0 0 0 W .V 7C Thursday, November 14 2013 / TipOff BASKEBALNL PREVIEW TIPOFF 2013-14 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3C THE FRESH FIVE: Take a moment to appreciate the sophomore class while you can, writes Neal Rothschild. 4 QUIET STAR: Glenn Robinson Ill has always been shy and reserved, until the Sweet 16 against Kansas. SC BIG TEN PREVIEW: Who will contend in one of basketball's toughest conferences. Cover photo by ADAM GLANZMAN Infographic by NICK CRUZ PLAYER-BY-PLAYER BREAKDOWN 6r The freshman point guard has many of the same Robinson has that are-you-kidding-me freakish characteristics as Burke - he's small, aggressive athleticism that Michigan saw many times last and likes to run the court, but the Harper Woods, year. So far this season, the sophomore forward Mich. native still has a lot to prove before any has gotten his playing time at the "4" because of comparisons can be made. In Michigan's offense, sophomore forward Mitch McGary's injury. He Walton will have the freedom to run a fast-paced attack and penetrate came into the season expecting to play onthe wing, but has proven able toward the basket to open up other guys on the court. to handle a position closer to the basket. s a Stauskas could be the best 3-point shooter in the F country, and that's only one part of his game. Last year, more than half of his points came from 3-pointers, and while he'll still shoot the three plenty this year, he's also shown an increased con- fidence in his ability to drive and finish. Stauskas put on 16 pounds of muscle over the summer, which makes him a dual threat to shoot or take the ball to the rim. ^:The redshirt junior beat out fifth-year senior for- ward Jordan Morgan for the starting job. Horford is a bigger asset on the boards than Morgan, and though neither are big offensive weapons, Hor- ford has proven more consistent at knocking down mid-range shots. However, Horford's weakness is that he doesn't run the court well, and that could be a problem in Michigan's fast-paced offense - especially as the grind of the season takes its toll on him. The sophomore guard is Michigan's most McGary has looked good in Michigan's first two improved player after staying on campus over the games - perhaps handsome is the better word. summer to train and work out. He's bigger, stron- The 6-foot-10 big man is injured and has been ger and a sharper shooter. He can knock down forced to watch the beginning of the season from 3-pointers with the same grace as when he beats the bench attired in suit and tie. At Big Ten Media his defender off the dribble and crashes toward the basket. The stat Day in Chicago, McGary indicated he plans on being in a uniform on that will increase the most for him, though, is minutes as Beilein looks Dec. 3 against Duke, but otherwise, both the extent of his injury and his for any way to get LeVert on the floor. return date are uncertain. STAFF PICKS The Daily men's basketballY writers do their best to predict what will happen in the world of college hoopsj this season. Daniel Neal Simon Daniel Feldman Rothschild Kaufman Wasserman Michigan regular-season record 24-6 24-6 23-7 24-6 enchmonM anSate Michigan Michigan State Michigan State .......g....Tee...>..cham pion....... ..I-.M i ...chi ......an .....Stat ............................... - ..........................................................................................- .....- -............................... BigTen second place . Michigan chigan State Michigan Michigan Tenthird place Ohio State Wisconsin Ohio State Wisconsin Big Ten Tournament champion Ohio State Wisconsin Michigan Wisconsin Big Ten MVP Gary Harris, Michigan State Glenn Robinson Ill, Michigan Harris Harris igTenCoachoftheYear Tom Izzo, Michigan State John Groce, Illinois Izzo Izzo Ten suprise team Minnesota Illinois Northmestern Iowa MichigangMVniCanis Levert Robinson aobinson Robinson National Player ofthe Year Andrew Wiggins, Kansas Jabari Parker, Duke Marcus Smart, Oklahoma St Smart National Freshman of the year Wiggins Parker Wiggins Wiggins Michigan's season ends here tlite tight Sweet 16 tlite Eight Sweet 16 .NCAA "Bracket laster' Harvard Saint Louis Colorado Harvard NCAA Final Four Kansas Duke Kansas Kentucky Kentucky Saint Louis Kentucky Louisville Louisville Michigan State Michigan State Michigan State Michigan State UCLA Oklahoma State Ohio St 2C Tipoff - November 14, 2013 Clay-Irving told him, " 'Boy, you better bring your butt back to school, because - ' " overcome with laughter, she had to stop and collect herself. "The one-and-done thing just never - " "Crossed our minds. And it shouldn't have crossed his," Craw- ford cut in, finishing her daugh- ter's sentence. "I was just like, 'No way you think you can go and play LeBron (James) and Kevin Durant.' I know you don't think that. I think he thought that, but I was thinking, 'No way,' "Clay-Irving said. Though Robinson was unani- mously projected to be a lottery pick, Brumm saw a brighter future ahead. He warned Robinson that NBA teams were "just wanting an athlete ... somebody who he really isn't." As soon as he committed to staying at Michigan, the rising sophomore went to work in a way that those close to him had never seen. Clay-Irving doesn't recall him even taking a day off. Each summer morning, his alarm was rarely set anylater than 6 a.m., and he'd head straight to gym to get up at least 500 shots. A few hours later, he'd work with Brumm and sometimes a then- healthy McGary. A quick nap preceded workouts and lifts - including making the 45-minute tri-weekly treks to see Wallen - and then he'd return to the court for more practice. In between, he'd find time to watch game film and cook. (Even at school, where team meals are freely available, he cooks almost all of his meals to adhere to Wallen's dietary restrictions for him.) "The way he approached every- thing was all about one mission," Wallen said. "Usually the saying is, 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard,' butI tell Glenn he's both." It showed. When Robinson arrived back in Ann Arbor for pre- season physical tests, his vertical jump was literally off the charts (it exceeded the Vertec vertical-jump measuring machine's maximum of 12-foot-3). And, after making pre- season visits to Michigan, Michi- gan State, Indiana and Kansas, ESPN's Jeff Goodman said that Robinson was "the most impres- sive player" he came across. But the offseason results tran- scended just the court. "This preseason, he has been more vocal than ever," Beilein said. "He's got the ear of our locker room right now. That doesn't come natural to people sometimes. "It says a lot about where his comfort level is." Added McGary: "I think, he's uh - " the forward paused to collect himself, "slowly becoming a man. I don't think he's gonna stop." Neither does Brumm. "I think he's mastered the phys- ical aspect of the game. He's still developing, maturing," he said. "I'm not sure you or I really know how good he is. "Glenn's going to keep going until his body starts breaking down. I think he will get bored with basketball before that day comes.... I don't think he'll ever get to that phase where someone says, 'OK, you're not good enough."' Robinson has heard you. And so far, he's answered with at least incremental improvements about each of his doubts while in Ann Arbor. But to put it all togeth- er - the leadership, the tough- ness, the all-around player who will step up instead of passing up - is the key to Michigan's season, and that's not something that'll be judged in the immediate future. It's a question best answered in March. And Robinson knows that. He's heard it - he's a listener, remem- ber. You'll never be the guy. It's something he thinks about. Sitting in a dimly lit room over- looking State Street on a gloomy, rainy, late October afternoon, Rob- inson is asked if he wants to be the guy with the ball in his hand with the game on the line. "Oh yeah," he pauses to take a sip from his Starbucks cup. The regular-season opener was more than a week away, but for a moment, it appeared his thoughts had shifted to the past. To the times he has done it before. There was the game winner that he hit from half-court in his freshman year. And the game in his junior year when he scored 29 points in his team's playoff opener. He "wasn't going to school the next day if we lost," so he won - it was the first high-school game his father ever saw him play in. But then there was the game two days later against undefeated No. 1 Munster. With less than seven sec- onds remaining, Robinson missed a game-tying 3-pointer. He got the rebound, though, and drilled it. "I don't think anyone realized it was just to tie the game," so fans stormed the court. But the ela- tion ended minutes later when he missed the back-end of a pair of free throws that would've sent the game into double overtime, ending his season. "Yeah," he says. He sets his drink down. His answer comes without a smile, or attitude, or even any sense of absolution. Just the same emotionless, quiet Glenn. "I need tobe."