The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/653976
"He said, 'I've got a guy that is bet- ter than [ESPN bracketologist Joe] Lu- nardi.' I said, 'Are we talking about this guy? [pointing skyward] Is that the guy you're talking about?' He had another guy that was better than Lu- nardi. "That started my day out on a posi- tive note. Little did I know that he was right." However the news arrived, the 22- 12 Wolverines were beyond thrilled to have a spot in the Big Dance. Play- ers assured it made all the waiting worthwhile. "It was explosive," junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. noted of the reac- tion in the private gathering of play- ers, coaches and family watching the announcement. "If you think about it, it's a lot of guys' first time. Especially with the circumstances and things that hap- pened this year, the room was really excited. We're getting back to where we need to be. We've got our destiny back in our hands, which is where we like it." "It's one of the reasons I did come here," noted redshirt sophomore wing transfer Duncan Robinson. "It's a school that regularly makes the NCAA Tournament. We're excited to be back, after missing it last year. It's a great opportunity." The selection made it five out of the Head coach John Beilein has now guided Michigan to the NCAA Tournament five of the past six years. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN