8A - Thursday, January 10, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily com s+EWS SASETAL Michigan dodges upset to remain undefeated Redshirt junior left tackle Taylor Lewan announced Wednesday that he will not enter the 2013 NFL Draft. Lewan to re,..turn By ZACH HELFAND Daily Sports Editor At some point ina long phone conversation with Jake Long, the former Michigan offensive line- man and No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, Michigan tackle Tay- lor Lewan just wanted an answer. Stay or go? Long told Lewan he couldn't make that decision for him. And so Lewan leaned on the past. What did you do, Lewan asked. Long had stayed, and over the course of 30 to 45 minuteshe told Lewan all the reasons why. And so after weeks of perceived hints, Lewan declared Wednesday in assurprising announcement that he will stay at Michigan for his fifth-year senior season, forgoing a shot at the 2013 NFL Draft. Heed- ing the custom set by linemen like Long, and even the mantra of late Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, Lewan chose Michigan tradition over NFL riches. "Offensive lineman here, they stay," said Michigan coach Brady Hoke at a press conference. "And there's been a tradition of that." He cotinued, referencing Long and former linemen Jon Jansen and Chris Hutchinson. "Jake and Jansen, and you could go back through it. Hutch and all those guys. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. had * listed Lewan as the No. 15 player overall on his most recent Big Board Wednesday. Lewan was " considered by most to be the sec- ond-best offensive tackle on the board, behind Texas A&M tackle " Luke Joeckel. ScoutsInc.ranked Lewan No.13 on in its top-32 players in the 2013 a draft, and Lewan said the NFL Draft Advisory Board rated him as a high first-round pick. Were he taken as the 13th pick, he could've expected a similar contract to last ICE HOCKEY ~Defensive By MICHAEL LAURILA * Daily SportsEditor After the Michigan hockey team's 5-1 loss Tuesday to Bowl- ing Green, Michigan coach Red e Wrenson was asked about his team's defensive struggles. Like he has all season, he mentioned poor defensive-zone coverage. Defensive-zone miscues have been an alarming trend for the Wolverines and have led to many easy goals in front of the net for opponents. This came as a sur- prise to those who pegged Michi- gan as having one of the best defensive units in the country before the season began. The unit was expected tobe led by junior defenseman Jon Mer- rill - a 2010 second-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils and a preseason all-CCHA selec- tion. But when Merrill suffered a cracked vertebrae on Oct. 9, the defense took a turn for the worse. This season, the Wolver- ines have struggled mightily to keep the puck out of their own net - their average of 3.40 goals allowed per game is currently last in the conference. The absence of Merrill didn't help, but there are bigger issues than one missing player. Whether it is the defense- men or the forwards, the defen- sive effort hasn't been what it needs to be for Michigan. year's 13th pick, Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd. Floyd signed with the Ari- zona Cardinals for just less than $10 million guaranteed over four years, with a team option for a fifth year. Players selected in the top 10 last year earned four year deals worth an average just less than $16.5 million (two players, selected Nos. 4 and 5Soverall, did not report their contracts). Lewan said he plans to take out an insurance policy, which could mitigate the financial sting if he suffers an injury before the 2014 NFL Draft. He has not yet signed the paperwork, and even an insur- ance policy would not offset any financial losses he might incur if his draft stock were to plummet. Still, Lewan said, "it really was a no brainer at the end." Lewan's decision came after a phone call to the Long and an eye toward the future. He has started in 28 consecutive games at left tackle for the Wolverines, and his departure would have fur- ther decimated an already under- achieving offensive line. With Lewan back, Michigan will return both starting tackles - right tackle Michael Schofield will be a fifth-year senior for 2013 season - but the Wolverines will graduate the entire interior of the line as well as their top blocking tight end, Mike Kwiatkowski. Michigan will likely field a young line on the inside. Though much can change, 2013 redshirt freshman Kyle Kalis is thebestbet to start at guard, and the center position should be redshirt sopho- more Jack Miller's to lose. "Kyle Kalis and (freshmen line- men) Ben Braden and Erik Mag- nusen, I want to be a part of their lives for one more year and help them to develop into something where they can possibly be in my position in a couple years," Lewan said. The other guard 'position is more open, with redshirt fresh- man Blake Bars and redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant as likely options. Redshirt junior guard Joey Burzynski is the only upper- classman with a strongshot to win the job, and he is the only option who has seen game action - he played in seven games as a backup in 2012 and appeared in four more in 2011. Lewan's return means added continuity, and it is a blessing for quarterback Devin Gardner, who will rely on Lewan to protect his blind side. Throughout the pro- cess, though, Lewan kept his teammates in the dark. He waited until just 20 minutes before his announcement, at ateam meeting, to break the news. The room erupted in cheers. Still, when asked if he was sur- prised by Lewan's decision, Hoke responded with a simple "no." To that, Lewan turned toward his father, who attended the press