Michigan has been dealing with nothing but adversity come this March. It was no surprise that Michigan’s odds of going deep in the NCAA Tournament went down once Livers got hurt, but that did not stop this teams attitude. Although the whole country started to doubt Michigan’s ability to make a run, the boys came together and have showed the world that they are still the Michigan Wolverines that deserved to have the #1 seed. This claims Michigan’s 4th straight sweet sixteen appearance, joining no other than Gonzaga.
What was really impressive that I noticed throughout the game; was that Michigan had people step up and rise to the occasion like no other. Most teams rely on their stars to put up the buckets and the numbers to find a way to win. Players like Chaundee Brown and Eli Brooks carried this team to a win today. Brooks going 5/9 from deep, and Chaundee going 3/6 while both players scoring 21 points can really put the nail in the coffin. Especially when you still have players like Wagner, Dickinson, and Smith on the floor contributing just as much. When the star players are struggling throughout the game, it’s times like that when the backups need to step up and guide this team to the promise land; which is exactly what happened today.
That tweet by Scott Bell is a prime example of how important it is for everyone on the team to contribute. LSU played a hell of a game, but they only had 2 people score more than half of their points. Michigan was able to keep LSU on their toes with how many different people were scoring. That reminds me a lot about the Michigan/OSU matchup towards the end of the season. It was a great battle all game, but OSU had basically every point be scored by either Washington or Liddell. It’s not a bad strategy…until you play a well coached team.
I will say this one time and one time only; even without Isaiah Livers, I still believe that this team can rally together and make a run *knock on wood*. Plus, they are the last Big Ten team standing which is highly embarrassing to the “best conference in college.” Forever and always, GO BLUE!!!
