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.” For more basketball and hockey coverage Check MichiganDaily.com throughout the week