The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/944586
MARCH 2018 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2013: Trey Burke nailed the shot that echoed from Dallas to Kansas to Ann Arbor and beyond March 29. His 30-foot three-pointer sent Michigan and Kansas into overtime in a Sweet 16 matchup, with the Wolverines eventually sur- viving and escaping with an 87-85 victory. B u r k e's s t e p - b a c k b o m b capped a Michigan comeback from a 10-point deficit with three minutes to go, shocking the Jayhawks and nearly every- one looking on. "I practice that shot a lot, that step-back shot," Burke noted. "You guys see the games, and the shots go in and out. But the courage I have to take those shots … I've missed them in the past. "But tonight, it went in." So did many of the attempts from the consensus National Player of the Year. Burke scored 23 points in the second half and overtime, nailing another deep three in the OT period. He wound up with those 23 points and 10 assists, while M itch McG ar y — who set the screen freeing Burke for the overtime -producing tri- ple — powered his way to a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds. Michigan eventually moved on to the NCAA championship game. It wouldn't have without Burke's make, one of the big- gest in the program's history. "Before he shot it, I was like, 'He's making this. He's due,'" senior captain Josh Bartelstein recalled. "That's an iconic shot. That will be in Michigan lore for a long time." 10 YEARS AGO, 2008: John Beilein's first Michigan squad entered the Big Ten Tournament on a three-game losing streak, but stepped up to knock out Iowa 55-47 March 13. The one -two punch of Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims dialed up 19 and 14 points, respectively, keeping the Wolverines' season alive. Michigan held the Hawkeyes to only 31.9 percent shooting in Indianapolis, and 11.8 percent (2 of 17) on three-point shots. That sort of defense allowed U-M to race to a 20-7 lead midway through the first quarter, and Iowa never re- covered. The Wolverines even weathered a 10-minute stretch of the second half in which they couldn't score a bucket. The Hawkeyes still couldn't scramble back. "Aside from the fact it looked like we'd never score a bas- ket again in my life, it was a great first step for us to come into the postseason," Beilein quipped. 2 5 Y E A RS AGO, 19 93: Michigan fought off Temple and acerbic head coach John Chaney, 77-72, in S eattle's K i n g d o m e M a r c h 2 8 t o advance to the NCAA Final Four for the second straight year. Michigan needed a rally from an eight-point deficit — and a timely technical foul by Chaney — to pull it off. Jalen Rose scored 17 points in leading the Wolverines to the win, followed by Jimmy King's 14 and Chris Webber's 13. Web- ber noted he drew some ver- bal fire from head coach Steve Fisher before rallying to the win. "At halftime, Coach was tell- ing me I wasn't giving the ef- fort, that my aggressiveness wasn't there, and all the other coaches were telling me the same thing," Webber said. "It gave me a challenge. "They told me to play like a man, rebound and give second and third efforts." Michigan's effor ts proved a little too much for Chaney, who helped his team out of the tournament by taking a "T" with 1:49 remaining and the Owls trailing 67-62. Respond- ing to what he considered too physical play by the Wolverines, Chaney yelled, "If they won't call it, put him on the floor," to freshman center Derrick Bat- tie. "I said clearly, 'I want you to dump him the next time he's on your back' — the behavior may have been very profane," Chaney admitted. "I made it very clear to him and all my players after watching a number of games that [Michigan] plays that way; they push and put one hand over your back and jump over you. "And I thought that was happening to my team over and over again." Officials thought Chaney's solution was over the top, and the Wolverines booked travel for New Orleans and the Final Four. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Juwan Howard, Chris Webber and the Wolverines rallied from an eight-point deficit to defeat Temple 77-72 and reach the Final Four for the second consecutive season on March 28, 1993. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS