The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2022 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2017 — John Beilein's Wolverines halted a two-game skid in Big Ten play by thrashing Michi- gan State 86-57 in Crisler Center Feb. 7. Guard Derrick Walton led the way, pouring in 20 points with eight assists and five rebounds in the rout. In so doing, Walton put himself in exclusive company among Michigan players posting at least 1,000 career points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists. Gary Grant and Jalen Rose are the others. Walton enjoyed plenty of help in torching the Spartans, Moe Wagner scoring 19, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman 16 and Duncan Robinson 10. The Wolverines shot 60 percent from the field in the victory, scoring 30 points off 21 MSU turnovers. The Spartans turned the ball over a dozen times in the first half alone. Those helped Michigan break a 23-19 game wide open with a 12-0 run, including a pair of Walton three-point shots. U-M then closed the half on a 14-2 run, cruising into halftime up 55-29. Michigan State never clawed closer than down 21 in the second half. The Spartans had won five straight against the Wolverines, but that streak found itself torched by Michi- gan's hot hand. "Usually we're fighting back," MSU freshman guard Cassius Winston noted. "They punched us in the mouth, and we almost laid down, in a way." "It started out bad and got worse," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo observed. "When it starts out bad, it usually fin- ishes bad. Our freshmen, they looked like a bunch of fresh- men against a bunch of juniors and seniors. Give them credit — they had a purpose." 10 YEARS AGO, 2012 — Michigan basketball pulled off a huge 56-51 home victory over No. 6 Ohio State at Crisler Center on Feb. 18, 2012. The Wolverines never trailed, pushing their record to 15-0 at home during the 2011-12 campaign. U-M clung to a three-point advantage with just two minutes to play, before freshman guard Trey Burke drove for a layup to put Michi- gan up by five. The Buckeyes answered with a pair of free throws, but Burke again scored, connecting on a jump shot with only nine seconds remaining, sealing OSU's fate. Big man Jordan Morgan's double-dou- ble (11 points, 11 rebounds) boosted the Wolverines in the win. But Burke paced the scoring column, tossing in 17 with five assists. U-M led at the half, 25-20, and increased that edge to 35-25 at the 14:40 mark of the final 20 minutes. The Buckeyes slashed the margin to 42-38, before the drama played out over the closing mo- ments. "I don't think there's been any bigger wins than this one," Michigan's Zack No- vak noted. Head coach John Beilein added: "It wasn't just a rivalry game — it was play- ing for and contending for a Big Ten championship kind of game." 25 YEARS AGO, 1997 — Michigan blasted Michigan State at Crisler on Feb. 1, 1997, logging an 85-65 win over the Spartans. The Wolverines played MSU at Michigan State just a week earlier and also won (85-62), but that one didn't count in the Big Ten standings. The schools agreed to play twice in the season, after the ad- dition of Penn State to the league created a schedule in which U-M and MSU were originally slated to meet just once. The second meeting, at Crisler, did count in the conference standings. Michigan left no doubt, burying the Spartans by 20 points. MSU went on to play in the NIT that season, while the Wolverines wound up NIT champions. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY In a 20-point, eight-assist and five-rebound effort against rival Michigan State on Feb. 7, 2017, guard Derrick Walton became the third player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in his career. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN