As the final buzzer sounded, the Michigan men's basketball team walked off Northwestern's Welsh Ryan Arena floor with a much-needed 70-67 win in its third overtime game of the season.

But what would have happened if Michigan lost Sunday in Evanston?

If the Wolverines had dropped their eighth game in 10 tries and fallen to 5-8 in the Big Ten?

If they let another winnable road game slip by?

If Michigan's top scorers couldn't put up their characteristic numbers?

"Forget about all those tournaments everyone talks about," Michigan coach John Beilein said at his weekly radio show last night. "You've got to get some momentum going. It's the bounce of a ball that can change your whole season."

Or the power of one drive to the basket:

Sophomore forward Manny Harris showcased his slashing ability and exploded with 25 points in the second half and overtime.

Or the stroke of a smooth jumpshot:

Redshirt freshman guard Laval Lucas-Perry scored in double figures for the first time in more than a month.

Or a team on the road having just enough poise to eke out a win:

The Wolverines came back from an opposing team’s venue with the sweet taste of victory for just the second time this season.

Instead of seeing its NCAA Tournament hopes slip further away, Michigan got the confidence boost it desperately needed.

“We're happy to get it,” said fifth-year senior guard C.J. Lee, who played a team-high 40 minutes Sunday. “Now it's on to our next game. … It's the first one of a few that we have to get.”

Beilein has made it very clear he doesn’t want to talk about the NCAA Tournament, instead stressing day-to-day and long-term improvement.

But now it’s Feb. 17, and conference standings across the nation have started to take shape. Well, unless you play in the Big Ten.

With Sunday’s win, Michigan threw itself right back into the conference race.

Have you noticed the Big Ten standings after this weekend?

Well, here's a recap. Michigan State is good. Really good. Unless the norovirus sweeps through the Breslin Center as quickly as it did the Ross School of Business, the Spartans will undoubtedly win their first outright regular-season conference crown since 2001.

Illinois and Purdue are in good shape to finish strong, too.

The rest of the pack?

It's a logjam in the middle. Fourth through eighth place — Ohio State, Minnesota, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan — are within 1.5 games of each other.

And with five regular-season games left, it's anyone's at-large bid to lose.

If you’ve watched Selection Sunday the last few years and have been drastically disappointed with the Big Ten’s four- or five-bid showings in the NCAA Tournament, this March might be a pleasant surprise.

The Big Ten has the nation's second-highest RPI, behind the Atlantic Coast Conference. That’s right. The lowly Big Ten has a higher RPI than the Big East and could get six or seven bids in the NCAA Tournament.

"The Big Ten will get every team that it deserves in it,” Beilein said. "We did our work out of conference. We will get credit. Don't worry about all the guys that think the ACC is the only league you can go to or the big, bad Big East. If you listen to the commentators, there are 105 teams that will get in it."

Well, only 65 teams actually make the Big Dance. And after Sunday’s win, Michigan regained the confidence and positioning to compete for one of those spots.

— Lincoln is thankful she’s an LSA student and never caught the norovirus. She can be reached at lincolnr@umich.edu.