The Wolverine

March 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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the week. It's a big difference. Coaching and scouting in college basketball is really big. You get that extra time, and it's an advantage." How the Wolverines use that advantage, and finish, remains to be seen. But as mid- February approached, they were in a posi- tion few would have predicted. niors Zack Novak and Stu Douglass are coming to a close, but not without some significant inroads into U-M history. The duo has left its mark — not only in the establishment of John Beilein's program at Michigan, but also in the Wolverines' annals themselves. Here are some career categories featur- ZACK NOVAK, STU DOUGLASS MOVE UP ALL-TIME LISTS The Michigan basketball careers of se- ing one or both of the Michigan seniors (through Feb. 12): 1. Loy Vaught 2. Glen Rice Games Played 9. Ron Coleman 11. Stu Douglass 12. Antoine Joubert 13. Zack Novak 3. Courtney Sims 4. DeShawn Sims 4. Louis Bullock 4. Mike Griffin 7. Dion Harris 8. Jimmy King 9. Gary Grant 13. Maceo Bastonz 13. Eric Riley • Douglass has a shot at playing more games in a Michigan uniform than any- one in history. He has never missed a contest in his four-year U-M career. 16. Ray Jackson 16. Travis Conlan 18. Richard Rellford 19. Roy Tarpley 20. Butch Wade 20. Josh Asselin 135 134 133 132 132 132 131 130 129 129 128 127 126 126 126 125 125 124 122 121 121 1. Louis Bullock 2. Dion Harris 3. Jimmy King 4. Zack Novak Minutes Played list, depending on Michigan's tourna- ment efforts. • Novak could take the top spot on this 9. LaVell Blanchard 3,607 10. Jalen Rose 7. Bernard Robinson, Jr. 3,666 8. Stu Douglass 5. Antoine Joubert 3,960 6. Daniel Horton 3,697 3,615 3,520 4,356 4,197 4,120 4,102 3. Daniel Horton 4. Zack Novak 5. Stu Douglass 1. Louis Bullock 2. Dion Harris MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Three-Pointers Made 10. Jalen Rose 6. LaVell Blanchard 7. Robbie Reid 8. Manny Harris 9. Glen Rice cracked the top five in this category, putting them among the most prolific three-point shooters in Michigan history. • In other categories, Novak stood • Novak and Douglass have both 339 268 233 204 191 189 160 142 135 124 ninth in all-time three-point accuracy (36.3 percent), with Douglass 14th (33.7). Douglass was tied for 18th on the all-time assists list, with 270, and 16th on Michigan's career steals list, with 106. of missing the rest of the season, due to foot injuries. Junior guard Eso Akunne and sophomore center Jon Horford are on the shelf, and may stay there for the balance of the campaign. Akunne underwent surgery to repair the WOLVERINES OFF THE COURT Michigan has two role players in danger INJURIES KEEP PAIR OF fifth metatarsal of his left foot Jan. 27. The junior injured his foot during Michigan's Jan. 24 win at Purdue. "We all feel bad for Eso because he has worked so hard to work his way into this rotation," U-M head coach John Beilein roommate and close friend Darius Morris? Morgan: "It's been difficult. Anytime you lose your best friend, it's kind of dif- ficult. As far as playing, it's a different style. Darius is 6-5, with a 6-9 wingspan. He could see over people, throw around people, make passes that not a lot of people can make. "Trey [Burke] is rather short. He doesn't have the same vision and the same length to make those passes. He has to try and make different passes. He's learning. He's learning the different looks, and that he has to be a threat, while still looking to pass. "It's definitely getting better. But it's different. The Wolverine: Assistant coach Bacari Alexan- " ter than you were a year ago? Morgan: "I'm being more aggressive on the glass. I'm better defensively. As far as finishing, I can finish some shots I might not have been able to finish last year. I've become a smarter player. The Wolverine: Do you like the position you're " der has talked about you having to catch bounce passes, instead of ones over the top. How dif- ficult is that? Morgan: "There are a lot of low passes, a lot of passes down at my waist, rather than catching high passes, baseball passes. It's a difference, but as a big man, you've got to catch everything. The Wolverine: What things are you doing bet- Five Questions With Redshirt Sophomore Jordan Morgan The Wolverine: How has the adjustment gone this year for you, without your " After 26 games, Morgan led U-M in field goal shooting (64.7 per- cent) and rebounding (5.3 boards per game), and he was fifth in scoring (7.7-point average). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL in, team-wise, entering the last portion of the Big Ten schedule? Morgan: "We're in a great position. That's one thing we can't forget. But we also can't get comfortable. Just as much as we went from last to fourth last year, we can go from third to last. You've got to take every game seriously. Every game, we've got to go in and try to win." The Wolverine: Do you see this as a team that should make at least the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament? Morgan: "That's a goal. Our goal, first and foremost, is winning a Big Ten championship. We're working towards that, and hopefully we can make it to the Sweet 16. "That's a good goal to have, to build on last year, to get farther than we did. — John Borton " MARCH 2012 THE WOLVERINE 91

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