T
his isn’t what was sup-
posed to happen for the
Michigan men’s basket-
ball team.
They were
supposed to
be a deep,
experienced
team capable
of beating
elite teams
and making
noise in the
Big Ten.
They were
supposed
to lean on senior leadership
from Caris LeVert and Spike
Albrecht, the faces of the pro-
gram and the last two players
remaining from the 2013 run to
the Final Four.
They were supposed to
rebound from a disappointing
2014-15 campaign and make
an NCAA Tournament run,
and maybe even more, as John
Beilein’s teams have become
accustomed to.
But now, the team’s lead-
ers sit on the sidelines without
uniforms, no win seems like a
guarantee, and press confer-
ences that were once full of
optimism and anticipation are
now dominated by vague injury
status updates, questions of
mental toughness and a fear that
all hope is lost.
Albrecht’s career is over, after
nagging hip injuries and concern
for his future well-being proved
to be the only things that could
keep him off the court. The
Wolverines don’t have depth —
they’re really only six or seven
players deep, with no players
beyond that showing any signs
of making a positive impact in a
game. They’ve beaten one elite
team, No. 2 Maryland, but they
were run out of their own build-
ing twice last week in blowout
losses to Indiana and rival
Michigan State.
And in perhaps the most
mysterious story arc of the sea-
son, what initially looked like a
minor lower-left-leg injury sus-
tained against Illinois on Dec.
30 has turned into a 10-game,
40-day absence (and count-
ing) for LeVert, the Wolverines’
unquestioned best player.
It’s been labeled a day-to-
day injury from the start, but
as weeks turned into a month
without any further clarity on
what happened in the first place,
LeVert remained held out of
practice despite showing up to
games without crutches, a walk-
ing boot or any other obvious
signs of injury.
There were rumblings of
LeVert potentially returning
against the Hoosiers or Spar-
tans, with Beilein saying he was
finally practicing. But when
he took the court before both
games, LeVert was in sweat-
pants and barely even touched a
basketball.
“I don’t even know where he
is right now,” Michigan State
coach Tom Izzo told reporters in
East Lansing leading up to the
rivalry game. “I’ve never seen
anything so quiet in all my life.
I guess they’ve got better media
than we’ve got, ’cause you guys
would’ve dug in.”
He’s partially right — LeVert’s
situation has been shrouded in
mystery for weeks, but it’s not
for lack of trying on the media’s
part.
Beilein has been asked about
LeVert at every press confer-
ence since the injury, so much
to the point his tone borders on
frustration when he spits the
noncommittal clichés, “He did
more today than yesterday” or
“I’m not gonna share a time-
table.”
Might LeVert be voluntarily
holding himself back? Not likely
— according to roommate Der-
rick Walton Jr., they talk all the
time about when he’ll make his
return to the court. After all, he
could’ve left the Wolverines for
the NBA last year and nobody
would have blamed him, but he
came back to help the team.
And why is Beilein so cautious
and guarded about the situation?
To some, it might seem
unnecessary, but more likely,
it’s just classic Beilein — being
ultra-conservative, never tip-
ping his hand to opposing teams,
never wanting to share more
than he has to.
And really, all things consid-
ered, why should he be hasty?
Why should he rush LeVert
back? After all, LeVert has a pro-
fessional career to think about,
and considering this is the sec-
ond straight year he’s missed
substantial time with a lower-
body injury, bringing him back
too soon and risking re-injury
could have catastrophic effects,
for both him and Michigan as a
whole.
For a while, it didn’t really
seem to matter that Beilein
was playing it safe. In LeVert’s
absence, Michigan played
tough on the road against teams
like No. 18 Purdue and No. 4
Iowa, beat Maryland at home
and took care of all the lower-
tier Big Ten opponents it was
expected to.
But now things have gotten
ugly, and the typical questions
about leadership and mental
toughness have come to the
forefront. Suddenly there are
no illusions that the team is fine
without LeVert — it’s letting
games get way too out of hand
way too quickly.
Beilein has brushed off those
excuses, claiming the Wolver-
ines simply aren’t good enough
to hang with teams of that cali-
ber, regardless of who is injured
and who is healthy, or who is
leading the team and who is
“mentally tough.”
And even with LeVert out,
leadership is probably not the
problem. Walton and fellow
junior Zak Irvin have been
thrust into the role before, gain-
ing wisdom beyond their years
thanks to Michigan’s NBA draft
turnover and injury problems of
the last few seasons.
The two are fine leaders —
Irvin went on a fiery outburst
during a second-half timeout
against Michigan State, ques-
tioning the team’s resolve at a
volume that startled many mem-
bers of the nearby students in
the Maize Rage; and just a day
after Walton vowed to “make
his presence felt” against the
Wolverines’ in-state rival, he
engaged in a physical, back-and-
forth battle with the Spartans’
Bryn Forbes.
But despite Irvin and Wal-
ton’s best efforts, none of that
was enough this week, and it
probably won’t be enough going
forward. According to Beilein,
it’s tough to stop a team with
a player like Michigan State’s
Denzel Valentine, who can take
over a game by making a few
plays himself.
The thing is, the Wolverines
have one of those players, too
— he just hasn’t seen the floor
since December.
“Take a player out of the
lineup like Denzel (or LeVert),
it’s tough,” Izzo said after the
game Saturday. “(Beilein) won’t
make an excuse, so I’ll make one
for him.”
Of course, Beilein may be
right — maybe the Wolverines
really aren’t good enough to
hang with teams like Indiana
and Michigan State, even if
LeVert were healthy. Maybe the
Wolverines’ win over Maryland
was a fluke, and maybe people’s
expectations are just too high.
Still, the Wolverines may be
able to get into the NCAA Tour-
nament — they already have
17 wins, a few more winnable
contests on the schedule and
résumé wins over the Terrapins
and No. 24 Texas to go with a
name-recognition advantage.
But if Michigan wants to avoid
getting its doors blown off by an
elite team yet again in the tour-
nament’s first weekend, then it
better hope LeVert’s mysterious
timetable doesn’t keep getting
pushed back.
LeVert alone may not be
enough to save the Wolverines’
season, and his long-term health
should always come first, but
one thing is for certain: Michi-
gan sure could use him right
now.
Jacob Gase can be reached
by e-mail at jgase@umich.edu
and on Twitter @JacobGase
8 — Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
The curious case of Caris LeVert
JACOB
GASE
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Caris LeVert (second from right) sustained an undisclosed left leg injury Dec. 30 and has not played since.
Wolverines get wake-up call
By KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Writer
The ‘Iron D’ trophy is currently
sitting somewhere in East Lansing.
After allowing a goal in overtime
Friday night, the
No. 5 Michigan
hockey
team
was left as the loser of the Duel
in the D at the Joe Louis Arena
in Detroit, while Michigan State
claimed hardware to make its
upset victory even sweeter.
The
Wolverines
recovered
to defeat the Spartans, 4-1, at
Munn Ice Arena on Saturday, but
realistically, Friday wasn’t a game
they were supposed to lose.
Michigan State entered the
matchup with just two wins in
the Big Ten and averaging 4.30
goals against per game. Michigan,
on the other hand, hadn’t lost
since Dec. 12 and was leading the
nation with five goals per game.
Furthermore, the Wolverines beat
the Spartans twice before, 9-2 and
6-3, in January.
That’s why, after Saturday’s
victory, senior forward Justin
Selman dubbed the loss a wake-up
call — a sentiment his teammates
agreed with.
“We definitely didn’t come out
the way we have been these past
few games, especially after coming
off a huge weekend in New York,”
said senior forward Boo Nieves.
“We can’t let teams creep up on us
like that.
“Every game counts at this
point, and we really want to win
the Big Ten. To stay on top of that,
we really need to show up every
game and make sure that we don’t
(need) to have any more bounce
backs on Saturdays.”
By no means are the wheels
falling off for the Wolverines.
They are still first in the Big Ten,
but the loss wasn’t pretty and
dropped Michigan two spots in
the PairWise Rankings to No. 6.
They’re still in the driver’s seat,
but the loss could end up being
the wake-up call the Wolverines
needed.
“Sometimes
when
you’re
winning, you’re giving up too
much,” said associate head coach
Billy Powers. “You can work on
it, you can focus on it, but there’s
not the urgency because you feel
pretty good about what you’ve
been doing as a player.”
RACINE IS ROLLING: It
was quite the weekend for senior
goaltender Steve Racine.
The veteran netminder put
together his best series of the
season
against
the
Spartans,
recording a .949 save percentage to
the tune of 71 total saves.
The Wolverines allowed four
goals in two games, the lowest
total in a two-game series since
they played Dartmouth Nov. 27
and 28.
Earlier in the season, Michigan
coach Red Berenson stressed how
important it was to find a way to
win games when the Wolverine
offense can’t pour goals into the
net.
Now, it appears Racine may be
the key piece of that equation.
“He’s definitely doing his job
and his part in a huge way,” Powers
said. “In attempting to obviously
contribute to that (goals-against)
number coming down, I think
he’s found a groove, found a
game that is working for him — a
mental makeup that is working
for him. I think he’s backboning
our defensive mindset, trying to
improve.”
BIG STAKES IN THE BIG
TEN: The state of the Big Ten
doesn’t do Michigan any favors.
Half of the conference has losing
records, and any loss hurts the
Wolverines’
position
in
the
PairWise Rankings.
That’s
evident
from
the
past
two
weekend’s
results.
The sweep against Penn State
boosted Michigan to No. 4 in
the PairWise rankings, but the
overtime loss against Michigan
State dropped it immediately
back to No. 6.
“You look at the Big Ten’s non-
league record, and I haven’t done
that, but I’m willing to bet that
there’s one or two leagues that we
probably played against that we
have not fared well with,” Powers
said. “That’s a league issue. We
have to be better as a group in our
non-league schedule.”
