As I watched Michigan throttle Illinois last night to win the program's first outright Big Ten Championship in nearly three decades, I couldn't help but think of the post-Fab Five era of Michigan Basketball. One of the great traditional midwest basketball powers had slipped into basketball oblivion, failing to make an NCAA tournament for over a decade (before the streak was snapped in 2009). I remember attending games throughout the 2000s to half-empty arenas, with mediocre basketball on display. Aging facilities, a lack of support from the athletic department, and poor coaching plagued the Wolverines from the late 90s until John Beilein arrived on campus in the fall of 2007. What he has accomplished is nothing short of a miracle, and he is the primary reason Michigan Basketball is "back," and will be for a long time.
In his first season at the helm, Beilein's Wolverines mustered only 10 wins, and Michigan remained in the Big Ten basement in both wins and attendance. However, the 2008-2009 season was a different story. Early victories against top 5 foes Duke and UCLA helped launch Michigan into the NCAA tournament for the first time in over a decade, and besides a minor blip in the radar the following year, Beilein and the Wolverines have made the tournament in every year since that initial NCAA appearance.
As a diehard follower of Michigan Basketball, I couldn't be a student at Michigan at a better time. After the 2012 Co-Big Ten Championship my freshman year of college followed by a Final Four appearance last spring, I was extremely optimistic about this year's team. With three starters returning, as well as many role players and highly rated recruits coming to Ann Arbor, I figured another run to a Final Four was a possibility. However, coupled with early season injuries to Nik Stauskas (ankle), Glenn Robinson III (back), and the most serious of the three, Mitch McGary (back), the team sustained a bad early loss to Charlotte, blew late leads in games to Iowa State and Arizona, and had an overall poor performance against Duke. In mid-December, it was announced that Mitch McGary would undergo back surgery and miss the rest of the season. With four early losses, and without their preseason All-American, most fans and students (including myself) wondered if this team even had the capability to make the NCAA tournament, let alone compete for a Big Ten Championship. Now, two weeks before the tournament, Michigan is in line to grab a 2/3 seed and is an outright Big Ten Champion. My, how quickly things can change.
Nik Stauskas, labeled as "not just a shooter" for his the entirety of his freshman season, has emerged as the Wolverines' star, playmaker, and unquestioned leader. As he goes, the team goes. He is the odds-on favorite to win the program's second consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year (POY), and could leave early to the NBA as a first-round pick. Along with him, Michigan has received huge contributions from the likes of Caris LeVert, Jordan Morgan, and Glenn Robinson III, as well as a couple of freshmen, including sharpshooter Zak Irvin and point guard Derrick Walton III. This team, when playing to its full potential, can beat anyone in the nation. Ranked in the top 5 in the nation in offensive efficiency by KenPom.com (3rd, to be exact) for the second consecutive season, the Wolverines will be a dangerous matchup for anyone come tournament time.
John Beilein has awakened a sleeping giant in Michigan Basketball, and while he has recruited elite level talent to join his program, he and his assistants have done a superb job developing that talent. He should win the National coach of the year award (he won't, however), by winning a Big Ten title despite losing Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the NBA, and Mitch McGary to injury. His program shows no signs of slowing down in the immediate future, and would you really bet against him? He remains grounded and maintains a foundation of hard work that will lead his program to new heights. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for Michigan Basketball.
Go Blue.
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