The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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as many as 21 midway through the second half, and never appeared in danger of letting the NIT hardware slip away. The biggest threat arose in the semifinal against a Pittsburgh team ready to flex a little muscle in The Big Apple. The Panthers led by eight in the The Wolverines led Kansas State by SURVIVING PESKY PITT first half and four at the break, 33-29, while shooting 51.9 percent in the opening 20 minutes. It took a gritty effort and an 18-6 scoring advantage at the free throw line for the Wolver- ines to overcome 3-of-17 three-point shooting and pull this one out, 67-62. U-M put four players in double fig- veteran team," Beilein said. "We sort of anticipated that type of defensive struggle. They really guarded us well. "I'm really proud of the way we handled the comeback. We got ahead, and made our foul shots down the stretch." The Wolverines threw in a little zone against the Panthers, taking them out of an offensive rhythm. Beilein likes Michigan's length on the wings, giving his team an opportu- nity to throw in a change-up beyond its basic man-to-man defense. The myth that always circulates ures, getting 17 points and six assists from Burke, 16 points from Hard- away, 15 from freshman Nik Staus- kas (6 of 6 from the line) and 13 by Robinson on a 5-of-8 shooting effort. The Wolverines again made use of a rebounding advantage, 37-26, with redshirt junior center Jordan Morgan hauling down eight. This one had everything to do with the sort of determined moxie it takes to survive a capable opponent, Beilein insisted. "Pitt has a very good team, a very purpose in getting the Wolverines ready for a host of them down the road. They'd won three games by an average of 35 points per game coming in, so a dose of close-contest reality was required. "That was good," Beilein said. "We The nail-biter also served a solid did just enough to win the game. We were a little sloppy and inefficient on some of the cuts. We need to read the defense. But we got it in, and we made our foul shots." involves Beilein's Michigan teams playing extensive zone. They'll never be a zone squad, but that capability makes this team more diverse and dangerous. "When we had Zack Novak and Stu Douglass out there, at 6-4 and 6-2, that was hard to have them out there on the wings and make it ef- fective," Beilein said. "They're still learning, but the length does make a big difference. "It's a thing you have to go to at certain times, just to change tempo. We'll continue to work on it and get better at it." ment represented little more than an amusement ride for fans still wide- eyed over Crisler Center and all of its newfound glory. The Wolverines' romp past IUPUI in the tournament opener featured 56.3 percent shoot- ing from the field, 54.5 percent (13 of 21) from three-point range, and all the danger of a cotton ball to a tank. Burke paced the Wolverines with The first two games of the tourna- TUNE-UP TROUNCING 22 points and nine assists, while Rob- inson tossed in 21, Stauskas 11, and Hardaway and Morgan 10 apiece. Cleveland State promised to be a bit more of a challenge, but Michi- gan's 42-14 lead at the half prompted the arena announcer to note that the Wolverines were headed for Madison Square Garden during the game. The Vikings didn't head back to Cleve- land at intermission, but they might as well have. Hardaway got his tournament started off right in this one, scoring 17 and notching four assists, while Stauskas nailed 3 of 4 three-pointers to check in with 15. Burke added 12 points and seven assists, and the Wolverines headed off to The Big Apple with no worms evident. They finished in New York that way as well. Beilein brushes off rank- ings like he would a fly on his soup bowl, but he's seeing a group with extensive talent as well as a strong work ethic, a squad that has more weapons than he's holstered in Ann Arbor. The NIT Tip-Off title served as a Tim Hardaway Jr. captured NIT Season Tip-Off MVP honors, and he led all U-M scorers with an average of 17.8 points per game through Nov. 27. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL nice early-season confirmation of what many anticipated. "The season is a marathon," Beilein insisted. "This is maybe the first 400 yards of that marathon, but we ran it well. Now, we'll pick it up and go back into the marathon." ❑ DECEMBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 45