Weber said when asked about how his players are reacting to this losing skid. I dont want to say desperation, but weve got to win a game here pretty soon. To Weber, the game came down to turnovers. The Illini dont play at a high-tempo, but they had 13 giveaways that led to 19 points for the Wolverines. Brandon Paul led Illinois with 21 points, but he committed seven of those costly turnovers. Seven is a lot, Weber said. Some of them are unforced. The silver lining for the Illini was the performance of 6-foot-8 junior Tyler Griffey, who had played a total of three minutes the last three games. He scored 18 points in 29 minutes to give the Illini a chance. But the result was the same and Illinois is quickly approaching the must-win category going into Wednesdays game against Purdue in Champaign. Michigan, meanwhile, has five days off before a nationally televised, prime-time game Saturday at home against Ohio State. In all likelihood, its going to take a victory to keep the Wolverines in the Big Ten race. With Hardaway and Smotrycz back on board, that just might happen, especially at Crisler.