The big winner, though?
The Big Ten. In its first real
taste of exclusively Big Ten
action — Michigan played two
non-conference games at MSG
in 2012 — the five boroughs
showed it could be a great spot
for this Power Five conference.
“I think that they speak
with their feet; they show up at
games,” Big Ten commissioner
Jim Delany said on the Big Ten
Network during a live show at
a New York bar that attracted
hundreds of fans on Friday.
“So it’s a really nice marketing
agreement with Madison
Square Garden. We said we
wanted to be
part of this
community.
It’s a
competitive
community.
It’s one of the
great sports
areas in the
world. We’re
just trying
to become
part of it and
relevant.”
The conference looked
awfully relevant Saturday. The
push to move east has been a hit
with fans and schools alike. A
combined 27,387 fans filled the
Garden for the day’s two games.
“The crowd was great,” said
Michigan basketball coach John
Beilein. “They were loud. You
could really hear them today.
Michigan travels well. Penn
State traveled well today. We
love having our fans from this
area of the country come out
and support. They really helped
us come out and win this game
today.”
Michigan hockey coach
Red Berenson thinks the
trip served a more practical
purpose: preparing his team to
potentially play in bigger venues
in the postseason.
“I think it’s a good
experience for our players
and our team as a whole,”
Berenson said after his team’s
win. “Hopefully by the end of
the year, you’re playing in a big
venue like this, so I want our
team to be used to it.”
Robert Rosenberg graduated
from Michigan in 2000 and
lives in New York now. He’s
been back to Ann Arbor
for football games since
graduating, but hasn’t seen a
basketball or hockey game in
more than a decade. Saturday,
he brought his 7-year-old son
Danny — who says he’ll be
playing soccer at Michigan in
a few short years — to his first
hockey game.
“This is amazing,” Rosenberg
said. “Michigan has a huge New
York population. … It’s great.
They should do it more often.”
They should do it more often,
and Saturday was proof. The
New York crowd was just as
excited to see pucks fly and
basketballs go up as it is every
New Year’s Eve to see the ball
drop not too
far away. The
Garden is set
to host “Super
Saturday”
through 2019.
Next year,
Wisconsin
and Rutgers
will play in
basketball,
and the
Badgers will
take on Ohio State in hockey.
With some 85,000 Big Ten
alumni in Manhattan and
13,000 Michigan alumni in New
York City, the conference can’t
afford to fall asleep on The City
That Never Sleeps.
After the final horn sounded
in Michigan’s win on the ice
over Penn State, Michigan
alumni belted out “The Victors”
and Nittany Lions fans sang
their alma mater.
Perhaps they should steal a
page from Sinatra, though, and
sing a new tune.
If I can make it there — I’ll
make it anywhere — It’s up to
you — New York, New York.
Kaufman can be reached
at sjkauf@umich.edu or on
Twitter @sjkauf. He can also be
reached on Venmo and would be
appreciative of any contributions
after a weekend that included
a $16 New York bagel.
4B — February 1, 2016
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘M’ holds off Penn State
Wolverines finish
off season sweep
with fourth
straight win
By KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
NEW YORK — Shep Garner
sank a three, and then Davis
Zemgulis hit another one. All of
a
sudden,
Penn State
was within
five points
of the Michigan men’s basketball
team with less than five minutes
to go. After the Wolverines (7-2
Big Ten, 17-5 overall) controlled
most of the game, the Nittany
Lions (2-7, 11-11) gave them a late
scare.
But then redshirt sophomore
guard
Duncan
Robinson
responded with a layup, and
sophomore guard Muhammad-
Ali Abdur-Rakhman followed
with another one to give the
Wolverines a 68-59 lead. The
short scare was over, and the
Michigan
faithful
knew
it,
starting a “Let’s Go Blue” chant
that rang through the rafters of
Madison Square Garden.
Michigan safely controlled
the Nittany Lions from then
on out, resulting in a 79-72
victory in the “The World’s Most
Famous Arena.”
The late contest wasn’t the
first time the Wolverines felt
pressured. Michigan started
the game with a 7-0 run and
didn’t allow the Nittany Lions
to get on the board until almost
four minutes into the game.
Penn State soon retaliated,
though, going on an 8-0 run
that lasted 3:44 and tied the
game up at 13.
Junior guard Derrick Walton
Jr. awakened the Wolverines
after he chased down Payton
Banks, stole the ball and took it
to the opposite end to convert
on a fast-break layup. It gave
Michigan a 25-17 lead, all just
seconds after a possession that
included a made 3-pointer from
Aubrey Dawkins.
“I’ve said it time and time
again, that this group of guys
is really resilient,” Walton said.
“Game by game, we’ve given
runs and withstood runs, we’ve
never gotten too hot or too low
within either one, so tonight
was another great example
where we couldn’t get a shot in
a couple possessions in a row …
then we were able to connect
on some.
“Just with the character of
this group, we always know that
down the road that we have the
guys who make the big plays.”
The Wolverines played well
enough in the first half to make
up for their miscues.
