8A — Thursday, February 23, 2017 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Wolverines survive on the road against Rutgers After a tough loss in overtime to Minnesota on Sunday, the Michigan men’s basketball team had the opportunity to bounce back at Rutgers — by any metric the worst team in the Big Ten. Not only was it a chance for the Wolverines to recover from a crushing loss, it was a virtually a must-win game against a team outside the Rating Percentage Index top-100. With Michigan on the NCAA Tournament bubble, a loss would’ve been a big blow. The Wolverines, despite the high-pressure situation, prevailed, winning 68-64 in Piscataway. It wasn’t a dominating performance for Michigan (8-7 Big Ten, 18-10 overall) — not even close. While the Wolverines jumped out to multiple double- digit leads, the Scarlet Knights continued to claw back, even taking a four-point lead with 6:46 left in the game. But a 10-0 Michigan run late in the game proved to be too much for Rutgers (2-14, 13-16), and the Wolverines escaped with a victory. “There was nothing pretty about this game,” said Michigan coach John Beilein on Michigan IMG Sports Radio Network. “This was all gritty. We just got enough done.” Added redshirt sophomore forward DJ Wilson on Michigan IMG Sports Radio Network: “(The key) was we stayed locked in for all 40 minutes. We knew they were a gritty team, and they fight to the end, and they did today. We fought to the end too, and when it came down to the end to get crucial stops, we did.” The Wolverines had to overcome some early ailments, though, as they struggled early with turnovers. They would commit 11 in the game, mostly the result of sloppy passes, coming in nearly two above their season average of 9.4 per game. Michigan also shot just 40.7 percent from the field, a far cry from their season average of 47.5 percent. But — perhaps unexpectedly — what kept the Wolverines in the game was their offensive rebounding. Michigan finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds, scoring seven second-chance points. It was an especially impressive performance given Rutgers’ pedigree on the glass. The Scarlet Knights, coming into the game, were No. 4 in the NCAA in rebounds per game with 41.1. Rutgers was held to just 33 boards in the game. “In the first half they had one offensive rebound,” Beilein said. “I think in the second half they probably had more during that time, they got all those at the end there. We just had to scrap and continue to scrap and just see what we could do to find a way to win that game.” Wilson led the way for the Wolverines with 11 rebounds, including six offensive boards. He also finished with 10 points for the fourth double-double of his career. “Coach emphasized rebounding because I haven’t been on the boards these last few games,” Wilson said. “I think I only had two offensive rebounds in the last five games. So I tried to get there as much as possible today.” While senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. finished with 13 points, he shot just 3-of-10 from the field, with nine of his shots coming from beyond the arc. “Everybody did it,” Beilein said. “Don’t forget (junior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur- Rahkman), he did a tremendous job as well. (Sophomore forward Moritz Wagner) made a big play down the stretch. We still had some lapses. I think we’re really tired right now, I mean really tired. We had to gut that one out, and we did.” On the other side of the court, Rutgers put up a valiant effort led by guard Corey Sanders, who had 15 points in the game. The Scarlet Knights also got contributions from guard Mike Williams, who put up 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. “(Rutgers) showed a lot of fortitude by being able to stay in there when nothing could go our way down the stretch,” Beilein said. While the victory didn’t come in the most impressive fashion, Michigan stays on the right side of the bubble, something that wouldn’t have been certain had the Wolverines lost. It was crucial for Michigan to get a win at Rutgers, and now with that done, the Wolverines will need to elevate their game as their matchup with No. 15 Purdue looms on Senior Day. “This is definitely a learning experience for us,” Wilson said. “We’ve been in a lot of close games that we’ve kind of just gave up at the end, but today, we fought hard and we stayed consistent on defense, and it paid off.” CAROLYN GEARIG/Daily Redshirt sophomore forward DJ Wilson recorded the fourth double-double of his career with 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Scarlet Knights. With time running out, Kile has a shot to salvage senior season Expectations were high for Alex Kile entering this season, and deservedly so. The senior forward was the Michigan hockey team’s returning leading scorer and had increased his offensive production between every season of his career. Kile first earned consistent playing time his freshman year before breaking out as a sophomore whilst on the same line as two future NHL forwards in Dylan Larkin and Zach Hyman. He began his junior year playing with Tyler Motte and JT Compher — another pair of future pros — before settling onto a line with a pair of experienced seniors in Boo Nieves and Justin Selman. By all accounts, this was supposed to be his year. As a captain and one of the few holdovers from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, Kile was as close to a sure thing as possible. “I think the expectations for him were higher than (for) the team,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “The team’s expectations had a lot more question marks. There weren’t many question marks around Alex Kile. He was experienced, he was