The Wolverine

March 2017 Recruiting Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/787035

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 99 of 115

100 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 M ichigan's emphatic 75‑63 road win at Indiana proved huge for the Wolverines on a number of levels, both immediately and historically. The victory marked the first true road win of the year for John Beilein's squad, one of several it might need down the stretch to make the NCAA Tournament. It squared Michigan's Big Ten record at 6‑6, with six confer‑ ence games remaining — Wisconsin, at Minnesota, at Rutgers, Purdue, at Northwestern and at Nebraska. The Wolverines obviously need to steal a road win, or two, the rest of the way to finish .500 in the confer‑ ence, a mark that some believe will get them serious consideration for the Big Dance. "It's a great win for our guys to‑ day," Beilein said afterward. "I can't say enough for how they came in and played with such enthusiasm and such conviction to win this game. This has been a hard place to win for every team who has ever played in the Big Ten. "You'd like to get the win, so we can all stop talking about it. That's a big thing. But in reality, we're not even talking about it [first road win] if we throw one in against Iowa. We're talking about one play here or there. But it was big for us to get these wins, against Indiana and against Michigan State." On the historical side, there are a few bullet points following a win at Assembly Hall. • The regular‑season sweep of the Hoosiers marks Michigan's first since the 1994‑95 season. • It represented Michigan's first victory at Assembly Hall since 2009, a 72‑66 win in overtime. It also marked only the second triumph by the Wolverines at Indiana in their past 19 tries. • It ran Michigan's winning streak over Indiana to three games, follow‑ ing last year 's victory against the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The Wolverines have beaten the Hoosiers in three straight games just two other times (in 1994‑95 and 1985‑86) since the mid‑1960s. For once, Assembly Hall did not seem like the daunting venue it has been in the past, seemingly forever. Part of that has to do with an Indi‑ ana team that dropped to 5‑8 in the conference, and Michigan doing its part to maintain a double‑digit lead through much of the game. "Only because we were winning," Beilein responded, when asked if he sensed the intensity of the crowd was different this time around. "I knew if they went on a run, it would be as loud as ever. We told our kids, we've been in some great venues to play — Wisconsin, Mich‑ igan State, UCLA, South Carolina. Those are really tough places to win, and we didn't win there, but the kids have felt that vibe. "We kept them quiet. I didn't sense any lack of enthusiasm." He certainly didn't sense any lack of enthusiasm in his own locker room after a road win that kept Michigan's overall dreams very much alive. BIG TEN GETS NO RESPECT IN NCAA RELEASE The NCAA took the unprece‑ dented step of providing college bas‑ ketball fans a peek behind the seed‑ ing curtain early this year. The Big Ten probably wishes it would have picked a different season to deliver the early look. On its first‑ever March Madness bracket preview show Feb. 11 on CBS, the NCAA put Villanova as the overall No. 1 seed in the nation, fol‑ lowed by Kansas, Baylor and Gon‑ zaga. A dozen other teams followed, filling out a fantasy Sweet 16, and not one Big Ten crew appeared among them. Asked about the Big Ten not get‑ ting a single entry into those top 16, Michigan head coach John Beilein acknowledged he's not seeing other teams nationally at this point, but expressed confidence in the overall strength of the league. "I don't pay enough attention to the other teams," Beilein said. "I think the Big Ten will end up do‑ ing their work in the NCAA Tourna‑ ment. We had such a great season last year, as a league, and people thought this league is down this year. "We are not down. We're stronger, top to bottom. Teams like Maryland, Wisconsin and Purdue … those types of teams can go a long way in the NCAA Tournament. We'll answer that question in March."   MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Road Win At Indiana Delivers Rare Series Sweep Sophomore forward Moritz Wagner helped the Wolverines notch their first regular-season sweep versus Indiana since 1994-95, notching a 90-60 blowout in Crisler Center Jan. 26 before running over the Hoosiers in a 75-63 win at Bloomington Feb. 12. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - March 2017 Recruiting Issue