The Wolverine

February 2017

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/774666

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 14 of 75

FEBRUARY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 15   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2012: John Beilein's Michigan crew led wire to wire against No. 6 Ohio State at Crisler Center, putting the clamps on the Buckeyes in a 56-51 victory. The No. 17 Wolverines claimed their 20th victory of the season, moving to 10-4 in the Big Ten. Freshman guard Trey Burke scored a pair of key buckets in the final two minutes to help the Wolverines seal the victory, finishing a 17-point, five-assist effort. Redshirt junior for- ward Jordan Morgan boosted Michigan's production overall with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. added 13 points. "This is a very special day for this program," Beilein said. "There are a lot of small victories that come when you are rebuilding a program, and this was one of them." ESPN's "College GameDay" show was on hand for the showdown between long-standing rivals. "I got there at 6, and I was afraid we were only going to have 40 or 50 kids out there, but they were lined up past the football stadium," Beilein said. "It was moving the way our fans embraced this game. "It didn't just feel like a rivalry game — this felt like we were playing for the Big Ten championship." 10 YEARS AGO, 2007: The Wolverines outlasted Michigan State for a 67-56 win at Crisler, getting a game-high 24 points from senior guard Dion Harris to smack down the Spartans. Another senior, cen- ter Courtney Sims, came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 10 rebounds in a strong effort. Michigan built an eight-point lead in the waning moments of the first half, but an MSU surge brought the Spartans within a point. Harris then bombed in a deep three to get the Wolverines into the locker room at intermission up, 32- 28. Senior forward Brent Petway started off the second half with a slam-dunk show, but the Spartans again rallied to within a point, 43-42. Three-pointers by Harris and junior Ron Coleman shoved back, and the Wolverines kept MSU at bay. Tommy Amaker's last Michigan team secured a pride-filled home victory. "We certainly felt we were going to have a lot of energy to play this game tonight," Amaker said. "We thought it was going to be a game of runs and it was. I was really impressed with how we were able to show poise when they made their runs. "We got up by 10, they came right back at us and had an 8-0 run and cut right back into the lead, and their fans in here got them going again. So I was really happy for our kids for fighting that run off. Then we put together our run and we finished the game out in a very first-class manner." 25 YEARS AGO, 1992: Steve Fisher's Wolverines traveled to Notre Dame and knocked off the Irish 74-65 in a game that changed the face of Michigan basketball. For the first time, the Fab Five all started a game together. Veteran guard Michael Talley was out with a suspension, so Fisher subbed Ray Jackson in his place, putting all five fresh- men on the court for the tipoff. It paid off, the Wolverines racing to a 30-13 advantage out of the gate. "It was the best first half we've played in maybe a decade, or at least the last three or four games," Fisher said. "We swung the ball several times, getting Chris Webber or Juwan [Howard] an easy basket." After that, they never looked back on their way to two straight NCAA championship games. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Guard Ray Jackson made his starting debut Feb. 9, 1992 — meaning the Wolverines' opening lineup consisted of the Fab Five class — helping No. 15 Michigan to a 74-65 win over Notre Dame. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - February 2017