The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
84 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 F irst-place Michigan lost to last- place Penn State Feb. 12 in Happy Valley, Pa. — and that was the second most stunning thing that happened at the Bryce Jordan Center that night. U-M head coach John Beilein was ejected at halftime after receiving two technical fouls, purportedly for argu- ing calls. One in particular stood out. PSU went into halftime with a 40-27 lead after junior point guard Zavier Simp- son was laid out by what looked like a shoulder to the chest, a pick that led to a bucket just before time expired. "The first technical was very, very surprising to me," Beilein said. "It was a very casual conversation." Beilein made his beef known, but he made it clear later he wasn't try- ing to get thrown out of the game. Some implied he was trying to get his team fired up by getting tossed; in reality, he was miserable watching the game from the locker room. "It wasn't a 'Hoosiers' [the movie] toss me deal," he said. "It blew up so fast that it was over before I could even do anything about it. "If I receive a technical, I want to know why right away, and probably my mother's Irish side comes out of me a little bit. I try to avoid getting a technical like the plague. "I've got to be better than that. I've got to be better with officials. I pride myself in doing that, but I wasn't." Beilein said he didn't expect it to happen again anytime soon, noting it had been since 1981 that he'd been tossed. "I hope it never happens again," he said. "I don't think it ever will. It should never happen again." Beilein said he'd exchanged sev- eral calls and texts with Rick Boy- ages, the league's associate commis- sioner, to give his account of what happened. He refused to say what the commissioner said to him, but he clearly made his point. Beilein received support from both friends and foes alike. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, known for his animated discussions with officials (and who has never been tossed from a game in his 24 years), came to Beilein's defense. "That surprises me," Izzo told re- porters of the ejection. "I feel bad for him. I think coaches have got to know officials, and officials have got to know coaches. "Probably a guy like John, if he was complaining there was probably a good reason. And usually if there's a good reason, an official will take a little more than if there wasn't a good reason … I'd have to stick up for John that he's shown over 40 years that's not how he reacts." Michigan assistant Saddi Washing- ton, who took over in the second half of the loss, said Beilein deserved more latitude given his reputation as one of the saner coaches on the sidelines. "At the end of the day, we are out here to compete," he said. "There are a lot of plays we can look back on to say what determined the outcome, but certainly I think Coach Beilein had built up enough equity in this league and across the country that he's able to share his opinion and everybody move on." — Chris Balas FRESHMAN DUO IS TAKING SMALL STEPS FORWARD Freshmen Brandon Johns Jr. and David DeJulius combined to play just 133 minutes during U-M's first 26 games. However, the rookie duo is coming along. Playing against some of the best big men in the country, Johns is slowly progressing towards becom- ing an effective contributor, but he is moving forward. "For me, I literally think of baby steps," Johns said. "It's coming along, but it feels like it's coming along a little slower than I wanted it to. "Obviously, it's different for every person — but it's starting to come along a little bit better. I'm starting to understand it a lot more." U-M head coach John Beilein also said that Johns is making incremental improvement. MICHIGAN BASKETBALL John Beilein Ejection Was A Rare Occurrence Beilein noted that his ejection at Penn State Feb. 12 was the first time that had hap- pened to him in 38 years. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN 2018-19 MICHIGAN MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Nov. 2 Northwood^ W, 90-58 Nov. 6 Norfolk State* W, 63-44 Nov. 10 Holy Cross* W, 56-37 Nov. 14 at Villanova% W, 73-46 Nov. 17 vs. George Washington# W, 84-61 Nov. 18 vs. Providence# W, 66-47 Nov. 23 Chattanooga W, 83-55 Nov. 28 North Carolina& W, 84-67 Dec. 1 Purdue! W, 76-57 Dec. 4 at Northwestern! W, 62-60 Dec. 8 South Carolina W, 89-78 Dec. 15 Western Michigan W, 70-62 Dec. 22 Air Force W, 71-50 Dec. 30 Binghamton W, 74-52 Jan. 3 Penn State! W, 68-55 Jan. 6 Indiana! W, 74-63 Jan. 10 at Illinois! W, 79-69 Jan. 13 Northwestern! W, 80-60 Jan. 19 at Wisconsin! L, 64-54 Jan. 22 Minnesota! W, 59-57 Jan. 25 at Indiana! W, 69-46 Jan. 29 Ohio State! W, 65-49 Feb. 1 at Iowa! L, 74-59 Feb. 5 at Rutgers! W, 77-65 Feb. 9 Wisconsin! W, 61-52 Feb. 12 at Penn State! L, 75-69 Feb. 16 Maryland! W, 65-52 Feb. 21 at Minnesota ! (ESPN) 7 p.m. Feb. 24 Michigan State! (CBS) 3:45 p.m. Feb. 28 Nebraska! (ESPN/ESPN2) 7 p.m. Mar. 3 at Maryland! (CBS) 3:45 p.m. Mar. 9 at Michigan State! (ESPN/ESPN2) TBA Mar. 13-17 Big Ten Tournament$ TBD Mar. 19-Apr. 8 NCAA Tournament TBD ^ Exhibition; * Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame Tipoff Tournament, Campus Round; % Gavitt Tipoff Games; # Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame Tipoff Tournament in Uncasville, Conn.; & ACC/Big Ten Challenge; ! Big Ten Game; $ at Chicago