ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Nimari Burnett made a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, lifting No. 15 Michigan to an 84-82 win over Rutgers on Thursday night and into a first-place tie in the Big Ten with rival Michigan State.

The Wolverines (22-6, 14-3 Big Ten) rallied after trailing by 12 in the second half.

The Scarlet Knights (14-15, 7-11) went ahead with 12.2 seconds left when Tyson Acuff made two free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer, but they couldn’t make one last stop.

Rutgers, which led by 13 in a 106-point first half, was ahead 74-62 midway through the second.

Michigan went on a 14-2 run to tie it with 4:33 left and made enough shots and stops to win.

Vladislav Goldin had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Burnett finished with 20 points, Will Tschetter scored 16 and Danny Wolf added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines.

Rutgers freshman Lathan Sommerville scored 10 of his season-high 17 points in the second half when the highly touted players in his class, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, cooled off. Harper finished with 17 points and Bailey had 13 after both scored 11 in the first half, helping their team score 57 points in 20 minutes.

Takeaways

Rutgers: Steve Pikiell has his highest-scoring team in nine seasons at the school, but the Scarlet Knights are not playing the type of defense they usually have under their coach.

Michigan: The Wolverines made just five shots beyond the arc for the third straight game, attempting 20-plus each time.

Key moment

Burnett’s 3-pointer from deep on the left wing won the game just before time expired.

Key stat

Rutgers shot 68% in the first half.

Up next

Michigan hosts Illinois on Sunday, and Rutgers visits No. 20 Purdue on Tuesday night.

 

DETROIT (AP) The Detroit Lions came up with a marketing slogan for the playoffs.

We want more.

Those three words were put on a bus that toured the state, visiting fans from the Motor City to the tip of the lower peninsula. They were also printed on blue on white towels for fans to twirl at Ford Field.

But Detroit got less than it wanted and took a step back from last year's postseason run.

The Lions entered the divisional round as Super Bowl favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, and exited with a 45-31 loss to sixth-seeded Washington on Saturday night in front of a stunned and saddened crowd.

When you have goals and you have standards for yourself and I mean that for us as a team, collectively and you fail to reach those, man, it hurts, coach Dan Campbell said Monday. But, ultimately, man, we failed.

"We failed in that game.

The Commanders controlled Detroit's finale, with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels having his way with a short-handed defense and rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil intercepting two of Jared Goffs passes while his teammates combined for three more takeaways.

Its a humbling sport, said Goff, who was selected to start in the Pro Bowl. We were on the top of the world after that Minnesota game.

Detroit beat the Vikings in the regular-season finale for its franchise-record 15th victory and won consecutive division titles for the first time, potentially giving the team an unprecedented two postseason games at home as it tried to finally make it to the Super Bowl.

A year after losing a 17-point lead at San Francisco in the NFC championship game, the Lions didn't make it that far, having one of their worst games of a record-breaking season.

We just didnt have the momentum, and it's a game of momentum, linebacker Alex Anzalone said. When things arent going your way and youre in adversity situations, its sometimes hard to overcome them.

Building blocks

The Lions have four All-Pro players right tackle Penei Sewell, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, safety Kerby Joseph and punter Jack Fox along with a pair of second-team All-Pros center Frank Ragnow and punt returner Kalif Raymond signed through at least next season.

Detroit also has many key players under contract for at least two more seasons: Goff, running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, tight end Sam LaPorta, offensive linemen Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow, defensive tackle Alim McNeill, linebacker Jack Campbell, safety Brian Branch and cornerback Terrion Arnold.

Weve got players in every pivotal position you can ask for to have success, Campbell said. "Those guys are made the right way, so absolutely, our (Super Bowl) window is open.

On the move

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson agreed to become Chicagos head coach on Monday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract was being finalized.

Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn might be the next to go.

I would expect to lose both, but I havent been told anything. I've got a feeling," Campbell said Monday morning before news broke of Johnson's departure. Im prepared to lose both.

Detroit also will have to decide whether to sign some key players such as guard Kevin Zeitler and cornerback Carlton Davis or to let them leave as unrestricted free agents.

Banged up

Detroit's roster was decimated by injuries throughout the season, including on the second defensive snap Saturday night when cornerback Amik Robertson left the game in tears with a broken arm.

The Lions ended the season with 16 players on injured reserve, including Aidan Hutchinson, who had 7 1/2 sacks in five games before breaking his leg in two places.

This year it almost seemed like it didnt go our way and didnt necessarily deserve it, Anzalone said. Youre just kind of numb to it to a certain extent.

Hungry Lions

The season-ending loss, with Washington players and coaches celebrating on Detroit's home turf, will provide a source of motivation during the offseason.

When you have the right guys and youre made the right way, failure only makes you stronger, Campbell said.

Tough sledding

The Lions will have a hard time matching the undefeated road record they had during the 2024 season.

Detroit plays at Kansas City, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati in addition to NFC North teams next season.

Next steps

Replacing Johnson and possibly Glenn, too will be a top priority.

Theyre one of the major reasons why weve been able to get to where weve been, Campbell said. We came out of the dump and got to where were at.

"I will forever be grateful for those guys and our team will. Is it a loss? Absolutely, its a loss, but yet, man, we move forward, this train rolls on and Ill find the next best guys for us.

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AP Sports Writers Andrew Seligman and Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

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Follow Larry Lage at

https://apnews.com/author/larry-lage

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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Frankie Fidler had a season-high 18 points and Jaden Akins scored 16, leading No. 12 Michigan State to a 90-85 victory over Penn State on Wednesday night.

The Spartans (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten) have won 10 straight for the first time since the 2018-19 season, the most recent of their eight teams to reach the Final Four under Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo.

The Nittany Lions (12-6, 2-5) have lost four in a row, including three straight to AP Top 25 teams.

Penn State had one key player return from injury but lost another one.

Ace Baldwin Jr. had 20 points and played in all 40 minutes without sitting down during timeouts after missing a game with a back injury. Puff Johnson, who was coming off a 15-point performance, injured his right hand in the first half and didn’t return.

Takeaways

Penn State: Playing three straight top-15 teams has tested the Nittany Lions, who were coming off an encouraging one-point defeat against then-No. 15 Oregon and a humbling 91-52 loss at then-No. 13 Illinois.

Michigan State: Izzo’s 30th team wasn’t ranked in the first five AP Top 25 polls this season, but has raised expectations. The Spartans have doubled their longest winning streak from last season when they had 19 victories and narrowly extended their NCAA Tournament streak to 24.

Key moment

After Penn State pulled within four, Akins converted a three-point play with 29.7 seconds left.

Key stat

The Spartans had 10 players with points in the first half to help them lead 46-36. Eight players finished with at least seven points.

Up next

Michigan State plays No. 19 Illinois on Sunday afternoon in one of the top games in college basketball this week. Penn State hosts Rutgers on Monday night.