The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/653976
MICHIGAN BASKETBALL BASKETBALL REWIND: FEB. 16-MARCH 15 Overall Record: 22-12 (10-8 Big Ten) Record Feb. 16-March 15: 3-5 Best Win — 72-69 over No. 10 Indiana, March 11: This one featured all the elements of a thriller. The Wolverines' backs were firmly against the wall, most saying they needed to knock off the Big Ten champion Hoosiers — in India- napolis, no less — to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. Never mind that the Hoosiers had run the Wolverines off the Crisler Center court earlier in the season. John Beilein's team responded by hanging in there with Indiana through- out this Big Ten Tournament showdown, but when the Hoosiers went up by five late in the game, the inevitable appeared to be taking hold. Only it wasn't. Redshirt sophomore wing Duncan Robinson's three-pointer with 47 seconds remaining tied the game, and it looked like the Wolverines were headed to a second straight overtime contest in India- napolis. Junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. raced down court with time draining away, dish- ing off into the right corner to a teammate he thought was sophomore sharpshooter Aubrey Dawkins. Only it wasn't. It was largely overlooked sophomore wing Kam Chatman, who gath- ered in the pass, set himself and released the shocker of a three-point shot that sent the Wolverines skyrocketing toward the Big Dance. Worst Loss — 71-61 against Iowa, March 5: Iowa looked ripe for a key upset, tail-spinning toward a 2-6 finish that took the Hawkeyes right out of the Big Ten race. They still managed to spoil Senior Day for the Wolverines, controlling the contest for most of the night. Michigan had no answer for Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff, who scored 29 points in the game. He helped the Hawkeyes run up a 59-44 lead halfway through the final 20 minutes. Michigan did rally to pull within five points with six minutes to play, but couldn't overcome the big deficit. With injured seniors Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht looking on, it wasn't the sendoff they or anyone else imagined at the start of the season. In the five contests leading up to the NCAA Tournament, sopho - more guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur- R a h k m a n w a s U - M ' s s e c o n d leading scorer (11.2 points per game) and third leading rebounder (4.4 boards per contest). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL