The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/432566
A year ago, Michigan lost two home games, to No. 1 Arizona and No. 21 Wisconsin. Two seasons back, the NCAA title game-bound Wolverines dropped just one home game, a 72-71 fight to the finish with No. 2 Indiana. This year isn't going to be like those seasons. Anyone following Michigan basketball already knew that, given the flood of talent that poured out of Ann Arbor early for the NBA. But reality underscored the message in a two-game span for the Wolverines, Dec, 6-9. They first lost to New Jersey Institute of Technology, 72-70, in a con- test in which they simply couldn't stop the Highlanders from making shot af- ter incredible shot down the stretch. Days later, the Wolverines could barely make any of their own versus Eastern Michigan's suffocating zone defense. Michigan fell, 45-42, shooting just 19 percent (4-of-21) from three- point range. Shock waves ensued for a fan base hopeful not for a repeat of the past two seasons, but a solid and growing Mich- igan team. It can still fit those param- eters, head coach John Beilein vowed, but life isn't easy in the meantime. "That was as good a zone defense as I've ever seen at any time, any- where," Beilein noted after the Eastern Michigan loss. "And as quick a zone defense as I've ever seen at any time, anywhere. We just didn't have enough answers for it." Finding answers in the days to come, Beilein indicated, will involve some se- rious resilience on the part of his team. "They're really down now," Beilein admitted. "They're really down, be- cause it's a local team. But they can't stay down. We've just got to move for- ward. MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Wolverines Unsettled After Second Straight Home Loss LeVert was averaging 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as of Dec. 10, and he posted a career-high 32 points in a 72-70 loss to NJIT on Dec. 6. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL