I still remember the day, August 24, 2010, like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful, if otherwise nondescript, Tuesday afternoon in the late summer of Ann Arbor. Students were trickling back to campus just a couple weeks before the first home football game of the season and I found myself living the life, chilling with some friends on Greenwood Street, back to my home away from home a few days early for some work training before the start of my junior year.

Two nights before, my parents had dropped me off at my buddy’s college house and were immediately taken aback by the pungent smell of old, cheap beer emanating from the front porch and the silver keg sitting about two feet in front of the entranceway to the messy house. Surprisingly, they trusted Nick enough to leave me there and turned back around to Grand Rapids, probably praying like heck I would make it through the next two days and into the school year.

Burke wasn't a highly recruited player out of high school

For whatever reason, Monday was unmemorable, a day full of sitting around watching and listening to training presentations and then relaxing back on Greenwood. Tuesday was supposed to be the same sort of day – a few hours of training followed by watching TV and walking the streets of Ann Arbor on the most picturesque of days.

Taylor, the friend who would go on to live with me a year later and who was also back in town for our training, and I decided to rent a couple movies to help pass the time. One of the films was about serious air guitar competitions, a recommendation from the tall, bald, mustachioed man working the desk at the Askwith Media Library. The other, Grizzly Man, had been on my must-watch list for a while.

We got back to our temporary college house and were sitting on the couch chatting before we would pop in one of the flicks when Nick walked down the steps. I think he was holding a laptop, but I’m not absolutely certain. All I remember is what he said.

“Trey Burke committed.”

He said it with a slight air of excitement, but not much more. Taylor chimed in to ask who Burke was, and Nick and I, being avid college basketball fans and followers of the Michigan team, did our best to fill him in.

We knew who Burke was, a Columbus, Ohio native and former teammate of Jared Sullinger, but didn’t have a ton to go off of. There was a little bit of video and a few scouting reports that added up to suggest that Burke was a fringe top 100-150ish point guard that wasn’t great at anything but was above average at most things. He had decommitted from Penn State a few months earlier and had just received a Michigan offer to add to a mostly unimpressive list of other offers, among them Cincinnati, Butler, Iowa, and Nebraska.

We read through all the material we could find, including message board comments that were mostly positive, but not overly optimistic. Many posted some form of a quick welcome to Trey Burke, but few predicted grand success in the future, just excitement that basketball season was around the corner. Others said he looked more like a mid-major player than a guy competing in the Big Ten. Carlton Brundidge was still going to be the key to the 2011 class; the common perception was that Burke would be a good facilitator, a good player.

Our talk lasted all of about five or 10 minutes before we moved on to our next musings. Little did we know then that I would be writing this article two and a half years later.

In Trey's first career game, he scored just three points in 18 minutes (MGoBlue.com)

The 2010-11 Michigan basketball season was a great bounce-back year for the Michigan basketball program after the 2009-10 squad had failed massively to live up to expectations, finishing the year at 15-17 and missing every postseason tournament after being ranked 15 in the preseason polls.

That season was highlighted by the emergence of Darius Morris, a 6’4″ scoring point guard out of Los Angeles who was John Beilein’s first major signee at Michigan. As a freshman, Morris was relegated to a backup role, but his fantastic sophomore season helped lead the Wolverines back to the NCAA Tournament, where they pounded Tennessee before narrowly missing out on the Sweet Sixteen on a missed floater by Morris.

That floater would be the last shot Morris ever took in a Michigan uniform. After two seasons, he decided it was time to pursue his dream of playing professionally and entered the NBA Draft, where he was selected in the second round. I wrote a story then too, calling on Michigan fans to support Morris in his decision, and asking how anyone could question a college-aged kid in his quest to play the game he loves full-time while bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year – at a minimum.

In the back of my mind, I wondered how Michigan would fare without their clear-cut best player, their floor general, starting in the fall. Yes, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass would provide veteran leadership and shot-making, and Tim Hardaway, Jr. had all the makings of a Big Ten superstar, but there no longer was a point guard to bring them all together and make the magic happen. I just didn’t want to think about it.

With Morris leaving, there was suddenly a lot more minutes available. Many, including me, speculated that Douglass would be forced to play out of position for at least 20 minutes a game while Burke and Brundidge would battle it out for the other 20 minutes. In my mind, a freshman, especially one as small as Burke, simply could not lead a team for extended periods of time in the Big Ten.

The summer came and went with my brother Justin and I frequently arguing about who would be the best freshman in the class. I still believed Brundidge was the newcomer to watch once the fall rolled around again. He maintained that Burke was worlds ahead of him, pointing to the ridiculous “Journey to Ann Arbor” workout videos that Burke had posted to YouTube. I didn’t listen.

That fall I was just as excited as always for Michigan basketball to come, but I was as unsure as ever about the merits of the team. I knew Beilein was a great coach, and I knew Michigan had some very good players, but the point guard position was becoming so important in the offense, and I kept questioning. Ultimately I guessed that I’d once again sweat it out on a nightly basis as the team sat on the bubble all year long.

A couple weeks before the season started, the buzz over this Burke player started to pick up. My friend Andrew posed as his sportswriter-uncle’s intern to get into a private Michigan practice and came out blown away by number 3. I still remember one Monday night after a Maize Rage meeting walking with Andrew, listening to his thoughts on the team a week before I would be able to view an open practice myself.

Trey dazzled in his first ever game against Michigan State, out-dueling Keith Appling (MGoBlue.com)

He started off that walk by telling me that Burke was the real deal.

“He will be the best player on this team by the end of the season,” he said.

I almost laughed out loud as we passed the Union. The best player on the team? Certainly he had to be joking. I told him I just hoped Burke earned some playing time at the point guard spot – that would at the very least be a good sign for the future. He insisted I was way off, that Burke would start before I knew it. We then walked our separate ways, I with some hope, some dream, but still some doubt.

From there, we know the story.

Burke went on to take the college basketball world by storm his freshman season, leading the team to a Big Ten championship and playing with the swagger and confidence of a man far older than 19 as classmate Carlton Brundidge struggled to earn minutes.

Once I finally got to see Burke play in a couple real college games, I had no reason to doubt any longer. Early on, I knew he was going to be a special player, and he ended up exceeding even those expectations.

By the midway point of Trey’s freshman season, I started to take him for granted. Sure, he missed plenty of shots, and no, he didn’t always make the right pass, but damn near all of the time Burke was the best player on the floor. I developed a sense of calm within games that I had never experienced before. I knew Trey Burke was on Michigan’s side, and I was at peace.

The Wolverines still lost games that season, 10 to be exact, and not everything ended up Michigan’s way, but it was a terrific winter to watch.

Sadly, that season ended with a disappointing and disheartening loss in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite earning a 4-seed, Michigan was upended by the Ohio Bobcats.

Novak and Douglass’s storied careers had come to an end, and my time as a Michigan student was winding down as well, but I looked ahead to the next season with renewed vigor, knowing the team would be in Burke’s protecting hands.

Then the news came like a blow to the stomach. Word got out that Burke was considering an early exit to the NBA, and there were rumblings around campus that he had stopped attending class, leaving most to conclude that his time at Michigan was indeed over. A few days later, reports that firmly confirmed these conclusions came out – Burke had decided to forego his college career after just one year at Michigan.  Pictures of his packed-up dorm room emerged on Twitter.

Following his freshman season, this image stirred up rumors of an early departure

I thought back to the article I wrote one year earlier about Morris’s decision to go pro and ran through every reason I gave as to why he couldn’t be blamed, eventually realizing that Burke was in the same boat. How could anyone question a teenager deciding to pursue his dreams and loads of money that most of us couldn’t even imagine making? Sure, another terrific year in college might boost his draft stock, but was the risk of injury worth it?

No one knew for sure. Michigan fans just hoped against hope it wasn’t true.

A couple more days passed with no announcement of Burke’s intentions, and a glimmer of that hope shone brightly in the sky. More stories started to come out explaining that Burke was reconsidering his decision, but still no one was certain.

Then came the announcement. On April 9, 2012, Burke single-handedly blew the clouds out of Ann Arbor by announcing that he would return for his sophomore year at Michigan. Within minutes of the declaration, most surmised that, barring a catastrophe, the 2012-13 season would serve as a swan song of sorts for the baby-faced sophomore. He would give it a go one more time in Ann Arbor in the hopes of winning a championship and improving his draft stock.

That summer passed very slowly for Michigan fans around the world as Beilein assembled his best-ever recruiting class to enter into the equation with Burke and Hardaway already in the fold. Prognosticators slotted Michigan in the top five of polls in the preseason, higher than in nearly 20 years, and Burke was viewed as an All-American.

With Burke leading the way one last time, the Wolverines gave fans a ride for the ages, opening the season with 16 straight wins to climb to number one in the country. There were some bumps in the road that followed, however, and doubts crept up.

Michigan fans will forever remember this moment

When the Big Dance rolled around this time, the sentiments weren’t so high. Michigan had limped to a 6-6 record over the final 12 games preceding the NCAA Tournament, and another 4-seed seemed to be an unfair omen for Michigan fans looking for one last joy ride.

As always, though, Burke answered the call. For the most part he wasn’t spectacular in Michigan’s run to the Final Four, but when it mattered most, he was there. He was there to shut down Nate Wolters in Michigan’s opening round victory over South Dakota State, and he was there to wreak havoc on VCU’s overly-aggressive defense despite a lack of gaudy numbers that first weekend.

Burke was there with 23 magical second-half points in the Wolverines’ fairy tale comeback over Kansas and he was there in Michigan’s blowout of Florida.

He was also there in Michigan’s victory over Syracuse, their first Final Four win in two decades. Perhaps most memorably, however, Burke was there against Louisville in the national championship that wasn’t meant to be.

It was an unfitting end to such a brilliant college career, a game that saw Burke marred with two questionable foul calls, including one on an incredible block of Peyton Siva that could have changed the outcome of the game. Burke fought to the end in that game as he always did, however, scoring 24 points and putting the team on his back despite a couple noticeably painful hard fouls that he took himself.

In the end, for whatever reason, it wasn’t meant to be. Burke brought home all the individual awards one can earn, but I know he is the kind of player that would have given them all back to win that last game.

That was always part of the beauty of Trey Burke’s game. He always gave it his all for the team, whether Michigan was trailing by four late or winning by 20 in the first half, and he thought every shot was going in. Sure, he missed more than half the shots he took in his college career, but I was fine with any shot Trey deemed suitable. He made me a believer in the bad shot, the long two, the off-balance layup, the pick-pocket, and the 10-foot-behind-the-line three.

The lightly recruited point guard became the best player in college basketball

He also made me a believer in the clutch factor.

Before I knew Trey Burke, I was on the side of the statisticians and mathematicians that adamantly proclaim that there is no such thing as being clutch in sports, that ultimately a player will make the same percent of his shots at any given time if there are enough trials.

To them, I say watch Trey Burke.

Watch the Ohio State home games of this season and last, when Burke made three game-saving plays in all. Watch the Michigan State game of this year, when Burke snatched the ball right from Keith Appling’s backside to ensure that Michigan would not fall apart down the stretch. Watch the Purdue game in West Lafayette, when Burke led a one-man comeback with three after three and floater after floater to keep Michigan’s season from going down the drain. Watch the Kansas game in the Sweet Sixteen, when Burke willed his team to overtime and eventually victory with The Shot, truly believing his team would win despite some computer programs giving Michigan less than a one percent chance of doing so.

To you, Trey Burke, I have a confession to make. I doubted you. Before I saw what you could do with my own eyes, I didn’t believe in you. I was skeptical that a 6’0″, 175-pound kid from Columbus, a kid that didn’t even get looked at by the Big Ten team right down the street, could carry a team for two seasons.

No one told me to write this story, but I felt that I owed it to you.

It’s players like you that make the game of basketball special and the University of Michigan special. Players that play the right way, and do so with such grace and smoothness rarely on display these days.

I never once thought you would be the savior of Michigan basketball, but now there is no doubt in my mind.

Sooner rather than later, I know we will see your ‘3’ hanging in the rafters of Crisler, adorned with “BURKE” across the top in huge letters next to the past greats of Michigan basketball, and across the way from the “2012-13 NCAA Runner-Up,” “2013 Final Four,” and “2011-12 Big Ten Champion” banners.

Until then, I wish you the best of luck on your journey to the NBA. When college basketball season rolls around again this fall, I will be excited as always, but there will be a small hole in my heart that is made a just a little bit bigger by your departure, after Novak, Douglass, Morris, Manny Harris, and so many others have moved on before. I will miss watching you play, seeing you so effortlessly lead Michigan to victory while wearing the Maize and Blue, but thank you for giving me that reason.

Thank you for making me a believer in not only you, but in the game of basketball. I always knew it was a beautiful game, but I was never certain it could be played as beautifully as you did these past two years.

Thank you for always helping me remember these past two years, and that day two summers ago that I will never forget.

Thank you for those banners, and for bringing Michigan back to where it belongs.

Thank you, Trey, for everything.

Michigan’s magical season came to an end Monday night in heartbreaking fashion. But it was hard to stay down for long given the show Team 96 put on in one of the greatest national championship games we’ll ever see. No one will ever say a loss is a good thing. It’s not and this one wasn’t. It hurt, moreso for the players and coaches involved than you or I will ever know. But the young Wolverines played like they belonged to be there. They played well enough to win, and if not for a bad break here or there, they would have.

But even though the season ended just short of the ultimate goal, what Team 96 achieved will go down in Michigan history right alongside the national championship winning 1989 team, the Fab Five, and all the rest of the great teams to don the maize and blue.

Six months from now, Team 97 will begin anew and we will root them on with a renewed love and passion for Michigan basketball. For the first time in a long time, Michigan basketball will enter a season viewed in high regard on a national stage. But before we get there, and before we even turn our full attention to football, let’s look back at what we expected out of this team and compare our expectations to how it performed.

Back in November as Michigan was getting ready to open its season at home against Slippery Rock, Sam posted his season preview. In it, he pegged the Wolverines to finish the regular season 26-6 and 13-5 in the Big Ten. In reality, they went 26-7 and 12-6. Furthermore, he pegged Michigan as a Final Four squad, which they not only were, but went one game further and finished the season with a school record 31 wins and just eight losses. Sam picked Michigan to finish first in the Big Ten, but they fell just short, although the fifth-place finish is deceiving since they were one rotation of the ball away from beating Indiana and claiming a share of the title.

As far as individual players go, in Sam’s player previews, he forecasted their stat lines from points, rebounds, and assists to field goal and three-point percentage. Let’s see how they performed based on expectations.
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Recap: The sentence that hit the nail on the head was “A huge season for Trey likely means a deep run in March for the Wolverines, but if he sees a sophomore slump, Michigan could find itself underachieving massively.” Big Tean and National Player of the Year is certainly a huge year and Michigan made the deepest March run possible. Burke outperformed his expectations in nearly every category – at least in the ones that matter most – and led Michigan to the brink of a national title.

Future: Trey is the most likely player to jump to the NBA and if he does, no one will blame him. He has done more in his two seasons in Ann Arbor than most players do in their career. He set the single season assists record, was a consensus first team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year, and Wooden Award winner to name a few. He’s a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft – Chad Ford has him listed 6th in his updated mock draft – and he’s only that low because of his height. He doesn’t have much left to prove at Michigan, but maybe, just maybe, he will want to return to lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and win a national championship next season. We can hope.
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Recap: Hardaway improved his shooting and three-point shooting this season compared to his sophomore season, but they still fell short of his projected averages. In Sam’s preview of Tim he wrote, “There’s no doubt that that Tim Hardaway is one of the best players on this team and an intriguing NBA prospect…but he will need to show some consistency on both ends of the court if he is to realize his dream and follow in his dad’s footsteps to the League.” Hardaway still struggled with consistency this season. When he was on, he was on. Take the Ohio State game in Ann Arbor for instance, when he hit 6-of-9 three-point attempts to carry the Wolverines to victory. However, he also went a combined 4-of-23 from the field in two games against Michigan State and went just 16-of-53 (30.2 percent) from the field and 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from downtown in the final four games of the NCAA Tournament.

Future: Based purely on speculation, if I had to bet on it right now, I’d say Hardaway will make the jump to the NBA. But scouts don’t have him as a first round prospect anymore and he could drastically help his draft prospects with one more year in Ann Arbor. If he stays and is able to improve his shooting and become more consistent, he could easily work his way into the top half of the first round in 2014.
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Recap: Predicting the production from a true freshman is next to impossible because you don’t know how long it will take him to adapt to the college game. Everyone knew McGary would be a very good player for Michigan, but nobody really knew whether it would be right from the start or whether it would take him a while. He showed flashes of his potential right from the start, but served as Michigan’s sixth man for most of the season, giving the team a spark off the bench. In the tournament, however, he blossomed into a star. He was the talk of the tournament – at least up until his disappointing performance that was marred by foul trouble in the national title game – after back-to-back dominant performances against VCU and Kansas. He underperformed based on Sam’s projections, but he showed everyone late in the season that the expectations will be high next season.

Future: McGary’s breakout tournament performance moved him all the way up to 12th in Chad Ford’s latest mock draft, something that might tempt him to make the jump. But I don’t think he will. He has the potential to be an absolute star, and with a full season in 2013-14 like he had in the tournament, could easily become a lottery pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Expect McGary to return to dominate the paint for Michigan next season.
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Recap: As with McGary, predicting the stats of a true freshman can sometimes be very wrong. In this case, Stauskas performed much better than predicted. In a sense, much more was known about McGary coming out of high school as, at one point, the #2 player in the class, but there wasn’t much to go off of for Stauskas, the Canadian assassin. All that was really known was that he was deadly from behind the arc. It wasn’t until the season started that everybody realized the often heard phrase “he’s not just a shooter.” He finished third on the team with 11 points a game, which is impressive, and earned a starting spot very early on, so his minutes were much higher than predicted. But his shot struggled in the second half of the season with the exception of the 6-of-6 performance against Florida in the Elite Eight. He finished the season 46.3 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point.

Future: Stauskas isn’t a threat to go pro this season, so we don’t have to worry about that. He has vowed to return a different player next season, hitting the gym hard during the summer and coming back stronger and better defensively. The defensive end was by far his weak point this season, and if he can improve that, he’ll be a very dangerous player going forward.
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Recap: Robinson might have been the easiest freshman to predict since most knew he would start from the get-go. His 11 points per game average was exactly what Sam projected and he exceeded his projected rebound average, finishing as the team’s second best rebounder behind McGary. He played more minutes than expected and was always dangerous on the baseline and around the rim.

Future: There’s a slight chance Robinson could make the jump to the NBA since he oozes potential. Chad Ford projected him to go 15th in his latest mock draft. He’ll likely stick around for at least one more year to improve his game and potentially move into the top 10. The main area of work is creating his own shots. In his player preview, Sam said, “He’s certainly a capable shooter, but no one is quite sure how good. We also know he can fill it up from mid-range and will be deadly around the rim, but I’ll be interested to see how his overall offensive game develops and where the majority of his shots come from.” This season, he was mostly reliant on Burke and others to get him the ball in position to hit a shot or to score around the rim. If he can improve to the point where he can create his own shots, he will be lethal.
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Recap: It’s no secret that Morgan was somewhat of a disappointment this season. No one expected him to be a first team All-Big Ten caliber player, but in his first two seasons he showed potential to be a reliable big man. But this season, he struggled to be a consistent scoring option and had problems catching the ball down low. He underperformed in nearly every category and eventually lost his starting job to McGary during the tournament.

Future: Morgan has one season left in Ann Arbor and is still an important piece of the puzzle for John Beilein. He remains one of Michigan’s best defensive players, and that was no more evident than when he came in and took a charge at the end of the Final Four game against Syracuse that essentially sealed Michigan’s win. If he can work on his hands to the point that he’s able to catch the balls that are fed to him on the pick and roll, he could earn back some playing time next season. Otherwise, he’s probably destined to be the first or second man off the bench.
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Recap: Horford continues to develop as a player and fight through injuries early in his career. He missed several games early in the season due to injury, which set back his development and allowed McGary to eat up some of his playing time. Sam said as much in his player preview: “Pay very close attention to him early on to see how his season may go.” The time missed resulted in only 8.8 minutes per game throughout the season. When he was on the court, he was usually reliable, capable of rebounding and finishing when given the opportunity and stepping up and hitting free throws. But he wasn’t the breakout player that Sam thought he might become.

Future: There is still optimism for Big Jon’s future. He has the lineage and the work ethic – he hit the gym to work on shooting right after Michigan arrived back in Ann Arbor after the national championship game – to become a dependable big man worthy of more minutes. He just needs a full off-season and season of staying healthy. If he, Morgan, and McGary continue to develop, Michigan could have a very good frontcourt next season.
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Recap: Perhaps the rotation player that carried the lowest expectations into the season, Spike proved that he has what it takes to run the basketball team at the college level. He was only expected to manage the offense for a few minutes a game while Burke got a breather, and he did that adequately. But in the Final Four, he gave the world a glimpse of his potential. In the semifinal against Syracuse, he hit two key threes to fuel Michigan’s lead, and then in the national championship game, he exploded for 17 first half points. It was like Rudy, except you know, good. He fizzled in the second half, not used to playing so many minutes, especially on such a big stage, but his performance at least put to ease concerns about who will run the team if Burke makes the jump to the NBA.

Future: While Michigan has had the bittersweet reality of great point guards that leave early the past few years – first Darius Morris and now, most likely, Burke – Albrecht is a nice change of pace. He’ll never be a threat to leave early and he may never even earn a starting spot since Michigan has another talented point guard coming in next season. But he gives the position quality depth, which is something it has lacked.
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Recap: Like Morgan, Matt Vogrich saw his playing time dip this season, but his happened a lot sooner. He began the year as a starter, but that only lasted a handful of games before Stauskas took over. In fact, Vogrich played double digit minutes in only four games all season. He scored his season high of eight points in the season opener against Slipper Rock and then didn’t score more than three in a game the rest of the way. He enjoyed an interesting career that saw his playing time fall as his career went on, but that also coincided with team success.

Future: Vogrich’s career is over.
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As you can see, the player who most outperformed his expectations was Burke, which is extremely impressive given the expectations he had after his freshman campaign. It’s no wonder he won every award imaginable. Stauskas also vastly outperformed his projections, though I don’t think anyone could have thought he’d have so much early success. Glenn Robinson III performed right on his expectations and will likely have them raised going into next season.

The biggest underperformers were the big men. Morgan and Horford could improve next year, while McGary will likely have the highest expectations of anyone on the team going into 2013-14. Hardaway also underperformed slightly despite improving his shooting. If he returns for his senior season, his expectations will be high once again.

Now, we wait and see what Burke, Hardaway, McGary, and Robinson decide regarding their futures. The choices they make will determine the expectations the team has going into next season. It’s most likely that two of the four will leave, but as we saw with Taylor Lewan’s surprising decision to return for his senior year, anything is possible.

via MGoBlue.com

Meet Josh Bartelstein, Michigan’s senior captain who played a total of 56 minutes in his Michigan career, none of them meaningful in any game, but all of them significant to his 14 teammates. The blogger and son of a prominent NBA agent, Bartelstein is more likely to represent future professionals than ever get paid to play himself, but the respect this team had for him was immense. No Michigan player was ever more excited to see a made three-pointer than when Bartelstein made either of his two career field goals, one last year and one the year prior.

Meet Corey Person, a fifth-year senior who was offered to come back for one last year this season not because of his on-court production but because of his off-court leadership, and, most likely, his pre-game dance ritual, a staple that will be dearly missed and never forgotten. Person entered graduate school after earning his bachelor’s degree last year, and despite the time commitment he made for such little recognition, Person never once questioned his decision, a sacrifice certainly appreciated by his teammates.

Senior Josh Bartelstein served as team captain this season (MGoBlue.com)

Meet Eso Akunne, another senior who rarely had a direct impact on any game but again stuck it out and never complained. Akunne lost his mother two summers ago to cancer, and was never able to give her a final farewell as she passed away a half-world apart, but his strength and courage contributed to the team’s success perhaps more than any basketball play could have.

Meet Matt Vogrich and Blake McLimans, the fourth and fifth senior veterans of this University of Michigan basketball team. Both Vogrich and McLimans accepted scholarship offers from John Beilein with very little to go off other than one NCAA Tournament appearance and eventually had to accept “role player” spots on the team as younger players’ talent won out. Regardless, neither player once complained to the media or otherwise about a reduction in minutes played and points scored in each of their last three seasons, instead cheering on their teammates and happily playing their part as senior leaders.

Meet Jordan Morgan, a fourth-year junior who will be back for one final swan song next season. Morgan entered the year as a starter and played the role admirably for the most part before injuring his ankle in Michigan’s first loss of the season and never fully recovering health-wise or confidence-wise, eventually seeing his starting spot dissipate as freshman Mitch McGary stole headlines throughout the NCAA Tournament. Nonetheless, Morgan continued to give everything he had and was often the on-court vocal leader of this team and a guy who everyone looked up to despite his struggles. A quiet night in the championship game was aptly preceded for Morgan by his thunderous game-ending dunk in the semifinals over Syracuse.

Meet Max Bielfeldt, who chose to play for Michigan two years ago despite an unclear situation in terms of playing time and his family’s strong allegiances to Illinois. Bielfeldt, a redshirt freshman who must feel like a sixth wheel among the “Fresh Five”, has three years left of eligibility but certainly realizes that his battle for playing time will continue to be an uphill climb as the years continue to pass. Still, the player lovingly referred to as Moose by his fellow teammates was nothing but smiles and laughs throughout Michigan’s post-season run even though he only stepped on the floor for less than one minute the entire time.

Fifth-year senior Corey Person didn't play much but his pre-game dance will be missed (MLive.com)

Meet Jon Horford, a redshirt sophomore who continues to ooze potential but has a ways to go before putting it all together. Horford always seemed to be in positive spirits despite an early-season knee injury (his second in two seasons) and worked his way into productive minutes this year. The younger brother of NBA All-Star Al Horford is often over-shadowed in the media and was often over-matched on the court by stronger, quicker, and more talented big men this year, but Jon still has plenty more basketball to look forward to in Ann Arbor and will continue to put forth full effort every time he steps on the floor. His length and shot-blocking prowess make him an important piece moving forward, and Horford’s final point this year, a made free throw to give Michigan a three-point lead with just 18 seconds left against Syracuse in the first Final Four game, was absolutely crucial, especially considering he had missed the first.

Meet Caris LeVert, the skinniest, youngest, and last member of this year’s freshman class. A former Ohio University commit, LeVert switched his pledge to Michigan after coach John Groce left the Bobcat program and was immediately projected to redshirt this year in order to gain some weight and experience off the court. Early on, however, it was clear that LeVert had too much heart and not enough quit to let that happen, quickly over-taking Vogrich’s minutes by mid-season and going on to make a bigger impact than anyone could have predicted. The lanky 18-year-old was almost always out-muscled by his man and he finished this season with by far the lowest shooting percentage of any regularly-used player, but LeVert’s defense was always praised by coaches and his gutty eight-point performance against Syracuse was the difference between the biggest win and the hardest loss of the season for the Maize and Blue.

Matt Vogrich enjoyed success early in his career but was relegated to the bench this season (MGoBlue.com)

Meet Nik Stauskas, the Canadian sniper that will probably end up being the best shooter Michigan coach John Beilein has ever taught when his career comes to an end. The second commit of this freshman class, Stauskas honed his shooting skills in his cold backyard with the rebounding help of his dad for years as preparation for this – a chance to contribute on a championship-contending team and a potential future NBA career. This year saw its ups and downs for Stauskas, from the amazing 22-point shooting display to lead Michigan over Florida for the South regional title to the measly three combined points in the two Final Four games in Atlanta, but overall it was an incredible year for the calm, confident kid with a bright future in Ann Arbor and beyond.

Meet Spike Albrecht, another unheralded freshman who was brought in as a last-minute emergency plan in case Trey Burke had decided to bolt for the NBA last year. Once Burke announced his plans to return, most assumed that Albrecht would be relegated to a bench-warming spot, and his baby-face looks lent to some confusion as to whether Spike was a player or manager, but the sure-handed and sure-headed 20-year-old set things straight throughout the year with solid contributions in spot minutes. As the year went on, Albrecht seemed to provide more and more on a nightly basis, finally culminating with a captivating 17-point first half performance in the championship game on a brilliant 6-of-7 shooting stretch that stole big minutes on ESPN and stunned college basketball fans around the country – a show that followed a perfect, albeit short-lived, six-point outing in four minutes against Syracuse. Spike has now won over the hearts of many young women and Michigan fans everywhere and will look to build on his already growing legacy with three more years in Ann Arbor and a more prominent spotlight.

Meet Glenn Robinson III, the quiet, athletic freshman assassin. The son of former college great Glenn Robinson, Little Dog was never the focal point of this Michigan offense, but he always seemed to manage double-digit points while grabbing a few rebounds, helping the team to so many victories while never once complaining about not getting as many shots as perhaps he would demand on a lesser team. With his next-level athletic abilities and his knack for finishing around the rim, Robinson has turned the heads of many scouts and faces a decision of whether to declare for the NBA Draft or return to Michigan to work toward completing some unfinished business with the rest of the team. No matter what he decides, Glenn Robinson III has already carved out a spot in the hearts of many Michigan fans after blossoming from a lowly-regarded high school player to a top player on one of the best college teams in the country.

Eso Akunne never played much, but got to enjoy a trip to the finals (detroitnews.com)

Meet Mitch McGary, the freshman big man and ball of energy. After committing to play for Michigan as the second-highest rated high schooler in the country, McGary was expected to star right off the bat, but his learning curve was a little slow. Alas, the 20-year-old struggled academically at his four-year high school in Chesterton, Indiana before transferring far away from home to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire before getting his grades in order and refining his basketball game. With time, McGary’s conditioning and overall game improved slowly but surely at Michigan; his energy, on the other hand, has never lacked. As the NCAA Tournament finally rolled around, McGary’s star started to shine bright on the national stage, as he poured in double digit points in five of Michigan’s six games, including a new career high in consecutive games over VCU and Kansas, and recorded double-doubles over the same stretch before slightly struggling to reach the same level in the championship game, where he was hampered with four fouls. McGary, who now finds himself on draft boards with these renewed looks, has a decision to make much like his roommate Robinson’s. If he stays, McGary is seen as a potentially dominant animal in the post, a guy who could conceivably average a double-double, expand his game, and lead Michigan back to the promised land. If he goes, McGary will be seen as a Wolverine whose love of Michigan and passion for tough play have already ingratiated him in the hearts of all Michigan fans.

Meet Tim Hardaway, Jr., the son of NBA legend Tim Hardaway. The junior and second-leading scorer of this Michigan team bounced back from a tough year last year to become a scoring force on offense, a solid defender, and a player who could turn the course of a game with a huge dunk or a streak of three-pointers. Despite some difficult games here and there, Hardaway always seemed to be a steadying force and the seasoned veteran within a lineup full of underclassmen, scoring 10 or more points in all but eight games this year. As a freshman, Hardaway championed Michigan back to the NCAA Tournament after the Wolverines had struggled to a 15-17 mark the year prior to his arrival, and despite his tough shooting year last season, Hardaway has always been a great scorer and a phenomenal team player. Many expect him to forego his last year of eligibility and follow in his dad’s footsteps to the NBA; regardless of what he does, however, Hardaway’s three years so far will never be forgotten, and performances like his 23-point night to beat Ohio State in overtime this season will go down in Michigan history.

Blake McLimans was an important senior leader this season (annarbor.com)

Meet Trey Burke, the one-time no-name prospect and Penn State commit out of Columbus, Ohio. A high school teammate of former Buckeye Jared Sullinger, Burke had always dreamed of playing for Ohio State, but when he was shunned by Thad Matta, he decided to take his talents north and play for John Beilein. Two short years later, Burke has become the best Michigan player in at least 20 years, gaining far too many accolades – including First Team All-American honors and Big Ten, Naismith, and Wooden Player of the Year awards – to list off at once. Last year, Burke’s out-of-nowhere freshman stardom nearly convinced him to take off for the pro ranks after just one season of college, but a talking to from his parents and thoughts of the promise of this year’s team led him back to Ann Arbor, where he put on a show for the ages. Night in and night out, Burke’s cool leadership from the point guard spot led Beilein’s team, and his exceptional team play, his caring for his fellow Wolverines, always stood out to those on-lookers. In retrospect, he was without a doubt the best player on the court every time he suited up for Michigan, and his number will one day hang from the rafters of the Crisler Center. Trey, just like his teammates, was always quick to praise teammates for Michigan’s success, even though it was clear that he was the biggest reason for it. So many of his performances are unforgettable, both for Michigan fans and college basketball fans in general, and his ball-handling prowess, passing, and scoring ability will perhaps never again be matched by a Michigan player. In what will almost certainly be his final collegiate game, Trey Burke again showed why he will always be loved by Michigan fans, scoring 24 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out three assists while his slight 6’0″ frame took a constant beating from the physical Louisville front line. It wasn’t enough, but, like usual, it was more than what could have ever been asked of him.

Meet the 2012-13 Michigan basketball team. In the end, these 15 young men came up just short of the finish line, losing 82-76 in the National Championship after an improbable run through five rounds of the Big Dance. Much like the teams of the early 1990s, they couldn’t match Michigan’s one national title from 1989, and they will not go down in history as the best team in the country in 2013. But they will forever hold a special place in the hearts of all Michigan fans, and rightfully so. Though the last game may have said otherwise, these Wolverines always have been, and always will be, winners in our hearts.

McLimans, Person, Burke, Bartelstein, Hardaway, Morgan and the rest of Team 96 made it to the NCAA Championship game

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
#10 Michigan (4) vs #2 Louisville (1)
Monday, April 8 | 9:23pm ET | CBS
31-7 (12-6)	Record	34-5 (14-4)
Slippery Rock 100-62 IUPUI 91-54 Cleveland State 77-47 Pittsburgh 67-62 Kansas State 71-57 NC State 79-72 Bradley 74-66 W. Michigan 73-41 Arkansas 80-67 Binghamton 67-39 West Virginia 81-66 E. Michigan 93-54 C. Michigan 88-73 Northwestern 94-66 Iowa 95-67 Nebraska 62-47 #9 Minnesota 83-75 Purdue 68-53 Illinois 74-60 Northwestern 68-46 #10 Ohio St. 76-74 OT Penn State 79-71 Illinois 71-58 #9 Michigan St. 58-57 Purdue 80-75 Penn State 83-66 S. Dakota State 71-56 VCU 78-53 #3 Kansas 87-85 OT #14 Florida 79-59 #16 Syracuse 61-56	Wins	Manhattan 79-51 Samford 80-54 Miami (OH) 80-39 Northern Iowa 51-46 #13 Missouri 84-61 Illinois State 69-66 Charleston 80-38 UMKC 99-47 Memphis 87-78 FL International 79-55 W. Kentucky 78-55 Kentucky 80-77 Providence 80-62 Seton Hall 73-58 S. Florida 64-38 UConn 73-58 Pittsburgh 64-61 #25 Marquette 70-51 Rutgers 68-48 St. John’s 72-58 S. Florida 59-41 Seton Hall 79-61 DePaul 79-58 #12 Syracuse 58-53 Cincinnati 67-51 #24 Notre Dame 73-57 Villanova 74-55 #24 Notre Dame 69-57 #19 Syracuse 78-61 NC A&T 79-48 Colorado State 82-56 Oregon 77-69 Duke 85-63 Wichita State 72-68
#15 Ohio State 56-53 #3 Indiana 73-81 Wisconsin 62-65 OT #8 Michigan St. 52-75 Penn State 78-84 #2 Indiana 71-72 #22 Wisconsin 59-68	Losses	#5 Duke 71-76 #6 Syracuse 68-70 Villanova 64-73 Georgetown 51-53 #25 ND 104-101 5OT
75.2	Points Per Game	74.3
62.8	Scoring Defense	58.3
1,068-for-2,212 (48.3%)	Field Goal %	1,020-for-2,239 (44.6%)
913-for-2,160 (42.3%)	Def. Field Goal %	800-for-2,041 (39.2%)
288-for-751 (38.3%)	3-point %	222-for-675 (32.9%)
234-for-729 (32.1%)	Def. 3-point %	213-for-678 (31.4%)
432-for-617 (70.0%)	Free Throw %	634-for-897 (70.7%)
11.4	FT Made/Game	16.3
35.2	Rebounds Per Game	36.9
32.1	Opp. Reb. Per Game	33.3
14.6	Assists Per Game	14.5
9.4	Turnovers Per Game	12.5
6.2	Steals Per Game	10.8
2.8	Blocks Per Game	4.2
G – Trey Burke (18.5) G – Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.6)	Leading Scorer	G – Russ Smith (18.1) C – Gorgui Dieng (9.8)
F – Mitch McGary (6.3) F – Glenn Robinson III (5.5)	Leading Rebounder	C – Gorgui Dieng (9.4) F – Chane Behanan (6.4)

Twenty years ago, a fabulous group of five sophomores played for a national championship against a college basketball powerhouse. We all know the result, which has been trumpeted across newsstands and the internet for the past week. Chris Webber’s timeout that gave North Carolina two free throws and the ball to seal the victory with 11 seconds remaining was a heartbreaking moment for the Michigan basketball program. And the aftermath was just as devastating. Michigan plunged into basketball purgatory as a result of Webber’s (and others’) off-the-court actions – taking money from booster Ed Martin – and only started climbing out within the past few years.

John Beilein, a college basketball journeyman in his own right, took the reigns from Tommy Amaker in 2007 and suffered through a 10-22 season. Five years later, and just a day removed from the 20th anniversary of that Webber timeout mishap, Michigan returns to the title game against another college basketball thoroughbred.

Louisville entered the tournament as the top overall seed and hasn’t disappointed. The Cardinals rolled through North Carolina A&T, Colorado State, Oregon, and Duke before nearly stumbling in Saturday’s Final Four matchup with Wichita State. The Shockers held a one-point lead at halftime and widened it to 12 with under 14 minutes to play, but Louisville dialed up the defensive pressure, forcing seven turnovers in the final seven minutes to fuel the comeback.

Just like Michigan got unlikely contributions in its Final Four win over Syracuse, Louisville got a 20-point game from backup wing Luke Hancock. The junior averages just 7.7 points per game in 22 minutes of action on the season. But he’s certainly not the Cardinals’ go-to man. That would be junior guard Russ Smith who averages 18.9 point per game. He’s the only player on the team averaging in double figures and he has scored at least 21 points in every tournament game so far. In those five games, he has shot an impressive 50 percent from the field. He’s certainly not shy about shooting the ball, averaging nearly 16 shots – and six threes – per game during the tournament. Like Trey Burke, he is susceptible to poor outings every now and then like a 2-for-13 performance in a January loss to Villanova.

Joining Smith in the backcourt is senior guard Peyton Siva who averages 9.8 points and 5.7 assists per game. He has had an up and down tournament so far, with a 16-point night against Duke in which he made 6-of-10 from the field, but also combined to shoot 2-of-14 for 11 points in games against Oregon and Wichita State. He’s a capable scorer, but he’s much more of a set-up man for Smith.

Inside, the Cardinals have a talented center in Gorgui Dieng who averages 9.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest. He didn’t score a point in 30 minutes on Saturday, but scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Duke in the Elite Eight matchup. His length and athleticism allow him to control the paint where he averages 2.5 blocks per game.

Michigan's ball-handlers will have to take extra care against the Louisville pressure

Sophomore forward Chane Behanan scores 9.6 points per game and ranks second on the team with a 6.4 rebound average. He nearly had a double-double against Wichita State with 10 points and nine boards. Wingman Wayne Blackshear gets about 20 minutes per game and averages 7.6 points, while freshman forward Montrezl Harrell averages 5.7 in 16 minutes a game. Harrell scored 11 points against Colorado State on 5-of-7 shooting.

Of course the player that will soak up the airtime on tonight’s broadcast is sophomore guard Kevin Ware who suffered a gruesome leg injury against Duke. He only averaged 16 minutes and 4.5 points per game, but his loss takes away backcourt depth.

As a team, Louisville was the Big East’s top scoring offense, averaging 74.3 points per game, and the fourth best shooting team at 45.6 percent. But the Cardinals aren’t a great three-point shooting team, hitting at a 32.9 percent clip. Neither are they a great defensive rebounding team, ranking ninth in the Big East. That may be an area Michigan can exploit, much like it did in the first half against Syracuse.

With a national title on the line, both teams will give it their all. Neither team has anything left to play for so you can be assured that it will be a hard fought battle from the onset. But what does Michigan need to do in order to win? Let’s take a look.

1. Handle the pressure. Many wondered how the youngest team in this year’s tournament field would handle the big stage on Saturday night, but the Wolverines rose to the occasion. In fact, it was the freshmen that fueled the lead in the first half when the veterans were struggling. A similar response will be needed tonight in an even bigger game. And I’m not only talking about the pressure of the moment.

Louisville is known for its relentless defensive pressure which forced a Big East-leading 10.8 steals per game. Michigan has the best player in the nation, who just happens to be its point guard, to help break the pressure, but don’t be surprised to see a lot of Spike Albrecht once again. The freshman has shown great ball handling skills and decision making along with the ability to hit the big shot when needed.

Michigan was able to get out to a big first half lead against Syracuse because it took care of the basketball, took its time on offense, and didn’t force things. When the Orange applied pressure late in the game to try to complete its comeback, Michigan got a little sloppy with the ball. Fortunately, it didn’t cost them the game, but the Wolverines will need to show the poise it had in the first half of that game rather than down the stretch.

2. Don’t let up. This ties into the first point, but against Louisville no lead is safe. The Cardinals have come back to win six games from deficits of nine points or more this season, including on Saturday. The relentless pressure is able to create turnovers which lead to transition baskets and can swing the momentum in a hurry. If Michigan manages to get out to a sizable lead like it did on Saturday or like Wichita State did on Saturday, the Wolverines need to keep the foot on the gas pedal. Rather than playing not to lose, which it seemingly did down the stretch on Saturday, Michigan must keep attacking and hitting open shots.

A win over Rick Pitino would give John Beilein's squad one of the most impressive lists of coaches beaten en route to a title ever

3. Make free throws. Free throws down the stretch have been dicey all season for Michigan, most glaringly in a loss to Indiana in which both Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. missed the front end of one-and-ones that allowed the Hoosiers to steal a win. On Saturday night, Michigan fans across the globe were having flashbacks as Mitch McGary missed three straight and Burke and Jon Horford each hit just one of two. But this time it didn’t cost them the game. With a national title on the line, the nerves will be at an all-time high and the outcome of the game could very well come down to which team hits its free throws in the closing seconds.

Michigan’s only national title, in 1989, Rumeal Robinson hit a pair of free throws with three seconds left in overtime to give Michigan a 80-79 victory. That’s about as clutch as it gets. Will someone on this team be able to do the same if the situation presents itself?

The good news is Louisville isn’t a great free throw shooting team either, hitting just under 71 percent. Smith and Siva are both solid at 80.6 and 85.9 percent – although Smith struggled from the charity stripe on Saturday – but the rest of the Cardinals team is iffy. Hancock is the next best at 76.9 percent, but Behanan is the guy to foul if possible. He shoots just 54.1 percent and has attempted the second most on the team behind Smith.

Prediction: Michigan has been overlooked all tournament long, but will have every chance to win this one. The Wolverines have already taken down teams coached by Shaka Smart, Bill Self, Billy Donovan, and Jim Boeheim, so confidence isn’t lacking. Over the course of those games, John Beilein’s squad has seen nearly every kind of look possible and has risen to the occasion each time. Louisville will present a similar match up as VCU did in the second game, though the Cardinals will be bigger, longer, and more talented. That was a good matchup for Michigan and the Wolverines can exploit the pressure in this one as well. Virtually nobody thought it possible when the Wolverines limped into the tournament having lost six of 12, but with the way they have played over the last three weeks, all signs point to them being the team of destiny. Yes, Louisville has a great defense, but Michigan leads the nation in fewest turnovers and that will be the key to victory. Michigan wins a close one, 66-62, and puts to rest the demons that have haunted the program over the past 20 years.

#10 Michigan (4) vs #16 Syracuse (4) | FINAL FOUR
Saturday, April 6 | 8:49pm ET | CBS
30-7 (12-6)	Record	30-9 (11-7)
Slippery Rock 100-62 IUPUI 91-54 Cleveland State 77-47 Pittsburgh 67-62 Kansas State 71-57 NC State 79-72 Bradley 74-66 W. Michigan 73-41 Arkansas 80-67 Binghamton 67-39 West Virginia 81-66 E. Michigan 93-54 C. Michigan 88-73 Northwestern 94-66 Iowa 95-67 Nebraska 62-47 #9 Minnesota 83-75 Purdue 68-53 Illinois 74-60 Northwestern 68-46 #10 Ohio St. 76-74 OT Penn State 79-71 Illinois 71-58 #9 Michigan St. 58-57 Purdue 80-75 Penn State 83-66 S. Dakota State 71-56 VCU 78-53 #3 Kansas 87-85 OT #14 Florida 79-59	Wins	San Diego St. 62-49 Wagner 88-57 Princeton 73-53 Colgate 87-51 Arkansas 91-82 E. Michigan 84-48 Long Beach St. 84-53 Monmouth 108-56 Canisius 85-61 Detroit 72-68 Alcorn State 57-36 Central Conn. St.  96-62 Rutgers 78-53 S. Florida 55-44 Providence 72-66 Villanova 72-61 #1 Louisville 70-68 #21 Cincinnati 57-55 #25 Notre Dame 63-47 St. John’s 77-58 Seton Hall 76-65 Providence 84-59 DePaul 78-57 Seton Hall 75-63 #17 Pittsburgh 62-59 #5 G’town 58-55 OT Montana 81-34 California 66-60 #4 Indiana 61-50 #15 Marquette 55-39
#15 Ohio State 56-53 #3 Indiana 73-81 Wisconsin 62-65 OT #8 Michigan St. 52-75 Penn State 78-84 #2 Indiana 71-72 #22 Wisconsin 59-68	Losses	Temple 79-83 Villanova 71-75 OT Pittsburgh 55-65 UConn 58-66 #11 G’town 46-57 #22 Marquette 71-74 #10 Louisville 53-58 #5 G’town 39-61 #4 Louisville 61-78
75.5	Points Per Game	70.8
62.9	Scoring Defense	58.6
1,047-for-2,159 (48.5%)	Field Goal %	984-for-2,238 (44.0%)
890-for-2,105 (42.3%)	Def. Field Goal %	773-for-2,101 (36.8%)
280-for-727 (38.5%)	3-point %	230-for-683 (33.7%)
231-for-715 (32.3%)	Def. 3-point %	238-for-843 (28.2%)
421-for-597 (70.5%)	Free Throw %	562-for-832 (67.5%)
11.4	FT Made/Game	14.4
35.2	Rebounds Per Game	38.5
32.1	Opp. Reb. Per Game	34.8
14.5	Assists Per Game	14.1
9.4	Turnovers Per Game	12.4
6.2	Steals Per Game	9.1
2.8	Blocks Per Game	6.2
G – Trey Burke (18.8) G – Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.6)	Leading Scorer	F – CJ Fair (14.4) F – J. Southerland (13.9)
F – Mitch McGary (6.2) F – Glenn Robinson III (5.5)	Leading Rebounder	F – CJ Fair (7.1) F – J. Southerland (5.2)

It wasn’t long ago that the Michigan basketball program seemed to be heading nowhere. Mired in the muck of years of sanctions, simply reaching the NCAA Tournament was a lofty goal. The once-proud program was reduced to a NIT regular. But this is a new era.

Tomorrow night, Michigan will take the court in the Final Four for the first time in 20 years. All eyes will be on the young Wolverines that have danced through the tournament with a lot of swagger and a little bit of luck. After opening the tournament as a trendy pick to be upset, Michigan beat South Dakota State and then ran VCU out of the gym. The luck came in the improbable comeback against Kansas in the Sweet 16, but the Wolverines carried that momentum into a dominating 20-point win over Florida. For the most part, Michigan has done it with its offense, looking nearly unstoppable.

Mighty Syracuse has its own plans of advancing to the title game and has also taken the tournament by storm, albeit in a different way. The Orange have won with defense, Jim Boeheim’s patented 2-3 zone that has stifled the likes of Indiana – who beat Michigan twice this season – and Marquette.

So what will give in this titanic battle of offense versus defense? Let’s take a look at the keys to victory for Michigan.

1. Handle the pressure. The pressure will be enormous for the team that starts three true freshmen alongside all-everything point guard Trey Burke and future NBA’er Tim Hardaway Jr. Even John Beilein, a veteran coach of nearly four decades, has never coached a game of this magnitude.

This week, the distractions and the attention paid to the team have been at an all-time high. It would be easy, especially for a kid who was probably on high school spring break this time a year ago to lose focus on the task at hand. Just look back to mid-season when Michigan reached No. 1 in the national rankings and then proceded to lose to Ohio State.

Perhaps the experience of feeling the pressure and not handling it well will pay off this time around. Beilein has shown he’s fully capable of keeping the team loose and confident, and now they Wolverines will have to play with the confidence they have shown in the last two weeks.

2. Score in transition. Syracuse’s zone has held opponents to just 29 percent shooting and 15 percent three-point shooting so far in the tournament. Michigan has caught fire in the tournament, especially against Florida on Sunday, but if the Wolverines have to completely rely on the outside shot to beat Syracuse, it won’t bode well. Pushing the tempo and getting out in transition will be important for Michigan which thrives on fast break baskets because it will keep Syracuse from being able to set up the half court defense that has given opponents fits. The more Michigan can score in transition, the better chance the Wolverines have of winning.

3. Make Syracuse work for its points. Michigan played good defense against Florida, but the Wolverines haven’t been a good defensive team for most of the season. Kansas was able to score basically at will in the Sweet 16 matchup, and Michigan can’t let Syracuse do the same. Since points will be hard to come by on the offensive end, Michigan must play tough defense and force Syracuse to make contested shots. The Orange are a good but not great offensive team, averaging 70.8 points per game. They finished eighth in the Big East in shooting (44 percent) and seventh in three-point shooting (33.7 percent), so keeping them from getting easy layups will make things easier on the other end of the court.

Overall, I think this game completely depends on how well Michigan’s freshmen handle the big stage. If Nik Stauskas is hitting his shots, Glenn Robinson III isn’t invisible, and Mitch McGary keeps from picking up early fouls, Michigan will have a great shot to win this game. If the shots aren’t falling and Burke has to revert to doing it all himself, it will be a long day for the Wolverines. I think the swagger will continue, Burke will once again steal the show, and Michigan will advance to Monday’s title game with a 74-68 win. Sam’s prediction: 69-62 Michigan.

Saturday’s Final Four matchup between the two remaining four-seeds in the this year’s tournament, Michigan and Syracuse, is being hyped up as a classic battle between the high-powered offense of the Wolverines and the stingy 2-3 patented zone defense of Jim Boeheim’s Orangemen. Michigan has scored more than 70 points in all four games thus far in the Big Dance while Syracuse has yet to give up more than 60 themselves.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Boeheim’s defense is that no one can seem to beat it despite it rarely changing. When a team faces Syracuse, they know what is coming. The challenge is in breaking it, which John Beilein is undoubtedly working his tail off in the film room to do. In his career, Beilein is 0-9 against Boeheim, and the last time these two faced off, back in 2010, then-No.10 Syracuse edged Michigan 53-50. Here is a quick preview of what makes the zone so good and how to attack it successfully.

Videos that visualize the zone and the basic principles:

How the Zone Beats You

1. Length and Athleticism: The one constant you will find among Jim Boeheim’s recruits is size, and this year’s Syracuse squad is no different. At the top of the 2-3 zone are 6’4″ senior Brandon Triche and 6’6″ sophomore Michael Carter-Williams, who reportedly boast 6’10″ and 7’0″ wingspans, respectively. Anchoring the zone are 6’8″ senior James Southerland, 6’7″ junior C.J. Fair, and 6’9″ sophomore Rakeem Christmas, with respective wingspans of 7’3″, 6’9″, and 7’3″.

Right off the bat, the length makes it almost impossible to get off uncontested shots from anywhere on the floor, and the fact that Syracuse has some of the best athletes left in the tournament doesn’t help. Any pass inside or around the perimeter will be challenged by this length, and lazy passes are bound to be intercepted. Inside the Orange send away a lethal 19 percent of their opponents’ shots, and teams struggle to score from anywhere on the floor, shooting just 43 percent from two and 28 percent from three on the year, defensive marks good for 20th and 3rd best in the country. Just when it seems there is an open lane or an easy layup, one of Syracuse’s guards is bound to cut it off, or a big man is right there to block it.

2. No Easy Shots: Watch any amount of Syracuse’s zone defense and one thing really stands out – rarely do they give up easy looks. Sure, there are holes in any zone, and teams will get open looks that most teams hate to surrender, but part of Boeheim’s genius is that he will give up a wide open 20- to 25-footer any day over a wide open layup or dunk. The Orange do a great job of making the tough shot look appealing and making the easy shots impossible to come by. Indiana, one of the best offensive teams in the country, was absolutely stifled by the zone last weekend and only managed to make one out of every three shots, and just three of their 15 from downtown. When Indiana wasn’t bricking contested shots or deep looks, they were getting rejected – in all, 34 percent of their shots met the out-stretched hands of Syracuse before coming close to going in.

John Beilein is 0-9 in his career against Jim Boeheim's zone

3. Forcing Turnovers: The last thing Syracuse is phenomenal at is taking the ball away. The Orange have forced turnovers on 23.6 percent of their opponents’ possessions this season, good for 27th in Division I, and are the seventh-best team in the nation when it comes to steals, which lead directly to fast-breaks. Michigan obviously is tremendous at holding onto the ball and getting a shot up on more possessions than anyone else in the country, but the Wolverines have not seen a ton of zone all year, and that could be cause for concern. The Orange can really frustrate and wear teams down with their length and athleticism, and usually force their opponents to take a good 25-30 seconds off the shot clock each time down the court. The longer it takes to get a shot up, however, and the more perimeter passes thrown, the better the chance the possession will end with a turnover. Because it’s hard to penetrate and Syracuse’s defenders rarely tire because they don’t have to move as much, turning the ball over is always a potential problem.

How You Beat the Zone

1. Make Shots: It can’t get much easier than this point, but it can’t get much harder either. Make your shots against the zone and it suddenly becomes much simpler to beat it. Syracuse will give up open looks when one side of the court is over-loaded, and it will be Michigan’s job to make those open shots when they have them. Nik Stauskas has been excellent all year in knocking down threes with a hand in his face; if he is able to do more of that Saturday, Michigan should find itself in good shape. To get open looks, Michigan will have to move the ball quickly and efficiently. Look for a number of skip passes over the top of the zone for open threes as well as kick-outs from penetration and from the high post, which is the soft spot in between the two lines of the 2-3. The man flashing to the elbow for Michigan will also have a number of open looks that Syracuse will happily give up. Mitch McGary and Tim Hardaway, Jr. need to take those open looks with confidence and knock them down to open up the floor.

2. Feed the High Post: Rarely will you have success against the zone by just passing the ball around the perimeter all possession long and then throwing up a long three. The key is to have smart flashes to the elbow/free throw line area, where opportunities abound, from McGary, Hardaway, and Glenn Robinson III. When the ball gets to the high post, there are a number of options. First, the quick turnaround jumper will often be open. Second, a pass to the high post can create a quick turnstile to rotate the ball to the opposite end of the floor for a corner three. Third, the high post man can draw the back line of the defense forward and look for the baseline cut for an easy layup. Lastly, the high post can get a nice drive to the basket if the baseline man comes up and sets a screen. Louisville had success with the third and fourth keys here in the second half of the Big East championship game, when they scored 56 points after only mustering 22 in the first half (whole game video below). As opposed to only having one high post man and one man on the baseline, however, the Cardinals mixed it up a little by bringing the baseline man up to the opposite elbow and running screens or cuts to the basket. The bottom line is ultimately that when the ball gets in the middle of the zone, good things usually happen for the offense.

3. Mix it Up: The last key to beating Syracuse’s zone in the half court set is simply to throw some different looks at it. Running the same action time and time again will likely produce the same poor result, and as soon as one play has success against the Orange, they will throw just a slight wrinkle in to stop it. Michigan loves to run ball screens, and while those don’t always work incredibly well against the zone, they should still use the screen often to open up the driving lanes and get Syracuse out of whack. Trey Burke is one of the best penetrators in the game, and if he is able to get past the first line of defense, Michigan should have success with numbers closer to the basket or open looks from outside.

4. Beat the Zone up the Court: Perhaps the most effective way of beating the zone, especially for a team like Michigan, is to beat Syracuse up the floor and prevent them from setting it up. The Maize and Blue are nearly unstoppable on the fast-break, and they should again be looking to attack whenever they create a turnover, grab a steal, or corral a long rebound. Syracuse will try to set up their 2-3 look in almost every situation, but if Michigan has the numbers advantage while running, one or two men for Syracuse can’t play a zone by themselves.

Other Videos of Syracuse’s zone in action:

Michigan clinched its first Final Four berth in 20 years with a 79-59 win over Florida on Sunday. Now, the Wolverines face Big East tournament runner-up Syracuse on Saturday night with a spot in the national championship game on the line. Three weeks ago, few thought this could be likely. Both teams limped to the finish like at the end of the regular season, Michigan going 6-6, including the Big Ten Tournament, and Syracuse dropping four of its last five prior to the start of the Big East Tournament.

One of those losses by the Orange was a 61-39 regular season ending loss at the hands of Georgetown – the lowest points Syracuse had scored in a game since 1962. It left Jim Boeheim’s squad having to play on day two of the Big East Tournament rather than getting a double bye, but the Orange reeled off three straight wins, including a revenge win over Georgetown, before falling to Louisville in the tournament finale.

James Southerland will be a tough matchup for Michigan's defense

When the Big Dance began, Syracuse found itself a somewhat disappointing four-seed – just like Michigan – and undervalued in its region. An opening round 81-34 blowout of Montana was hardly surprising, but from there, Syracuse has been impressive. In the Round of 32, the Orange held on to beat California, 66-60, despite going 12 minutes without a basket, shooting just 39.1 percent for the game, and missing 15 free throws.

The Sweet 16 was where most thought Syracuse would bow out, but a strong defensive performance virtually shut down Big Ten regular season champion Indiana en route to a 61-50 win. The 50 points allowed were the Hoosiers’ lowest of the season as Tom Crean’s squad struggled against Boeheim’s tried and true 2-3 zone. Indiana, the Big Ten’s second-best shooting offense, shot just 33 percent from the field and fell behind by as many as 16 in the first half. It took the Hoosiers 14 minutes to reach double digits and by then it was too late.

On Saturday, Syracuse faced a rematch with Big East foe Marquette, which beat the Orange in the season’s only previous meeting, 74-71. In this one, however, it was the Syracuse zone that caused problems for Marquette just like it did to the Hoosiers. The Golden Eagles were held to just 23 percent shooting and scored just 39 points, the lowest output for a team in the Elite 8 since 1986, and Syracuse won by 16.

The common theme throughout Syracuse’s tournament run has been its relentless 2-3 zone. Through four tournament games, it is holding opponents to just 29 percent shooting and 15 percent from three-point range, while averaging 6.5 blocks and 10.8 steals per game. The length and athleticism of the Orange has given opponents fits, but those opponents haven’t done their part either. If any team in the tournament can solve the zone, it’s Michigan which led the Big Ten in shooting and ranked second in three-point shooting, and is firing on all cylinders right now.

Michigan currently features the nation’s top adjusted scoring offense and has the guard play that can handle the zone. It will be Trey Burke’s job to get into the paint and either hit the jumper if he’s open or dish it out to the wings if the zone collapses. It’s a good problem to have. Throw in the emergence of Mitch McGary on the inside and it gives the Wolverines the added dimension if Syracuse is taking away the perimeter.

Offensively, Syracuse ranks 21st in adjusted offense and ranked third in the Big East with a scoring average of 70.8. However, the Orange were just middle of the pack (eighth) with a 44 percent field goal clip and seventh in three-point shooting (33.7 percent). Boeheim’s squad is definitely a team that wins with its defense and uses it to set up its offense.

Michigan will try to capitalize on mistakes made by Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams (Jessica Hill, AP)

Junior forward C.J. Fair is the team’s leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, but senior forward James Southerland is arguably the team’s best overall player. He averages 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 45.6 percent overall and 40.3 percent from downtown. He scored a season high 35 points on Nov. 30 at Arkansas, but managed five against Indiana last Thursday.

Senior guard Brandon Triche and sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams are both extremely talented and capable scorers, averaging 13.7 and 12.1 points, respectively. However, both have struggled with inconsistency this season. Both have been sloppy at taking care of the ball, which could feed into Michigan’s propensity for getting out and running. Triche had six turnovers against Indiana and seven in the Big East Tournament loss to Louisville. In fact, he’s had nine games this season with four or more turnovers. Carter-Williams, meanwhile, has had 16 such games, including an eight-turnover game against Louisville in January.

Michigan hasn’t been known for its defense this season, but should be able to apply some pressure to the Syracuse guards to force some turnovers and get out on the run. That should allow the Wolverines to get some baskets without having to face the zone. That will be vitally important to Michigan’s chances of winning because it may depend on whether the Wolverines’ shots are falling or not.

Whether Syracuse is the toughest opponent Michigan has faced in the tournament thus far is questionable – Kansas was likely the better team – but the 2-3 zone makes the Orange a tough matchup and virtually requires a good shooting night. Thankfully, Michigan is fully capable of that, especially if it can keep the swagger it has shown in the past two weeks.

Stay tuned for a breakdown of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone in the next day or two and further coverage of the matchup leading up to Saturday’s game.

Michigan is headed to its first Final Four since 1993 (Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)

Two weeks ago, Michigan was left for dead. Limping into the NCAA Tournament with a 6-6 record over the previous 12 games, the Wolverines were the sexy pick to be upset in the first round by South Dakota State. Now, John Belien’s squad is one of only four teams still standing and is headed to Atlanta next weekend for the Final Four.

Ask any Michigan fan before the season started what result they would be happy with and Sweet 16 would probably be just fine. Even two weeks ago, simply reaching the Sweet 16 seemed a lofty goal. But now, the Wolverines may be playing better than any team in the tournament with two 20-plus-point victories in four games.

Nik Stauskas stole the show against the Gators (Tom Pennington, Getty Images)

After a gritty and heroic comeback on Friday night, Michigan carried its momentum into Sunday’s matchup with SEC regular season champion Florida. The Maize and Blue raced out to a 13-0 lead before the Gators could even blink. When Florida finally did get on the board, Michigan answered with a Trey Burke three. The onslaught continued as Michigan held a 25-8 lead 10 minutes in.

Despite a three-minute cold spell by Michigan, Florida was unable to capitalize, scoring just two baskets of their own during the span. By the under-four timeout, Michigan had grabbed its largest lead of the game at 41-17 thanks to Nik Stauskas’ five first half three-pointers. Florida was able to close the half on a 13-6 run to narrow Michigan’s halftime lead to 47-30.

In the second, Florida threatened to make a game of it, scoring the first six points of the stanza and pulling within 11. But after nearly four scoreless minutes, it was Stauskas once again drained a three to get Michigan back in business. Florida would never seriously challenge again and Michigan kept the foot on the gas pedal for the remaining 16 minutes to win convincingly, 79-59.

Stauskas led all scorers with 22 points, connecting on all six three-point attempts. Burke scored 15 and dished out seven assits, while Mitch McGary continued his impressive tournament play, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds, narrowly missing a third straight double-double. The performances by both Stauskas and McGary were good enough to earn them a spot on the all-region team for the South Regional, which was headlined by most outstanding player, Burke.

As a team, Michigan shot a blistering 51.4 percent in the first half to race out to the big lead, and while it cooled down in the second, the Wolverines still finished the game with a 46.2 clip – well above what Florida’s defense has allowed all season. Michigan also hit 10-of-19 three-pointers.

Michigan now has a few days off before facing 4-seed Syracuse for a spot in the national championship game. Saturday night’s game will be the Wolverines’ first Final Four since the days of the Fab 5 in 1993.

After 35 years of coaching, John Beilein is headed to his first Final Four (David J. Phillip, AP)

#10 Michigan (4) vs #14 Florida (3) | ELITE 8
Sunday, Mar. 31 | 2:20pm ET | CBS
29-7 (12-6)	Record	29-7 (14-4)
Slippery Rock 100-62 IUPUI 91-54 Cleveland State 77-47 Pittsburgh 67-62 Kansas State 71-57 NC State 79-72 Bradley 74-66 W. Michigan 73-41 Arkansas 80-67 Binghamton 67-39 West Virginia 81-66 E. Michigan 93-54 C. Michigan 88-73 Northwestern 94-66 Iowa 95-67 Nebraska 62-47 #9 Minnesota 83-75 Purdue 68-53 Illinois 74-60 Northwestern 68-46 #10 Ohio St. 76-74 OT Penn State 79-71 Illinois 71-58 #9 Michigan St. 58-57 Purdue 80-75 Penn State 83-66 S. Dakota State 71-56 VCU 78-53 #3 Kansas 87-85 OT	Wins	Alabama State 84-35 #22 Wisconsin 74-56 Middle Tenn. St. 66-45 Savannah State 58-40 UCF 79-66 Marquette 82-49 Florida State 72-47 SE Louisiana 82-43 Air Force 78-61 Yale 79-58 Georgia 77-44 LSU 74-52 Texas A&M 68-47 #17 Missouri 83-52 Georgia 64-47 Mississippi State 82-47 South Carolina 75-36 #16 Mississippi 78-64 Mississippi State 83-58 #25 Kentucky 69-52 Auburn 83-52 Arkansas 71-54 Alabama 64-52 Vanderbilt 66-40 LSU 80-58 Alabama 61-51 Northwestern St. 79-47 Minnesota 78-64 FGCU 62-50
#15 Ohio State 56-53 #3 Indiana 73-81 Wisconsin 62-65 OT #8 Michigan St. 52-75 Penn State 78-84 #2 Indiana 71-72 #22 Wisconsin 59-68	Losses	#8 Arizona 64-65 Kansas State 61-67 Arkansas 69-80 Missouri 60-63 Tennessee 58-64 Kentucky 57-61 Mississippi 63-66
75.4	Points Per Game	72.0
63.1	Scoring Defense	53.8
1,017-for-2,094 (48.6%)	Field Goal %	915-for-1,897 (48.2%)
867-for-2,049 (42.3%)	Def. Field Goal %	675-for-1,788 (37.8%)
270-for-708 (38.1%)	3-point %	294-for-769 (38.2%)
229-for-705 (32.5%)	Def. 3-point %	179-for-593 (30.2%)
412-for-584 (70.5%)	Free Throw %	397-for-583 (68.1%)
11.4	FT Made/Game	11.3
35.2	Rebounds Per Game	35.0
31.9	Opp. Reb. Per Game	30.1
14.4	Assists Per Game	14.7
9.3	Turnovers Per Game	11.1
6.1	Steals Per Game	7.1
2.7	Blocks Per Game	3.3
G – Trey Burke (18.9) G – Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.8)	Leading Scorer	F – Erik Murphy (12.6) G – Kenny Boynton (13.7)
F – Mitch McGary (6.1) F – Glenn Robinson III (5.6)	Leading Rebounder	C – Patric Young (6.3) F – Will Yeguete (5.8)

Call them the comeback kids, call them what you will, but the Michigan Wolverines, by far the youngest team in the tournament from the very beginning, simply will not give up. Two nights ago, the Maize and Blue found themselves trailing by 14 points to Kansas with fewer than 10 minutes to go and by double digits within the final three minutes. Computer predictors were giving Michigan a slightly-less-than 2 percent chance of winning the game before Trey Burke and Glenn Robinson III willed the game into overtime where the Wolverines seemed just a bit hungrier than the Jayhawks.

Today, at 2:20pm on CBS, Michigan takes on a Florida team that has just missed out on the Final Four two seasons in a row, and with five upperclassmen starting, the Gators are certainly not going to roll over and die.

Two weeks ago, Michigan wasn’t supposed to make it out of the first weekend, and even today, fans still cannot believe where the team has made it. But here they are, battling for a spot in the Final Four for the first time in nearly two decades. Let’s take a quick look at three keys if Michigan should advance:

1. Contain Erik Murphy: Billy Donovan’s squad is loaded with talent across the board, and all five of his starters can score the ball – each averages at least 9.3 points per game and four score in double digits. Erik Murphy, the Gators’ 6’10″, 238-pound stretch-four senior, however, is the best of the bunch in my opinion. The South Kingstown, Rhode Island native takes just over half of his shots from behind the three-point line and makes 45.9 percent of them. Inside the arc he is just as deadly, making 63 percnet of his looks from lay-ups to mid-rangers. If Murphy were four inches shorter, he would be a great player, but nothing unheard of. Unfortunately for Michigan, he’s not. Glenn Robinson III will be tasked with guarding Murphy from the beginning and needs to make sure he is constantly hounding him around the court.

Murphy is such a good shooter that Robinson needs to always be aware of his position on the floor and never help off. Obviously Michigan has some depth in the big man department, but Jon Horford and Jordan Morgan are much more accustomed to defending the classic post position, not a guy who is running around more like Nik Stauskas than Mitch McGary. Murphy’s 12.6 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game don’t wow, but this is the type of matchup that he will be looking to exploit. If Michigan is able to limit Murphy like they did with Jeff Withey in the second half, they should feel very confident about their chances.

2. Defend the perimeter: Michigan needs to primarily be concerned with keeping Murphy in check, but he is far from the only Gator capable of filling it up from deep. As a team, Florida takes about 40 percent of their shots from distance and makes them at a very good 38.1 percent clip. The Gators three starting guards, Kenny Boynton, Scottie Wilbekin, and Mike Rosario, all love the long ball, and all three can get hot at any particular time. Boynton’s shooting numbers are down from the past two seasons, and while he takes more than six threes a game, accounting for 60.6 percent of his shots, he has made just 32 percent of them on the year.

Wilbekin and Rosario, on the other hand, are a little more capable of penetrating and take just under half their attempts from downtown, but make 37 percent of their three-point looks. Michael Frazier, a talented 6’4″ freshman, will come off the bench primarily looking to snipe as well, and he has hit a team-high 46.8% of his threes, which account for a whopping 80.4 percent of his shots.

Kenny Boynton will be tasked with stopping Trey Burke today

Michigan needs to know the scouting report front and back and close out hard on all these shooters that Billy Donovan will throw out on the court. Going over screens will probably be a good idea when the pick involves one of the five Gators that has attempted more than 100 threes this season. Michigan’s help defense has been pretty shoddy all year long, but they cannot afford to go under screens like they were against Kansas. Do that against Murphy, Rosario, and Frazier, and chances are the Wolverines would get torched. What makes knowing the number on the front of the jersey from the scouting report even more important is the fact that the three remaining Florida players that will see on-court action rarely look to shoot from deep. Casey Prather, a one-time Michigan recruit, Patric Young, and Will Yeguete have combined to attempt only 11 threes all year long, and they’ve made only three of them. Michigan must be able to differentiate between the five guys that will shoot when open and the three that wouldn’t throw a bomb if they were fighting in a war.

3. Keep it Close: Florida was the king of the weak SEC this season, and their efficiency numbers are off the charts due in large part to a lack of strong competition throughout the year. Looking through their statistical profile and game log, one thing will jump out  – if the Gators are not winning big, they are not winning at all. All 29 of Florida’s wins, including their three tournament victories, have come by double digits. Their seven losses, however, were by an average of 5.7 points. Certainly this is more likely to be more coincidental than anything else, and I’m not trying to say that Florida is simply not able to win games that come down to the wire, but there is something to be said when not one win has come by single digits and all but one loss has been by six or fewer points.

It’s pretty clear that teams that give themselves a chance and stick in it until the end have fared well against Florida so far. That’s good news for Michigan, a team that has found itself trailing by double digits on multiple occasions before coming back and at least making a game out of it. Perhaps the Gators will collapse under pressure if Michigan controls the game throughout, but at the very least, the Maize and Blue will look to keep the Gators within striking distance. In the end, the chance will be there.

Prediction: I have a confession to make. In my master bracket this year, I correctly picked Michigan and Florida to both make it to this point (which isn’t to say that the rest of my bracket is still intact…anything but), but when it came time to pick the best of the best, the elite of the Elite, I went with the computers and my head and picked the Gators to advance out of the South. Opinions change over the course of the Tournament, however, and the grit, toughness, heart, and team play of Michigan have won me over. Trey Burke simply does not want his career to end before reaching Atlanta, and Mitch McGary looks like he had a switch turned on in his closet that turns him into an animal starting with the first game of the Big Dance. Throw in a little Stauskas, a lot of Tim Hardaway, Jr., and a defensive effort from Glenn Robinson III and I think Michigan will find itself headed to Atlanta later this week after beating Florida, 67-63.