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Michigan and coach John Beilein are coming off a 28-9 overall record and a 15-3 mark in the Big Ten.

(Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan's defense of its 2014 Big Ten regular-season title will tip-off on Dec. 30 against Illinois in Ann Arbor.

While the Wolverines have long known their league matchups for next season, the Big Ten released dates for the 2014-15 conference schedule on Thursday night.

Overall, Michigan will face Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State and Rutgers in home-and-home series.

Single-game sets will bring Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin to Ann Arbor, while Michigan will travel to Indiana, Maryland, Penn State and Purdue.

The toughest stretch of U-M's conference season will come deep in the winter. On Jan. 24, Wisconsin, a Final Four participant last season, will come to Crisler Center for a marquee game. That will be followed by a home date against Nebraska on Jan. 27, a road trip to Michigan State on Feb. 1, a home game against Iowa on Feb. 5 and a trip to Indiana on Feb. 8.

That game at Michigan State, by the way, falls on Super Bowl Sunday.

Michigan will host the rival Spartans two weeks later on Feb. 17.

Last season saw the Wolverines have to navigate two brutal stretches in conference play.

Between Jan. 18 and Jan. 25, they knocked off No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 10 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan State in three straight games that changed the dynamics of the season.

Later, between Feb. 8 and Feb. 23, U-M split four games with No. 17 Iowa (loss), No. 22 Ohio State (win), No. 21 Wisconsin (loss) and No. 13 Michigan State (win).

Michigan's non-conference schedule is highlighted by a road game at Arizona, a clear-cut national title contender, and notable home games against Southern Methodist, a likely preseason top-25 team, and Syracuse, a premier matchup in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The Wolverines will also participate in the 2014 Legends Classic. Heading to Brooklyn around Thanksgiving, they'll face Oregon, followed by either Villanova or VCU, at the Barclays Center.

RELATED: Breaking down Michigan basketball's 2014-15 non-conference schedule

Michigan is coming off a 28-9 season that ended in the Elite Eight.

The Wolverines ranked fifth in the country in strength of schedule last year, according to CBS Sports' Jerry Palm. Despite failing to notch a notable win in non-conference play, they managed a solid non-conference SOS ranking of No. 11; the result of a challenging slate heavy on road and neutral court games.



Michigan men's basketball 2014-15 schedule

November 10, WAYNE STATE (Exhibition)

November 15, HILLSDALE COLLEGE

November 17, BUCKNELL (1)

Thursday 20, DETROIT (1)

November 24, vs. OREGON (2)

November vs. VCU or VILLANOVA (2)

November 29, NICHOLLS STATE

December 2, SYRACUSE (3)

December 6, NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (NJIT)

December 9, EASTERN MICHIGAN

December 13, at Arizona

December 20, SMU

December 22, COPPIN STATE

December 30, ILLINOIS

January 3, at Purdue

January 6, at Penn State

January 10, MINNESOTA

January 13, at Ohio State

January 17, NORTHWESTERN

January 20, at Rutgers

January 24, WISCONSIN

January 27, NEBRASKA

February 1, at Michigan State

February 5, IOWA

February 8, at Indiana

February 12, at Illinois

February 17, MICHIGAN STATE

February 22, OHIO STATE

February 28, at Maryland

March 3, NORTHWESTERN

March 7, RUTGERS

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball and football. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com