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'M' refocuses
on matchup
with Wofford

Wolverines
fall to MSU
n BIG final

By SIMON KAUFMAN
Daily Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - Nov. 17,
the Michigan men's basketball
team walked off the court
in Ames, Iowa while Iowa
State fans rushed onto it.
The Cyclones had just upset
the then-seventh-ranked
Wolverines and launched them
into their toughest stretch of the
season.
In the following 28 days,
Michigan lost three more times
- against Charlotte in the
Puerto Rico Tip-Off, on the road
at Duke and at home to then-No.
1 Arizona. The Wolverines fell
from the rankings and from the
forefront of people's attention.
Instead, in-state rival
Michigan State dominated
headlines. During Michigan's
four losses in that span, the
Spartans jumped to No. 1 in the
polls and stayed there for three
weeks. They were the team
people predicted to celebrate a
conference title come March.
The Wolverines didn't like
that narrative. So they stopped

losing. After dropping a two-
point contest to the Wildcats in
mid-December, they went on to
win 10 straight games, including
a defining victory in Madison
against then-No. 3 Wisconsin
team.
Sunday, like the Sunday
afternoon in Ames, Michigan
again watched as its opponent
celebrated on the court. This
time, it was the Spartans
following their Big Ten
Tournament championship win.
After advancing to the
final for the first time since
1998 - though that year is
not officially recognized due
to NCAA sanctions - the
Wolverines had an opportunity
to win the tournament after
already claiming the outright
conference title. But a strong
Michigan State team stymied
them and rolled to a 69-55 win.
The Spartans walked away
with the hardware, but that was
supposed to happen. It wasn't
supposed to be in a competitive
contest against the Wolverines.
That wasn't the preseason
See NCAA, Page 3B

By DANIEL WASSERMAN
Daily SportsEditor
INDIANAPOLIS - When the
Michigan men's basketball team
won in East Lansing in January,
the losswas
discounted MICHIGAN 55
because MICHIGAN ST. 69
Michigan
State played without starters
Adreian Payne and Branden
Dawson.
When the Wolverines won
again, this time in Ann Arbor in

February, an exhausted Payne
played while Dawson was still
out.
It wasn't surprising then,
when, in a Big Ten Championship
battle of wills, Michigan State
- with a healthy Payne and
Dawson in tow - simply wanted
it more. The Spartans halted
a three-game losing streak to
their in-state rivals to win the
conference tournament, 69-55.
"They were as physical as
they could be with us," said
See BIG TEN, Page 3B


ROUGH BEGINNINGS
* It's year one for the Michigan women's
lacrosse team, and the Wolverines are
building a foundation for the future.
SportsMonday Column, Page 2B

BACKS TO THE WALL
The Michigan hockey team earned a
crucial win over No.1 Minnesota, putting
it in position for an at-large bid to the
NCAA Tournament. Page 4B