The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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never know. That's why they call it March Madness." Even in the wake of the secondround disappointment in Chicago, freshman forward Mitch McGary sounded ready for the next step. "We've got new life," he said. "We're going to the NCAA Tournament. We don't care what our rank is or anything. We're going to go out there and bounce back. We're going to go out there with all we can and give our best." Through five months of basketball, nothing much really changed. The Wolverines began the season with high hopes and entered the seasonending college basketball showcase in precisely the same fashion. Highlights And Heartbreak Beilein's crew began practice in mid-October considered one of the best teams in the nation — just not the best in its own conference. Such a scenario played out in a manner buttressing the résumés of prognosticators nationwide. Michigan made everybody's preseason top 20, from the lofty No. 5 ranking by the Associated Press to No. 18 in the USA Today coaches' poll. Among the magazines, Lindy's pegged them at No. 3 nationally and Athlon Sports at No. 6. Those plaudits all arrived with a bracing disclaimer. Yes, Michigan ranked highly in the nation, but so did a handful of teams in the best conference in the country. In every one of them, Indiana ranked higher. The Hoosiers topped the nation in Sophomore point guard Trey Burke was named the National Player of the Year and a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated. photo by per kjeldsen