8A - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 TheMichigan Daily - michigandaily.com 8A - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom MEN'S BASKETBALL For Michigan, an embarrassment of riches Freshman guard Caris LeVert has added 20 pounds and over an inch to his wiry frame since arriving on campus this fall. LeVertMitchigan set to fcl.,e Co ruskr Gus Johnson knows injus- tice when he sees it. What Johnson saw .as the Big Ten Network play-by-play man during the Michigan basketball team's 95-67 victory over Iowa on Sun- day was sim- STEPHEN J. ply unfair. NESBITT He said as much on the broadcast, encapsulating it in one swift sentence. "John Beilein has an embar- rassment of riches on his team," Johnson said. Think back a few years. When did it become OK to coo about Michigan basketball? I still remembersa raging debate over whether Michigan fans should have stormed the court after the Wolverines, who start- ed the season ranked 15th, beat No. 15 Connecticut at Crisler Arena. That was just less than four years ago. That was an embarrassment. This is something different altogether. Michigan is one of the coun- try's four remaining unbeaten teams, is ranked No. 2 in the land and, at 15-0, has started this well only once before. The Wolverines face Big Ten basement-dweller Nebraska at Crisler Center tonight (7 p.m., Big Ten Network) vying to match the program's best start, set in 1985-86. A victory over the Cornhusk- ers would pit Michigan against No. 15 Ohio State in Columbus on Sunday with a chance to set the program's new benchmark, one that may not be eclipsed for a very, very longtime. the helm in Ann Arbor, never even reached the 16-win mark in his first and third'season on campus. An embarrassment of riches. That seems pretty accurate for Michigan, ateam winning by an average of 22.5 points per game while consistently rotat- ing five true freshmen onto the floor. Just look down the bench. Beilein has more-than-service- able options two and three deep at every position. The Wolverines are two games into the Big Ten season and have already registered a pair of 28-point victories over Northwestern and Iowa. Sure, the Wolverines haven't really been tested by talent on par, with what else is around the Big Ten. But they sure haven't fal- tered, either. You can't talk Michigan without mentioning sophomore floor general Trey Burke, who has the Wolverines atop the polls and is making a serious push to be the favorite in the national player of the year dis- cussion, despite not ranking in the top-five nationally in any standard statistical category. Burke is averaging 18.2 points and 7.5 assists per game, shooting 54.6 percent from the field and 76.7 percent from the free-throw line. All good num- bers. But dig beneath the rigid statistical surface for a moment and you'll find what makes this kid great. Aside from being the lead- ing scorer on the No. 2 team in America, Burke spearheads perhaps the most balanced offense in the college game, and he's distributed the wealth with hardly a misstep. Managing a potent transition offense, Burke averages just 1.9 turnovers per game for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.04. To put the numbers into context, Burke is on pace to supplant Gary Grant for the program's assists-per-game crown. Grant averaged 6.88 assists per game during the 1987-88 season, but he also had a Michigan-record 150 turn- overs, resulting in a meager 1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio. Burke has made dashes to the basket, beaten defenders off the dribble and broken ankles with step-back jumpers. But he'll tell you that scor- ing isn't his focus. It's his court vision that has the Wolverines as the only 15-0 team in the nation. Thanks to Burke, Michigan has four players averaging 12-plus points per game. If you tally together the scoring averages of those four play- ers - Burke, junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr., freshman for- ward Glenn Robinson III and freshman guard Nik Stauskas - they alone are good for 60.6 points per game. In Beilein's five previous seasons at Michi- gan, his entire teams have never averaged more than 66.9 or less than 62.6 points per game. Today, the Wolverines are aver- aging 82.0 points. There's no storming the court, not just yet. The expec- tations are a little higher now, and Michigan has one of the most exciting teams in the country in one of the best are- nas. It's a good time to be in Ann Arbor. Pardon the numbers-heavy analysis, but the tale of the tape is the best measuringstick for Michigan. Just ask Gus John- son. Michigan's got an embarrass- ment of riches. By COLLEEN THOMAS Daily Sports Editor Coming off a career-best per- formance against Iowa, fresh- man guard Caris LeVert was smiling, braces and all, when he approached the podium Tues- Nebraska at day for a press Michn conference. The once- Matchup: assumed Nebraska 9-6; redshirt has Michigan 15-0 impressed When: Michigan coach Wednesday John Beilein 7 p.m. so much that Where: Crisler LeVert went Center from sitting out TV/Radio: the season to BTN becoming an integral cog in the rotation - he was even given the nod to start when junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was sidelined from agame againstCentral Mich- igan with an ankle injury. Despite his improvedshooting and growth on defense, LeVert was asked more about his physical growth than his play on the court. LeVert ;has gained 20 pounds andgrown atinch and ahalfsince arriving in' Ann Arbor, due to a strict diet and an intense weight- training program designed by Beilein and his staff. The weight gain was one reason Beilein ulti- mately de'cided to burn LeVert's redshirt. "He needs another 20 (pounds)," Beilein joked. "(We want him to eat) all day long if he MEN'S BASKETBALL can. We watch what they eat, not probably pouring over it like you would a 5-year-old, but we are watching what he eats." Before LeVert arrived at Michi- gan, he wasn't doing much more than pushups and sit-ups in addi- tion to his workout, and the fresh- man said it was a shock to his body