The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/279958
F or 10 long years, the sight of an NCAA Tournament bracket struck Michigan fans with the same visceral impact as an IRS au- dit letter. Their team didn't appear, rendering the pulse quickening they felt much different than that of other March Madness mavens. Those days are long gone, merci- fully obliterated by John Beilein and his staff. When the Wolverines hit the court in Milwaukee for Midwest Regional action, it represents four straight Big Dance appearances and five of the last six. Beilein insisted he wants Michigan to be a place where players don't know what it's like to not be annu- ally involved in the March mayhem. After this season, he's there. Only fifth-year senior Jordan Mor- gan can stroke his graying beard and regale the young folks about what it's like to pack away the basketballs early. The way Beilein and his staff are rolling on the court and recruit- ing off it, there's no return in sight to the bad old days. The transformation he put in place falls nothing short of remarkable. Beyond bringing Michigan out of wandering in the no-dance wilder- ness, Beilein's teams have stunned in so many ways: • Capturing two Big Ten champi- onships in three years, including an outright title for which the Wolver- ines were written off when sopho- more Mitch McGary succumbed to a back injury. • Coming within a kind roll of the basketball of making it three straight titles, which hasn't happened since Cazzie Russell roamed the court for the Wolverines in the mid-1960s. • Putting two straight Big Ten Player of the Year performers onto the hardwood, sophomore Nik Stauskas following up Trey Burke's breakthrough last season. Before these two, Michigan hadn't featured a conference Player of the Year since Glen Rice in 1988-89. • Fashioning a run to the NCAA Tournament championship game itself a year ago. For so long, just get- WOLVERINE WATCH JOHN BORTON U-M Hoops Bringing March Alive Again Head coach John Beilein guided his team to an NCAA bid for the fourth straight season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL