Harris tossed for flagrant foul as Michigan falls to Purdue

It was the elbow heard around the Big Ten. In one careless split-second act, Michigan guard Manny Harris didn't just floor Purdue's Chris Kramer; the Wolverine star sent his own team crashing to the ground. A flagrant foul for an elbow to the face dramatically changed the course of Saturday afternoon's ballgame in Mackey Arena, leading the home standing Boilermakers to a 67-49 win over the Maize and Blue.

Before Harris's elbow, Michigan wasn't exactly setting the world on fire from the field, Harris very much included. Nevertheless, the presence of Harris on the floor gave the Wolverines defensive length and steady ball handling against the tough-minded Boilermakers. Without playing great offense, Michigan still made Purdue work for every basket and every rebound. Coughing up few turnovers while maintaining good floor balance, the Wolverines didn't concede the cheap baskets that would have meant certain death in the hostile territory of West Lafayette. As a result, the visitors--already lacking guard Zack Novak due to a one-game suspension--were still able to carry 26-25 lead to the locker room at halftime. Manny Harris might not have been filling the stat sheet, but Coach John Beilein's most reliable man was still doing the "glue guy" kinds of things that keep a basketball team competitive in a daunting road environment.
 
But when Harris decked Kramer with a high elbow, a sharp blow that drew blood with 18:28 left in the second half, the calculus of this contest changed on a dime.

Purdue roused by the incident, amped up its level of intensity for one thing. But as much as intensity matters, matchups carry even more weight in big-time athletic competitions, and when Harris left the floor, a depleted Michigan backcourt became easy prey for Purdue's defense, which generally doesn't need much help to begin with. Kramer returned to the action with a face mask, and--in tandem with fellow guard E'Twaun Moore--promptly resumed hounding UM ball handlers into turnovers. The surge in the home team's confidence coincided with pure panic from the Wolverines, and before very long, Matt Painter's club--who led by one, 35-34, with 14:22 remaining in regulation--popped off a 19-2 run for a 54-36 bulge with 8:09 left. The damage caused by one wayward elbow transcended the bruises on Chris Kramer's face. When Manny Harris lost control of his body, Michigan saw its hopes of a road win disintegrate.
 
For Michigan, now saddled with a 4-6 league mark, the month of February has to deliver a quality win and, at the very least, a return to the .500 mark in the conference. For Purdue, its full steam ahead, as the Big Ten's second-best team will spend the next month trying to catch and pass Michigan State. A few weeks ago, one couldn't have counted on a Wolverine slide or a Boilermaker breakthrough, but after the elbow head 'round the Big Ten, it's clearer than ever that these two programs--so different in early January--have dramatically changed course as this season has progressed. While Purdue hopes to stay the course, Michigan can only hope that a second reversal of fortune awaits... without any careless elbows from Manny Harris.

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