One of their worst showings
during the Nittany Lions’ 8-0
run came on three Penn State
free
throws
after
redshirt
sophomore
guard
Duncan
Robinson
fouled
Isaiah
Washington on a triple. Just
before that, Robinson missed
a 3-pointer of his own on his
way to 2-for-6 shooting on the
day. Though Robinson wasn’t
his typical, sharp-shooting self
(granted, he sat most of the
first half after committing two
fouls early on), junior forward
Zak Irvin picked up the slack.
Irvin made the first 3-pointer
of the game and closed out the
first half with a buzzer-beating
triple on his
way to 7-for-12
shooting and
20 points.
When
Michigan
faced
the
Nittany Lions
on
Jan.
2,
Walton
was
effectively
shut down on
offense, scoring just six points.
He avoided a repeat performance
at the Garden, however, scoring
13 points. During the teams’
first meeting, Walton was able
to control Garner and hold
him to six points on 2-for-
10 shooting, but this time,
Garner led the
Nittany Lions
with 22 points.
The
two
guards
were
responsible
for most of the
game’s
late
excitement.
Penn
State
came
out
of
halftime
firing, making three shots in a
row, but Michigan was always
there to retaliate. In the second
half alone, Irvin and Abdur-
Rakhman
combined
for
17
points. The Nittany Lions also
committed 13 fouls, almost twice
as many as did Michigan, and
the Wolverines took advantage
of it, making 23-of-31 shots at
the line.
“I just think we all knew that
shots weren’t falling,” Irvin said.
“So we had to get in the rhythm
at the free throw line for easy
buckets.”
The Wolverines won without
senior
guard
Caris
LeVert,
who has been sidelined for the
past eight games with a lower-
leg injury. With the win, they
remained one game out of first
place in the Big Ten.
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Zak Irvin led Michigan with 20 points in Saturday’s win against Penn State.
MICHIGAN
PENN STATE
79
72
“I’ve said it time
and time again,
this group of
guys is resilient.”
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Abdur-Rahkman
leads Wolverines
By JACOB GASE
Daily Sports Editor
NEW YORK — Standing at just
6-foot-3, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman isn’t exactly a force
in the paint, but the sophomore
guard looked like one at times on
Saturday afternoon at Madison
Square Garden.
With the Michigan men’s
basketball team clinging to a
not-too-comfortable
seven-
point lead early in the second
half against Penn State, Abdur-
Rahkman drove to the basket
and had his shot blocked by the
Nittany Lions’ Brandon Taylor.
But instead of abandoning the
play, Abdur-Rahkman calmly
grabbed the ball back for an
offensive rebound and skillfully
weaved
through
multiple
defenders
for
a
successful
second layup.
And then late in the second
half, after Penn State fought
back to within five points,
Abdur-Rahkman
converted
another contested layup off a
perfect pass from junior guard
Derrick Walton Jr. to bring
Michigan fans to their feet in
the divided Garden.
It was that kind of day
for
the
young
guard,
who
Michigan coach John Beilein
has frequently praised for his
“East
Coast”-style
scoring
ability. Abdur-Rahkman — who
wouldn’t even be in the starting
lineup if not for senior guard
Caris LeVert’s nagging lower-
leg injury — finished the game
with 15 points and five rebounds,
including two offensive boards
that he followed up with baskets.
Abdur-Rahkman’s impeccable
post awareness isn’t a new sight
for the Wolverines, but it was
especially helpful in a game
where the Wolverines made just
six 3-pointers and had a rare size
advantage over their opponent.
“We couldn’t get a basket
except for him (early on),”
Beilein said. “Those were those
East Coast baskets I talk about.
He gets into a seam, he pivots
like three or four times — the
‘Ali Shuffle’ — and then he ends
up
finding
something.
He’s
really good at getting his feet in
the lane, getting balance.”
With shots not falling from the
outside like they did in Michigan’s
first matchup with Penn State on
Jan. 2 — when the Wolverines
made 10 3-pointers in the first half
— Beilein knew that attacking the
rim was his best option.
“We’re
gonna
take
what
people give us,” Beilein said,
“and (the Nittany Lions) were
switching a lot of screens. We’ve
been seeing it over and over
and over again, and we’re still
scoring points, so we’re finding
new things to do.”
Saturday, Michigan tended
toward the first option, with
Abdur-Rahkman
leading
the
charge.
The overall battle in the paint
was close — both teams scored
34 points down low, and Penn
State
actually
outrebounded
Michigan 36-34. But most of
the game’s big plays at the rim
— including multiple converted
and-1s from junior forwards
Zak Irvin and Mark Donnal and,
of
course,
Abdur-Rahkman’s
impressive layups — came from
the Wolverines.
“(Abdur-Rahkman) has got
a great feel around the basket
for a guard,” Beilein said.
“Obviously, he’s from the state
of Pennsylvania, so it’s big for
him when he plays his home
state. He’s really been a guy that
I’ve watched just embrace any
challenges we have — steadily,
just get more of a mindset that,
‘College basketball is rough and
tough, and I’ve gotta roll up my
sleeves if I wanna play.’ ”
‘M’ sweeps Nittany Lions
Wolverines earn
long-awaited win
over Penn State at
the Garden
By KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Writer
NEW YORK — It was a situation
that has become all too familiar to
the No. 6 Michigan hockey team:
entering
the
third
period,
trailing, in
danger of failing to close out a
series.