conference, and whispered, "Oh my god, he's lying," with a laugh. Most in Ann Arbor expected Lewan to declare for the draft. "I think my Dad predicted me to leave too," Lewan said. At first, Lewan consulted with others and just wanted an answer. It is a big decision, he explained, for a 21-year old. Ultimately, he decided that the chance for one more year at Michigan, one more shot at a Big Ten Championship, was worth it. "If you play at the University of Michigan, whether it's basket- ball, hockey, football, there's a tradition here and there's some- thing that you want to be a part of," Lewan said. "And if I do what I need to do, I'll be able to play in the NFL for however long, but you only get one more year of college." By COLLEEN THOMAS Daily Sports Editor The third possession of the second half defined those final 20 minutes for the No. 2 Michigan men's basketball team in its 62-47 win over Nebraska on Wednes- day night. Freshman forward Glenn Robinson III was fouled while shooting after pulling down an offensive rebound, and the St. John's, Ind. native stepped to the free-throw line. Robinson couldn't nail both, missing the first shot and making the second. After a slow start - in which the Wolverines put up their low- est first-half total all season with 25 points - attacking the basket seemed to be the wayto pull away from Nebraska, trailed by just five points at the half. NEBRASKA 47 Michigan MICHIGAN 62 began to penetrate, and the Cornhuskers kept fouling, but the Wolverines had difficulty knocking down free throws. "If it would've been a little bit tighter down the stretch where we had to make foul shots to win it, that's one thing we're going to have to do down the road," Beilein said. "I think that's the closest it's been in over a month, and as a result, it's really impor- tant we learn how to close games with good defense and posses- sion rebounds." Due to a 65-percent clip from the charity stripe by Michigan, Nebraska was able to hang with the Wolverines, but Michigan held onto its slim lead for a 62-47 win, extending the program's longest unbeaten streak to start a season since the 1985-86 season that, nothing else was pretty for to 16 games. the Wolverines. Michigan shot "Believe it or not, coaches, we a mere 32 percent from the floor love these type of wins," said and just 1-of-10 from beyond the Michigan coach John Beilein. arc. Freshman guard Nik Staus- "You don't necessarily love kas was 0-for-3 from long range, coaching them, but when you his specialty, in the first half. look back at them, these are the Luckily for the Wolverines, ones that build teams. . though, Nebraska didn't shoot "We had to grind one out. My well, either. The Cornhuskers T-shirt is soaked right now, and shot 32 percent from the floor in that's not what you like to do - I the first half and finished with guess that's too much informa- just a 33-percent clip. Though tion. That was difficult, but at the Nebraska looked like it could same time, it was one we needed challenge redshirt junior Jordan to have. That adversity is the Morgan in the paint - the Corn- good stuff in the long run." huskers made easy layups early The Wolverines (3-0 Big Ten, in the game - its star forward 16-0 overall) were in the bonus Brandon Ubel finished with just for 14 minutes in the second half, six points. earning 16 shots from the line, The sole saving grace in the where each trip was an oppor- first half for the Wolverines was tunity to extend a lead or make a their offensive rebounding - run to pull away from the Corn- they tallied nine offensive boards huskers (0-3, 9-7). and scored 11 second-chance But with another good night points - and Michigancontinued from Robinson - who has put up to attack the glass in the second at least 10 points in each of the half. It easily outrebounded the past five games - and sophomore Cornhuskers, 50-34, and finished pointguard Trey Burke, the Wol- with 19 second-chance points. verines were able to revamp its Morgan added 10 rebounds in the offense and keep Nebraska out of Wolverines' solid efforts on the reach. Robinson scored 14 points boards. with six rebounds and Burke had "It was huge seeing Glenn and 18, and the duo was complement- Jordan battling down there, and ed by junior Tim Hardaway Jr.'s getting offensive rebounds is double-double, with 15 points very key for us," Hardaway said. and 11rebounds. "We got 48 percent of our shots "This league is very tough and back and that was very big when you're not going to get offensive we aren't knocking down shots rebounds that easy," Hardaway like we normally do." said. "It makes an emphasis for us Added Nebraska coach Tim and for all five of us to crash (the Miles: "They've got production boards)." everywhereyougo, andtherewas In the first half, the Wol- a wayto win the game tonight for verines had highlights, where them, and it was the boards. It Hardaway or Robinson would, was being aggressive and getting finish drives to the basket with fouled, and they did both. You pretty finger rolls. But besides have to commend them on that." 0 0 TODD NEEDLE/Daily Freshman foward Glenn Robinson 11 has scored at least 10 points in each of the past five games. 