The Wolverine

May 2017 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MAY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 41 "I just didn't feel like they would beat Kansas," McCormick acknowl- edged. "I thought Kansas was not un- stoppable, but the way Oregon put them in their place, I just all of a sud- den, as a fan that wants Michigan to do well, thought, wow — this team was that close to going to the Final Four. "And who knows? The matchup may have been different, and Michigan may have struggled against Kansas. But when you look at the layers of the NCAA Tournament, and look at the matchups and final scores … if Derrick Walton's shot goes in, does that mean Michigan is in the Final Four? It's fun to speculate." It's also fun for Michigan fans to sa- vor the turnaround from what seemed like a lost season, at one point. McCor- mick gauged it as Beilein's second-best coaching job in his Michigan tenure. "The Sweet 16 is good," McCormick said. "This team was more improbable than the Elite Eight team. But getting to the national championship game — that's got to be his best." The Wolverines will hang a banner next fall in Crisler Center. That in itself makes the season a rousing success, he assured. "The Big Ten championship is the biggest thing to me," McCormick said. "Your excellence within your confer- ence is huge. I'm such a big fan of the way the Big Ten is, year in and year out. The coaching is as good as it is in any conference. "To put a banner up in your arena is significant. It's only the second Big Ten Tournament title [for Michigan]." Mission accomplished there. As far as a tough tourney ouster, the Wolver- ines have plenty of company. "In the NCAA, there's only one team that wins their final game, two if you count the NIT," McCormick said. "I don't think you measure your team's ultimate success on if you win a na- tional championship. "Those are generational teams, mo- ments you can't really base success on. There are some programs that can do that, but 99 percent, you want your team to get better and bring pride to your fan base and your school. "This team was certainly successful, and will leave a legacy of excellence and memories for all Michigan basket- ball fans." And given the depth of meaning it added to the phrase survive and advance, it truly did become unforgettable. ❏ Miscellaneous Notes • The Wolverines set a program record for three-pointers in an NCAA Tour- nament game during the showdown against Oklahoma State, tossing in 16. The 16 threes tied a Big Ten record for most triples in a Big Dance contest. • Sophomore center Moritz Wagner's 26 points in Michigan's 73-69 win over Louisville March 19 represented a career high. • The Wolverines eclipsed the school record for three-pointers in a single season, winding up with 361. The previous record was 342, set by the 2015-16 Michigan squad. In fact, all of the top five U-M seasons for three-pointers made have been accomplished under head coach John Beilein. — John Borton Michigan's Top Coaching Winners One significant milestone almost got lost in the shuffle of the Wolverines' scramble to the Big Ten Tournament title and Sweet 16. John Beilein became the winningest coach ever to guide Michigan men's basketball teams. Beilein's 215 victories allowed him to sur- pass Johnny Orr (209) atop the school's wins list. Here is a look at the reordered top five, along with their other accomplishments: John Beilein (2007-present) — 215 wins, seven NCAA Tournaments, one NCAA cham- pionship game appearance, two Elite Eight efforts, three Sweet 16 runs, two Big Ten reg- ular-season championships and one Big Ten Tournament championship in 10 seasons. Johnny Orr (1968-80) — 209 wins, four NCAA Tournaments, one NCAA champi- onship game appearance, three regional finals and two Big Ten championships in 12 seasons. Bill Frieder (1980-89) — 191 wins, four NCAA Tournaments, one Sweet 16 and two Big Ten championships in nine seasons. Steve Fisher (1989-97) — 184 wins (108 after sanctions), seven NCAA Tourna- ments, one national championship, three NCAA title games (one after sanctions), four Elite Eights (two after sanctions), four Sweet 16s (two after sanctions) and no Big Ten championships in nine seasons. Tommy Amaker (1997-2007) — 109 wins, no NCAA Tournament appearances, no Big Ten championships in six seasons. The 2016-17 campaign might have been one of Beilein's most satisfying, ultimately, given the late-season circumstances and run. During Michigan's run to the Sweet 16, redshirt sophomore forward D.J. Wilson didn't hesitate when asked if he'd ever seen his coach smile as much as he did at tournament time. "Never," Wilson said. "I've never seen Coach B be this happy before. Maybe it's just because the last couple of years, we haven't been winning like we are now. Winning has a lot to do with it." Beilein also produced the much-publicized Super Soaker following Michigan's vic- tory over Louisville, spraying his players in a wild postgame celebration. "It surprised me when he said he bought it the night before we won," Wilson said. "I never thought I'd see him coming in with a Super Soaker, soaking all of us." There were plenty of surprises to go around in the final few weeks of Michigan's basketball season. Some were scary, but most uplifting and forever memorable. — John Borton In 10 years at U-M, John Beilein has gone 215-135 overall (.614 winning percentage) and led his squad to seven NCAA Tournament bids. Counting the First Four win during the 2016 NCAA Tournament, six of his NCAA teams have won at least one game in the Big Dance. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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