The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1051817
DECEMBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 13 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2013: Michi- gan held off Stanford 68-65 in a bas- ketball showdown at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn Dec. 21. A pair of U-M sophomores, Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III, led the way with 19 and 17 points, respectively. The Cardinal had cut Michigan's 10-point margin down to one in the closing seconds, before fouling Stauskas with 7.8 seconds remain- ing. Stauskas hit both free throws, and Stanford's Chasson Randle (18 points) couldn't connect on a last- ditch three-point attempt. Michigan thus captured the Brook- lyn Hoops Holiday Invitational showdown, boosted by 12 points on four three-pointers from freshman Zak Irvin. U-M led 30-27 at the half and built the lead through the second half prior to the final-moments scare. "I thought [Michigan] played a heck of a game and with our group, we had moments and we just couldn't ever make it over the hump," Stan- ford head coach Johnny Dawkins said. Michigan head coach John Beilein looked forward to celebrating in the days after the win. "It would have been a difficult holi- day season here if we had not won this game," he said. 10 YEARS AGO, 2008: Michigan pulled off a stunning upset at Crisler Arena, knocking off No. 4 Duke 81-73 Dec. 6. U-M hadn't taken down the Blue Devils since 1997, when it beat Duke by the identical score at Crisler. Junior DeShawn Sims paced the win for the Wolverines, tossing in a career-high 28 points and tying his best effort ever with 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Zack Novak estab- lished an early career high with 14 points, making good on four three- pointers. Michigan shot a blistering 55.6 per- cent from the field (15 of 27) in the second half to take down the Blue Devils. Novak's back-to-back three- pointers put the Wolverines on top 56-53, and U-M never trailed over the game's final seven minutes. "I'm at a little bit of a loss for words," Michigan head coach John Beilein noted. "That was a great at- mosphere, wasn't it?" "I still think it's a rebuilding year," Sims cautioned. "Even though we've had two big wins, we've also lost two games. It definitely says we're execut- ing what Coach wants us to do on both ends of the court." 25 YEARS AGO, 1993: Defensive tackle Buster Stanley earned Michi- gan's Most Valuable Player award at U-M's 1993 Football Bust. Stanley proved a key part of a defense that helped the Wolverines overcome early losses and finish with four straight wins in an 8-4 season. Stanley was among several players singled out for special honors in a year highlighted by Michigan's 28-0 win over No. 5 Ohio State at the end of the season. Fiery leader Walter Smith garnered the Robert P. Ufer Award, given on the basis of enthusiasm and love for Michigan. Stanley also captured the Richard Katcher Award as Michigan's best defensive lineman. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Sophomore guard Nik Stauskas led the way with 19 points in a 68-65 win over Stanford Dec. 21, 2013, in Brooklyn. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN