The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/122487
Sophomore guard Trey Burke scored 24 points in the national championship game versus Louisville, and he and the Wolverines battled right to the end, falling 82-76. photo by adam glanzman/michigan daily that it's a one-man offense or things like that," Burke said. "I practice with these guys every day, and I know what they can do. They showed it tonight." The win set up a date with VCU and its vaunted "havoc" defense, one many predicted would spell doom for the Wolverines. As it turned out, Michigan was the nightmare matchup for VCU. The veteran Beilein put on a clinic against young Shaka Smart's athletic Rams, particularly on how to beat a press and make a team pay for having the audacity to employ it. U-M's guards picked the Rams apart from start to finish, setting up great looks on both ends in a 78-53 blowout win that sent the Wolverines to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1994. Beilein's group put on an exhibition of how the game should be played. The Wolverines broke the press and attacked the last line of defense, pulling out to a 15-point halftime lead with backdoor cuts and strong