But this one had a little more
to it. It came in the “World’s
Most Famous Arena” — Madison
Square Garden — in front of a
Penn State-dominated crowd.
And it came against the Nittany
Lions — the team that has all but
ruined the Wolverines’ NCAA
Tournament hopes the past two
years, the team Michigan went
1-3 against in the 2014-15 season,
and the team that bounced the
Wolverines from the 2014 Big Ten
Tournament in the first round.
That’s why, in the days leading
up to the series, a handful of
Michigan’s players knew they
“owed one” to the 15th-ranked
Nittany Lions (6-4-0-0 Big Ten,
16-7-3 overall).
And behind a senior class —
one that has arguably known the
pain inflicted by Penn State the
most — Michigan (7-1-2-1, 16-3-
4) managed to give the Nittany
Lions what it felt it owed them,
capturing a 6-3 victory off a four-
goal third-period effort.
“The big thing was on the
schedule, we played Penn State,
we had a lot of respect for Penn
State,” said Michigan coach Red
Berenson. “They’ve had their
way with us for the past couple
of years. I think our team really
wanted to show that we’re a
better team than we’ve shown in
the past.”
For roughly 15 minutes, the
first period remained scoreless
— something that has become
uncharacteristic for the Wolverine
offense that is leading the nation
with 4.95 goals per game.
But then the breakthrough
finally came off the stick of junior
forward Alex Kile after 14:55 had
ticked off the clock.
After a quick combination
between
sophomore
forward
Dexter Dancs and senior forward
Boo Nieves, Kile got the puck on
the edge of the left circle and fired
a quick wrist shot past Penn State
goaltender Eamon McAdam.
The goal gave Michigan a 1-0
lead, but that advantage was
short-lived. Just five minutes
later, with the Wolverines 42
seconds away from leaving the
first period unscathed, Penn
State forward David Goodwin
equalized
the
game
off
a
deflection in front.
Michigan
seemed
unfazed,
though, as it opened the second
frame with an answer of its
own. After going on the penalty
kill
immediately
following
the
faceoff,
the
Wolverines
capitalized on Penn State’s costly
turnover at its offensive blue line.
Junior forward Max Shuart
picked up the puck and quickly fed
it to junior forward JT Compher.
The Wolverine captain went in
on the breakaway and dangled
McAdam
before
finishing
it
coolly with a backhand.
The Nittany Lions countered
with an equalizer off the stick
of forward Andrew Sturtz two
minutes into the frame, before
forward Ricky DeRosa netted a
go-ahead goal just under three
minutes later.
While Michigan closed out the
rest of the period with a number
of chances, including a five-shot
flurry in the final minute, the
Wolverines entered the third with
a one-goal hole to climb out of.
That’s when Nieves announced
himself to the Garden.
Just over two minutes into
the third period, the New York
Rangers’ prospect buried the
puck into an open net after
receiving a perfect cross-ice pass
from sophomore Sam Piazza.
“It’s awesome,” Nieves said.
“To play (at Madison Square
Garden) for the second time — it’s
even better this time that we got
a win. It’s definitely something
that you keep in the back of your
mind. But I was more focused on
getting a team win and making
sure we take care of things on our
Michigan end first.”
The game was tied at three.
The Wolverines had 18 minutes
to change the script Penn State
has written for this young rivalry.
And
senior
forward
Justin
Selman came up as the man to
change it.
With
10:50
gone
on
the
clock, sophomore forward Tony
Calderone dished the puck to
Selman in front. The senior
fired without hesitation, and lit
the lamp to give Michigan its
first lead since the opening two
minutes of the second period.
From there, junior forward
Tyler
Motte
ensured
the
advantage wouldn’t be lost again,
finding twine with 5:15 left to
play and adding an open-net goal
as well, giving the Wolverines a
6-3 lead.
Though the junior took a hard
hit late in the third, Berenson
indicated that he didn’t suffer
any injuries that will force him to
miss time.
“We just have a winning
attitude this year, a never-say-
die attitude,” Selman said. “We
have a lot of confidence in the
guys in the room. We know if it’s
not going to be you, it will be the
guy next to you. We have faith in
that. We just keep to what works
and we’ve seen it work countless
times now.”
For Michigan, the comeback
victories seem to be becoming
the norm. Time after time, the
Wolverines have leaned on a
third-period effort to salvage
points in the Big Ten.
And as Michigan put Penn State
away in Madison Square Garden
Saturday night, it was similar to
all those comeback victories of the
past in a lot of ways.
But at the same time, this one
had a little more to it.
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Justin Selman’s goal gave Michigan the lead Saturday against Penn State.
MICHIGAN
PENN STATE
6
3
KAUFMAN
From Page 1B
“This is
amazing. ...
They should do
it more often.”
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hockey coverage
Check MichiganDaily.com
throughout the week