ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jordan Reed leaped high into the air, slamming home a missed shot and giving Binghamton at least one highlight to remember from its visit to Crisler Center.
The rest of the night was forgettable. Trey Burke scored 19 points and freshman Nik Stauskas added 12 to lead No. 3 Michigan to a 67-39 victory over the Bearcats on Tuesday night.
“That’s a great team — a team that could win a national championship — so coming into their building was taking an awfully big bite at the apple," Binghamton coach Tommy Dempsey said. “I’m not sure that I thought it was realistic for us to come in here and beat Michigan, but I thought we were competitive, and at this stage of our program, that’s a great step in the right direction."
The Wolverines (10-0) are off to their best start since their national title season of 1988-89, and this win was every bit the mismatch it looked like before the opening tip. The Bearcats (2-9) were coming off a 22-point loss to Bryant. They led Michigan 10-8 before the Wolverines went on a 19-2 run. It was 34-14 at halftime.
Reed scored 11 points and was Binghamton’s only player in double figures. He also had eight rebounds.
“If you are a small school and you want to upset a top-five school, you have to hit a ton of shots, especially from 3-pointers. That team is awfully tough in the paint, so we knew we were going to need 3s. I thought we had some great looks in the first half, but we only made one or two, and after that, you’re trying to come from 20 down against a team like that," Dempsey said. “I thought we really competed on defense, because they have so many players who can score the ball. To hold them in the 60s is a pretty nice achievement."
Also on Tuesday:
No. 10 Illinois 65
Norfolk State 54
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Brandon Paul scored 14 points and D.J. Richardson overcame a shoulder injury to add 11, helping Illinois hold off Norfolk State.
No. 13 Minnesota 70
North Dakota State 57
MINNEAPOLIS — Rodney Williams scored a season-high 19 points, including a 360-degree dunk off a fast break, and Trevor Mbakwe grabbed a career-best 18 rebounds to help lead Minnesota past North Dakota State.
