Michigan shocks Wisconsin

Michigan beats No. 24 Wisconsin 71-56 on Sunday to win their first Big Ten Tournament championship.

WASHINGTON — The Michigan basketball team crammed a lifetime worth of memories into one magical week, and they received a treasured souvenir as a keepsake.

After defeating No. 24 Wisconsin 71-56 on Sunday to win their first Big Ten Tournament championship, the eighth-seeded Wolverines held high the hardware that accompanied the feat.

Before helping cut down the net, Michigan coach John Beilein gathered his players to deliver an emotional message.

“What I told them is, ‘You’re going to come back 20 years from now and that trophy is going

to sit there and you’re going to tell your grandkids about those five days and what happened.

You’ll love it forever.’”

The Wolverines began their journey with a scary skid off the airport runway in Michigan. They ended it by overwhelming the second-seeded Badgers, who had won three straight — including the regular season finale against Minnesota — by a total of 55 points.

Between the aborted flight and their final unexpected victory, Michigan beat Illinois, eliminated top-seed Purdue and sent home No. 4 seed Minnesota.

“It means so much to all of us,” senior guard Zak Irvin said. “All of the adversity that we’ve been to throughout the whole tournament, we stuck together as a family and got the job done.”

And so, the first Big Ten Tournament in the nation’s capital ended with a surprise champion cutting down the nets at Verizon Center. Michigan won the title in 1998 but had it vacated due to NCAA sanctions.

Tournament MVP Derrick Walton Jr. scored 22 points, D.J. Wilson added 17 and Irvin had 15 for Michigan, which had lost 17 of its previous 20 games against Wisconsin. The Wolverines shot 56 percent and were 10 for 23 from beyond the arc.

As a reward, Michigan will be the No. 7 seed in the Midwest and open the NCAA Tournament against Oklahoma State.

“We overcame a lot,” Walton said. “Had a lot of trials and tribulations. All I can say is God is good. We’re here for a reason.”

Alex Brandon / The Associated Press Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes (from left), Michigan guard Zak Irvin and Wisconsin guard Zak Showalter grab for the ball Sunday in Washington.