WOLVERINES

Carter Savoie scored with 14:53 gone in overtime to lead Denver past Michigan 3-2 in the Frozen Four semifinal and into the NCAA championship game.

Jermaine Samuels scored 22 points and Villanova controlled Michigan in a 63-55 Sweet 16 victory in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan and Kentucky stood out in a study examining the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament brackets based on graduation rates, academic success and diversity in the head coaching ranks.

Freshman Frankie Collins provided the spark Michigan needed in a turbulent year for the Wolverines and coach Juwan Howard.

Michigan coach Juwan Howard returns from a five-game suspension as the Wolverines face Indiana at Indianapolis in a Big Ten Tournament game with major ramifications for both teams.

Michigan coach Juwan Howard looked and sounded contrite about the swipe that forced him to watch his basketball team play five games on TV. Howard resumed his role as coach on Monday after serving a five-game suspension for hitting a Wisconsin assistant in the head during a heated handshake line last month. Howard met individually with players upon his return and led them in a practice on Tuesday for the first time since they were preparing to play the Badgers more than two weeks ago.

Juwan Howard has resumed his role as Michigan’s basketball coach after serving a five-game suspension for hitting a Wisconsin assistant in the head.

Caleb Houstan scored 13 of his career-high 21 points in the second half when Michigan pulled away to beat Rutgers 71-62 without head coach Juwan Howard, who was serving the first of a five-game suspension.

Phil Martelli is all set to guide Michigan for the rest of the college basketball regular season.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh agreed to a reworked five-year contract that runs through the 2026 season, guaranteeing he will make more than $7 million each season.

Georgia is No. 1 in the final Associated Press college football poll of the season after winning its second national title by beating Alabama.

Michigan won the coin toss.

Georgia’s defense was nearly invincible for three months, allowing less than a touchdown per game.

College Football Playoff week is here with a pair of semifinal games on Friday: Alabama vs.

Tributes to the four slain students were all over Michigan and the Big Ten championship game on Saturday.

No. 2 seed Michigan and No. 3 Georgia will meet in a College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year’s Eve in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Utah will face Ohio State in the 108th edition of the Rose Bowl.

Hassan Haskins ran for two second-half touchdowns and broke a school record as No. 2 Michigan captured its first Big Ten title in 17 years and a probable playoff berth with a 42-3 rout over No. 15 Iowa.

Michigan moved up to No. 2 in the second-to-last College Football Playoff rankings.

Conference champions will be crowned, bowl selection pecking orders will be locked in and more clarity will emerge about which teams will and won’t be among the four picked for the College Football Playoff.

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard and the school have agreed to a five-year extension that keeps him under contract through the 2025-26 season.

The opening week of the college basketball season, as it usually is, was filled with marquee games.

The executive director of the Coaches vs.

Michigan’s drive for perfection ended in agonizing fashion.

Now it's time to talk about Jim Harbaugh. There has not been much discussion about college football's most scrutinized coach as Michigan ran out to a 7-0 start. With Harbaugh, the failures are all that seem to matter.

Kenneth Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns, lifting No. 8 Michigan State to a 37-33 comeback win over No. 6 Michigan on Saturday.

Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins combined for 229 yards rushing and four touchdowns, carrying No. 6 Michigan to a 33-7 win over Northwestern.

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz left Saturday's game against No. 14 Michigan after he was sacked early in the third quarter. The team said Mertz and tight end Jake Ferguson went to the locker room with chest injuries. Michigan’s Daxton Hill sacked Mertz on a third-and-9 play in the first series of the third.

The ground-oriented, weather-proof offense has long been preferred by Big Ten teams.

Blake Corum rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns as No. 25 Michigan routed Northern Illinois 63-10 on Saturday.

Wolverine sightings or so rare in Utah, that the last confirmed one was in 2016.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – UCLA has made more trips to the Final Four than any program but North Carolina. AdThey were clinging to a 50-49 lead when Michigan called a timeout with 19 seconds to go, intending to set up the game's final shot. The buzzer sounded and UCLA began to celebrate, only for the officials to put a half-second back on the clock. They were 3 of 11 beyond the arc, shot 39% overall and couldn't make one at the end. UCLA won a regional semifinal in 2006 and the Bulldogs returned the favor in the 2015 regional semifinals.

The evening's most telling stat was points in the paint: Michigan 50, Florida State 28. Other lowlights for the Seminoles:— 14 turnovers, including 10 in the first half that led to 16 Michigan points. Adding to the trouble, Walker, the team's leading scorer this season, rolled his ankle at the 14-minute mark of the second half. FSU went on a mini-tear when Osborne and Polite made back-to-back 3s to trim Michigan's lead to five early in the second half. Driving the lane and making the extra pass underneath, the Wolverines made 11 of their first 13 shots in the second half.

