The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"[Assistant] LaVall Jordan deserves a lot of credit — he works with those two, and the drills and development are all about skill development. "Still, there are some things Vall can't teach, I can't teach, that they are able to do. It's in their DNA. Both have the same passion for the game to work out to be in that situation. They don't just show up in the gym. Those two work in the offseason, before practice, after practice." Burke has an "elite mind," Beilein added, in that he strives to improve every day in practice, regardless of the opponent. "That transcends to his teammates," Beilein said. "But if they look at the work habits of the coaches, we're never going to give them anything but our best. Then they'll do the same for you." Depth Is "Wonderful" That's true from the top down. In years past the Wolverines have barely had enough scholarship bodies to challenge each other in practice. Now, though, they're not short of options. Senior Matt Vogrich, for example, started the season in the starting lineup, and while he still might contribute significantly at some point, he's now struggling to find minutes. "The depth is wonderful," Beilein said. "We also just don't want to play guys — it's the guys that earn it, and Junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. ranked second on the team in both scoring (15.7 points per game) and rebounds (5.4 per outing) through 11 contests. photo by lon horwedel Breaking Down The Big Ten A look at the upcoming Big Ten slate given how teams have fared through Dec. 17: The Favorites Michigan: The Wolverines have cruised through a tough schedule averaging 78.2 points to opponents' 57.5 through 11 games, and they show no signs of letting up. U-M could go 10 deep if head coach John Beilein chose, and there's star power as well as role players who have forged comfortably for the nation's No. 2 team. Indiana: The Hoosiers, No. 1 heading into the Dec. 15 weekend, dropped a tough overtime loss to Butler in a great back-and-forth game, but they'll be tough to beat in Big Ten play (especially at home, one of the nation's most intimidating venues). How they play away from Assembly Hall will determine their conference fate, but they've got all the pieces, led by big man Cody Zeller and guard Victor Oladipo (13.2 points per game). Ohio State: The Buckeyes stood 8-1, but they lost to the only ranked team they had played — a 73-68 setback to No. 2 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Deshaun Thomas is one of the Big Ten's best, having elevated his game, but the early schedule is brutal. OSU opens with Nebraska at home before traveling to Illinois and Purdue, 32 the wolverine January 2013 playing Michigan at home and going to Michigan State in early January. The Contenders Michigan State: The Spartans seem to be lacking chemistry and they've been turning the ball over at an alarming clip (16 per game), but they've still got one of the league's better scorers in guard Keith Appling and will be tough to beat at home. They have a chance to get off to a good start with four very winnable games after a tough one at Minnesota to open the Big Ten slate. Minnesota: The schedule hasn't been daunting, but the Golden Gophers were 11-1 as of Dec. 17 with the only loss coming to No. 1 Duke. There aren't household names on the roster, but guard Andre Hollins (13.5 points per game) and forward Rodney Williams Jr. (13.4) led the scoring for Tubby Smith's athletic squad. Illinois: We'll know more about the Illini after they play at No. 12 Missouri Dec. 22, but they've passed all of their tests to date. Those include the aforementioned wins over Butler and Gonzaga. Guard Brandon Paul has elevated his game, averaging 18.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. — Chris Balas