Big Ten Tournament Blog: U-M vs. Iowa
3/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
#9 Seed Michigan 55, #8 Seed Iowa 47
Big Ten Tournament First Round
Thursday, March 13 Noon EDT
Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Ind.
Recap
2:45 p.m. -- Every game is a bubble game for this Michigan team. Unless they win it all, the next loss is the end of the season. And John Beilein wants the U-M players to understand that and, yes, enjoy it. He told the team after the game that they need to enjoy this time and appreciate what they have. He likened it to 'knowing a family member or a friend and all of a sudden that indivdual is not with you anymore. And you wish you have spent more time, or said I love you. But you wish you would have enjoyed that time with that individual.' John mentioned that's life and this basketball experience and all experiences in life should be enjoyed for what it is. In fact, Beilein even made mention to the reporters that he wants the players to enjoy this win and think about what they accomplished before they even start thinking about the next game. But he knows they have to plan for Wisconsin at noon tomorrow, and he is ready to start talking about that game when the players go to dinner tonight. There is truly something special about a tournament win, and you could see that in the eyes of the Michigan players and coaches.
2:05 p.m. -- The Wolverines finished the way they started. Strong play with blocks inside by Udoh and Harris handling the offense as the team ran time off the clock yet still could score. The team not only won many of the four-minute battles, they fought extremely hard on offense and defense for the 40-minute game. This was Michigan's 10th win this year, but now the only thing that matters is how far can this team go in Indy. Tomorrow the Wolverines will take on Wisconsin. The Badgers had a bye today, and the jury is still out if the early bye helps or hinders a team -- at least on Friday. Beilein wanted to start a routine for Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. This was a perfect way to start it.
1:50 p.m. -- Iowa coach Todd Lickliter doesn't have the outside shooting, so the Hawkeyes are concentrating on going inisde. U-M has some foul issues with four on Sims and three on Udoh, so this does help Iowa. But the Hawkeyes haven't been strong from the line either, 11 of 19 with 3:40 left. Harris is trying to keep the team fired up, moving the ball well on offense. A big three-pointer from Anthony Wright gave U-M a double-digit lead again, 49-37, and a great block from Udoh has reinvigorated Michigan. Beilein has been saying all day 'Win the next four minutes.' Now, U-M just needs to win the next 3:44.
1:35 p.m. -- The referees' whistles have been heard loud and strong midway through the second half.Three quick calls on U-M plus a fourth one minute later have created some concern on the bench.With 9:27 left, Iowa now had one-and-ones for the rest of the game.Iowa is going stronger to the hoop as it is making its run with time running out on the Hawkeyes.But they still are having problems from three-point land.Beilein doesn't like the way things are going, so the 30-second T.O. is perfect at this time. But another missed three and Iowa rebound leads to another foul. So in comes Epke.
1:25 p.m. -- A couple of calls have gone against U-M and the bench was up in arms. Gibson was crunched and Udoh was called for a travel.. The reason this could be important is U-M has been managing the game well from both a coach and players perspective. U-M needs to get back to its style of basketball and forget about the calls. A timeout called by Iowa is fortunate, giving Beilein and the coaches a chance to settle everything down. Then a quick offensive foul against Iowa and another TV timeout with 11:32 left has given John a chance to make a few changes by putting Lee in the game and just presenting a calming influence. They are reminded again -- four more strong minutes.
1:20 p.m. -- Three-point shooting is going to be important in the John Beilein offense and already it is making a big difference.This afternoon, U-M is 7 of 16 while Iowa is 2 of 9. Add the fact the Hawkeyes can't get inside because of strong defense, it is no wonder Michigan has a 15-point lead with just under 16 minutes left.Again, the team is talking about 'four more minutes' during the T.O. The team looked loose during pregame and they are playing loose and having fun now.
1:05 p.m. -- Halftime and U-M went off the court pumped. Zach Gibson's rebound of Harris' toss off the backboard gave the team a reason to go into the locker room with a big time positive feeling. The pundits all thought U-M's defense was the key in the first half -- along with Manny's 5 of 8 from the field -- but Iowa just cannot get inside on U-M. The start of the second half also looked strong. Two quick baskets and one steal have put U-M up by 14 -- again its largest lead. Let's see how the second half will go. Now, I'm finally blogging from the courtside so let's see how that works.
12:40 p.m. -- Manny Harris with 12 points and handling the offense extremely well. The coaching staff has been trying to get this team to play the game in four-minute sections. Don't worry about anything more than what is at hand. The U-M defense had a good run too just over the halfway point of the first half. Back-to-back charging calls against Iowa and a third call underneath against the Hawkeyes gave U-M a chance to really create even a bigger lead, but the Wolverines couldn't respond offensively with more than three points. But a 14-point lead was cut in half and Iowa is working the ball better to get good looks down low. A few more charging calls against the Hawkeyes with good U-M defense is needed to shut that down.
12:20 p.m. -- Beilein told the players to play hard, strong and have fun just before they took the court, and the first few minutes have been just that for the U-M team. Ekpe Udoh is playing strong underneath. In fact, after the 30-second Iowa timeout, you could see the Iowa strategy change to try and move Udoh around and keep him away from guarding the basket. The Maize and Blue are having fun too. When Kelvin Grady and Manny Harris missed on an easy pass, Beilein reminded them to keep playing hard and don't worry about that mistake. U-M has had good looks at the basket, and combined with the excitement and quick moves toward the basket on offense have allowed the Wolverines to get off to the fast start over Iowa,
11:35 a.m. -- Both Iowa and Michigan are on the court for pregame warmups and Merritt can play. Now will he get time That is up to the coaching staff. The team seems to be loose and ready to play. Last night, the student managers tried to do their part in getting the team ready. They created a little 'highlight film' of their own, showing what they do on daily basis but using the mannerisms of the players on the team. Everyone got a laugh watching the film. . . . A couple of notes of interest: Michigan has made it to Friday's second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament only once in the last three years. Last year, Michigan knocked off Minnesota 49-40 in the first round game before losing to No. 1 seed Ohio State on Friday, 72-62. . . . Conseco Fieldhouse might be the best basketball arena in the country. It has great sightlines and is fan friendly. Oh yeah, and it looks great too. In fact Indy is a great place for this tournament. Fans and media alike can park their cars in the garage and never have to bring them out until they go home. Everything is walking distance from the hotels to the eateries to the arena. . . . Wayne Larivee and Shon Morris will be the talent on today's game, broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Tipoff is at noon.
10:45 a.m. -- It is rather interesting to watch a coaching staff come to a new venue for a tournament. While the administrators know where the location of the rooms and the events are for almost everything here in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, John Beilein and his staff are literally seeing this for the first time. (Everyone that is except assistant coach Jerry Dunn, who made this trip with Penn State, and administrator Matt Dupree, a holdover from the previous staff.)
While Beilein is trying to create a routine his teams will follow for years, he is also watching his team react to this tourney. Coaches love routines, and the new U-M head coach is excited for the team -- after all, the regular season is now over and this is a new start for every team.
Now, as the team gets ready to board the Indian Trails bus, U-M senior David Merritt is moving with a little more speed than usual. He is hoping he might find his way back on to the court for today's game. He suffered the knee injury against Ohio State and hasn't played a minute since the injury. He has worked hard to get back on the court, and in just a few hours, we'll see if he has made it all the way back.
