When your basketball team stands 14-0, ranked No. 2 in the country, you’re doing something right.
When you have all that, beat a pesky Big Ten opponent by 13 and still grumble about it, that’s a coach’s sweet spot. It’s where John Beilein found himself on Thursday night, after his team took down Penn State at Crisler Center, 68-55.
People like to think of Penn State basketball like Rutgers football, but the comparison doesn’t wash. The Nittany Lions hadn’t been beaten by 13 points in their last 53 games, and they’re gritty enough on defense to give teams a fight.
They did that, and some onlookers walked away less than thrilled. Former Wolverine Tim McCormick waved off the discontent.
“I disagree with those that are grumbling,” McCormick assured. “Penn State is a hard team to play against, especially when each and every member of that program knows that Indiana is on Sunday.
“Penn State is a top-25 defensive team. They won the NIT last year. They have NCAA dreams this year. They’ve beaten some good teams earlier in the non-conference. You just know going on the road is an opportunity to get that signature victory.
“That’s the problem Michigan is going to have. It’s going to be the biggest game on every single opponent’s schedule.”
The Wolverines’ solutions are multiple. They’ve got a dug-in defense as a new program stable, one that kept the Nittany Lions to 20 points in the first half, 55 on the game.
They possess players like sophomore guard Jordan Poole, freshman forward Iggy Brazdeikis and redshirt junior guard Charles Matthews, a trio with the swagger and toughness to stop opponent runs and turn things around quickly.
They needed all of it against Penn State, which made runs in both halves. The Nittany Lions took a 20-10 Michigan edge in the first half and chopped it to 20-18. After intermission, they slashed a 17-point U-M advantage down to eight, making onlookers restless.
The Wolverines simply pushed back, including a rookie who doesn’t play or talk like one.
“In the second half, we were like, damn, we’re the No. 2 team in the nation,” Brazdeikis said. “We’ve got to keep proving that. We’ve got to be the more hungry team. We’ve got to be the tougher team out there.
“I feel like we play like we’re not the No. 2 team in the nation. We play like we’re way back there. We have something to prove every single night.”
As for it not unfolding as a blowout, Brazdeikis and his teammates remained unruffled.
“I love that kind of game — grinding, tough,” he said. “I feel I’m the toughest player on the court. That’s my mentality. It goes to my favor to play that kind of game.”
It wasn’t that long ago that Michigan wasn’t described as grinding or tough, despite its considerable offensive prowess. Now it is, and the Wolverines will need to pull off a few more grinders over the course of a 20-game Big Ten season.
“Michigan played hard,” McCormick noted. “They’re not always going to play great. Who blows their opponents out every single game? The answer is no one. You’ve got to learn to win close games.”
You’ve also got to learn from close games. Beilein expects his team to do just that.
Roughly 99.9 percent of the complainers after Michigan’s 14th victory of a 14-game season thus far have no effect on U-M going forward. But when Beilein isn’t satisfied, there are consequences.
That’s why the Wolverines’ conditioning and awareness levels were set to increase on Friday, before the Hoosiers roll into town. The head coach looks to run repeated mistakes out of his crew.
“We’re getting better,” he said. “There are a few guys that are going to be running sprints tomorrow. That was a big thing — sellout crowd, you’ve got to have composure in this game.
“We want to play with so much emotion, so much passion, but you can’t get emotionally drunk from it. You’ve got to stay in there. I know we were probably excited about some match-ups we had.
“’Okay, I know he’s a great defender. He’s an all-defensive type of guy. I’m going to score on him.’ Right? We’ve got to make the right plays at the right time. That’s what winning basketball looks like.”
For the most part, Michigan did so, Beilein acknowledged. Enough to win. Enough to remain 14-0, and atop the Big Ten. Not enough to avoid a different sort of grind.
“We’ve been talking about it now for 14 games, and we made similar mistakes that we’ve made all 14 games,” he said. “They’ve got to pay for that. It’s the only way they’re going to get better now. You can’t talk about it. You’ve got to make it happen.”
Win, and don’t grin. It’s a coach’s paradise.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook
