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GAME NOTES: The Michigan Wolverines hit the road for three of their next four games, beginning with tonight's meeting against the Northwestern Wildcats in a Big Ten Conference clash in Evanston.

The Wolverines played their last two games at home, but could only pick up a win over Iowa (60-46) on Saturday after coming oh so close against nationally- ranked Michigan State (57-56) four days earlier. The victory over the Hawkeyes snapped what had been a three-game slide by Michigan and brought the team within a game of .500 in conference play at 4-5.

As for the Wildcats, they've dropped two in a row and three of their last four now, following a 79-70 setback versus Michigan State over the weekend. They currently sit at 3-6 in conference, overshadowing a solid 14-7 overall mark.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Wolverines came into this season holding a 101-53 advantage, having won two straight and five of the last six encounters with Northwestern. However, on January 10th, the Wildcats dealt Michigan a 68-62 setback in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines held Iowa to a mere six field goals in the first half, resulting in 17 points, which allowed Michigan to build a sizeable lead at the break and then cruise to the home victory over the weekend. DeShawn Sims registered a double-double with 20 points and team-best 12 rebounds, while Manny Harris matched his scoring output and also logged six boards and three assists in an effort to offset his six turnovers on the afternoon at Crisler Arena. Harris and Sims have been the two who have carried this squad on offense all season long, the former putting up 19.1 ppg and the latter chipping in with 17.6 ppg, which means they've combined for more than half the unit's 66.9 ppg to this point in the campaign. Harris is also responsible for team highs with 85 assists and 37 steals, not to mention 6.6 rpg which is second only to Sims who is clearing 7.7 rpg, and yet Michigan is getting beat on the glass by two rebounds per game.

Northwestern was within two points at the break against the Spartans on Saturday, having held the home team to just 37.5 percent shooting from the floor and 1-of-11 behind the three-point line. However, the second half was an entirely different story as MSU converted an incredible 15-of-20 from the floor and eased to the nine-point decision. John Shurna scored a game-high 31 points, hitting 6-of-13 out on the perimeter, while Drew Crawford and Jeremy Nash tacked on 12 points apiece in the losing cause. Shurna has had some very strong scoring games this season for the Wildcats, which makes one wonder how he is averaging just 18.0 ppg after 21 outings. Michael Thompson checks in with 13.1 ppg and a team-best 88 assists in an effort to keep everyone else involved, while Crawford puts up 11.1 ppg to complete the list of double-digit scorers for a Wildcats squad that is generating close to 69 ppg on only 42.6 percent shooting from the field.

With both Sims and Harris ready to shoulder the load, expect Michigan to fight back from their home loss to the Wildcats last month and even the season series tonight.