6A — Thursday, March 9, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Michigan opens Big Ten Tournament against Illinois

At West Virginia in 2005, John 

Beilein faced nearly the same 
situation he faces today.

After 

finishing 
the 

regular season 
18-9, 
the 

Mountaineers 
headed 
to 

Madison 
Square Garden 
as the Big East 
Tournament’s 
No. 8 seed in 
need of a victory 
or two to feel 
secure 
about 

their 
chances 

of 
making 

the 
NCAA 

Tournament.

West Virginia ended up doing 

more than picking up the wins it 
needed. After beating Providence 
in the first round, the Mountaineers 
followed that performance up 
by establishing and maintaining 
a 22-point halftime lead to take 
down the tournament’s No. 1 seed, 
Boston College. Beilein’s team 
then carried that momentum into 
the next day’s matchup against 
Villanova, where West Virginia 
escaped with a two-point win and 
was suddenly 40 minutes away 
from a Big East title.

The Mountaineers dropped 

the 
conference 
championship 

game to Syracuse, but their run 
to the final instilled a newfound 
confidence in Beilein’s squad that 
carried over to the Big Dance.

There, 
West 
Virginia 
first 

squeaked past Creighton at the 
buzzer in the first round, then 
upset No. 2 seed Wake Forest 
in double overtime and worked 
magic again to get past Texas 
Tech and into the Elite Eight.

The Mountaineers finally folded 

just short of the Final Four, when 
they blew a 20-point lead against 

Louisville and lost in overtime.

Just 
three 
weeks 
earlier, 

Beilein didn’t even know if 
his team was going to have 
the chance to play on college 
basketball’s biggest stage. But 
as it all unfolded, West Virginia 
became the main attraction of 
that year’s tournament.

And that’s the moment when 

Beilein first witnessed the magic 
of March.

“That series of events taught 

me anything can happen,” Beilein 
said. “We were just trying to make 
the NCAA Tournament, and the 
next thing you know, we’re ahead 
16 points on Louisville in the first 
half (of the Elite Eight), and don’t 
go to the Final Four. It was a great 
testimony of kids realizing, if you 

believe, anything can happen.”

Twelve seasons and seven 

NCAA Tournament appearances 
later, Beilein finds himself facing 
a 
very 
similar 

situation 
with 

Michigan.

The 

Wolverines enter 
the 
Big 
Ten 

Tournament 
as 

the No. 8 seed, 
and while many 
believe Michigan 
to be in the field 
of 68, a win or two 
will certainly lock 
in a spot on Selection Sunday.

Based on the parity across the 

league throughout the regular 
season, this year’s edition of 

the Big Ten Tournament could 
be as wide open as ever. If the 
Wolverines 
can 
discover 
the 

same edge Beilein’s West Virginia 

team found, they 
could 
be 
the 

most 
dangerous 

team 
in 
the 

tournament.

“We’re 
trying 

to sell to them the 
magic that can 
happen in a run,” 
Beilein said. “It’s 
the best feeling. 
Something about 
the spring air and 

that the end of the season is near 
but you’re playing good basketball. 
You’re more excited to see your 
teammates. What a time March 

can be if you’re still playing.”

While Michigan’s goal and 

expectation is a championship, 
the Wolverines are focused on 
keeping their vision narrow and 
not overlooking what’s on the 
immediate horizon. Heading into 
the tournament, that challenge 
will come in the form of Illinois, 
a team Michigan saw twice in the 
regular season.

One of the Wolverines’ biggest 

obstacles will be their travel 
schedule. After their team plane 
slid off the runway in a take-off 
accident during a power outage 
Wednesday, they will now leave 
Ann Arbor for Washington at 
6 a.m. Thursday, just six hours 
before tip-off.

At the Verizon Center, a rubber 

match awaits them. Michigan and 
Illinois split two regular-season 
meetings, with each winning 
at home with the last meeting 
coming early in the conference 
season Jan. 21. In basketball time, 
that’s almost an eternity ago.

The “white-collar” comment 

Illinois center Maverick Morgan 
made following the first matchup 
has lost its sting, and both teams 
have developed new looks on 
both ends.

“The fact that we’ve played 

them twice, we know each other a 
little better,” Beilein said. “If you 
watch our last five games, their 
last five games, there are some 
similarities. But both teams have 
really evolved.”

Being that both teams are 

familiar with each other and 
know what’s at stake, Beilein kept 
his prediction of what to expect in 
the Verizon Center simple:

“Whoever makes shots and 

defends the best is going to win.”

But for Michigan, it may not 

be that easy. The hardest part of 
any tournament run is managing 
the game-to-game needs and 
ultimate goals. The Wolverines 
will 
have 
to 
establish 
that 

approach Thursday when they 
take on the Fighting Illini.

“We end practice everyday 

talking about being champions,” 
Beilein said. “We wanted to be 
champions of the (2K Classic). We 
were. We wanted to be (Big Ten) 
regular-season champions. But 
about two weeks ago, that wasn’t 
a possibility. Now there’s another 
one. That would be really special 
to spend those days there in D.C., 
to see the groundswell of support 
we have and win this thing.”

“But that’s the way you have to 

go into it now. Not with the idea 
that we just need to get another 
win. That’s part of it. I think 
they’re old enough to understand, 
‘Let’s focus on this one game at a 
time, but the real prize is to win 
this championship.’ ”

BRANDON CARNEY

Daily Sports Writer

Michigan 
vs. Illinois

Matchup: 
Michigan 
20-11; Illinois 
18-13

When: 
Thursday 
12 P.M.

Where: 
Verizon Center

TV/Radio: 
BTN

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Michigan coach John Beilein’s team has been the No. 8 seed in each of the past three Big Ten Tournaments. This year, the Wolverines’ first opponent is Illinois.

“What a time 
March can be 
if you’re still 

playing.”

After splitting two regular-season meetings, Wolverines take on Fighting Illini at noon Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Wolverines to take 6 a.m. flight to 
Washington; noon tip-off still on

The 
Michigan 
men’s 

basketball 
team’s 
trip 
to 

the 
Big 
Ten 
Tournament 

in 
Washington, 
D.C., 
was 

jeopardized 
Wednesday 

when the team plane slid off 
the 
runway 
during 
takeoff 

at Willow Run Airport. The 
program 
confirmed 
in 
a 

statement that there were no 
significant injuries.

The team immediately got off 

the plane and spent the evening 
searching for an alternate travel 
plan. Around 10:30 Wednesday 
night, the program’s official 
Twitter account announced its 
new schedule: The Wolverines 
will now meet at Crisler at 6 
a.m. Thursday, take a bus to 
Metro Airport, depart at 7:30, 
arrive in Washington at 8:45 
and take a bus straight to the 
Verizon Center for a noon tip-
off against Illinois.

The schedule is a difficult 

way to start the tournament. 
If Michigan beats the Fighting 
Illini after a draining trip, 
it 
will 
play 
a 
well-rested 

Purdue team Friday at noon 
in the quarterfinals. Earlier 
Wednesday evening, a Big Ten 
official said that the conference 
would wait to see Michigan’s 
new 
itinerary 
to 
make 
a 

decision about changing the 
game time. The other three 
second-round games are on the 
schedule for the rest of the day 
at the Verizon Center. 

The 
Daily 
confirmed 

Wednesday 
night 
that 
the 

airport tower suffered a power 
outage — gusty winds affected 
the Ann Arbor area all day — but 
that the third-party dispatch 
still cleared for departure.

“After attempting to take 

off in high winds, takeoff 
was aborted and, after strong 

braking, the plane slide off (sic) 
runway,” a team spokesman 
said in a statement. “The plane 
sustained extensive damage but 
everyone on board was safely 
evacuated and is safe.”

Erica 
Donerson, 
manager 

of media relations of Wayne 
County Airport Authority, also 
confirmed and gave specifics 
about the incident in an email 
statement.

“Shortly before 3 p.m. today, 

a charter flight aborted takeoff 
at Willow Run Airport and went 
off the end of Runway 23L,” 
Donerson wrote. “The Airport 
Authority Public Safety and 
Operations teams responded. 
There 
were 

no injuries to 
the seven crew 
members 
and 

109 passengers, 
including 
members of the 
University 
of 

Michigan men’s 
basketball team. 
The 
MD83 

was 
operated 

by 
Ameristar 

Charters. As a 
result of this incident, Willow 
Run Airport remains closed at 
this time.”

At that time, in an interview 

with 
WXYZ-TV, 
Michigan 

coach John Beilein expressed 
in an interview his belief that 
flying Thursday is the right idea.

“Right now, I think the 

best decision is to wait until 
tomorrow and just get up early 
and go,” Beilein said. “I do not 
think it’s wise, with this wind, 
with our players where they 
are right now, our students, 
our staff, our cheerleaders, our 
band, probably not a good idea 
to go up again today.”

Several 
of 
the 
players, 

coaches, 
staff 
and 
other 

passengers 
tweeted 
positive 

notes afterward.

Recovering 
mentally 
and 

physically in time for the game, 
meanwhile, is a different story.

“It 
puts 
so 
much 
in 

perspective right now that 
everybody’s safe,” Beilein told 
WXYZ-TV. “We have a few 
people banged up a little bit, 
a few cuts, a few bruises, but 
other than that, everybody’s 
healthy, and it could have been 
much worse. The way the flight 
attendants, 
the 
pilots, 
the 

student-athletes, the students, 
the staff, conducted themselves 
was incredible. We were off that 
plane, going down those chutes, 
getting up on the wings, getting 

out 
of 
there. 

In 
a 
minute, 

it seemed like 
everybody 
got 

off that plane.”

According to 

other 
reports, 

the 
Federal 

Aviation 
Administration 
and 
National 

Transportation 
Safety 
Board 

are 
still 

investigating 
the 
wreck, 

including some of the team’s 
gear that is still on board. The 
coaches and players returned to 
Crisler Center after the accident 
and will now be pressed to 
make it to Washington before 
tip-off.

Still, 
those 
inside 
the 

program 
are 
grateful 
the 

damage was not worse.

“It’s only an airplane that was 

destroyed,” Beilein said. “No 
lives were destroyed in that. We 
gotta put things in perspective, 
and that game tomorrow has 
still a lot of meaning, but 
certainly our kids will look at it 
a lot differently, look at life a lot 
differently, after what we just 
experienced.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Team plane slid off runway during power outage at Willow 
Run on Wednesday; no significant injuries to passengers

MICHIGAN DAILY STAFF

“It puts so much 

in perspective 

right now that 

everybody’s safe.”

Seniors prepare for home finale

A lot has changed since the 

seniors on the Michigan hockey 
team arrived in Ann Arbor 
before the start of the 2013-14 
season. The Wolverines entered 
that year ranked No. 10 in the 
country, 
and 
though 
their 

22-year 
NCAA 
Tournament 

streak had ended the year before, 
the nine freshmen who entered 
had aspirations of adding to the 
storied history of the program.

Now, after three of their 

classmates moved on to the NHL, 
just six seniors remain. And with 
this weekend marking the last 
regular-season 
games 
of 
the 

season, forwards Evan Allen, Alex 
Kile, Max Shuart, defensemen 
Nolan De Jong and Kevin Lohan 
and goaltender Zach Nagelvoort 
are facing their final opportunities 
to play at Yost Ice Arena.

“It’s exciting in a weird way,” 

Nagelvoort said. “I don’t really 
know the right word for it. It’s 
exciting that we have a chance 
to play Penn State … I think 
that’s really the focus in the 
room: playing Penn State on the 
weekend, not necessarily the 
Senior Night aspect of it. We’ll 
experience that after the game on 
Saturday. It’s not like a leading-
into-the-game kind of thing.

“I know I love playing here at 

Yost, so I’m going to just enjoy my 
last two times playing here. I’m 
sure I’ll be a mess after the game, 
but we’ll see when I get there.”

As Nagelvoort says, Michigan 

isn’t emphasizing Senior Night 
heavily 
at 
all. 
Instead, 
the 

Wolverines’ focus is on winning 
the 
games 
remaining 
and 

trying to rally some momentum 
before playing in the Big Ten 
Tournament.

“We don’t do much,” said 

Michigan coach Red Berenson. 
“We do (Senior Night) after the 
game, where some teams have a 
hurried presentation before the 
game, and we don’t do that. … We 
don’t make a big deal of it in the 
locker room as coaches. We’ve 
tried it in the past, and it doesn’t 
work. It doesn’t seem to relate. It 
relates more to the game.”

Things haven’t been easy 

for this particular senior class. 
Barring an unlikely win in the 
Big Ten Tournament, it will be 
just the third class in the last 26 
seasons to participate in only one 
NCAA Tournament collectively.

Add that to the departure 

of three of their classmates — 
JT Compher, Tyler Motte and 
Michael Downing — before this 
season, and the six-some has 
seen its fair share of struggles. 
But with all of that, they say it has 
just made them closer as a group.

“With 
those 
three 
guys 

signing in the offseason, it 
only made us, as a class, come 
closer,” Kile said. “… It’s going 
to be different next year, and it’s 
going to be hard to move on, but 
hopefully this last couple weeks 
of hockey can be memorable with 
those guys. And as we graduate 
and go (down) different paths, 
I definitely imagine all six of us 
keeping in touch.”

Added Allen: “The six of us 

remaining here, we all live in the 
same house or right next door to 
each other. We hang out every 
single night and every day. So 
we became really close. I mean, 
we do everything together. … It’s 
been really fun, and I’m going to 
miss it a lot.”

This season alone has been 

trying enough for the Wolverines 
and their seniors, as they are 
on track to have the program’s 
worst record in 30 years. But the 
individual players are used to 
dealing with tough situations. 
After all, when this season is over, 
their legacy may be their ability 
to fight through difficult times to 
make contributions on the ice.

“The one thing that’s happened 

to every one of them, they’ve all 
run into adversity,” Berenson 
said. “On the ice, they’ve all had 
trouble finding their way at one 
time or another. … And yet now 
they’re all contributing players, 
and they’re all graduating, and 
I’m glad they are.”

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Zach Nagelvoort plays the final home games of an eventful career this weekend.

MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Editor