The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/111015
Roundhouse Right Of Reality Michigan had lost 14 of the last 15 in Assembly Hall, but Beilein waved off all those numbers beforehand. He and these players weren���t around for most of that, he assured. The Wolverines just needed to win this night. There���s a reason Indiana almost never loses at home. The Hoosiers traditionally send out a tough lineup. Back that with one of the wildest home crowds in the nation ��� especially in a No. 1 versus No. 3, ESPN GameDay setting ��� and few come away unaffected. The Hoosiers proved simply overwhelming early, hitting 5 of 10 firsthalf three-pointers, taking advantage of a Michigan offense struggling to rise to the setting, and racing off to a 15-point lead in the opening moment. The game felt eerily like the Wolverines��� first loss of the season, an opponent overwhelming them from the opening tip. Just like at Ohio State, Michigan rallied to tie the game, but in the end saw the Hoosiers escape down the stretch. Burke���s 25 points and eight assists weren���t enough, even when combined with Hardaway���s 18 points. The Wolverines connected on just 7��of��23 three pointers and went just 6��of��7 from the free throw line, while Indiana paraded to the line for a 22���of���25 performance, closing U���M out with 15 straight makes. No, Bob Knight wasn���t there to heave a chair across the hardwood. Nevertheless, the Wolverines ab- sorbed an early disassembly at Assembly Hall, and wound up sitting where so many visitors have sat ��� in the locker room of the vanquished. ���We did not show great discipline a few times and, as a result, all of a sudden you get buried,��� Beilein offered. ���There were some d��j�� vu moments from the Ohio game. ���We learn from it again. This is a young team. These environments are tremendous opportunities for them to grow. That���s our only message. We���ll grow from it ��� but we���ve got to get back off the deck, real quick.��� Survival At Home Ohio State wanted nothing more than to come into Crisler Center Feb.�� 5 and deck the Wolverines again. Had it not been for the game of the year by junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr., the Buckeyes would have done it. Hardaway simply refused to let the Wolverines lose in a 76-74 overtime win against the Buckeyes. He nailed three-pointer after three-pointer to keep Michigan in the game, finishing 6 of 9 from long range with a gamehigh 23 points. When the Buckeyes still enjoyed a final scramble down the court with a chance to tie, Hardaway rose up to block guard Aaron Craft���s final attempt at forcing a second overtime. Burke had already blocked a late Craft shot, after ringing up 16 points and eight assists, and it took all of what the Wolverines had to give just to hold off the Buckeyes. ���We didn���t have many answers at that time, but those five [three-point-