Whatever happens next, 2013-14 has been special for the Michigan Wolverines

Photo by Dustin Johnston, UMhoops.com

“This season has been a great season. I hope this isn’t the last highlight. I hope we have more in front of us.” — John Beilein, March 9, 2014

I do, too. I hope that this Michigan basketball team will continue to grow, will build off this momentum, and will win the Big Ten Tournament and make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament. They're capable. They've proven that time and time again this season. They can win the whole dang thing!

But first, let's enjoy the moment.

Yes, a statement like that is sacrilege in today's fast-moving society. Next Sunday, the Big Ten Tournament champion will have all of half an hour — maybe — or less (after all, games are longer this year) to revel in its accomplishment before the NCAA Tournament bracket is released and coaches and players have to prepare for the next opponent.

Disgraceful.

So I'm going against the tide. Years from now, regardless of how Michigan's season finishes, I'll look back to this blog and smile. On March 4, 2014, the Wolverines won their first outright Big Ten title since 1986, when I was 2 and didn't know the difference between a basketball and a diaper. Four days later, they put an exclamation mark on a remarkable regular season with a victory at home over Indiana — a win Glenn Robinson III, an Indiana native, didn't hesitate to call sweet revenge after the Wolverines watched the Hoosiers stun them and celebrate on the same court a year earlier.

I will never forget this season.

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Neither will Michigan's seventh-year head coach John Beilein. He said that much on Tuesday, after the Wolverines put on an offensive clinic in their most complete game of the season, a 84-53 shellacking of Illinois in Champaign, Ill.

"It's something that I know I'm gonna cherish for a long time," Beilein said.

Just not right now. Beilein is too focused on creating more highlights for his players, on making them better. That is what makes the 61-year-old head coach special, among other things. That's also what makes him stand out so saliently compared to the Wolverines' previous coach Tommy Amaker, who failed to take Michigan to the NCAA Tournament in six tries.

That's also one of the biggest reasons why the Wolverines, 6-4 in mid-December, sans a quality win, and about to lose their preseason All-American Mitch McGary to back surgery, were able to win 17 of their last 20 games and clinch the Big Ten championship before Jordan's Morgan Senior Night.

Caris Lavert is the prime example of a player growing leaps and bounds in Beilein's system. As a freshman, the beanpole guard played 10.8 minutes per game, shot 31 percent, and didn't once score in double figures. In many programs, Lavert would have become lost, might have transferred or worst. At Michigan, he dedicated himself to hitting the weight room during the summer and working on his shot (not an easy combination of activities), added some 25 pounds, and is — arguably — the most improved player in the Big Ten (if not the nation).

Lavert's 2013-14 numbers in 34 minutes per game: 13.4ppg, 44% FG, 41% 3-point FG, 4.3 rpg. Lavert's intangibles: Whenever Michigan's offense breaks down with the shot clock waning, the ball goes to Lavert and he creates something; because of Lavert's active hands, length and reflexes, Michigan has been able to play the 1-3-1 effectively — in short spurts — for the first time in recent memory; oh, and Lavert made the pass of the season, overhand style, to Robinson for Michigan's improbable win at Purdue, the most memorable moment from a season featuring many of them.

A commentator mentioned on TV today that he thinks Nik Stauskas, Michigan's should-be Big Ten Player of the Year, is the league's most improved. That's hard to argue, except when you consider his fellow sophomore.

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After each loss this season, Beilein and his players talked about learning from their defeats. They weren't just preaching to the cameras. The final stretch of the season is evidence that the Wolverines truly do make changes and understand what they need to fix — not just X's and O's, either — from one game to the next.

The improvement that oozes from this team isn't just coming from individual players.

Take the loss to No. 1 Arizona in mid-December, which dropped the Wolverines to a humbling 6-4 and an afterthought on the national scene. In that game, Michigan blew an eight-point lead with under eight minutes to play, allowing the Wildcats to outmuscle them and outhustle them in the game's crucial moments. 

Since then Michigan has won every nailbiter it's been in. The Wolverines have come back in the final minutes several times (see: at Nebraska, at Michigan State, at Ohio State, vs. Michigan State, at Purdue). And they have closed games by making the hustle plays, as senior, do-it-all big man Morgan and backup point guard Spike Albrecht did with two huge rebounds followed by a Morgan layup to help seal Michigan's 66-56 win over Minnesota last Saturday (just one example).

That's what championship teams do. Michigan wasn't a closing team in losses to Iowa State, Charlotte and the Wildcats. They learned, thanks to the coaching of Beilein and his staff. They progressed. 

The ultimate sign of a great college program in this day and age is players buying in 100 percent to what their coaches tell them — and not having to be instructed twice, or six times. With so many outsiders telling players what they want to hear and that they should be getting more shots, it's a wonder when a staff is able to have such a talented group of players' commitment from game to game throughout the season. 

Improvement. Progression. 

Those two words sum up this Michigan season. 

Oh, and special.

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“I love playing with these guys, they’re some of the best teammates. It’s been an amazing year. So far (pause). So far.” — fifth-year senior Jordan Morgan

Sure, I'll remember that this team won the Big Ten championship. But what, specifically, will pop in my mind when thinking back on the 2013-14 Wolverines?

How about the fact that their glue guy is a fifth-year senior working on his master's degree in manufacturing engineering after an undergraduate industrial and operations engineering degree? That's Morgan, the forgotten man last season when a bad ankle sprain combined with McGary's emergence saddled him to the bench for the majority of the home stretch and the Wolverines' surreal NCAA Tournament run.

Not once did Morgan complain or say anything, publicly, to take away from his teammates' accomplishments. Inside, though, he was heartbroken over his layup that hung and rolled off the rim at the end of that Indiana loss. He wouldn't be able to completely put it in his past until Saturday night, when — after an emotional buildup to his final game, which including him weeping during an interview for the Big Ten Network's "The Journey" — Morgan played one of his best games, scoring six quick points en route to 15 of them and 10 rebounds against the Hoosiers.

The reason for Morgan's success? He learned from Michigan's 63-52 loss at Indiana on Feb. 2, when the Hoosiers switched a smaller player on him and he didn't pick the right angles to receive entry passes. This time around, Morgan worked in practice on those angles and in the game aggressively called for the ball on the switch and finished time after time in traffic around the rim.

Morgan used to receive all kinds of flack for his "butterfingers." Now, it's a surprise to everyone if he mishandles a pass.

Improvement. Progress. Oh, and a special night.

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But back to Morgan's quote. 

That sums up why it's incredibly enjoyable and rewarding, as a fan, to follow this team. They genuinely love playing with each other. 

Stauskas will definitely fulfill his NBA dreams after this season. So, likely, will best friends and roommates Robinson and McGary. On a team with so many NBA prospects (Lavert is on his way, too), it's easy for individual agendas to get in the way — even if not publicly. 

I can tell you with 100 percent certainly —just from watching each game on TV, not to mention what the players say about each other — that isn't an issue. The team loves to share the ball. No plays elicit bigger celebrations, fist bumps and smiles than the dozens of alley-oops Robinson has received, seemingly, from everyone on the roster. I was in Crisler Center when he made a midair adjustment to throw down a game-clinching 'oop from Stauskas against the Spartans on Feb. 23. The roof nearly came off the arena.

On such a talented team, minutes are hard to spread around. In some games, highly heralded freshman point guard Derrick Walton, Jr. has sat during the crucial portions while Albrecht runs the Wolverines. Not once has Walton made a deal out of it.

One of those games was the comeback, overtime win at Purdue. Albrecht played all the big minutes down the stretch, but when Robinson made the game-winning shot Walton was one of the first Wolverines to mob him. Watch the celebration. It's impossible to tell the game contributors versus the bench guys.

A master's degree engineer; three sophomores likely heading to the NBA; a four-star recruit point guard who doesn't pout when big-game minutes go to his backup; and a coach who talks about enjoying the process, cherishing each success, and, simply, getting better.

It all adds up to yet another special season for a Michigan team that I'll never forget, and a Wolverines program that you can't ignore, now, as one of the nation's best. 

The upcoming weeks might bring many more wins. But they'll likely also include a loss. From the outside, there will be questions and criticism. After all, people live in the moment. And as a championship program, bigger titles — including that national one — are expected. 

But Beilein, and Morgan, and the rest of this group, will always be able to look back at this year and cherish — coach's word — a special season full of...

Progress. Improvement. And an outright Big Ten championship. 

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"Whether you've got a paper due or practice, whatever -- finish it strong. We're going to finish things (here)." — John Beilein, March 9, 2014

A special afternoon at Crisler Center: My rivalry game experience from the student section

Today was awesome! I’m on a peaceful plane now, headed back to Baltimore — and, eventually, DC, where the real world is ready to welcome me back with District traffic, more winter, and hopefully not another flat tire for my bike.

However, for now, I prefer to think abut the confines of Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, where this afternoon I joined 12,000-plus rowdy Michigan fans for a 79-70 victory over in-state rival Michigan State.

I had never been to a Michigan State-Michigan game (at least as far as I can remember), and this past fall I decided I was going to do it this year. I knew it wouldn’t be cheap. But with both teams at the top of the Big Ten standings — at least I thought that would be the case when I bought the plane ticket — I figured this could be as good as it gets.

Michigan went through a tough stretch during the nonconference, fell out of the rankings, lost preseason All-American Mitch McGary, and people gave up on the team. I never lost hope. They bounced back in a big way, winning 10 straight games spanning late December and January — including three consecutive victories over top 10 teams (one at the Breslin Center against the Spartans).

Despite recent struggles, they were tied in the loss column with Michigan State entering Sunday. But first, back to the ticket purchase. I decided I was all in last week — the day before a big Michigan win at Ohio State, which surely pushed prices up. I bought a pair off Craigslist from a student for $125 each. Not cheap, by any means, but much more affordable than the average $269 regular tickets were going for on the secondary market the week leading up to the game.

(Side note: While students I’ve talked to have some issues with Michigan’s complicated ticket policy, one cool thing is that you can transfer student tickets to people like me without a fee — the student just transfers them online to you, and then you can print them.)

Here’s my game day journal (times are approximate):

9:43 — It’s time to go! I take a final sip of my morning coffee, say adios to the Dad and Pomeranian Charlie, and head out the door of my parents’ Spring Street house into the 20-degree weather. I’m bundled up — T-shirt, fleece, hoodie, Michigan basketball maize-colored long sleeve, and Bernard Robinson Jr. No. 21 blue jersey … all under my coat. I don’t want to be cold while waiting.

10:14 — I’m in line! The drive toward the Crisler Center was uneventful, as was parking in the dentist lot off Stadium Boulevard. There were no signs anywhere that a big game was imminent. This is a far cry from a football Saturday in Ann Arbor. Even as I crossed Main Street and walked toward the arena, there were but a few early scalpers out (who were asking for tickets rather than selling). But once I circled around the arena to its back parking lot, I started hearing noise and spotted the line. I kept walking, and walking, and walking … until I finally reach its end. I turned around and looked toward Crisler. It was a ways off. But so was tipoff.

10:44 — “You should run,” I tell Justen on the phone. My companion for the game had to work in the morning, so he couldn’t join me super early. And now my portion of the line — including the group of girls behind me that has grown during the past half hour and has kept me entertained with talk of their Saturday night adventures on campus — is walking up the steps toward the gated student entrance. If Justen doesn’t make it soon, we’ll have to back up in the line.

10:48 — Justen arrives, and we’re in! Our printed tickets are scanned, we’re handed new tickets for Section 232, and we’re ready for action. Just over an hour until tipoff! Upon arriving at the section and walking up the stairs, we’re informed that it’s first come, first served. We grab seats maybe 12 rows up. Not bad.

(Side note: The students who stand in the “Maize Rage” section that you see on TV have to get in line ridiculously early. Apparently, even some students who arrived at 5AM — whoa! — were turned away and told to retreat to the back of the line. After the “Made for TV” fans are seated, the next section is in the lower bowl but behind the basket. Then the rest of the 3,000 students with ticket fill up about four sections in the upper level behind the basket; that’s where we were. But as Justen remarked to me, and I agreed, there’s really not a bad seat in the house at Crisler. It’s not that huge.)

11:56 — Everyone’s standing. Everyone’s waving their yellow pompoms. Crisler is loud. Crisler is boisterous. I can’t spot an empty seat in the house. The national anthem is sung. Then it’s introductions. Now, finally, game time! I stand with Justen on my left, an older man on my right who must be the father of the student next to him, and hundreds of rabid Wolverines fans all around us. Green is hard to spot except behind the Spartans bench.

12:22 — Denzel freakin’ Valentine is killing us. The last guy you would expect to go off from 3-point land is doing just that for the Spartans, boosting them to a 22-11 lead. We’re still trying to bring the noise. We’re still standing for each possession. But it’s hard, at this point, to be too optimistic.

12:23 — Well, at least the scoreboard guy is trying to keep the Wolverines close. In a ridiculous, hilarious, and pretty excellent demonstration of sleeping at the job, the guy keeping score inside Crisler has made two early errors. First, he failed to count an Adreian Payne free throw, leaving the Spartans short a point. Then he counted a Caris Lavert made shot that was clearly a two — as indicated by the refs — a three. He didn’t correct either mistake for a good five minutes. He’s having about as rough of a day as the Wolverines…

12:36 — But not for long! Zak Irvin throws down a one-handed breakaway dunk, and Michigan is back in it. Despite getting thoroughly outplayed, we’ve got a two-point basketball game. I can’t remember the last time I was in such a loud environment. As we sit down during a Michigan State timeout, I marvel at the atmosphere. This is fun.

12:56 — Great way to end the half. After a Michigan State basket, the Wolverines quickly inbound, a pass is fired up the sideline to Lavert — who is in the corner directly below us and in front of the Michigan State bench — and the sophomore perfectly sets his feet and releases the shot. Before it’s even swished through the net, cutting the Wolverines’ halftime deficit to a very manageable 36-34 score, he’s running back down the court. That’s confidence, he is the main reason Michigan is in the game, and Crisler is rockin’.

1:04 — “I’m mesmerized, but…” the guy next to me says as he motions to be let out of his seat to the aisle. Yeah, the magician’s halftime show is OK, but my expectations haven’t been met. The woman-in-a-box trick just isn’t cutting it for me. Hopefully the best magic will come in the second half…

1:25 — Stauskas! Just when it looks like the Spartans are threatening to create a little separation, Michigan’s sharp-shooting sophomore — the guy who owned the team in green in East Lansing, blowing the fans a kiss as the Wolverines completed the 80-75 victory — is coming alive. We have a great vantage point from our seats behind the basket that you don’t get on TV. Every shot Stauskas takes is either just left of the top of the key or from dead-on. And every one looks good. They almost all fall. His 3 cuts MSU’s deficit to 48-46. Moments later, Michigan takes its first lead in forever at 50-48. Crisler is deafening!

1:38 — “Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, EVERYBODY!” As my man Justen will recall later, the joint was never more hype. A run made up almost entirely of Stauskas and Lavert baskets has given the Wolverines a 64-52 lead on a Lavert two-handed slam. Timeout Tom Izzo and the Spartans. And we’re all singing “Shots, shots…” because Michigan’s hitting all of them. We’re engulfed by a sea of pompoms. I’m starting to lose my voice. This is what a big-time basketball game in February should feel like!

1:53 — “OHHHHHHH!!!” And that’s the exclamation point. Many free throws will follow, to officially seal the deal, but Glenn Robinson III, the much-maligned sophomore, has just thrown down an alley-oop pass from Stauskas that the disher will later admit was not his best. Robinson seemed to hang in the air for a full second and adjusted his body accordingly to throw down the dunk, which sent us all into delirium. Oh, what a moment. Michigan is up double figures and en route to sweeping the Spartans and taking control of first place, by itself, in the Big Ten.

2:02 — And that’s a wrap. Once more, we pump our fists, and/or pompoms to “Hail to the Victors,” and the friendly usher provides high fives as we walk down the steps of the section, adding, “You’ll be telling your kids about this one.” Michigan 79, Michigan State 70.

What will I remember most about this afternoon? The atmosphere. The emotion. Stauskas doing not one, but two huge fist pumps after a Michigan run in the second half. Beilein getting as animated as you’ll ever see the mostly calm Wolverines coach after a blocking foul on senior Jordan Morgan. The players continuously encouraging the fans to get loud throughout the game. Sweating through my many layers. And, of course, how it all started with the line.

Obviously, we live in the moment — now more than ever with social media. But when Beilein and many of the players Tweeted afterward about Crisler being about as loud as they’d ever experienced it, I believe them — or at least I like to. And I fondly think I was a part of something special.

That maybe, just maybe, will result in Michigan’s first outright Big Ten title since 1985-86 — when I was crawling on the floor in diapers and didn’t know the difference between a basketball and a pumpkin.