2B — Monday, January 8, 2018
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

A week to make believers

J

ohn Beilein has a theory. 
He’s just not entirely sold 
on it yet.

It came to light after his 

Michigan 
basketball 
team notched 
a 79-69 win 
over Illinois 
on Saturday 
afternoon. 
The victory, 
by Beilein’s 
own self 
admission, 
wasn’t pretty.

Redshirt 

sophomore wing Charles Mat-
thews played 67 seconds in the 
first half due to foul trouble. 
Junior center Moritz Wagner 
didn’t fare much better, picking 
up two fouls of his own. The 
duo combined for three first-
half points, and the Wolverines 
turned the ball over 12 times 
in the frame against an Illinois 
team that ranks sixth nation-
ally in forced turnovers.

And yet, Michigan man-

aged to right the ship anyway. 
Freshmen Jordan Poole and 
Isaiah Livers found themselves 
on the court with just under 
nine minutes left, turning in 
the game of their dreams. A 
3-pointer, two dunks, an alley-
oop and five 
free throws 
later, the Wol-
verines found 
themselves up 
by two — lucky 
to eventu-
ally exit the 
half trailing by 
three.

After the 

early foul trou-
ble, Wagner and 
Matthews finally found sound 
footing, and the Wolverines 
outlasted a vaunted defensive 
unit to shoot 64 percent from 
the floor in the second half. 
Michigan finished with six 
players scoring in double dig-
its, two of whom —Poole and 

Livers — came off the bench.

Quite simply, the Wolver-

ines found a way to make a 
ramshackle unit survive long 

enough to win. 
The produc-
tion, as it has 
all season, came 
from different 
characters in no 
logical order.

But with 

matchups 
against No. 13 
Purdue and No. 
1 Michigan State 
in the coming 

week, Beilein was asked if he 
wants to see one of his players 
become ‘the guy.’ His answer 
was illuminating.

“I think it’s important that 

those guys continue to estab-
lish a rhythm when everyone’s 
in a new role,” he said. “I don’t 

think it’s essential that they 
have to be stars for us to win, 
as you can see today. I think 
there’s enough guys out there 
that can make shots.”

Still, there was some doubt.
“That’s our hope,” he con-

tinued. “Now we’ll find out, 
and I’ll be a believer when I 
know that we’re rebounding 
and we’re better in the post 
defense. If we can beat the 
Purdues and the Michigan 
States, alright, then I’m gonna 
probably be a believer that 
we’re okay.”

Hope is the operative word, 

and therein lies the crux of 
this entire week. On paper, the 
Wolverines are okay, boasting 
14 wins in 17 games.

Michigan, of course, has star 

power in Wagner and Mat-
thews. Both can take over a 
game, though neither has on 

a consistent basis. The same 
fluctuations apply to Muham-
mad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and 
Duncan Robinson.

Poole and 

Livers, for 
their part, have 
shown an ability 
to fill in when 
those fluc-
tuations cause 
trouble. In other 
cases, they’ve 
shown the oppo-
site, though 
there has been 
more of the for-
mer as of late.

And Zavier Simpson, who 

started for the first time in 
12 games Saturday, seems to 
be rounding out the bunch at 
point guard — though Beilein 
wouldn’t go as far to say his 
starting nod was a definitive 

answer.

This all goes to say that their 

collective identity, it appears, 
just may work out.

But now it’s 

time to find out 
for good.

Purdue will 

visit Crisler 
Center on Tues-
day, providing 
the Wolverines 
with their first 
opportunity 
to notch a win 
over a top-25 
team. 

Four days later, Michigan 

will seek its first road win 
over its in-state rivals since 
2014 when it heads to East 
Lansing. 

The Boilermakers’ Isaac 

Haas and Vincent Edwards 
await, while Miles Bridges is 

only the tip of the iceberg on a 
loaded Spartans roster.

The only team that Michi-

gan has faced that can evenly 
remotely compare to the chal-
lenge ahead is North Carolina, 
which ran the Wolverines out 
of the gym.

The Wolverines have come 

a long way since that Nov. 29 
matchup in Chapel Hill — win-
ning eight of their last nine.

And after the most recent 

win, Illinois coach Brad 
Underwood seemed to confirm 
as much.

“That’s a really good Michi-

gan basketball team,” he said. 
“They’ve proven that with 
who they’ve beat and who they 
played.”

Underwood, more than 

most, can offer a sound outsid-
er’s perspective on where this 
team stands. The Wolverines 
beat his Oklahoma State team 
in the NCAA Tournament last 
year. Asked about how this 
iteration of Michigan com-
pares to last year’s, Under-
wood pointed to the seemingly 
obvious.

“Well it starts at the point,” 

he said. “And I’m not down-
playing Zavier or any of their 
other guys, but when we 
played them in the tourna-
ment, Walton was playing as 
well as any point guard in 
America. … But they’re a lot 
of the same characters, do the 
same things.”

“Characters,” it would 

seem, is an accurate noun for 
a Michigan team that has yet 
to see a star emerge. Beilein 
thinks those “characters” may 
just be enough, but isn’t sold 
just yet.

Which brings us back to this 

week.

The Wolverines have a 

chance to make some believ-
ers. Their coach included. 

Santo can be reached at 

kmsanto@umich.edu or on 

Twitter at @Kevin_M_Santo.

KEVIN 
SANTO

EVAN AARON/Daily

Michigan coach John Beilein believes that he will learn a lot about his Michigan basketball team in its next two games against Purdue and Michigan State.

“I think there’s 

enough guys out 

there that can 

make shots.”

The Wolverines 
have a chance 
to make some 

believers.

Livers and Poole have the game of their dreams

Isaiah Livers said that he and 

Jordan Poole have dreamed about 
games like Saturday.

Each of the roommates has had 

their own breakout games — Poole 
dropped 19 points on Indiana and 
Livers had 13 against Iowa — but 
the pair had yet to go off in the 
same game.

Against Illinois, in a 79-69 win, 

that changed. And not only did the 
freshmen do it in the same game, 
but in the same portion of the 
game, to keep Michigan in it.

Livers checked in for the first 

time at the 8:52 mark in the first 
half. The Wolverines trailed by 
eight. Two minutes later, they 
were still down eight. That’s when 
Livers and Poole got going.

First, Livers hit a corner three 

to cut it to five.

Then, 
when 
the 
Fighting 

Illini 
tried 
to 
trap 
senior 

guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman, Livers snuck toward 
the 
basket, 
where 
Abdur-

Rahkman found him for an open 
dunk.

Another Livers dunk moments 

later came from similar action, 
and the freshman had put together 
a personal 7-0 run.

It’s a far cry from where Livers 

was even a few games ago.

“I was thinking way too much 

a month ago,” Livers said. “Just, 
‘should I shoot this, or should 
I pass it.’ Now I feel like Coach 
(Beilein) trusts that I have the 
green light to shoot the ball or go 
to the basket any time I want to.”

After Livers’ run, Illinois made 

a basket, and it was time for Poole 
to get in on the action. He was 
fouled on a three of his own, and 
he promptly drilled his three free 
throws to tie the game.

Moments later, Michigan took 

the lead on the best example of 
Livers and Poole’s chemistry.

Fifth-year senior guard Jaaron 

Simmons tossed an outlet pass 
to Poole, who was already in the 
frontcourt. A defender stood 
between Poole and the basket, and 
he took a step toward Poole. What 
the defender didn’t see was Livers 
running the floor on the opposite 
side. Poole didn’t hesitate.

He slowed down at the 3-point 

line and lobbed the ball toward 
the hoop. Livers went and got it, 

threw it down, and sent Crisler 
Center into hysterics.

“We made eye contact,” Livers 

said. “That’s my roommate, we 
made eye contact. I knew at half 
court, he was gonna slow down 
and throw it up.”

Added Poole: “I remember 

last time I threw an alley-oop to 
him, he wanted me to throw it 
higher. So at that point, it’s like, 
‘I’m gonna throw it up, you’ve got 
to go get it.’ It was a huge energy-
bringer to Crisler that got us going 
a little bit.”

Poole would add two free 

throws at the 3:22 mark, giving 
the duo a combined 14-4 runt 
that propelled the Wolverines to a 
27-25 lead.

It was a crucial run for a 

Michigan team whose leading 
scorer — redshirt sophomore 
guard Charles Matthews — had 
picked up two quick fouls to start 
the game.

It could also be crucial for the 

Wolverines in the future. Poole 
and Livers seem to be getting more 
comfortable with every game, and 
their combined 23 points against 
Illinois was another data point 
that hints at their development. 

They’ve shown that they can pick 
up the slack when Matthews and 
junior forward Moritz Wagner 
have off nights or get in foul 
trouble. Saturday was just the 
latest example of that.

The game also served as an 

example of just how good the pair 
can be together.

“I mean, I wake up and I see 

him all the time,” Poole said. “So, 
when I go out there, and I just see a 
big human being like that running 
to the rim, I just throw it up. So I 
feel like, definitely, spending as 
much time as we do together is a 
huge connection on the court.”

After the game, in the media 

room, Poole finished answering 
questions 
before 
Livers. 
He 

walked over to his roommate, took 
a microphone, and asked Livers 
what he thought about the alley-
oop pass.

Livers smiled and said he 

thought he might owe the passer 
some food.

Then, the pair left and took 

pictures with fans outside the 
room. It was all smiles for them 
after the day they had. After all, 
it’s a game Livers and Poole have 
been dreaming about.

EVAN AARON/Daily

Freshman forward Isaiah Livers scored 12 points aand his roommate, freshman guard Jordan Poole, had 11 in a game Livers says they’ve dreamed about.

MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor

The two freshmen combined for 23 points in Michigan’s 79-69 win over Illinois
Report: ‘M’ set to hire 
former Arkansas OC 

Michigan 
officially 

announced the hiring of one 
assistant coach, Al Washington, 
this past weekend. And it 
may not be too long before 
the Wolverines officially hire 
another assistant as the college 
football 
coaching 
carousel 

continues to turn.

According to a report from 

Bruce Feldman 
of 
Sports 

Illustrated 
on 
Friday 

afternoon, 
Michigan 
is 

set 
to 
hire 

Dan 
Enos, 

previously 
Arkansas’ 
offensive 
coordinator.

Enos 

has been connected to the 
Wolverines in recent weeks. 
A Dec. 7 report from Football 
Scoop stated that Jim Harbaugh 
had been in contact with Enos 
about a position on his staff.

Enos, 
a 

native 
of 

Dearborn, has 
spent 
much 

of his career 
working within 
the 
state 
— 

especially 
at 
Michigan 

State, 
where 

he played four 
years at as a 
quarterback.

After his playing career, 

Enos began coaching as a 
graduate assistant with the 
Spartans for three seasons. 
He made stops at Lakeland, 
Northern Michigan, Southern 
Illinois and Missouri State 
before returning to his home 
state as Western Michigan’s 
quarterbacks coach.

Following stops at North 

Dakota State and Cincinnati, 
Enos then joined his alma 
mater’s staff. He was Michigan 
State’s quarterbacks coach in 

2006 and the running backs 
coach from 2007-2009.

Enos then began his first 

and only stint as a head coach 
at Central Michigan, where he 
compiled a 26-36 record over 
five seasons. He made waves in 
the offseason of 2014 when he 
decided to leave the Chippewas 
to 
become 
the 
offensive 

coordinator 
at 
Arkansas, 

where he spent the past three 

seasons coaching 
before being let 
go 
along 
with 

the rest of Bret 
Bielema’s 
staff 

this offseason.

While 
in 

East 
Lansing, 

Enos cultivated 
a 
reputation 

as 
a 
talented 

recruiter. 
He 

was responsible 

for many of Michigan State’s 
in-state recruiting victories, 
signing players such as Edwin 
Baker, Chris Norman, Fred 
Smith, Dion Sims, Tyler Hoover, 
Bennie Fowler and Keshawn 

Martin.

It 
remains 

unknown 
what 
Enos’s 

official 
role 

on 
Michigan’s 

staff 
will 
be. 

Offensive 
tackles and tight 
ends coach Greg 
Frey 
appears 

to be taking a 
similar role with 

Florida State; meanwhile, the 
Wolverines still have offensive 
coordinator 
Tim 
Drevno, 

running 
backs 
coach 
Jay 

Harbaugh and quarterbacks 
coach Pep Hamilton on staff as 
of now.

While Enos has experience 

with calling plays, there would 
need to be some shuffling along 
Michigan’s staff for him to do so 
in Ann Arbor. This season, the 
Wolverines split play-calling 
duties 
amongst 
Harbaugh, 

Drevno and Hamilton. 

FOOTBALL

ORION SANG

Managing Sports Editor

Enos has been 
connected to 
the Wolverines 
in recent weeks.

Enos compiled 
a 26-36 record 

at Central 
Michigan.

