The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/970722
MAY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 23 NCAA Tournament season, and it looked as though they were going to be in a dogfight for 40 minutes in running out to a 21-14 lead. Instead, they managed only 10 good minutes offensively, the way they did against Loyola. "We didn't play in some areas well, and we didn't make some shots that we usually make," Beilein said. "But we've got to give a lot of credit to Villanova, [head coach] Jay Wright and his whole staff. In one day, they did a great job of getting ready for us. "We needed to play better, but even if we had played our best, it would have been very difficult to win that game with what DiVincenzo did. It was an incredible performance. S o m e t i m e s t h o s e i n d i v i d u a l performances just beat you, and you take off your hat and say, 'Good game. We played you the best we could, and tonight you were better than us.'" Their best on this night, though, wasn't close to their ceiling. It would have been nice to see the team that dominated the Big Ten Tournament on the final night of the college basketball season, but for whatever reason they only showed it against Texas A&M. It wasn't meant to be, the only disappointing part of an incredible season. Like he did with his 2011-12 Big Ten co-championship squad, led by 6-3 Zack Novak at power forward, Beilein got the most out of his squad on and off the court. Their warm-up shirts printed with "Do More — Say Less," on the front was their slogan, and they lived it. The players came up with the saying themselves, Beilein noted with some pride in his voice, and they made him and the fan base proud every day. Michigan director of athletics Warde Manuel spoke of looking a t B e i l e i n ' s c o n t r a c t , p e rh a p s an extension, and it would be warranted. It's only a matter of how long he wants to coach. But four Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights, two Final Fours and two national title games in six years have earned him and his program national acclaim, and when he does stop to appreciate what he's accomplished — something he hasn't often been able to do in the moment, he admitted — he'll have a lot of incredible memories to enjoy. ❏ U-M's Best Of The NCAA Tournament There were too many great memories to list from Michigan's incredible postseason run, both on and off the court. Here are some, though, that stood out while covering the Wolverines from Wichita, Kan., to Los Angeles to San Antonio: Best Individual Performance: Hands down, it's junior forward Moritz Wagner against Loyola Chicago in the Final Four. Wagner was the biggest guy on the court and a mismatch, and he played like it while becoming only the third player in a Final Four game to rack up at least 20 points and 15 rebounds, finishing with 24 and 15. The other two? Indiana State's Larry Bird and Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon in 1979 and 1983, respectively. "He's a special kid," Michigan head coach John Beilein said of Wagner after the win. "I've been coaching a long time, and he's going to go in a special category with a few other guys who are probably wondering who they are." Wagner even got an "I see you" tweet from Dallas Mavericks standout and fellow German Dirk Nowitzki. "That made my day," Wagner said. "I looked it up right away. That was pretty special, because he's the G.O.A.T. for us [Germans]." Best Quote: Beilein before the title game with Villanova, when asked if winning a national championship would change how he looked at his career. "It really would not," he said on Easter Sunday. "Others may, but I don't think [my wife] Kathleen and I would look at it any different. "… Some day you're going to say, 'I gave it everything I had,' and if I'm falling into my grave, that's okay too … but you just do everything you can to be the best coach, the best mentor, the best teacher, the best husband, the [best] grandfather, [the best] father every day, and you go do it again. And that's all I want to be." Best Postgame Moment: Loyola Chicago's 98-year- old nun, Sister Jean Dolo- res Schmidt, stole the show throughout the NCAA Tour- nament, but Michigan sent her and her team home with a 12-point win in the Final Four. Michigan fresh- man shooting guard Jordan Poole played well in the win, but had kind words in meet- ing her after the game. "I'm a big fan of you guys," Poole said while shaking her hand on his way to the inter- view room. Sister Jean had traveled with the Ramblers and re- ceived an incredible amount of media attention for her basketball knowledge and enthusiasm. "She had their back the entire time," Poole said. "Ev- erybody talks about them being the Cinderella story, and she was getting a lot of attention. But being able to build a fan base how she did and being able to have Loyola have so many fans out here and travel well … I just thought the entire concept and everything that she brought to the table, and being able to have such a big impact on the team, being in a situation like this, I thought it was amazing. "The kids don't really get to live in opportunities like this, so having those guys being able to do it and her being behind their back, I thought that was pretty cool." — Chris Balas A tweet that captured freshman guard Jordan Poole stopping to shake the hand of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, Loyola Chicago's 98-year- old nun, was retweeted more than 2,300 times and liked by nearly 9,400 users. PHOTO BY SAMUEL MOUSIGIAN