The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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4 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2018 MEMORIES MADE Dear The Wolverine, This season has been the best for U-M basketball since I graduated in 1958. Beating our key rivals, winning the Big Ten Tournament and advancing to the Final Four has been special. My 16-year-old grandson and I got excited when U-M was assigned to the West Regional in Los Angeles. I contacted my fraternity brother and longtime U-M supporter Dennis Dahl- mann, who arranged for me to get two tickets to the Sweet 16/Elite Eight games. What a terrific experience see- ing the intense game action and excite- ment of my grandson as they kept win- ning. The games were heart pounding throughout. The highlight for me was our un- relenting defense — something I had not seen before. Also the clutch three- pointer and two foul shots by Duncan Robinson to cement the Elite Eight win were super exciting. The high fives be- tween grandfather and grandson will last forever in my memory bank! John Kreuzer Via the Internet IMBALANCED SCHEDULE Dear The Wolverine, Did I miss an article previously pub- lished in The Wolverine? This has to do with the football schedule covering the three West Divi- sion opponents we have had to play and will play in the future. In 2016 and 2017, we played Wisconsin, and U-M is scheduled to play the Badgers in each of the next four years, which means we have played Wisconsin six years in a row. We then play/played the other six members of the West Division twice over this same six-year period of time. Obviously this means that Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State will play Wisconsin but two times over this six- year period of time. Thus, my question is who in the heck is responsible for setting up this "fair and equitable" schedule? Has our ath- letic department discussed this with the Big Ten? What is the explanation for this type of a schedule? Jack Galsterer Via the Internet When the Big Ten announced in 2013 it would begin to play nine-game conference schedules in 2016, it boasted that due to the change, "every student-athlete will have the opportunity to play against every other team in the conference at least once during a four-year period." This was a priority for the league, as was having competitive crossover matchups (historically speaking, at least). Those part- ners, as you noted, have not changed in the first six years (Big Ten schedules are set through 2021). According to the conference's 2013 press release, the only permanent crossover matchup is the rivalry game between Indi- ana and Purdue, which commissioner Jim Delany said in an ESPN interview at the time made the two schools comfortable be- ing in different divisions. He also explained a bit about the league's "parity-based sched- uling" philosophy in that same interview. "You'll see Wisconsin and Nebraska and Iowa playing a lot of competition against Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan. But it will eventually rotate," he said of each division's expected top three. That indicates, at some point, crossover partners will switch — but until that change, there's no arguing that should Michigan ever be in the playoff conver- sation, strength of schedule can't be used against them while facing Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin every year. It could even help U-M. May 2018 • Vol. 29, No. 10 ISSN 1048-9940 Editor John Borton The Wolverine.com Editor Chris Balas Football Recruiting Writer Brandon Brown Staff Writers Austin Fox Andrew Vailliencourt Managing Editor Ryan Tice Contributing Editor Steve Downey Layout And Design Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller Contributing Photographers Lon Horwedel Per Kjeldsen Cover Photo Courtesy Michigan Photography Publisher Stu Coman Business Manager Linda Autry Marketing/Merchandise Manager Beverly Taylor Director Of Advertising Michelle Delee-Hamilton Customer Service Gail Evans The Wolverine is published monthly. A one-year (12 issues) subscription is $52.99. The Wolverine is printed at The Papers in Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wolverine, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. Periodical postage paid at Durham, NC 27702 and additional offices. For advertising or subscription information, call 1-800-421-7751 or write The Wolverine, P.O. Box 1304, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. The Wolverine is a publication of Coman Publishing Company, 905 W. Main St, Suite 24F, Durham, NC 27701. E-Mail Address: thewolverine@comanpub.com Subscription questions: gevans@comanpub.com Website: www.thewolverine.com Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters • P.O. Box 1304 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Or e-mail: ryantice@comanpub.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length. FROM OUR READERS Junior forward Moritz Wagner will hire an agent and enter the NBA Draft, but the memories he gave U-M fans will endure. PHOTO BY SAMUEL MOUSIGIAN