a senior, he was a captain, he was our returning leading scorer. So there was no doubt that he was going to have a great year.” But with just six games left in the regular season, that hasn’t been the case — or even close to it. In 21 games played, Kile has tallied just six goals and four assists. He struggled through a six-game pointless streak earlier this year. He was ejected from the Wolverines’ 7-4 loss to Wisconsin on Dec. 9. And then, just as he was starting to heat up following the series against the Badgers — which he deemed a ‘wake-up call’ — Kile suffered an ankle injury in practice. It took him nearly three and a half weeks before he could practice again. He returned to the ice Tuesday and Wednesday, but but still hadn’t been cleared for full contact. Kile won’t be traveling to Columbus this weekend either, marking the seventh and eighth consecutive games that he will miss. Even then, there is still no guarantee that he will return before the Big Ten Tournament, despite his best hopes. “I’m not the best right now,” Kile said. “I’m just trying to get through (the injury). I’m not going to play this weekend, and hopefully (I’ll) get ready for my last four games at Yost. That’s the plan. “I don’t think I’ll be full strength by the end of the year. It’s unfortunate, but I’m a senior, so I’ve just got to play through the pain. It’s my last three weeks at Michigan. I’ve just got to take it all in.” He has dealt with the injury in different ways. Rehab has been the one constant — a daily regimen of physical therapy, stimulation, icing, and a couple of things even Kile doesn’t know how to describe. Before he was cleared to practice, he would sit in the bleachers at times, a lonely figure in an otherwise empty Yost Ice Arena silently watching his team on the ice below. And when the team traveled without him, he would kill all the downtime he never expected to have, waiting patiently for the games to come on TV. “You know, the last couple weekends at Yost have been emotional for me, realizing that my time is coming to an end,” Kile said. “We’ve got two weekends here left. Just got to make the most of it. Being out and watching the team play while you’re a senior is tough. ... It’s probably the toughest thing I’ve gone through as a player, knowing it’s coming to an end. So I’ve just got to get through it.” Added Berenson: “I think it really hit (Kile) hard. He expected he was just going to be a dominant player, and I was hoping he would be a dominant player, everyone thought he would be a dominant player, and it didn’t work out that way. Maybe it was without Cooper, and too much onus was on Alex and then he gets injured, and now he’s looking at the end of his career facing him in the upcoming month.” Kile, it appears, is in an unexpected position as the clock on his career winds down. He may have envisioned himself as the lynchpin of a team still fighting for the Big Ten at this point of the year, and Berenson likely did too. Instead, Kile has been confined to the sidelines, while Michigan sits just two points ahead of last-place Michigan State. “It sucks that our team isn’t doing as well as we’d like,” Kile said. “My linemates last year were two seniors. One of them played in the NHL this year, one of them in the AHL, so it’s just different transitioning from that high offensive group to this year. It’s tough, and it’s not what I expected of my individual success. But we’re a team, and it’s not about me. It’s about the team, and we’ve got to try to turn things around right now.” With any chance of punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament in the regular season long expired, Kile and the Wolverines are now focusing on the Big Ten Tournament, where just three wins stand between them and a guaranteed postseason bid. Just how much of a long shot that may be depends on whether Kile can make an impact, injured ankle and all. “He’s got a chance to jumpstart our offense,” Berenson said. “He’s been out for awhile, and he can’t wait. It’s his senior year. It should be no question about his inspiration to this team. “You look and see who’s our leading scorer against Ohio State, and it’s Alex Kile. And to no surprise, that would probably be true with most teams, but particularly Ohio State. So yeah, it’s a big loss but we can’t dwell on the loss. We’ve got to dwell on what we have, and who’s playing and how hard they’re playing … but we know we aren’t as good offensively without Alex Kile, so we’ve got to be better defensively. Somebody’s got to pick up the slack.” One thing is clear, though: Kile has come to terms with how things have gone this year. What matters now is the opportunity to leave the trainer’s table, reclaim a lost senior season and attempt to push his team back into the postseason — no matter how unlikely that may be. “My individual success is a big part of this team,” Kile said. “If I can get rolling and get some confidence going into the Big Ten Tournament, it’s only going to help. All it takes is one good weekend, and that’s what we need to do. I don’t like to say it, but we’re not going to win the Big Ten. We’re probably going to be a fifth seed, so (we) gotta focus on the Big Ten Tournament, upset some teams and be the underdog.” Added Berenson: “No question. If Alex gets hot — just like our team if our team gets hot — then you forget about how you started. You just remember how you ended.” JEREMY MITNICK/Daily Senior forward Alex Kile’s final season has taken an unexpected trajectory, but he is still relishing the opportunity to spark life into the Wolverines. ORION SANG Daily Sports Editor “There weren’t many question marks around Alex Kile” MINH DOAN Daily Sports Editor “This was all gritty. We just got enough done”