The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN BASKETBALL "They did everything they could," Michigan head coach John Beilein said. "You have to credit Northwestern; they've played tough games like this, too. We did everything. We forced them into really tough shots that they had to make to tie the game twice. Our kids played their tails off. There's nothing to hang our heads about. We're disappointed. I'm disappointed for them, but it was a great opportunity for us to get better." Breakout Performer — Zak Irvin: Irvin began to assert himself down the stretch. In addition to his career-best 28 points at Northwestern, he poured in 15 points in the win over Ohio State. He gave the Wolverines a shot against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament, scoring 21 with 11 rebounds. More than that, though, he showed a well-rounded approach to the game that impressed his head coach. After posting just five assists in Michigan's first 11 games this season, Irvin notched a career-high six in the Wolverines' Big Ten Tournament-opening win over Illinois. That made it 20 assists in five games for the sophomore, who also pulled down 11 rebounds at Northwestern. Among Michigan's active players (not counting injured junior Caris LeVert), Irvin wound up Michigan's top scorer this season, winding up with a scoring average of 14.3 points per game. Freshman Impact — Aubrey Dawkins: Dawkins became somewhat of a sensation down the stretch, highlighted by his 31-point, eight-three-pointer performance in the home finale against Rutgers. The rookie also poured in 21 points in the loss at Northwestern, along with 18 in Michigan's Big Ten Tourna- ment victory over Illinois. Dawkins also drew huge praise from Beilein following the tournament win over Illinois, because of the rookie's vast improvement on defense over the course of the season. He's only getting better, at the end of a year of mammoth growth. — John Borton BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK • Michigan's 80-67 loss to Michigan State at Crisler Center Feb. 18 dropped the Wolverines' all-time lead in the series down to 97-77. Michigan leads 60-29 in games played in Ann Arbor. • Freshman Aubrey Dawkins set a career high with five free throw makes against the Spartans, going 5 of 5 from the line. • Michigan State swept the regular-season series for the first time in five years. The Wolverines had won four straight games against the Spartans at Crisler Center.