6 seed Michigan to its first regional semifinals appearance with a 70-55 win over third-seeded Tennessee on Tuesday in the women's NCAA Tournament. It's great to see Michigan is not only a football and men's basketball school, but also a women’s basketball school,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. The Lady Vols missed their final seven shots of the period and ended their drought 1:18 into the third quarter. The Lady Vols' deficit grew to 17 points as Michigan went on a 22-7 run spanning the quarters. Rennia Davis scored 12 points to lead the Lady Vols, who were playing Michigan for the first time.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – What the Big Ten needed was someone, anyone, to start playing like it came from the Big Ten. AdBut during the 14-1 stretch that opened things up, Michigan did what typical Big Ten teams are supposed to do. Most-telling stat of the night was points off the bench: Michigan 26, LSU 2. His 27 points kept LSU in range in the second half, but Wagner altered his shot underneath at the end of that stretch. Michigan shot 53 percent and made 10 of 25 3-pointers.

Ohio State forward E.J. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. just wanted a second chance at his home-state team. 9 Buckeyes fend off the fourth-ranked Wolverines for a 68-67 victory and a trip to the Big Ten Tournament title game. “This rivalry means a lot to a lot of our guys, a lot of our Ohio guys," Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said. The Wolverines appeared in three straight title games before last year's was cancelled because of COVID-19.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – All Michigan coach Juwan Howard intended to do, he said, when he started walking toward the baseline during the second half of Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals was question a call. After the game, Howard apologized for his actions — and also placed blame on the other bench. Don’t talk to me ever again,’ Then he charged at me. All I said is, ‘Don’t talk to me, don’t talk to me.’”Maryland scored five points after the fracas to cut the deficit in half. BIG PICTUREMaryland: A strong finish — and Thursday's victory over Michigan State — should be enough to get an NCAA Tournament bid.

Rocket Watts scored 21 points and Aaron Henry had 18 to lead the Spartans in a 70-64 victory over No. The Wolverines (19-3, 14-3) closed the regular season getting routed at home by the Fighting Illini, beating Michigan State handily to clinch the Big Ten title and losing the rematch three days later. They were ready to play today and we weren’t.”AdJoey Hauser scored nine of his 11 points off the bench in the first half as Michigan State led 30-26. SENIOR MOMENTFifth-year senior Joshua Langford, who missed much of the previous two seasons with injury, made a 3-point shot with 49 seconds left to give Michigan State a 64-59 lead. UP NEXTThe Big Ten Tournament begins Wednesday in Indianapolis, where first-seeded Michigan may meet Michigan State for a third time.

Gonzaga continued to hold down the top spot in the Top 25, just as it has all season, receiving 59 of 63 first-place votes among national media members. Illinois climbed one spot to fourth and Iowa gave the Big Ten three teams in the top five. They have a showdown with the Illini on Tuesday night before wrapping up the regular season with a home-and-home series against Michigan State. That’s a big part of what they’re doing.”West Virginia continued its steady climb, up four spots to No. The newcomer Boilermakers and sliding Badgers give the Big Ten six teams in the Top 25, one fewer than the poll-leading Big 12.

3 Michigan pull away for a 73-57 victory Saturday at Indiana. Aljami Durham led Indiana (12-12, 7-10) with 15 points and Race Thompson finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Michigan made Indiana uncomfortable while facing full-court pressure, stayed in front of the Hoosiers in half-court defense, and challenged shot after shot. Indiana: The Hoosiers trailed 22-21 with 8:36 to go in the first half — and then this one got away from them. ... Indiana shot 38% from the field and was outrebounded 37-27.

Liddell during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. After six ties in the second half, Michigan pulled away in the final minutes and then held off Ohio State 92-87 Sunday in a meeting that showcased two teams aiming for No. Ad“I thought his length and size bothered us," Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann acknowledged. Ohio State and Michigan both are projected to be No. Ohio State: At Michigan State on Thursday.

– Michigan coach Juwan Howard put the emphasis on defense from the first time his entire team practiced this season. On a night Isaiah Livers matched his season high with 22 points and Eli Brooks added 11, the seventh-ranked Wolverines used a staunch defense to pull away from Purdue 70-53. Purdue: While the Boilermakers had been the Big Ten's hottest team, they sputtered without Stefanovic. POLL IMPLICATIONSWith wins over Maryland and at Purdue this week, the Wolverines won't go anywhere but up in the Top 25. Purdue: Williams has 12 straight double-doubles.

23 Minnesota to a 75-57 victory on Saturday, handing No. 7 Michigan its first loss while holding Dickinson to a season-low nine points. He’s a really good freshman, but you’ve got to act like the junior in this one,’” Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said. “This loss right here is a loss that we’re going to learn from,” coach Juwan Howard said. Minnesota, the lowest of six ranked Big Ten teams, will undoubtedly move up several spots.

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2020, file photo, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh paces the sideline during the second half of the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game against Alabama in Orlando, Fla. Michigan has decided to stick with Harbaugh. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan has decided to stick with coach Jim Harbaugh, finalizing a new, five-year deal that cuts his guaranteed compensation but gives him an opportunity to make up for the financial loss if he can start winning championships. “There is work to be done and challenges to be addressed,” Harbaugh said. And when Wisconsin beat the Wolverines 49-11 in 2020, Harbaugh fell to 0-11 in games his team was not favored to win. That left Harbaugh in a bit of a lurch going into the uncertain season with just two years left on his contract.

The school said it brought the capacity in line with what’s being allowed for Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals games. 17 Ohio State women’s basketball team canceled Saturday’s game against Iowa because of a spike in positive COVID-19 tests in the Buckeyes program. The Beach didn’t open its season until Dec. 4 and six of its seven games scheduled this month are road games. This will be the third straight game canceled. USC postponed its Pac-12 opener at home against Stanford over the weekend when it first reported the positive COVID-19 test.

Michigan canceled its annual rivalry game at Ohio State on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, because of the COVID-19 outbreak within the Wolverines football program. “Our players, they want to play,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “If you’re just looking at college football, how can you have a successful football season without Ohio State-Michigan. Ohio State entered the day No. Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis said the team works all year with the goal of beating Michigan.

ETSU originally had planned to allow for 10% capacity at Freedom Hall, where its men’s basketball team plays. With the two additions, along with games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Washington in Las Vegas, the Bears have replaced four of the five canceled games. ___The NFL says there were 18 new confirmed positive COVID-19 tests among players and 27 among other personnel in the latest round of testing, which concluded Saturday. 7 Houston's men's basketball team has paused all team activities and postponed its two games this week because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing. ___The Big East Conference has switched a couple of opening night men’s basketball games because of COVID-19-related concerns.

Manuel spoke hours after Michigan's game against Maryland this weekend was canceled because of an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Wolverines' program. Ohio State had to cancel its game last week at Illinois because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in its program. Matchups against Ohio State and Michigan State were wiped out last month after the Terrapins had 23 positive tests for COVID-19, including coach Michael Locksley. ___AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo contributed. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

FILE - Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) rushes the passer during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Cleveland, in this Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, file photo. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Michigan’s football game this weekend against Maryland has been canceled, and the Wolverines are pausing practice until Monday. “We’d be able to play as of right now, with no more” positive tests, Kiffin said. ___Kent State’s football game at Miami (Ohio) scheduled for Saturday has been canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Golden Flashes’ program. Linebacker Sione Takitaki and defensive ends Porter Gustin and Joe Jackson remain isolated following positive tests.

Wisconsin wide receiver Chimere Dike (13) gets away from Michigan defensive back Vincent Gray (4) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020. 13 Wisconsin was ready, not rusty, in its first game in three weeks. The Wolverines (1-3) fell behind 28-0 at halftime, their largest deficit at home since the Big House opened in 1927, and finished with their most lopsided loss at home since a 1935 loss to Ohio State. The team announced that 10 players would not be available to play at Michigan, but didn't say why they were out of the lineup. Michigan travels to Rutgers (1-3) desperately needing a win.

23 Michigan 38-21 on Saturday for its first victory against the Wolverines in 33 years. “When we play a great team like that, we have to make sure we play great football. Indiana: The Hoosiers answered some questions about their ability to contend for a division title or conference championship. Indiana: After beating their first top-10 foe in 33 years, the Hoosiers made their second Top 25 appearance since 1994. Now, after blowing out Michigan, Indiana could be headed toward its first top-10 ranking since September 1969.

Rocky Lombardi threw for 323 yards, including 196 to Ricky White, and three touchdowns to help Michigan State stun the Wolverines 27-24 on Saturday. Tucker became just the second coach to beat Michigan in his first attempt with the Spartans, joining Alabama coach Nick Saban, who did it in 1995. The former Colorado coach started his career as a graduate assistant for Saban at Michigan State in 1997. The onside kick was recovered by Michigan State running back Connor Heyward. “State fans and former players and everyone deserve the brand of football that we were able to show out there," Tucker said.

U.S. wildlife officials are withdrawing proposed protections for the snow-loving wolverine after determining the rare and elusive predator is not as threatened by climate change as once thought. – U.S. wildlife officials are withdrawing proposed protections for the snow-loving wolverine after determining the rare and elusive predator is not as threatened by climate change as once thought. Fish and Wildlife officials said. Wildlife officials have previously estimated that 250 to 300 wolverines survive in remote areas of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington state. Tim Preso with the environmental law firm Earthjustice said the latest decision fits in with a pattern of the Trump administration downplaying the threat of climate change.

University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh knows milk does a body good, and made sure a young Wolverines fan clearly knew it, too. Norah O'Donnell reports.