Head coach John Beilein said that
while fans enjoy checking the
national polls, he wanted his team to
not focus on the rankings, but rather
on making improvements every day.
photo by lon horwedel
the
Gauntlet
U-M Goes From
No. 1 To Numb In Tough Stretch
M
By John Borton
ichigan���s Crisler Center rededication game
against Penn State
Feb.�� 17 was supposed
to come as a sigh of relief, a smiles-filled exhale rout after
an incredibly tough stretch of games.
Nobody laughed when the Nittany Lions ��� 0-13 in the Big Ten
��� led by eight in the first half, or
played U���M to a 32-all standoff at
intermission. The former Wolverine
greats in attendance, including Glen
Rice, might have been tempted to
suit up to help the cause.
But in some ways, the struggle
seemed fitting. Nothing came easily
in the latter part of Michigan���s Big
Ten gauntlet, featuring road trips
to Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and
Michigan State in a three-week span.
Michigan (22-4, 9-4 Big Ten) didn���t
play themselves out of the confer-