Added Nieves: “It can be
frustrating to see teams that
maybe you think you’re better
than or maybe you beat, they rank
up higher than you or drop a little
less quickly than you. It’s just the
way the system is and we can only
control what we can do.”
With half the Big Ten in
disarray,
every
game
holds
enormous weight — as losses to
teams like Wisconsin can ruin
their standing, but wins to close
out the season against Minnesota
and Penn State could be statement
victories.
A
REALLY
BIG
RINK:
Michigan will travel to take on
Wisconsin this weekend for the
second time this season. The last
time the Wolverines played the
Badgers, though, was on home ice.
Now, Michigan has to play on an
Olympic-size ice rink in Madison
— something the Wolverines will
prepare for by practicing at the
Ann Arbor Ice Cube for the next
few days.
But the change may be good for
Michigan, which may be able to
take advantage of its speed on the
larger rink even more so than they
already have this year.
“Well, when I have the puck,
I don’t mind (the bigger rink),”
Nieves said with a laugh. “It’s
fun to play on a bigger rink. It
definitely changes the game up.
You can use the perimeter better.
Rink-wide passes are a little more
dangerous.”
STUDY BREAK: About half
the Wolverine squad didn’t take
the ice for practice Monday.
And part of the reason for that?
Midterm season is approaching.
While
Berenson
gave
the
team an optional practice partly
due to the physicality of last
weekend’s rivalry series, he also
recognized the players’ academic
responsibilities — something he
has become known for over the
years.
“We talked after Saturday,
(and) we knew that this would be
a busy week in school,” Powers
said. “We’ve done it in the past.
… It worked out really well that
you can get a mental break, or a
physical break from going out
on the ice, but you can feel good
about having a few extra hours to
work on school.”
NOTEBOOK
ICE HOCKEY
Alumni weekend inspires
By CHRIS CROWDER
Daily Sports Writer
Before the Michigan women’s
basketball team began its contest
against Illinois on Sunday, the
Wolverines borrowed a football
tradition. Preceding the playing of
the National Anthem and opening
tipoff, alumnae of the women’s
basketball program held up the
classic banner reading, “Go Blue M
Club Supports You” for the players
to run under.
Michigan
players
ran
out
from under the banner during
layup lines, going into the game
hoping to come out with a win
to make those who came before
them proud. The special weekend
also included an alumnae game
before the current Wolverines
squared off. This year’s team may
have gotten the most out of this
weekend not from the game, but
hearing their predecessors speak.
Saturday,
after
a
morning
practice, the alumnae and current
roster came together to have
brunch. Former players, ranging
from last year’s stars Nicole
Elmblad and Shannon Smith to
all-time great Penny Neer — who
played basketball, softball and ran
track and field at the University
— talked to players about their
experiences.
Sophomore
guard
Katelynn
Flaherty, who scored a career-high
36 points Sunday afternoon, not
only enjoyed running under the
banner for the first time, but took
in all the wisdom the players of the
past had to offer.
“I think a lot of (what the
alumnae mentioned) was not
what they regret, but what they
would tell their younger selves,
just to be confident and have fun,”
Flaherty said. “They said to enjoy
their four years here, which I think
sometimes within this process
some of us kind of get lost, you
have bad days.
It just reminds us to appreciate
where we are and the opportunity
we have and that we’re at a great
university playing under a great
coach.”
The weekend also reminded
Flaherty of fleeting time, as
she realized she’s more than
halfway through her sophomore
season, and in turn, close to being
halfway done with her collegiate
career. It renewed her mindset
to appreciate every moment she
dons a Michigan uniform and
steps onto the hardwood when
her name echoes through Crisler
Center during the starting lineup
announcements.
Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico also talked about the
opportunity to wear a Wolverine
uniform for the program, adding
to Flaherty’s statements by saying
it is something special that comes
with pride and tradition. Barnes
Arico loved having the connection
between the alumnae and her
team, as most of the alumnae told
the players to be mindful while
enjoying their time at Michigan.
“I think one of the common
themes (from the weekend) was
that the opportunity to play
college basketball at this level at
the University of Michigan is one
of the greatest opportunities in the
world, and to really embrace that,”
Barnes Arico said.
While the Wolverines have
gone through their ups and
downs this season, losing in
heartbreaking fashion by missed
free throws or running out of gas
down the stretch, the effort has
always been there. Barnes Arico
wants to ensure that each player
is doing what they can, whether
that means making an extra pass,
taking a charge or even providing
encouragement from the sideline.
The weekend only brought
that point home even more.
Playing on a team means being
part of something bigger than
yourself. It’s like having a club
there for support before the game
even starts. And Michigan didn’t
need the banner to remember
that.
“It doesn’t matter if you play
five minutes a game or 35 minutes
a game,” Barnes Arico said. “To
be able to be a part of something
bigger than yourself is really what
the experience is all about. A lot of
times, it’s about the people that you
meet through the course of your
career, more than, in 30 years, the
wins and losses.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team learned lessons from a group of alumnae this past weekend.