 |  |
 |
| Wednesday, January 8 Updated: January 9, 2:03 PM ET Wolverines go from winless to unbeatable By Jeff Shelman Special to ESPN.com |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Tommy Amaker could sense the growing burden on his players' faces. It was only Dec. 7, but his Michigan team had dropped to 0-6 after a loss at Duke. While there is no shame in losing to the Blue Devils, the game did add to a Michigan mental state that wasn't where Amaker wanted it. Doubt was entering the minds of the Wolverines. And who could blame 'em, after losses to teams such as Kansas State, Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
Adding to Amaker's plight was the chaos surrounding the Michigan program from the Ed Martin case. A month earlier, Final Four banners were being removed from Crisler Arena, while Fab Five records were being destroyed in Michigan history books. The Wolverines weren't in a rebuilding mode, but they were certainly reflecting on a past that made the future not so bright. Still, what made the 0-6 start so confounding was the significant amount of talent still playing in Ann Arbor. LaVell Blanchard and Bernard Robinson Jr. are talented forwards and Amaker's freshman recruiting class that is led by point guard Daniel Horton is good. Sure Michigan wasn't expected to finish much above the middle of the Big Ten, but the Wolverines were much better than that winless stretch to start the season. It didn't seem to make any sense. Amaker needed to do something. What he did was a little mental foolery. Forget about those six games, Amaker said, heading into a Dec. 11 game against a good Bowling Green team. The Wolverines weren't 0-6, they were, in the Amaker standings, 0-0. It was a clean start, a new season. "There was so much of a burden on their shoulders," Amaker said. "Everywhere they went they were reminded of being 0-5 or 0-6 ... we were playing that way." While coaches often use tactics that fans and outsiders look at with a chuckle, it's hard to argue with Michigan's recent results. Since this second season began, the Wolverines have won seven consecutive games, including a nice victory over Vanderbilt and a win at UCLA. Sure, the Bruins probably have more issues than Michigan, but the Wolverines -- who went 1-12 on the road last season -- still went into Pauley Pavilion and won. So is Amaker's psychological ploy the reason for Michigan's new found success? That's extremely debatable, but Michigan is finally playing the way it was expected to back in November. On Wednesday night, the winning reached new proportions, as the Wolverines stunned defending Big Ten champion Wisconsin with a 22-6 run to cap off a 66-65 victory in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Michigan now hosts Penn State on Saturday and travels to Ohio State and Northwestern next week. Going 2-2 during this stretch would be a good showing for a Michigan team that finished last season with only five conference victories. Anything better than that would be extremely impressive. So how has it happened? What have been the basketball reasons for the improved play? Amaker admits that it isn't rocket science. To put it in as simple terms as possible, the Wolverines stars are starting to play like stars. Combine that with the growing confidence of a freshman point guard named Horton and the result is a winning streak. Blanchard, the forward who went to high school literally across the street from Michigan Stadium, had two single-digit point performances during the losing streak. Since then, he has averaged 20.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. That's a bit more like it for a player who is considered to be one of the 10 best players in the Big Ten. Robinson, a junior, has also been more consistent of late, scoring at least 13 points in five of the last six games he's played. He's also improved his shooting percentage by eliminating some of the bad shots he previously took. In the winning streak, Robinson has made 36 of 63 field goal attempts (57.1 percent). If there's been a negative about the Michigan winning streak, it's that Robinson missed the Wolverines' victory over IUPUI because of knee sprain. He is listed as probable for tonight's game with the Badgers. "Blanchard and Robinson are the bricks of our team," said Amaker, who put his team through a midnight film session after the IUPUI game. "Our other kids, they're all freshmen except for Chuck Bailey and Gavin Groninger, are the mortar. They can be spectacular, but at times they're not. "I believe if your veterans and leaders really kind of play to their level and their potential, it allows for things to progress and we've seen that the last seven games." Now, the Wolverines (7-6 officially, 7-0 in Amaker's world) will find out if they've improved enough to compete in the Big Ten.
Cyclones' Challenge Begins There may not be a team in the country that is in the midst of a more difficult stretch than Iowa State. On Monday night, the Cyclones were routed by Kansas, 83-54. In a game that ended up being Iowa State's worst loss at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones missed their first 11 field goal attempts, fell behind 20-2 and were never really in the game. Things don't get any easier either. On Saturday, Iowa State plays at Texas. That game is followed by a home game against Oklahoma on Jan. 18 and a trip to Missouri on Jan. 21. Nothing like starting conference play with four consecutive games against ranked teams. "I really think this team's going to be good," Eustachy said. "I think we just need to improve on some things. It may not show up in the win/loss column, but I really believe we can be good. I'm excited about them, when, not if, when we can get them together. "We never quit, but we got really discouraged from A to Z. We'll play better Saturday." One area in which Iowa State should improve immediately is in attitude. Against Kansas, the Cyclones looked timid and during a timeout, Eustachy got on his team for being "afraid." "I think we looked shocked," Iowa State's Adam Haluska said. "We played scared at times."
Around the Midwest In the stretch, Ricardo Patton's team has had some good victories, winning at Charlotte, defeating Penn and, most recently, downing in-state rival Colorado State. Colorado guard Michael Morandais has played extremely well of late, scoring 19 against Penn and 24 against the Rams. In the victory over Colorado State, the Buffaloes were able to win with David Harrison sitting on the bench for a good stretch of the second half. "(In the past) we've struggled when David didn't score," Patton said after the game. "Tonight I said, 'Let's let David sit and think about it and we'll coach the guys on the floor.' I wanted to see guys step up and play. I was particularly pleased to see guys buying into the system. Things do get tougher this weekend as the Buffs open league play at Oklahoma.
Asked where the players would dress, Richardson told the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph: "Their cars, the bathroom, the boiler room, I don't know. I guess I'm trying to get them mad at me so they can start rallying around each other." While the Redbirds have lost two games since having to wash their own practice gear, they showed improvement and played harder in losses at Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa.
And they can't get a bit of recognition in either the Associated Press media poll or ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Kent State finally received one measly No. 25 vote in each poll for the first time this week, but that certainly isn't enough.
Who's Hot
Who's Not
Quote To Note Jeff Shelman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (www.startribune.com) is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. |
| |||||||||||||||||
