The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 — 7A

After tournament championship, ‘M’ approaches uncommon off week

So now what?
After claiming the Big Ten 

Tournament 
Championship 

for a second year in a row, the 
Michigan 
men’s 
basketball 

team is riding high. It vaulted to 
No. 7 in the AP poll released on 
Monday, and continues to climb 
up bracket projections, now 
seemingly locked into a top-
four seed — bracketmatrix.com, 
a website that compiles a host of 
predictions, has the Wolverines 
as the final No. 3 seed.

Michigan 
has 
won 
nine 

games in a row, and after 
beating 
Nebraska 
in 
the 

quarterfinal and Purdue in the 
final, has beaten all of the other 
13 Big Ten teams, the only team 
in the conference to accomplish 
that feat this season. Suddenly, 
a pesky, middling Big Ten team 
has become one of the hottest 
in the country, and a bonafide 
contender.

But 
after 
winning 
four 

games in four days, the red-hot 
Wolverines will go at least 10 
days before playing next.

Thanks 
to 
a 
condensed 

schedule 
created 
to 

accommodate Madison Square 
Garden as the venue for last 
week’s tournament, Michigan 

won’t find out who it’s playing or 
where it’s going for another five 
days, raising the interminable 
question of rest versus rust.

After 
a 
dizzying 
week, 

Michigan coach 
John 
Beilein 

made his case 
for rest.

“I’ve 
been 

here before with 
both 
Canisius 

and Richmond,” 
Beilein 
said. 

“You’ve got to 
pace 
yourself, 

and you’ve got to 
embrace it, say, 
‘You know what, we’ve got time 
to get better now.’ We’re going 
to get better.

“I think it’ll be a nice week 

where I’m not — we just 
prepared for five teams in four 
days. I’m looking forward (to 
the fact) we can’t prepare for 
the next opponent, we can just 
focus on ourselves the next 
week.”

Not only does Beilein have 

experience with the prolonged 
time off, he actually has success.

In 1998, Beilein’s 14th-seeded 

Richmond team upset the No. 3 
seeded South Carolina coming 
off a similar 11-day layoff.

Beilein noted that he won’t 

practice each day, but would 

likely practice a couple times 
with an intra-squad scrimmage 
slated for Sunday afternoon 
prior to the announcement of 
the NCAA Tournament field. 

When 
asked 

what his team 
can 
improve 

upon 
before 

the start of the 
Tournament, 
Beilein 
eagerly 

responded, 
“Oh, 
man,” 

before 
naming 

off 
a 
laundry 

list of areas for 
improvment. 

Free-throw shooting, boxing 
out and on-ball defense all made 
the cut before he forced himself 
to slow down and acknowledge 
the need to take things easy.

But the perils of rust loom 

large for a team now gelling as 
one of the nation’s best. 

There was no feeling of 

disappointment in the Michigan 
locker room about getting the 
extra week — or at least no 
outward admission of such. If 
anything, the attitude was a 
workmanlike ambivalence.

“I think we are just going 

to focus on — first of all, we’re 
going to enjoy this a couple 
days and to get some rest,” 
said 
junior 
center 
Moritz 

Wagner, the tournament’s Most 
Outstanding Player. “Then we’re 
going to focus on what’s next. 
Whether that’s an advantage 
or disadvantage, doesn’t really 
matter.”

Added 

Robinson: 
“We’re 
just 

looking at it as, 
it is what it is. 
It’ll be nice to 
get some rest — 
don’t have the 
young legs like I 
once did, being a 
fifth-year senior. 
It’ll be nice to get 
off my feet for it.”

Senior guard Muhammad-Ali 

Abdur-Rahkman said he likes 

to play Xbox during his down 
time, 
specifically 
Fortnite 

and Call of Duty. Robinson 
remarked 
that 
each 
player 

would 
maximize 
the 
extra 

week to watch 
more film, get 
an extra weight 
lift in or simply 
catch up on rest.

But it’s only 

human 
nature 

to 
think 
the 

streaking 
Wolverines 
would just want 
to keep playing 
basketball. 

On Sunday, the rest of the 

conference tournaments will 
come to a close and the bracket 

will be released. Beilein will 
begin his game preparation, and 
the most chaotic sporting event 
in the country will officially 
begin.

And no matter what happens 

in the next month, no matter 
what 
seed 
Michigan 
will 

end with, no matter what — 
if anything — comes of this 
uncommon 
week 
off, 
the 

Wolverines will still hang a 
banner in Crisler Center come 
next season.

Careful not to fret too much 

about the extra time, Beilein 
made one thing clear about the 
schedule after he celebrated 
his second straight Big Ten 
Tournament title.

“It was worth it.”

ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily

Michigan coach John Beilein has experienced this uncommon week off when he was at Canisius and Richmond.

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Editor

“I’ve been here 

before with 
Canisius and 
Richmond.”

“We’re going 
to enjoy this a 
couple days and 
get some rest.”

Boka working to control his emotions when the Wolverines need it most

On Jan. 7 against then-No. 1 

Notre Dame in South Bend, the 
Michigan hockey team skated 
off the ice with heads hanging 
low after 40 minutes of play. 
The Wolverines allowed two 
unanswered goals in the second 
period and found themselves 
down, 2-0, heading into the third.

As Michigan made its way down 

the tunnel, defenseman Nicholas 
Boka slammed his stick into the 
ground and let out an expletive 
so loud it echoed throughout 
Compton Family Ice Arena.

Known 
for 
wearing 
his 

emotions on his sleeves, the 
junior let everyone know the 
dejected state of the Wolverines. 
Michigan would go on to lose, 
2-1, sending it to a dismal 8-10-2 
record — a continuation of last 
year’s disappointment — with 
little hope for NCAA Tournament 
contention.

Almost two months later, Boka 

— always the last player to exit 
the pregame skate — left the Yost 
Ice Arena rink all smiles. As fans 
piled in for a Big Ten Tournament 
quarterfinal 
matchup 
against 

Wisconsin last Saturday, the 
blueliner would again be the 
telltale sign of an upbeat dressing 
room.

Riding a nation’s-best seven-

game 
unbeaten 
streak, 
the 

Wolverines were only one win 
away from sweeping the Badgers 
and advancing to the Big Ten 
Tournament semifinals for a 
rivalry showdown against Ohio 
State. They’d proceed to a 7-4 
victory and are all but guaranteed 
an NCAA Tournament berth in 
upcoming weeks.

Following 
Saturday’s 
win, 

Michigan coach Mel Pearson 
was quick to applaud Boka, 
who 
assisted 
on 
sophomore 

defenseman Griffin Luce’s goal 
to put the Wolverines up, 6-3, 
early in the third period. The 
helper added to Boka’s plus-15 
rating, best among the Wolverine 
defensemen.

“Nick’s been really good the 

second half, and good for him,” 
Pearson said. “He had a lot of ice 
time tonight and gives us another 
strong defenseman. I like our 
defense. Even though we gave up 
a lot of goals this weekend, I like a 
lot of things about them.”

What evolution in Boka’s game 

has led to this major improvement 
down the stretch?

“Emotional control,” Pearson 

said, without skipping a beat, 
after practice Tuesday. “I think 
he’s not getting wrapped up in a 
lot of things that’s gone on in the 
games. He’s now worried about 
what he needs to do to be a good 
player and help the team.

“The thing with Nick is he’s 

very 
competitive. 
… 
We’ve 

just had to have him dial in 
emotionally and manage the 
game emotionally. He’s always 
had good skills when it comes to 
skating and puck handling, he 

just gets a little out of sorts. We 
said to him, ‘Just play the game.’ ”

Through 
many 
one-on-one 

conversations, 
Pearson 
has 

reigned in Boka’s temperament, 
encouraging 
tough 
and 

physical 
play 
without 

committing 
avoidable 
penalties.

And 
it’s 

translated to his 
on-ice success.

After 10 games 

without a point, 
Boka 
registered 

two assists in his last three games. 
He’s blocked 42 shots this season 
and continues to limit turnovers 
in the defensive zone. His game 
has strengthened in proportion 
to his disposition, resulting in 
increased trust from Pearson.

In Saturday’s contest, Boka 

played more minutes than most 
blueliners, despite practicing only 
once the prior week and missing 
Friday’s game due to an upper-
body injury sustained during the 

regular 
season 

finale 
against 

Arizona State.

Even 
with 

a 
lineup 
that 

has 
regularly 

changed 
throughout 
the 

season based on 
game and practice 
performance, 
Boka, if healthy, 
was 
virtually 

guaranteed to lace up his skates 
against Wisconsin and receive 
substantial ice time.

“He’s put money in the bank,” 

Pearson said. “He’s made some 
good deposits over the course of 
the year, so when he came in to 
withdraw, he had some money 

in there. That’s how you look at 
it. He’s played well. This time of 
year, sometimes when you miss 
practice it’s no big deal. He’s a 
good skater, so he doesn’t get too 
far behind.”

But Boka didn’t take that for 

granted, quickly getting back to 
full strength for Saturday’s game.

“It was tough watching the 

game Friday from the stands,” 
Boka said. “Throughout the week, 
it was just doing rehab to get back 
in the lineup. I hate watching, and 
I want to do my best to help the 
team.”

The Plymouth, Mich. native 

credits 
his 
teammates 
and 

newfound emotional restraint as 
reasons for his recent advances.

“I think when the team plays 

well, it makes it easier to do your 
job,” Boka said. “… It makes it 
easier on me to focus on my role 
and shut down other teams, and 
it’s been working for me.

“I also think it’s just being 

aware of my emotions. Hockey is a 
pretty emotional game, and there’s 
going to be ups and downs, but you 
just have to kind of prepare for 
that aspect. … Once I start talking, 
it gets my emotions going. I try 
to stay away from it and talk to 
my teammates instead of other 
teams. And it’s definitely helped 
in keeping my emotions in check.”

Added Luce, Boka’s defensive 

partner for most of the season: 
“He’s an emotional guy and … 
I know he likes to stir things 
up. But the chemistry between 
us is great, so if I’m getting too 
emotional, he’ll give me a pat on 
the back, say ‘Hey, relax,’ and I 
think the same goes for him. I 
think we’re on that level with 
each other where we can take 
each other down or bring each 
other up if we need to.”

But have no fear, Boka is still 

the same passionate — and vocal 
— leader he’s always been.

He still jaws with opponents 

and partakes in extracurricular 
activity after the whistle. In the 
first game of the Sun Devils’ series, 
Boka faced a standoff against 
defenseman Jakob Stridsberg.

As always, after pregame skate, 

Boka waited for Arizona State to 
get off the ice and go to its locker 
room before he did. Stridsberg 
decided to wait, too.

It 
took 
some 
referee 

intervention, but Boka got the 
best of Stridsberg. He was the last 
one to leave his home ice.

Boka still holds the same 

approach 
in 
deciding 
which 

players he goes after — go for 
those who are easily unnerved 
and stay away from those who 
would go unfazed.

And he’s still the player Pearson 

believes is one of the best trash 
talkers in all of college hockey.

As the postseason rolls on 

and the Wolverines look to more 
good fortune, No. 74 in the maize 
sweater will be a key force on the 
backline. Not just as his bruiser 
reputation proceeds him, but as a 
vital cog in the Michigan engine 
on both sides of the ice.

BENJAMIN KATZ

Daily Sports Writer

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Junior defenseman Nicholas Boka has increased his productivity while improving his attitude, leading to more trust from Michigan coach Mel Pearson.

“He’s a good 
skater, so he 
doesn’t get too 

far behind.”

