The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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before the season, and after a hand- ful of games, it appeared his team would have no problem making it five straight trips to the Big Dance. Injuries became a problem, but adversity has been just as big a detri- ment, former Michigan guard and captain David Merritt said. "When the year began, in talking to some of the coaches it seemed like this team was more of a frontrunner team," Merritt said. "They weren't used to adversity. When they were winning they were fine, but when they got down they didn't really know now to put it together and come back." That's changed — dramatically — since December losses to NJIT and Eastern Michigan, in part because freshmen such as Aubrey Dawkins, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Ricky Doyle have grown up quickly. What hasn't changed is Beilein's approach. "We talk with the staff all about that, that we still have that goal to be in position to go to the NCAA Tourna- ment," he said. "We've got to keep working at that, working at that. At the same time, if you saw yesterday's practice, it was about catching the ball on two feet … seeing the post when it's open enough. "Whether it's now, next year or the next year, we have to open our eyes and see some of the opportunities that are out there … if we don't start [fun- damentals] now or continue to do it now, we'll never get there." Because for all its success, Michi- gan still isn't a one-and-done factory. Beilein always envisioned his bet- ter Michigan team would be those comprised of upperclassmen, and he should have several in the next few years. Barring something unforeseen (and again, look at this year — inju- ries happen), the table seems set for some outstanding seasons in the near future. If they fail to make the tournament, it figures to be a one-year aberration, not a program wrecker. "We talk about the importance of culture and foundation, but part of that is how you respond against adversity at times things just don't go right," Merritt said. "This year is so important to the success in future years, to get these guys a lot of play- ing time and especially dealing with adversity. There are going to be some years that it just doesn't work." Ask Kentucky, which became the 20th defending national champion to be left out of the NCAA Tournament field in 2013, or North Carolina, which suffered the same fate in 2010. The former is the one-and-done factory, the latter a perennial power, one that was also left home for the Big Dance in 2002 and 2003. It happens, and it could be Michi- gan's fate this year. Regardless, there are better days to come, and as we've discovered many times over the last few years, never count a Beilein team out. ❏ Chris Balas has been with The Wolverine since 1997, working part time for five years before joining the staff full time in 2002. Contact him at cbalas@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter at Balas_Wolverine.