Northwestern began Big Ten conference play with a pitiful 83-57 loss to Penn State on January 3. They fell to 0-2 in conference following a 58-46 loss on Saturday ,in Evanston, to the University of Michigan Wolverines.

The Wildcats' performance could have been better in the first half. Michigan shot over 50 percent from the floor in a very balanced scoring attack (only one player on the team failed to score during the game). That performance after going 2 of 10 from behind the three-point line. Northwestern shot only 46 percent from the floor but 4 three-pointers kept them in the game.

It took a buzzer beater, via jump shot, from forward Tim Doyle (red-shirted senior) to tie the game at 28. Doyle led all scorers with 13 points.

This was certainly a winnable game for Northwestern entering the second half of play. Both teams, as usual, played excellent defense. But neither team shot well. The Wildcats were particularly bad shooting an embarassing 19 percent with only 1 three-pointer in 13 attempts.

Northwestern stayed within five points at the start of the second half until the wheels finally came off in the closing minutes of the game. Coach Carmody's team could manage only 3 points in the final seven minutes, allowing an 11-3 Michigan run during that time that put them up for good.

The key play during the run occurred with just under six minutes left when guard Lester Abram hit a wide open three-pointer to give the Wolverines a 50-43 lead. It was the first time in the half that the Wildcats were down more than five and it would also prove to be the last as Northwestern never got within striking distance again and Michigan continued their run.

Horrible rebounding certainly didn't help Northwestern either. After being outrebounded 14 to 11 in the opening twenty, Michigan came back strong in the second and pulled down 28 boards (9 offensive).

The Wolverines improved to 2-0 in the Big Ten and 14-3 overall. They are tied for first in conference with Ohio State.

Conversely, Northwestern, coming on the heels of an 85-59 New Year's Eve blowout of Northwestern State, has lost two in a row and sit tied at the bottom of the Big Ten conference with Illinois.

The Wildcats head to East Lansing for a matchup with Michigan State on Wednesday before returning home to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a conference showdown with the fourth ranked team in the country, the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday.