The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1493247
MARCH 2023 THE WOLVERINE 15 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2018: Freshman guard Jor- dan Poole's buzzer-beating ICBM of a three-pointer made March Madness magic, lifting Michigan to a 64-63 win over Houston on March 17, 2018. Poole hit the deep three from the right side of the court, then wildly dashed around Wichita's Intrust Bank Arena, chased by ecstatic teammates looking to swarm him. The iconic shot sent the Wolverines to the NCAA's Sweet 16, and ultimately the NCAA championship game. Michigan made just 26.7 percent from three-point range on the night (8 of 30), but Poole delivered when the Wolverines faced extinction. The shot also decided a cliffhanger of a contest, in which neither team ever led by more than six points. Coach John Beilein's team went scoreless for a five- minute stretch of the second half, falling behind 51- 46 with less than 10 minutes to play. The Wolverines fought back, Duncan Robinson giving them their first lead of the second half at 55-54 with 4:36 left. The lead changed hands several times down the stretch, but Houston's Devin Davis missed a pair of free throws with his team leading 63-61 and only 3.6 seconds remaining. Cue the Poole party. "I definitely dream of shots like this," said Poole, who saw the floor for only four minutes of the sec- ond half. "I'm the one that when the clock is going down at the end of shoot-around, I'm dribbling the ball and I'm waiting to see if I can make the last shot. Today I did and I missed it. But this last one, I didn't miss. "It's just amazing. I'm kind of speechless. Not a lot of people get to hit this shot. Usually you're on the opposite end of a situation like this, especially in March." Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Moe Wagner led the Wolverines with 12 points each, while Robin- son and Isaiah Livers both scored 11. Poole netted 8, with only one second-half shot — the big one. 10 YEARS AGO, 2013: Trey Burke's bomb from NBA three- point range shocked the world and No. 1-seeded Kansas in Michigan's 87-85 overtime NCAA Tournament victory on March 29, 2013. The clutch bucket by the National Player of the Year tied the score late in regulation, sending the game to overtime. Michi- gan won in the extra session, which lifted the Wolverines to the Elite Eight, and eventually the national title game. Mitch McGary (25 points, 14 rebounds) and Burke (23 points, 10 assists) led the way in The Big Dance battle at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Michigan faced an uphill battle against the Jayhawks, trailing by as many as 14 points. U-M turned it up over the final seven minutes of the second half, outscoring Kansas 23-8. The Jayhawks led by five in the fi- nal 30 seconds, but a Burke layup and his clutch three-pointer with four seconds remaining sent it to overtime. Another Burke triple put the Wolverines ahead in the OT, followed by four points by McGary. Kansas hit one three to slice the lead to two, but a final miss gave U-M one of its best NCAA Tournament wins. "It didn't matter how far that shot was," Burke said of his game-saving three. "It was all or nothing. I had a lot of faith in that shot, and it went in." 25 YEARS AGO: Red Berenson's hockey team took down No. 1 seed North Dakota 4-3 on March 28, 1998, winning the NCAA West Regional and advancing to the Frozen Four. The Fighting Sioux appeared well on their way to defending their 1997 national championship, taking a 2-0 lead on the Wolverines. They led 3-1 in the second period, prior to a mas- sive Michigan surge. Greg Crozier scored a power-play goal in the opening min- ute of the third period at Yost Ice Arena, tying the score at 3-3 and igniting the home crowd. Bobby Hayes eventually sent home the game-winner off a two-on-one feed from Matt Herr with only 2:54 left in the game. The Wolverines hung on, eventually winning the national championship that season. "Loudest ever," Hayes recalled of the crowd. "Loudest Yost has ever been. Loudest ever. It just erupted … it was just complete chaos in there." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY As a freshman guard, Jordan Poole sent Michigan to the Sweet 16 in 2018 with a buzzer-beating three-pointer that gave the Wolverines a 64-63 win over Houston. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL