It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.
Normally I detest such pleasant cliche’s, especially as they relate to sports, but the Michigan Wolverines’ basketball team is starting to make me a beleiver.
On paper, the weekend wasn’t good for Michigan. The team lost yet another overtime heartbreaker, this one on the road to the archival Michigan State Spartans, likely keeping their tournament hopes on ice for the time being.
Still, the news wasn’t all bad. The Wolverines fought Michigan State tooth and nail on their home floor despite all the injuries and inconsistencies the team has been dealing with, continuing upon an impressive trend lately during Big Ten play.
Impressively, subs have gotten the job done in the midst of a full-fledged injury crisis, be it Aubrey Dawkins or the recently discovered Muhammed-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, different players have been picking up the slack and carrying the load. Even Spike Albrecht has been chipping in his share of big games lately.
All of this speaks to the wonderful coaching by John Beilein. Faced with some stunning adversity already in 2014-15 given the departure of several players to the NBA, the coach has managed to keep his team in the conversation despite injuries that would have certainly left other teams reeling. In spite of that, Beilein continues to inspire the troops, and push them toward better things.
Other teams in the country might have talent, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that nobody is playing with as much pure heart as Michigan this season. That in itself could lead to a few significant and important wins down the stretch, so it’s not wise to count these Wolverines out just yet.
When all is said and done, the team may miss out on making the tournament, but the way they have carried themselves through circumstance and tough times has certainly been an inspiration.
It may even help prove that old adage about winning and losing.
Player Of The Week: Branden Dawson, F, Michigan State. Thankfully for the Spartans, Dawson has started to play like his hair’s on fire. On Sunday against Michigan, Dawson chipped in 19 huge points and 10 rebounds, helping Michigan State beat the Wolverines, who simply couldn’t control his scoring ability. That was coming off a 17 point and 11 rebound game against Rutgers. Dawson has become nearly an automatic double-double, and a continuation of his excellent play could help the Spartans mold into a quiet contender in the Big Ten as the season progresses.
Game Of The Week: Iowa at Michigan, Thursday. With all due respect to the Spartans and Illini, it will be much more fascinating to see what Michigan has in store for the Hawkeyes late this week. How will the Wolverines rebound after a tough loss against the Spartans? Can Iowa stop the bleeding in the middle of their season? This game might shape up to be a key one for tournament representation down the stretch.
Stat Of The Week: 86, the number of rebounds the Spartans have pulled down in their last two games. It’s not surprising that Michigan State has gotten back to winning considering their dominance of the glass. The Spartans outrebounded both Rutgers and Michigan by nearly identical margins. There’s only one thing that will keep the Spartans above water the rest of the way, and that’s toughness on the glass and around the rim. The events of this past week should be used as a road map to success.
Standings Update:
Michigan State 15-7 (6-3 Big Ten)
Michigan 13-9 (6-4 Big Ten)
Max DeMara is a senior editor at The Detroit Sports Site. You can find him on Twitter @SportsGuyTheMa
