The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/798849
APRIL 2017 THE WOLVERINE 23 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL ing forward, I'm pretty sure people will start to take a step back from the criticism and let him be him, because he's consistent with his leadership and his defending effort, and effort overall. "Offensive woes happen. I don't think he should be judged on whether he's making or missing shots." That's the easiest way for fans to grade a player head coach John Beilein brought in for his offense, however, and it was evident the shooting woes were weighing on Ir- vin. So he made a mature decision dur- ing the last half of the Big Ten season to not necessarily reinvent himself, but to do whatever he could to help his team win. He concentrated on defense, guarding everyone from quicker guards to Purdue All-Amer- ican big man Caleb Swanigan (not the first time, it should be noted), and was a big reason for the Wolverines' impressive late-season run. When he stopped putting so much pressure on himself, good things started happening. He av- eraged 14.8 points per game in the last five, shooting 58.5 percent from the floor and 40.9 from three-point range. He also averaged 6.0 rebounds and dished out 14 assists in the five games, which included four Big Ten Tournament wins. The unselfishness epitomized who Irvin really is, Walton said — a guy who wanted to win so badly he'd do anything to get there. That often used to mean taking the big shot, like in last year 's NCAA Tournament win over Tulsa in which he hit a critical three down the stretch. Irvin returned to form and hit a huge, contested triple with the shot clock winding down in the second half of a 71-56 championship game win over Wisconsin, providing sepa- ration and sending the pro-Michigan crowd into a frenzy. Two days earlier, Irvin played all 45 minutes of a 74-70 win and paid for it the following day in an 84- 77 win over Minnesota. He still hit shots, but he was a step slower on defense at times. He was so notice- ably exhausted after the win that his parents insisted he sit down when he went to meet them after the game. "I think he's really just relaxed and let the game come to him and not pressed, but he's really worked hard, gotten in the gym extra," Beilein said. "When I want these guys off their feet … he and [redshirt junior] Dun- can [Robinson] listen to me a lot; they didn't listen to me then. He's in the gym making another 100 shots. "He was very disappointed with some games when we needed him to make big shots, and he didn't. I think he probably heard the people that doubted him. I knew at some point he would make some big plays. That lob to D.J. Wilson [for an alley-oop lay-in, in the second half] was a great play to get us some big points." It was one of many. He scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, added seven rebounds and five assists and was part of a smothering defensive effort while clinching the Big Ten title with the win over Wisconsin. "Relief, happiness — there are so many words that can go with this," Irvin said with a smile. "The belief is so strong. We believe in ourselves, our teammates. The mind is a power- ful thing." It can help keep you going when the body is struggling, he noted. "It was not easy at all," Irvin added. "My body is hurting. But at this point, it's all worth it when you're taking that hardware home with you." FRESHMAN AUSTIN DAVIS IS IMPRESSING Michigan freshman big man Austin Davis of Onsted, Mich., is redshirt- ing this year, but head coach John Beilein admitted he was rethinking that decision in late January. During the Big Ten Tournament in March, Beilein noted the scout team beat his starters "regularly," acknowledging Davis and redshirt freshman transfer Charles Matthews were two big rea- sons why. Beilein and his staff determined be- Irvin ranks second on the team with 12.8 points per game after the Big Ten Tournament, while he comes in second with 105 assists and third with 159 rebounds. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN MICHIGAN BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 2016-17 Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time Nov. 4 Armstrong State! W, 77-49 Nov. 11 Howard* W, 76-58 Nov. 13 IUPUI* W, 77-65 Nov. 17 vs. Marquette^ W, 79-61 Nov. 18 vs. SMU^ W, 76-54 Nov. 23 at South Carolina L, 61-46 Nov. 26 Mount St. Mary's W, 64-47 Nov. 30 Virginia Tech# L, 73-70 Dec. 3 Kennesaw State W, 82-55 Dec. 6 Texas W, 53-50 Dec. 10 at UCLA L, 102-84 Dec. 13 Central Arkansas W, 97-53 Dec. 17 Maryland Eastern Shore W, 98-49 Dec. 22 Furman W, 68-62 Jan. 1 at Iowa L, 86-83 (OT) Jan. 4 Penn State W, 72-69 Jan. 7 Maryland L, 77-70 Jan. 11 at Illinois L, 85-69 Jan. 14 Nebraska W, 91-85 Jan. 17 at Wisconsin L, 68-64 Jan. 21 Illinois W, 66-57 Jan. 26 Indiana W, 90-60 Jan. 29 at Michigan State L, 70-62 Feb. 4 Ohio State L, 70-66 Feb. 7 Michigan State W, 86-57 Feb. 12 at Indiana W, 75-63 Feb. 16 Wisconsin W, 64-58 Feb. 19 at Minnesota L, 83-78 (OT) Feb. 22 at Rutgers W, 68-64 Feb. 25 Purdue W, 82-70 March 1 at Northwestern L, 67-65 March 5 at Nebraska W, 93-57 March 9 vs. Illinois$ W, 75-55 March 10 vs. Purdue$ W, 74-70 (OT) March 11 vs. Minnesota$ W, 84-77 March 12 vs. Wisconsin$ W, 71-56 March 17 vs. Oklahoma State+ 12:15 p.m. ! Exhibition; * 2K Classic Ann Arbor regional; ^ 2K Classic championship round at Madison Square Garden in New York; # ACC-Big Ten Challenge; $ Big Ten Tournament at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.; +NCAA Tournament first round in Indianapolis