The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/230001
MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Home Loss To No. 1 Arizona Tough To Take O ne major skin on the wall come NCAA Tournament selection time lingered there for the taking by Michigan. The Wolverines led No. 1 Arizona by nine at the half, 11 early in the second half, and still by eight with less than eight minutes remaining. U-M couldn't hold on, losing 7270 despite a 20-point effort by Glenn Robinson III, who made 8 of 9 shots in the game. Fellow sophomores Caris LeVert (15 points) and Nik Stauskas (14) also contributed during the near miss at Crisler Center Dec. 14, but it couldn't quite counteract the Wildcats, whose 37-24 advantage on the boards took its toll over time. Michigan's players, naturally, felt a strong level of frustration upon seeing a potential signature win disintegrate. "It's experience," redshirt junior forward Jon Horford said. "It's repetition. It's that mental toughness, guys knowing that it's all about defensive stops in that moment. You can think offensively, but we need defensive stops, and that is the bottom line. That is being in the gaps, being on your man, not letting the guy with the ball be comfortable, boxing out. We have to finish." Stauskas concurred, recognizing the Wolverines' potential and at the same time understanding the need to close a tough opponent out. "You learn from experience," Sophomore Mitch McGary and the Wolverines built a double-digit lead early in the second half versus the top-ranked Wildcats, but could not hold on and fell 72-70. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN