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