Michigan football is over, but the Wolverines still find a way to disappoint on Saturdays.
The men's basketball team lost to Division I's only independent school, NJIT — that's New Jersey Institute of Technology, for those wondering — 72-70 at home on Saturday. Heading into the game, No. 17 Michigan was a 24.5-point favorite and fresh off a win over Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
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Sure, early December losses aren't much to fret about — the Wolverines lost to Charlotte in last year's Puerto Rico Tip-off finals and still made the Elite 8 — but this is much worse. The Highlanders moved to Division I just eight years ago (2006) and went on a 51-game losing streak from 2007-2009, a Division-I record.
For perspective: NJIT went 0-29 in 2007-2008 and 1-30 in 2008-2009.
It was also NJIT's first game against a ranked opponent, but the Highlanders didn't play with stage fright. They shot an incredible 58.7 percent from the field and hit 11 of 17 3-pointers.
The lone bright spot for Michigan was junior guard Caris LeVert's career-high 32 points.
Let's hope the Saturday streak ends soon — the Wolverines travel to No. 3 Arizona in a week.
