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Michigan basketball coach John Beilein, addresses the media on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 in Ann Arbor.
Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press

Michigan basketball is going to Chicago this week with a quick history.

The Wolverines have won the last two Big Ten tournaments. No team, since the beginning of the tournament in 1998, has won three times in a row.

Saturday's loss to Michigan State, which cost the Wolverines a share of the regular season title, also complicated the Wolverines' run to a conference title.

Once again, Michigan entered last year's New York City tournament as No. 5 seed – despite winning five straight games in the tournament – and won four more. wins for the title.

"It was incredible," said freshman striker Ignas Brazdeikis, who watched the team by far last season. "The whole race was just something special – we want to do something like this this year too.

But there is more than the story at stake; the Wolverines must rediscover their victories earlier this season.

More: Predict every game of the Big Ten 2019 basketball tournament

The Wolverines this year do not have the same momentum as last season. They have lost two of their last five games in 2019, both demoralizing against MSU. Flip another five games, and their record is 6-4.

But Michigan has a chance in Chicago to restore Wolverines' dominance over victories over Villanova, North Carolina and Purdue early in the season.

"In the past two years, we had a decisive advantage over our participation in this tournament, as we probably had to win a game or two to be sure to participate (in the NCAA tournament)," said Michigan coach , John Beilein said. "We also found ourselves in a different situation where we were preparing for two teams, not three, but I think that one of the few good points of our defeat last Saturday is that I think it allowed this team to return season like the one we had, (who) launches into a tournament with real goals other than: "Would not it be nice to win the tournament?" "

Although they did not win the title of the regular season, the Wolverines set up their best regular season under Beilein.

Unbeaten in off-conference game. A program record of wins (17) to open a season. Just a win to share the Big Ten title for the first time since 2013-14.

On the Michigan bench, the last seconds are heard Saturday, March 9, 2019 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

Still, it's not been completely smooth.

The Michigan defense has been split twice by Michigan State. And the offense has struggled with inconsistency, drought and poor shooting.

While teams from previous years had peaked late in the season, this year's team appears to have peaked before January and has struggled to regain the same advantage since.

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"I do not know if it's really gone, maybe we just lost a little bit," said junior center Jon Teske. "But now it's back, I can see it in practice, competitiveness has come back to where it was, and just continue to grow and improve every day and practice and improve our game." . "

That's what makes this week so crucial.

Michigan has a chance to gain momentum by entering the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines consider the Big Ten tournament as a preparation for next week; there is a similar daily newspaper, a short turnaround time and an atmosphere of victory or return home.

"It's a different time of year right now," Teske said. "Obviously, if we lose one of the games this week, it's not the end of the world, but next week it's the case. We are only focused on one game at a time. "

Michigan center Jon Teske took on Maryland on March 3, 2019 in the first half at College Park, Maryland. (Photo: Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports)

Based on the numbers, Michigan could do a deep race in the NCAA tournament.

According to basketball statistics analyst Ken Pomeroy, 16 of the last 17 national champions have ranked among the top 20 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. Michigan, with offensive # 18 and No. 3 defense, is one of eight teams of the season at this level.

But if wolverines, to receive 2 or 3 seeds on Sunday selection, they want to reverse the trend of last month.

This week's Big Ten tournament may be the last chance to do it.

"At the beginning of the year, we played well," said Teske. We are trying to get back to that. I see it in practice. I know what we can do when we shoot down, we get out of the transition, run and get stops. I see him every day in training and we also have to reverse the situation in the games. "

Contact Orion Sang at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Learn more about the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.