The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Poll Best Win — 60-59 over Michigan State: A frantic scramble around Michi- Record: 5-3 (Overall: 19-7, Big Ten: 9-4) National Ranking: No. 17, Associated Press, No. 19, ESPN/USA Today Coaches Michigan Basketball Rewind Covering Jan. 17-Feb. 12 gan State's basket in the closing seconds probably drummed up business for local cardiologists. But redshirt sophomore Jordan Morgan's block of a Keith Appling shot, and subsequent misses by MSU's Draymond Green as the clock ran out set off a wild celebration in Michigan's 60-59 win. The Wolverines made it three in a row against the Spartans, sprinting out to a big lead then hanging on at the end. The loss proved particularly grating to MSU head coach Tom Izzo, who stormed the court and angrily confronted the game officials before eventually making his way back to the handshake line. The Wolverines led at the half, 36-29, and by as many as 11 in the second half. The No. 9 Spartans came storming back on a 16-2 run and grabbed the lead. Senior Stu Douglass wound up scoring the winning bucket on a fast- break feed from freshman Trey Burke with 35 seconds left. That gave the Spartans time to deliver the crushing blow, but they never could. Burke wound up performing magnificently in his first outing against MSU, payback and got it, playing no-holds-barred basketball and out-rebounding Michigan 40-16 in the rematch at the Breslin Center. Green promised after the loss at Crisler his team would win the next one, and he made good on it. After struggling against the Wolverines in the series, Green came through scoring 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while compiling four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Worst Loss — 64-54 at Michigan State: The Spartans were geared for with 14 points, 16 rebounds and four assists to lead the Spartans. U-M se- nior Zack Novak tried to answer, hitting 3 of 5 three-pointers on his way to 14 points, but U-M as a team shot just 39.6 percent (19 of 48). The Wolverines simply couldn't find the magic they conjured up impress, his contributions helping carry the Wolverines into the heart of a Big Ten title race. Not only is he handling the ball the majority of the time, he continues to score consistently and direct Michigan's offense. Burke's effort in the Michigan State game at Crisler Arena tilted in beating MSU at the Breslin Center the year before, the loss end- ing Michigan's three-game winning streak against the Spartans. MVP — Trey Burke: The freshman point guard continues to the floor in Michigan's favor. He also rimmed out what would have been a game-winning three-pointer in a huge comeback effort at Arkansas. Others have stepped up in various games at various times (soph- said. "His attitude, however, is so good that I am certain he will bounce back from this and return to practice as soon as he can. Eso has been a big part of this team's success over the last two years, even if that does not show up in the box score. We hope he will be able to help this team again sometime in March." Akunne was projected to miss six to eight weeks of action at the time of the sur- gery. He had a screw inserted into his foot. Meanwhile, Horford remains out of ac- tion with a healing broken foot of his own. He admitted after the loss at Michigan State Feb. 5 that he's leaning heavily to- ward taking a redshirt this season. Horford did not travel to the following contest, a road win over Nebraska Feb. 8. "He's ready to go if he feels good and we need him," Beilein said. "He has to show us in practice he's ready to go. He still isn't playing a full court game. He had compli- cations from it when he first started to go too much. We had to shut him down not for bone stress, but other areas of the foot." Also, freshman guard Carlton Brundidge did not make the trips to Michigan State and Nebraska. Beilein noted he'd been experiencing some complications from asthma. ❏ omore Tim Hardaway Jr. with 19 points in the road win at Purdue, Novak at Michigan State, etc.), but Burke has maintained the greatest consistent impact. On The Rise — Zack Novak: The guts and glue of Michigan's ef- forts continues raising his game at the right time. He proved the Wolverines' best performer in the loss at Michigan State, and then led U-M to two straight wins, scoring 12 and grabbing a team-high nine rebounds against Illinois Feb. 12. Game To Watch — Ohio State at Michigan, Feb. 18: This one determines whether or not the Wolverines will truly contend for the Big Ten title, or simply finish in the upper reaches of the con- ference. It's the biggest contest at Crisler in years. NCAA Tournament Watch: It's not about making the Dance anymore. The Wolverines are playing for seeding. With an RPI rank- ing of 14th and a schedule strength of 10th in the nation, U-M is positioned extremely well for a seed in the No. 4 neighborhood. 92 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2012 — John Borton Sophomore center Jon Horford, who aver- aged 2.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in nine games, may miss the rest of the season due to a broken foot. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN