The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2012-13 BASKETBALL PREVIEW naled a huge hurdle in the program. These days, when Beilein shepherds a top recruit through Michigan's palatial Crisler Center, he can do so wearing a ring that whispers success. as testament to some major strides for- ward. Of course, the building itself stands "It's amazing," Beilein said. "It looks like a brand new building, like we built a $200 million building. It is going to be a tremendous asset to us as far as recruiting, etc. That is really natural, but what is really going to be best about it is that it's going to be so fan friendly. Our fans will really enjoy coming to see Michigan basketball, both men's and women's, in this en- vironment." Part of the environment, he under- stands, involves a high-achieving bas- ketball team. Beilein likes his team, with or without polling certification. "We have a chance to keep improv- ing every day, and we have a chance just like all the teams in the Big Ten to go after a conference championship," Beilein said. That in itself isn't exactly a boast re- Head coach John Beilein said of his squad, "I don't think we'll come into this thing thinking we are anything more than just 15 guys with four coaches that are out there just to enjoy every day, and to really work as hard if not harder than anybody." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL to rankings, but he definitely knows what he'll be facing in conference play. When he can grab a coaches' poll that lists his team No. 5 in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten, it merely underscores the point. we have nine or 10 programs that have had two or three years to get things in the right direction," Beilein pointed out. "I felt like when I got here there were five or six that were in place and the rest of them were just who is going to be the sixth or seven team. "I have never seen it like this, where ing. Lindy's Sports puts the Big Ten at the top of its "Rating The Confer- ences" list of the best leagues in the nation. The Big East, ACC, SEC and Big 12 follow behind. "If a conference is going to put three That's not just a Big Ten coach talk- teams in a Final Four anytime soon, this is it," the publication noted, re- garding the Big Ten. The Wolverines haven't been ranked Head coach John Beilein "Now it might be who is going to be the eighth or ninth team that could get into the NCAA Tournament? Just look what Minnesota did last year. They were a heck of a team. You could see that. They had two road wins in the NIT, they were in the championship of the NIT, and they were trying to get into that top seven or eight [in the Big Ten] prior to that. "So many people have so many people back. It is as good of a league as I've ever seen." 52 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2012 "I'm always trying to find a way to be the best team that we can be, in every single fashion that we can do that. And I hope my team reads that." as high as No. 5 since the 1993-94 sea- son, after the departure of Chris Web- ber, but while 80 percent of the Fab Five — Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson — re- mained. The number means little to Beilein at this point, but he clearly likes the direction the Wolverines are headed. The breakthrough Big Ten title sig- champions, as hard as it is to do. We've only had 13 of them. We've been play- ing basketball for a long time. And that is a good number compared to other teams in the league, but it is still always going to be the primary goal." As the first poll of the season reiter- ates, winning the Big Ten this year means nothing is impossible. u "One of the primary ones is Big Ten garding an impending title. But when you're fresh off of one, talk isn't nec- essary. And Beilein, like his counter- part at Schembechler Hall, will always stress Big Ten championships. "I've always felt that if you can com- pete for a Big Ten championship, you can compete for a national champion- ship," he said. "And if we are indeed one of the best leagues in the country, then it follows right along. "Everybody dreams big. We honor that 1989 team, and what they did was such a tremendous part of Michigan lore and Michigan basketball history. There are a lot of ways we measure ourselves.