The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL U-M Earns At-Large NCAA Bid For The First Time Since 2001 echoes of past glory hang from the ceilings, reminders of the success of the Maize and Blue. In Crisler Arena, the banners form W alk into any building on Michi- gan's athletic campus, and the BY ANDY REID a half-circle, some dedicated to the men's basketball team and the oth- ers for the women's gymnastics team, which also calls the arena home. In the northwest corner, the rafters are bare. It's a spot reserved for the Michigan women's basketball team, should it ever need the space. So far, there have been no first-place finishes in the Big Ten and no postseason successes. The 2011-12 Wolverines will not, seed in the Fresno Regional, playing No. 6 Oklahoma in the first round March 18. "It's a great feeling, obviously," in all likelihood, change that. But for the first time since 2001, they have a shot. After several years of constant bubble watching, Michigan (20-11, 8-8 Big Ten) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament — its first under fifth-year head coach Kevin Borseth. The Wolverines earned the No. 11 Borseth said. "You go through all those trials together, and your goal is to try to get into the tournament and make some things happen. "Every day in practice, these kids Senior Courtney Boylan, who was a member of head coach Kevin Borseth's first recruiting class at U-M, helped the Wolverines earn a No. 11 seed in the Fresno Regional. pearances in the program's first 34 seasons. In Borseth's five years, the Wolver- lace up and play just as hard as any- body I've ever had play for me. I'm really proud of them, and for them to get an opportunity to finally play in the NCAA Tournament is just great." The bid is vindication for Borseth the Wolverines had suffered through three straight 20-loss seasons. All told, U-M posted just four winning records in Big Ten play in its first 25 confer- ence campaigns and won 20 or more games in a year just twice while mak- ing only four NCAA Tournament ap- 86 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2012 and his burgeoning program. Fans have been frustrated by Michigan's lack of recent NCAA Tournament ap- pearances, but considering program history Borseth looks as if he's on the right path. Before Borseth took over in 2008, PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ines have already posted two 20-win seasons (2010 and 2012), finished .500 or better in the Big Ten three of five seasons and are now going dancing for the fifth time in program history. With vast improvements to facilities and an increased level of play on the court, Michigan has never had more momentum. "Our program has changed so much the NCAA Selection Show with hope and anxiety. In each of those seasons, Michigan was relegated to the WNIT. "The committee has tough decisions to make," Borseth said. "The last cou- ple of years we weren't on the positive end of that choice, and this year we were." While Michigan hadn't played a since Coach Borseth came here," said senior Courtney Boylan, who was a member of the coach's first recruiting class. "To be able to leave our footprint on the program, it means a lot to us." Nerves were high at the Player De- game in more than a week — since the Big Ten Tournament is one of the earlier conference championships, ending March 4 — the team continued to practice and work, but the burning NCAA question was constantly in the back of the players' minds. The Wolverines were on pins and velopment Center before the NCAA Tournament announcement was made March 12. The Wolverines had been in the same position in 2010 and 2011, watching needles because they had lost six of their last nine regular-season games, including two against Iowa, who was jockeying alongside Michigan on the bubble. ESPN women's basketball brack- etologist Charlie Creme moved the