Stories by Ben Estes
men's basketball
Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor and 'Soulless Richard Simmons'
BY BEN ESTES
Coming into the season, Wisconsin was pegged as the clear second-best team in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, and for good reason. The Badgers had an excellent season a year ago, playing their typical stifling defense and smart, deliberate offense.
men's basketball
Backcourt struggles hurt Michigan in loss
- Adam Glanzman/Daily
BY BEN ESTES
BLOOMINGTON — For most of the season, point guard Trey Burke has looked like anything but a freshman, making plays and decisions beyond his years and making Michigan basketball fans forget that the Wolverines relied almost exclusively on Darius Morris for offense last season.
men's basketball
Wolverines look to slow down resurgent Indiana on the road
BY BEN ESTES
It appears Indiana basketball is back — and that’s not good news for the No. 16 Michigan basketball team. The Wolverines face a tall task as they travel to Bloomington on Thursday night to square off with the 12th-ranked Hoosiers.
men's basketball
Hardaway Jr. fuels Michigan romp over Penn State in Big Ten opener
BY BEN ESTES
Sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. came alive at the end of the first half on Thursday night and stayed hot after the break, scoring 26 points to lead the Michigan basketball team to a 71-53 win over Penn State in each team’s Big Ten opener.
• NOTEBOOK: Hardaway Jr. simplifies, Burke shines
men's basketball
Wolverines look to start Big Ten season off right against Nittany Lions
BY BEN ESTES
Lost in the feel-good story of the Michigan basketball team’s late-season run to the NCAA Tournament a year ago is just how bleak things looked for the team in January.
men's basketball
A look ahead: Big Ten basketball preview
BY BEN ESTES
The Daily basketball beat unveils its updated predictions for how the Big Ten season will unfold, knowing full well that, with the unpredictability of college basketball, the four of us could end up looking pretty foolish with our picks.
Men's Basketball
A look back: Michigan basketball non-conference review
- Marissa McClain/Daily
BY BEN ESTES
The 18th-ranked Wolverines will welcome Penn State to Crisler Arena on Thursday to open up what could be an exceptionally tough Big Ten schedule, as the conference appears to be the strongest in all of college basketball.
Notebook: Wolverines prepare for Alabama A&M, Hardaway Jr. healthy
BY BEN ESTES
Once again, the Michigan basketball team is set to take on an opponent that doesn’t realistically present much of a challenge.
Men's basketball topples Lions despite second-half slip
BY BEN ESTES
Nobody expected No. 20 Michigan to drop a home game to lowly Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a team that allows an average of 16 more points than it scores. And the Wolverines did not disappoint, exploding for a 19-0 run in the first half against the Lions, leading by as many as 25 points en route to a 63-50 victory at Crisler Arena.
Michigan pulls away late for 90-80 win over Oakland
- Adam Glanzman/Daily
BY BEN ESTES
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Hardaway Jr.’s 3-pointer with 3:40 left in the game extended the Michigan basketball team’s lead back to double digits. An emphatic fast-break dunk by senior guard Stu Douglass after a Golden Grizzly turnover on the next possession effectively iced it, as the Wolverines rode it out the rest of the way en route to a 90-80 win over Oakland (6-4) at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
• ANALYSIS: Michigan struggles to play 'Michigan basketball'
• THE GAME: Burke named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for second time