after the first couple weeks of weights. After many hours in the cold tub, LeVert has begun to adapt to intense practices and the physicality of collegiate play. . His improvement is a testa- ment to howall the freshmen have adjusted to college basketball. Guard Nik Stauskas easily shot his way into the starting lineup, but has shown immense growth in his ability to drive into the lane and on the other end of the court, play solid defense. Also, forward Mitch McGary has become a legitimate No. 2 post player for Michigan. Despite getting into foul trouble early on this season, McGary has learned to control his body bet- ter and has gained muscle to keep up with the physicality of Big Ten play. So LeVert, the other freshmen and the rest of the second-ranked Wolverine squad are prepared for the fast-paced offense that Nebraska (0-2 Big Ten, 9-6 over- all) will bring to Crisler Center tonight (7 p.m., Big Ten Network). Though their record may be underwhelming, the Cornhuskers run a fast-paced offense that relies heavily on their transition game, while their defense has held oppo- nents to an average of 61 points per game. Seniors Dylan Talley and Brandon Ubel lead Nebraska's offense that has three players con- sistently scoring in double figures. Beilein called Nebraska a "very different" challenge. "We went from a Northwest- ern challenge, which is extremely unique (to) the way Iowa played us, they came out pressing us right away," Beilein said. "Now we're going into almost like a Wiscon- sin-type of prep as far as what they do defensively - very contain- ing, going to make us make tough (2-pointers), get out on us pretty good. We've got to adjust again to a different team." For the Wolverines (2-0, 15-0), who rely heavily on their youth, Beilein is wary that this transition - three different styles of play from each Big Ten opponent in just a week - may be tough both men- tally and physically on his team. Michigan's offense, which scored a program record for points in a conference game with 95 against Iowa on Sunday, may be slowed down a bit by Nebras- ka's defense, and Beilein hopes his players are prepared to make in-game adjustments and not get frustrated. "(The Cornhuskers are) going to minimize possessions for both teams and that maximizes the team's chances to win," Beilein said. "If that's the strategy they're going to use, we have to adapt. They're looking to shorten games, stay in the game, and they can beat you if you're not on your game." - Nesbitt can be reached at stnesbitnumich.edu. 4, Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Nebraska's Tim Miles 9 ByEVERETT COOK Daily Sports Editor, Tim Miles strolled to the podium in Chicago, sat down and smiled. As the first-year coach of Nebraska, this was his first Big Ten Media Day, but Miles didn't show it. He cracked jokes, poked fun and ended his press confer- ence with a panoramic photo of the media in the room that then went out to his large Twitter fol- lowing. Miles is the new man in charge of a Nebraska team that won just four conference games and fin- ished dead last in the Big Ten last year, but he looked like a coach that was more thanicomfortable in Chicago. Lost in all the hoopla was that Miles is actually a pretty darn good basketball coach. He was hired away from Colorado State, where he had been since 2007. In his first season there, the team won seven games. In his last sea- son in Colorado, the team won 22 games and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Not just a personality, Miles is slowly pulling Nebraska :(0-2 Big Ten, 9-6 overall) out of the cellar. It tookthe Cornhuskers until Jan- uaryi11last year to reach nine wins - this year, they reached nine wins in late December.'Nebraska travels to Ann Arbor tonight for its biggest test of the season, No. 2 Michigan (2-0,15-0). At Big Ten Media Day, Miles sat down with the Daily to discuss the upcoming season. The Michigan Daily: What places are you looking forward to playing at? Tim Miles: I'm. just excited to be part of the Big Ten. I think they are all going to be great envi- ronments. I just have to find some good lunch spots, because I had the Mountain West down. TMD: Is one of the exciting parts about being in this confer- ence knowing there is going to be a challenge every night? TM: I think it's a great weight- loss method. I used to call it the . Rams basketball diet back in Col- orado - watch us play, feel like puking for a week. You won't eat, you won't drink, you won't do any- thing. I just hope it goes well, and I think it's going to be a grueling, punishing season. But I think also, when you have an opportunity to compete with the best, you are going to get better too. I look for- ward to building our program all the same. TMD: Do you feel like there's a culture change that has to happen with this program? TM: It's hard for me to say because I can only talk about the element I'm in and what I deal with every day with our guys. I do know there are some things we need to acclimate to. That matters most to me, thatcevery day interac- tion, how we behave and how we are going to perform before we start involving the competition. TMD: You've been moving up the coaching ranks, do you feel like you are at the top now? TM: I really do feel like I'm in the best conference in the country. I look at fan support, quality of the coaches, the way the teams play - how productive they are, and they are all well coached. They all have amazing home environments and venues, and they all have great players. It's fun though, because I think we have a great thing going here and it's fun to be a part of. TMD: How excited are you to just start playing and see where your team is at? TM: Finally, you get to do your job! Between today and March 24 (when Miles was hired) seems like a lifetime ago. It's not like you get to play golf all summer and mess around. We tried to put Nebraska basketball on the fore- front and build a brand a little bit. It's just amazing that journey and how much life has been lived in this short amount of time. 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