The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/558143
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK BEILEIN TO SQUARE OFF AGAINST SON A pair of Beileins will face off in Michigan's men's basketball exhibition opener Nov. 6, leading into a just announced non-conference schedule. Patrick Beilein, newly named head coach of the Le Moyne Dolphins, brings his crew into Crisler for the exhibition. His father, Michigan head coach John Beilein, coached at Le Moyne from 1983-92 and posted 163 wins there. Following that family reunion, the regular season kicks off at Crisler Nov. 13, with the Wolverines hosting Northern Michigan. Then comes the Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland Game, featuring Elon at Michigan Nov. 16. The Wolverines garner their first big test Nov. 20 at Crisler, hosting Xavier in the Gavitt Games. After that, it's on to the Bahamas for three games in three days, completing the Battle 4 Atlantis Nov. 25-27. The field there includes Charlotte, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Texas, Texas A&M and Washington. Brackets have yet to be announced. Following that tough competition, Michigan travels to North Carolina State Dec. 1 for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The rest of December brings home contests against Houston Baptist (Dec. 5), Delaware State (Dec. 8), Northern Kentucky (Dec. 15), Youngstown State (Dec. 19) and Bryant (Dec. 23), along with a Dec. 8 road trip to Dallas for a contest against SMU. Beilein welcomed what he sees as a good test in the weeks leading up to the Big Ten season. The conference schedule has not been announced yet. HACKETT HAS HIGH HOPES FOR STUDENT SECTION The student section in Michigan Stadium has grown both weary of subpar seasons and changes in protocol they felt were not in their best interests. The complaints have quieted, and the excitement has grown in the wake of changes in the leadership at U-M, particularly in the head coach's office. Hackett will be keeping a close eye on the students, with expectations of his own. "For me, having the student body be the kind of nuclear reaction in that stadium is where it all starts," he said. "It starts before the football team. My challenge to them is make it rock and roll. I've been telling the students, when I played we looked over there first. It was where the inspiration came from. Having them come, having some fun, making it loud … invent some ideas. I can't wait to hear and see what they're going to do because it's just going to make it happen. That's what we want." — John Borton