'M' etches its place in history mistakes plague M' Merrill finally started on Tuesday night when the Wolver- ines squared off against Bowling Green, but his presence didn't have the expected cataclysmic effect. The defensive effort as a whole was not up to par. Injuries have been 'a constant thorn in the sidefor the defense this season. Just when the unit appeared to be coming together and fully healthy, sophomore Brennan Serville and junior Mac Bennett were injured during Tuesday's game. Berenson said that Serville is day-to-day and Bennett is out for at least a "cou- ple of weeks." Along with those two players,junior Kevin Clare - still on the injury list - will also not play this weekend. "We were excited to get Jonny Merrill back and then Mac Ben- nett goes down," Berenson said. "Mac's been arguably in our top pair all season." With the depleted defensive corps, Berenson will use senior forward Jeff Rohrkemper as a defenseman this weekend against Alaska. Rohrkemper, who saw time at the position against Northern Michigan earlier in the season, does not have much expe- rience at the position. "I think when (Rohrkemper) realizes how bad this team needs him, and how bad we need to play better defense, hopefully he'll be fine," Berenson said. "He's got good defensive instincts. He's a team player and he's a senior." Berenson also noted the play of the forwards on the defensive end - and the correlation between their ability to control the puck and maintain possession - and the defensive flow. Against Bowl- ing Green, the puck was constant- ly deep in the Wolverines' zone, and the offense failed to get any momentum going. The miscues, which resulted in at least two easy Bowling Green goals on Tuesday, have stemmed from a combination of miscom- munication and lack of aware- ness. With a depleted defensive corps, it will be even more impor- tant for the defensemen to com- municate and understand exactly what their role is. Berenson said that he has been looking at the forwards' play on defense just as much as their offensive produc- tion. "We've got to be a lot more defensively aware," he said. "When you look at the score sheet andyou see someone who's minus four, he's not had a good game. Luke Moffatt scored his first goal of the year, but he may have taken himself out of the lineup just the way he played defensively. You got to play hard in the defensive zone. None of us are good enough to outscore our mistakes." By DANIEL WASSERMAN get to 17-0." Daily SportsEditor Added freshman forward Glenn Robinson III: "It means In the history of the Michigan nothing. We've just got to contin- basketball program, 13 teams ue to work like we have been in have won the Big Ten Champi- practice and keep getting better onship, four and control everything that we. (including the NOTEBOOK can control." vacated Fab But like Beilein in the past, Five teams) have reached the Robinson admitted Wednesday Final Four, while one has won that he'll likely appreciate this the national championship. But season and its records down the after Wednesday's 62-47 win line.. over Nebraska, the Wolver- "Definitely, one day down the ines' 16th-consecutive win to road, I think that that's some- open the season, Michigan will thing that all of us will enjoy and attempt to do what no team has it's something that we can look done before in program history: back on," Robinson said. "But start a season 17-0. right now, I think that's the last The win over the Cornhusk- thing on our minds." ers matched the 16-0 start of the Junior guard Tim Hardaway 1985-86 Wolverines. That squad, Jr. wasn't as coy with his words, coached by Bill Freider and led though. by center Roy Tarpley, went on "We've definitely always been to win the Big Ten Championship thinking ofcthat," Hardaway said. with a 28-5 record before making "We're going to take this win, a disappointing exit in the NCAA and we're going to not celebrate Tournament's second round. it too hard, but we're just going Most members of today's pro- to have a good time and come gram won't acknowledge the back tomorrow and be ready to record, though, instead focusing prepare for Sunday (against Ohio on more tangible goals. State)." "It's a great way to start the NEED HELP REBOUND- season," said Michigan coach ING? SEEK YOUR WING John Beilein. "If someone MEN: Beilein-coached teams would've said at the beginning have never been known to be of the season, 'You know, you're strong on the glass, but this going to start 16-0,' I would've Michigan squad is outrebound- said I probably wouldn't think ing teams by a total of 615-456, or aboutcthatvery much, but that's a an advantage-of 9.9 per game. good way to start. And I like the While some of that can be 3-0 (in conference play). attributed to the Wolverines' "But it's nice to be there, it's added depth in the post, Michi- nice. Now we've just got to keep gan has two players on the wing, grinding away and see if we can Hardaway and Robinson, who can jump out of the gym. Hard- away, averaging 5.4 rebounds per game, recorded the fifth double- double of hiscareer and second of the season Wednesday, when he scored 15 points and pulled down 11 boards. The Cornhusker game came on the heels of Robinson's first career double-double Sunday, when the freshman scored 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Robinson is tied for second on the team with 6.1 rebounds per game. Together, the tandem has turned Michigan into one of the conference's best rebounding teams. "It just comes from our bigs boxing out their bigs so they're not able to get offen- sive rebounds," Hardaway said. "(Beilein) wants all five of us crashing. This league is very tough and you're not going to be able to get offensive rebounds that easy, so he just makes that emphasis for us to go down there and just all five just crash." But astoundingly, more than 40 percent of Robinson's boards this year have come on the offen-. sive end, giving Michigan easy second-chance opportunities, like the one Robinson slammed home for- a highlight-reel put- back jam in the second half on Wednesday. Robinson said his eyes got wide as the play developed. "I saw the open lane and I just went and crashed, went up for it and luckily it rolled right to me and I just put it in."