6A — Thursday, January 18, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

After attrition-filled offseason, Miles rights Nebraska’s ship

It’s 9 a.m. at Big Ten Media

Day. The coffee is flowing, the
breakfast line is starting to die
down,
electrical
outlets
are

reaching a dangerous premium.

Big Ten commissioner Jim

Delaney is finishing up his
opening remarks filled with
details on the new 20-game
schedule, the new location for
the Big Ten Tournament and the
state of the conference; details
are fresh but are simultaneously
hollow in intrigue for the dreary-
eyed media members.

Nebraska
basketball
coach

Tim Miles walks on stage and
ears perk up.

“They always have me early. I

feel like I’m the ‘Good Morning
Vietnam’ guy,” Miles says. “But I
love following the commissioner.
You know a guy is highly
intelligent when he can say that
much and say that little.”

He goes on.
“We’re picked 13th by most of

you in this room and some others,
and that’s fine. I think we’re
going to outperform that.”

And we’re off.
That’s
Tim
Miles:
Brash,

candid, unfazed. His personality
attracts him to
media and fans,
even if it alone
does little to help
Nebraska
win

basketball games.

As
he
fields

and
answers

questions
from

the hundreds of
media members
in
attendance,

Miles knows he’s
on the hot seat.

The Cornhuskers are coming

off a season in which they lost
twice as many conference games
as they won. Nebraska lost its
final five games of the season,
including a first round Big
Ten Tournament loss to Penn

State. Only Rutgers finished
worse.
From
there,
things

only deteriorated. During the

offseason, Miles
lost seven players
from his roster —
two
graduated,

three transferred
and two walk-ons
chose to walk off.

The
player

attrition offered
the
most

damning account
of the Tim Miles
era to date; his

program appeared to be a sinking
ship devoid of life rafts.

In a conference with two

legitimate Final Four contenders
and
plenty
of
blossoming

storylines, Miles’ Nebraska team
falls mighty low on the list of
priorities for the day.

But in a day flooded with

coachspeak, you can’t help but
find yourself seeking out the
loudest coach at the table in the
furthest corner either doesn’t
have a filter or doesn’t care
enough to abide by it.

Miles
vacillates
between

lawyer
jokes
and
roster

breakdowns.
One
moment

he’s playfully bantering with
reporters, the next he’s detailing
the
gut-wrenching
feeling

of learning he was losing yet
another of his players.

“And you really feel like you

see one of those movies with
‘Too Big to Fail’ or whatever it
might be,” Miles says. “You feel
you’re in the room with the Wall
Street bankers saying this can’t
be happening.”

It can be easy to forget the

momentum Miles had early in

his tenure in Lincoln. He led the
Cornhuskers to a 19-13 record —
and a fourth place finish in the Big
Ten — in 2013-14,
his second season
with the program.
That
offseason,

he signed three
four-star recruits
and
registered

the
27th
best

recruiting
class

in
the
country,

according
to

247Sports.

Perhaps
that’s

easy to forget because in the
three seasons since, Nebraska
has won just 17 Big Ten games
and finished no better than 11th
in the conference. Not only had
the momentum disappeared, it
took a serious downward spiral.

Miles had to grapple with the

reality that the program he had
so carefully crafted — a program
that had reached the NCAA

Tournament just
two years prior
— was ripping at
the seams.

Instead
of

dwelling
on

it, he used the
mass exodus as a
rallying cry.

“More
than

anything I think
that galvanized
us,
going

through those moments together,
figuring out, alright, ‘who is
really in here and why are you
in?’ … What’s interesting about
it is this team is probably more
cohesive than any team I’ve had
now in about three or four years,
what’s left.”

“Cohesion” is one of those

buzz words that coaches love
to use. Most teams are cohesive
in October, and it’s an easy trait
to praise when all else fails. But
amidst roster turnover and job
uncertainty, Miles meant it.

“I’m going to come through

for (former Nebraska athletic
director Shawn Eichorst),” Miles
told media shortly after Eichorst
announced the 51-year-old coach
would return for another season.
“We’re going to show him his
faith in us is justified.”

Eichorst has since been fired as

athletic director, only ratcheting
up the pressure for Miles to prove
his capabilities to his new boss,
Bill Moos.

The decision was less a vote

of confidence from the former
athletic director than a shot
across the bow. Win now, or don’t
return to Media Day next year.

Against the odds, Miles and

his team are doing just that. With
a win over Illinois on Monday,
Nebraska earned its 13th win,
already one more than it did all of
last season.

Heading into the matchup

with Michigan on Thursday, the
Cornhuskers sit above .500 in Big
Ten play, comfortably slated for
their best season since the 2013-
14 season that offered the promise
of a Miles-led “Nebrasketball”
rennaisance.

Nebraska is winning close

games — by one against Illinois,
by four against Wisconsin, by
four at Mississippi State, by 10
against Minnesota. It has lost
only once at home in a nail-biting,
one-point loss to No. 10 Kansas.

And a win over Michigan

Thursday would do far more than
notch a fifth conference win. It
would signal intent. It would
change the present complexion
of Cornhuskers basketball. It
might just secure Miles’ job.

If that happens, Tim Miles

might have a little more than a
good lawyer joke to tell at Media
Day next year.

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Editor

FILE PHOTO

Nebraska coach Tim Miles has his team sitting in sixth place in the Big Ten with a 4-3 conference record., only one season removed from finishing next-to-last.

Warren’s breakout weekend the link to sweep

The Michigan hockey team has

found its own version of Miami’s
infamous “Turnover Chain.” The
Wolverines carry a chain around
for weekend series, symbolizing
that they are only as strong as their
weakest link.

And in Michigan’s conquest at

Minnesota last weekend, junior
forward Brendan Warren was the
link holding the chain together.
The junior’s three-goal outburst
helped
the
now-20th-ranked

Wolverines complete a sweep of
the Golden Gophers at Mariucci
Arena for the first time in 41 years.

Warren notched Michigan’s

fourth and fifth goals Friday
night, including the eventual
game-winner, to bury then-No.
9 Minnesota, 5-3. Twenty-four
hours later, just 1:13 into Saturday’s
contest, he scored again to catalyze
the Wolverines’ 3-1 victory.

Warren has already eclipsed

his career high with six goals this
season. His .158 shot percentage is
more than double his sophomore
campaign’s clip and three times
his freshman output. Against the
Golden Gophers, Warren took just
three shots all weekend, but each
one found the back of the net.

Even with his recent uptick in

offensive involvement, Warren
credits his teammates for feeding
him in prime shooting areas — and
a little bit of “puck luck.”

“Team success usually leads

to individual success, so that was
something that helped me out,”
Warren
said
after
Tuesday’s

practice.
“My
linemates
also

helped, playing hard and playing
with speed, getting the pucks to
me and putting the pressure on
Minnesota so that I could get more
opportunities myself.”

Michigan coach Mel Pearson

often talks about players who are
“natural goal-scorers” and can
create these opportunities for
themselves.
Warren,
however,

isn’t typically on that list.

Instead, the Carleton, Mich.

native is a skater who flies under
the
radar,
his
contributions

minimally
reflected
on
the

scoreboard.

“He’s hitting guys, he’s moving

his feet, he’s blocking shots, he’s

on the penalty kill,” said senior
forward Tony Calderone. “He does
everything that doesn’t show up,
but is a huge part of our team. It’ll
be good to see how he progresses.”

Warren’s
speed
is
evident

during games. He wins battles on
both sides of the ice, scrums in the
corner and in front of his own net.
He leads all Michigan forwards
with 22 blocked shots and has a
textbook shot with a quick and
smooth release.

Until last weekend, Warren

didn’t have many chances to put
that shot to use. But following
a shoulder injury to sophomore
forward Will Lockwood during
last
month’s
World
Junior

Championships, that all changed.
With Lockwood’s season most
likely finished, Warren replaced
the left winger on the second line.

And just three games into his

new role alongside linemates
junior Jake Slaker and freshman
Josh Norris, Warren has already
displayed the stroke coaches and
players regularly praise.

Pearson has stressed hitting

the net and not forcing bad-
angle shots to help reverse the
Wolverines’ recent goal-scoring
slumps. Warren has caught on to
that message and it has shown.

“Too many times, you miss the

net when you’re trying to pick the
perfect spot,” Pearson said. “Just

make sure you get it away quick,
under-handle the puck and get it
on the net. And I think that was
really the key for Brendan.”

Success breeds even higher

expectations, and Pearson has
openly challenged the new-look
trio to continue its offensive surge.

“They look good and they’ve got

all the ingredients you look for in
a line,” Pearson said. “They’ve got
defensive responsibility, speed,
scoring, playmaking, so it’s nice
to see them have some results.
Get some results and then that
encourages them and gives them
more confidence.

“We haven’t had that line

together other than the three
games, but they’ve gotten the
opportunity in the three games
and they’ve scored. That’s a real
positive. They have a chance to be
our best line.”

Despite never playing on a top

line on a roster full of branded
superstars, Warren’s solid all-
around game has already been
noticed. He was selected by the
Arizona Coyotes in the third round
of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and
prior to the 2017 draft, his rights
were traded to the Philadelphia
Flyers.

For his dominant weekend in

Minneapolis, Warren was named
the Big Ten First Star of the Week.
According to his teammates, the

recent accolades are long-awaited
and well-deserved for the player
who does it all on the ice, but is
frequently overlooked.

“He’s a guy who works hard

every night,” Calderone said. “He
might not be rewarded on the
scoresheet, but he does all the
little things, so it’s nice to see him
actually get rewarded. I think with
a little bit of confidence now, that
could leap him into a good second
half here.”

Added junior forward Cooper

Marody, also a Flyer prospect:
“Brendan is playing awesome, just
working his butt off. He’s a guy
who doesn’t get a lot of recognition
that he deserves.”

Pearson called for secondary

contributors to be factors heading
into the Minnesota series. Warren
answered. Now, he must ride
the current momentum entering
a gauntlet of showdowns with
top-ranked conference foes in
upcoming weeks.

“We have big dreams of making

a run here and continuing to jump
the standings in the Big Ten,”
Marody said. “We need those guys
to continue to step up like that.”

The link of Brendan Warren kept

the Wolverines’ chain together in a
hostile Mariucci Arena. And with
his elevated confidence, Warren is
determined that link doesn’t break
anytime soon.

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Brendan Warren (back center) scored three goals in two games as Michigan swept No. 9 Minnesota on the road.

BENJAMIN KATZ

Daily Sports Writer

That’s Tim
Miles: Brash,

candid,
unfazed.

“We’re going
to show him

his faith in us is

justified.”

The Nebraska coach spoke at Big Ten Media Day this summer about what went wrong last year for the Cornhuskers

MEN’S BASKETBALL
‘M’ ready for Nebraska

The Michigan men’s basketball

team dodged a bullet Tuesday.

The
Wolverines
took

Maryland’s best shot, stumbled to
the brink of taking a heartbreaking
loss but clumsily rebounded for an
ugly win.

It was Michigan’s first game as a

ranked team in the 2017-18 season,
and the results weren’t all that
convincing. It struggled to contain
Terrapins guard Anthony Cowan
Jr., struggled to make layups at
times and struggled to put its foot
on the opponent’s throat when the
occasion called for it.

Still, the bullet was dodged.
Thursday, as is the nature of the

Big Ten schedule, the Wolverines
will face another potential bullet —
this time in the form of Nebraska.

The
Cornhuskers
are
a

confusing team. Though they’ve
lost to Central Florida and have
been blown out by St. John’s,
they also barely lost to then-No.
13 Kansas and beat then-No. 14
Minnesota on the road. Not to
mention, coach Tim Miles’ squad
has won six of its last eight games.

It’s
a
bit
surprising
that

Nebraska has found any success at
all this season. After four players
transferred from the program last
season, Miles had to pick up the
pieces this offseason and try to
fit the team back together. He got
that in the form of some incoming
transfers.

James Palmer Jr., transferred

from Miami after the 2015-16
season, while Isaac Copeland
came
from
Georgetown.
All

they’ve done so far is become the
Cornhuskers’ two leading scorers,
averaging 15.7 and 12.3 points per
game, respectively.

Michigan
coach
John

Beilein sees versatility in the
Cornhuskers, and he compared
the impact of Palmer to that of
redshirt sophomore guard Charles
Matthews.

“All
their
guys,
I
mean,

Copeland’s been coming off the
bench, he’s shooting, and Palmer,
coming from Miami, he’s Charles
Matthews, is who he is.” Beilein
said. “He can pass the ball, he
shoots the ball, he’s long, he’s

athletic. He’s Charles Matthews.”

Even beyond Palmer’s abilities,

Nebraska plays a similar style to
the Wolverines. There are times
when the Cornhuskers won’t
have a traditional center on the
floor — like Michigan when junior
forward Moritz Wagner plays.

Of course, Nebraska does not

have Wagner. Its starting center,
Jordy Tshimanga, averages just
3.5 points per game and plays
just over 15 minutes per game.
After him, the next tallest player
is 6-foot-9. It’s a rarity that the
Wolverines have a size advantage
of any kind, but Thursday that may
be the case.

“The way they play, with

essentially five guards at some
times, is a challenge,” said fifth-
year senior Duncan Robinson.
“But hopefully we’ll be ready for
the challenge.”

Against Maryland, Michigan

showed some versatility of its
own. At one point late in the game,
Beilein took out sophomore point
guard Zavier Simpson in favor of
freshman guard Jordan Poole.
The Wolverines didn’t have a
traditional point guard on the
floor, but Beilein emphasized that
he wants to get Poole — a dynamic
scorer — on the court as often as
possible.

“We’re going to try to do

everything we can to get Jordan
more
minutes,”
Beilein
said.

“Especially if (Muhammad-Ali
Abdur-Rahkman) is clicking and
not in foul trouble, defensively he’s
very good. Charles gives us a great
slasher, a shooter, a playmaker. We
don’t want him just sharing times
at one position, so we’ve been
trying to do that.”

No matter who the Wolveirnes

throw out on the floor, they’ll have
to contend with the atmosphere
in Lincoln. Of course, Michigan
has played in tough environments
already this season, winning in
East Lansing less than a week
ago, but Nebraska’s home court is
enough of a test for Beilein to call
it one of the best environments in
the Big Ten.

“Unbelievable place to play, I

mean they pack it,” Robinson said.
“We’ve had some success down
there recently, but obviously, we’re
gonna have to bring it tomorrow.”

MIKE PERSAK

Managing Sports Editor