Kornacki: One Shining Moment for Many Wolverines Saturday
3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Freshman Aubrey Dawkins and senior Max Bielfeldt were all smiles following their best games of the season, and they were at midcourt awaiting postgame interviews with Shon Morris of the Big Ten Network.
Blaring on the public address system at Crisler Center was "One Shining Moment," a song usually reserved for the NCAA Tournament. But the Wolverines aren't going there this year unless they spring some upsets and win the Big Ten Tournament next week.
The 79-69 win over Rutgers on Saturday afternoon (March 7) is very likely going to be their best moment this March -- after four consecutive NCAA tourney berths that included advancing to the Final Four championship game and the Elite Eight.
"This was a very unique year," said head coach John Beilein, "and a unique way to finish it."
It was a feel-good win in a season that didn't have many of those. Michigan finished 15-15 (8-10 Big Ten) with four overtime losses in conference play and three other losses by three points or less.
But at least the Wolverines went out with a bang:
Dawkins made eight three-pointers, tying Glen Rice for the second most in a game in school history and tallying 31 points.
Bielfeldt got his first career start and powered his way to his first career double-double: 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Afterward, Beilein didn't rule out using the redshirt season Bielfeldt holds as a result of missing his entire freshman year with knee injuries.
Freshman Kameron Chatman had a career-high 13 points and three three-pointers.
Junior Spike Albrecht orchestrated the shooting gallery, matching his career high with nine assists and chipping in seven points.
And then, as if that wasn't enough, two team managers got into the final minute of play.
Ryan Kapustka, a 6-1 guard from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and 5-8 Jon Rubenstein of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, had been cleared as practice players over the past month after injuries made it difficult to run practices.
Beilein decided they'd earned one game in uniform, and Rubenstein even drew a foul. He missed the free throw, but years from now he'll tell the grandkids it hit nothing but net.
So, there was plenty to applaud.
Let's start with cheers for Bielfeldt.
This was his highest scoring effort in a Big Ten game and his most rebounds in one game. He'd come one rebound short of a double-double against Nebraska in January, and the pep band and Maize Rage student section chanted "DOUB-BLE! DOUB-BLE!" when he pulled down his 10th rebound.
"I heard the chant," said Bielfeldt, who started in place of freshman Ricky Doyle, who had a stomach illness. "That was neat. I had some people in the huddles who kept reminding me. I got that one off the defensive rebound, and I was pretty excited, and I heard the crowd."
Bielfeldt also had a career-high three assists, and he found Albrecht cutting to the basket along the baseline for an easy bucket.
"The defense was looking at me a little more when I started scoring," said Bielfeldt, "and so I tried to find some other people."
He was especially fond of returning the favor to Albrecht.
Bielfeldt said, "Spike was definitely looking for me more on senior day -- trying to hook me up. And you've got to appreciate that in a point guard, making it special for you."
Though, there's a possibility Bielfeldt could be back for one more season.
"We're going to have a meeting after the season to talk about things," said Bielfeldt. "(Coming back) is definitely on my list, and it'd be pretty cool."
Beilein said, "I don't think anything's ever closed. I want to make sure we under-promise and over-deliver. So, I wanted him to know that this was his last year (in a preseason conversation). We're going to explore whether it's a good option to come back."
Cheers for Dawkins.
He came one short of Garde Thompson's school-record nine treys against Navy and David Robinson in the 1987 NCAA Tournament and equaled the second-highest total posted by Rice in a regional semifinal win over Dean Smith's North Carolina team en route to the 1989 national championship.
"It means a lot to me," said Dawkins. "It shows a growth and confidence in both myself and the team. Maybe earlier on, they wouldn't have kept feeding me the ball."
He noted Albrecht as "a great facilitator" who finds him when open.
Dawkins made 8-of-11 from beyond the arc and has made 12-of-18 treys in the last two games to total 52 points.
"He had to get (the shots) off quicker, and he's worked at that," said Beilein. "And he's got a short memory for when he misses. He's back out there loading the gun and shooting it again."
At a recent practice, Dawkins made 40 treys in three minutes in a drill designed to get him in rapid-fire mode.
He became the first freshman since Trey Burke to reach 30 points. Burke got 30 on March 9, 2012, against Minnesota and was the national player of the year the next season.
"It means a lot," Dawkins said of the 30-point plateau. "I can't remember the last time I scored 30 points in a game."
Cheers for the managers turned players.
"There really are no words to describe this," said Rubenstein. "I know that sounds cliché. To run out of the tunnel with the team, warm up and be interviewed after a game. You can't put it into words. You just soak it up as much as you can. It was unreal and a dream come true."
Rutgers' Mike Williams fouled him with six seconds remaining, sending him to the free throw line.
"I went to the line," said Rubenstein, "and there were no thoughts going through my head. It's all a blur. I wished I had that shot back because I know I can make that."
He hit a trey in pre-game warmups.
Rubenstein added, "But even to have a 0-for-1 stat line in a Division I basketball game, that's pretty cool I think."
He played four years of varsity basketball at Montclair (New Jersey) Kimberley Academy, and Kapustka played three years on the varsity at Grand Rapids Northview High.
"It's really remarkable; a dream come true," said Kapustka. "I've been watching Michigan games since I was a little kid. I can't thank Coach Beilein enough for what he's given me."
He recalled what Beilein told him and Rubenstein over two weeks ago:
"We really appreciate all that you've done this year, and we'd appreciate it if you'd suit up for the game against Rutgers."
And then they even got to play. Rubenstein waved over Kapustka after they'd concluded media interviews alongside the game's stars, and they bumped knuckles and smiled as if they'd just won the lottery.
Hey, maybe "One Shining Moment" was the perfect song for the day.
• Standout Efforts from Dawkins, Bielfeldt Prove Too Much for Rutgers
