MADISON — Examining the starting lineups in the Michigan men’s basketball team’s 60-55 loss to Wisconsin, there was a clear size disadvantage:

The Badgers’ 6-foot-10 Jon Leuer on the Wolverines' 6-foot-5 Zack Novak.

Wisconsin’s 6-foot-7 Joe Krabbenhoft on Michigan's 6-foot-5 Manny Harris.

In total, the Badger starters outsized Michigan’s leading five-man corps by four inches — with length and muscle to spare.

The Wolverines have faced big teams before, and they know they must find other ways to score.

Michigan got into a rhythm early and headed into halftime with a 34-32 lead. The Wolverines quickly moved the ball to find open teammates and hit 3-pointers.

But Wisconsin kept up its game plan and finished with 34 points in the paint. Marcus Landry and Leuer shot a combined 11-of-18, and Krabbenhoft grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Badgers made it look easy.

“You want to compete with them, but it is tough during the season to gain 20 pounds,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “It’s like arm wrestling. It’s just like guys who are stronger than you, and you can’t do that much about it in one season.”

Michigan couldn't do much about its size yesterday, but it's now more prepared for what lies ahead.

With just one regular season game left — Saturday at Minnesota — the Wolverines’ NCAA Tournament résumé still requires some polishing.

Yesterday’s loss might have crushed Michigan’s hopes to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. But next week’s game against Minnesota at Williams Arena is crucial for Michigan’s eventual postseason destination.

And the Wolverines are in good shape to make the most of the opportunity.

The Badgers have never lost a home game to an unranked Big Ten opponent under Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. They’re 48-0 in that category. It would have taken Michigan’s most valiant effort to pull off the upset.

And in a hostile environment, the Wolverines came pretty close.

Despite its small size, Michigan played grittier than it has all season, diving for loose balls, boxing out despite a 20-to-30 pound disadvantage in certain positions and chipping away at Wisconsin’s nine-point lead.

Take that same mentality to Minnesota, and Michigan has a really good shot.

“Yeah, we played them tough in a building we haven’t won in, but we needed that victory, and we didn’t get it, so it’s disappointing,” fifth-year senior guard C.J. Lee said. “There are no moral victories at this point in the season.”

Lee’s right. It’s do or die time. But that’s exactly when this team has seemed to thrive.

The Wolverines have played their best basketball with their backs against the wall. When everyone had written off an NCAA Tournament bid, they handily beat then-No. 16 Purdue 87-78 at Crisler Arena.

When they weren’t even expected to stay within 20 points, they nearly upset then-No. 1 Connecticut, losing by just eight points.

And outsized in one of the toughest Big Ten venues, they found ways to come close to a win yesterday.

Michigan has come up short a lot this season, but after yesterday's disappointment, the Wolverines should be very eager to win in Minneapolis.

“(Focusing) is the least of our concerns right now,” Lee said. “We’re playing for something right now. Everybody’s going to be focusing, and if there not, something’s wrong with them.”

A lot is on the line next week. The Wolverines should be hungry enough to deliver.

— Lincoln can be reached at lincolnr@umich.edu.