CHICAGO — It didn't matter how it happened; Michigan just needed to find a way to stay alive and survive.
In a do-or-die matchup between two fringe NCAA Tournament teams at the United Center, the Wolverines couldn't. Poor defensive rebounding. Too many turnovers. An abysmal showing on offense in the second half.
It all led to an early exit at the Big Ten tournament, as No. 8 seed Michigan had a stake driven through its postseason hopes in a bubble-bursting 62-50 loss to No. 9 seed Rutgers in Thursday's second-round game.