No. 3 Michigan edges No. 10 Ohio State 76-74 in OT (The Associated Press)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke made nearly every shot they took from 3-point range in the second half. When that somehow wasn’t enough, Michigan’s talented tandem sealed a win with a little desperation on defense. Hardaway blocked Ohio State’s Aaron Craft on the final play, giving the third-ranked Wolverines a 76-74 overtime win over the 10th-ranked Buckeyes. Hardaway kept Michigan in the game with a relentless streak of 3-point shooting, then both teams struggled through a tense, low-scoring extra session that finally ended when Craft was stopped three straight times in the final minute. ”Ohio State-Michigan is one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball – in college, period,” Burke said. ”Just to come out and grit it out all the way to the end of regulation and in overtime, it shows a lot, how this team can stay together.” Hardaway scored 23 points, including five straight 3-pointers in the second half. Michigan made all eight of its attempts from…
Michigan needs overtime to win top-10 battle with Ohio State (The SportsXchange)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan coach John Beilein turned 60 on Tuesday, the same day his third-ranked Wolverines faced 10th-ranked Ohio State in a Big Ten showdown. After losing the nation’s top ranking to Indiana with a loss to the Hoosiers just two days earlier, Michigan faced a crucial game, whether it was the coach’s birthday or not. Junior Tim Hardaway Jr. allowed Beilein to enjoy the landmark date, carrying the Wolverines through a rough stretch of the second half with a barrage of 3-pointers, then blocking a shot near the basket in the final seconds of overtime to preserve a rugged 76-74 victory. “A lot of this had to do with Tim Hardaway,” Beilein said. “He shot us right back into the game when it didn’t look good.” Hardaway hit six of nine attempts from outside the arc and led Michigan with 23 points. He nailed four 3-…
No. 3 Michigan beats No. 10 Ohio State 76-74 in OT (The Associated Press)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. brought Michigan back with a relentless streak of 3-point shooting, then blocked a shot by Aaron Craft in the final seconds of overtime to give the third-ranked Wolverines a 76-74 victory over No. 10 Ohio State on Tuesday night. Hardaway finished with 23 points, including five straight 3-pointers in the second half. The Wolverines (21-2, 8-2 Big Ten) led by two points when Craft rushed the ball into the frontcourt after a missed Michigan free throw. He got all the way to the basket, but Hardaway was there to smother his last-ditch attempt to tie it. After scoring at will most of the second half, Ohio State (17-5, 7-3) managed only two points in overtime. Trey Burke missed a 3-pointer at the end of regulation that would have won it for Michigan – the Wolverines’ only miss in nine second-half attempts from…
Trey Burke trying to rekindle the fire not seen at Michigan since the Fab Five (Yahoo! Sports)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In the coaches’ locker room of the newly renovated Crisler Center, there are floor-to-ceiling murals of two former University of Michigan greats.
Watch List WR Booth cuts to seven
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Watch List wide receiver Dominique Booth (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) has a busy few months ahead of him. The 2014 prospect, who released his top seven on Tuesday, plans to visit all seven of his top schools before he gives his verbal in April, which means the next two months will include plenty of travel, discussion and decision making. Booth’s top seven include, in no particular order, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Mississippi State.
No. 5 Michigan trying to rebound from first loss (The Associated Press)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Trey Burke and Michigan can put aside for now the idea of being ranked No. 1 in the country. An undefeated start to the season? That too is over after the Wolverines sputtered last weekend at Ohio State. Now the focus is on a Big Ten schedule that will test Burke and his teammates plenty over the next few weeks. No. 5 Michigan plays at No. 9 Minnesota on Thursday night, part of a nine-game stretch for the Wolverines that began with the loss to the Buckeyes and will eventually include six road games. ”The level of intensity that we had in practice (Tuesday) was very high,” said Burke, Michigan’s star point guard. ”We know just from watching film that we had a lot to learn, a lot to get better, a lot of adjustments to make.” The Wolverines (16-1, 3-1 Big Ten) were…
Michigan’s Hoke expects Gardner to get 5th season
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan coach Brady Hoke had some good news to share two days after a regular season-ending loss to rival Ohio State. Hoke said on Monday a medical-redshirt request is being sent to the Big Ten on Devin Gardner ‘s behalf. If a medical hardship is granted, Gardner will be eligible to play during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. ”I would expect that would go through,” Hoke said. Gardner started the last four games of the regular season at quarterback. He was limited to three games as a freshman under former coach Rich Rodriguez at least in part because of a back injury. Gardner was recruited by Rodriguez as a QB and moved to receiver this year to get on the field with Denard Robinson . When Robinson hurt his right elbow, Gardner went back under center and had success until the then-20th-ranked Wolverines lost 26-21 Saturday at No. 4 Ohio State. ”I know how terrible he feels right now, but there is some momentum and things to learn from,” Hoke said…
Former walk-on Kovacs living his dream at Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Jordan Kovacs was stuck in the stands as a fan at Michigan Stadium as a freshman, stewing about having his dream delayed by a lingering knee problem. ”It ate at me because I knew I was so close to making it on the team,” Kovacs recalled recently in an interview with The Associated Press. ”It made me hungrier.” Four years later, Kovacs will start the 45th game of his storybook career Saturday when the 20th-ranked Wolverines travel to his home state to play No. 4 Ohio State. ”I’m still pinching myself,” Kovacs told The AP. ”It’s quite a story and it’s been quite the ride, but I don’t want it to end and thankfully the story isn’t over yet.” He grew up in Curtice, Ohio, about 15 miles southeast of the Michigan state line, hoping to follow his father’s footsteps onto the field at the Big House. College football’s winningest program, though, didn’t recruit him. Smaller schools such as Hillsdale, a Division II program in Michigan, didn’t…
Robinson passes torch to Gardner
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Denard Robinson waited patiently, flanked by media relations representatives one last time in Michigan Stadium. He remained on the field for his final time for a few more minutes….
No. 23 Michigan tops Iowa 42-17 with Gardner’s TDs
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Devin Gardner accounted for six touchdowns to help No. 23 Michigan rout Iowa 42-17 Saturday. The Wolverines (8-3, 6-1 Big Ten) weren’t stopped on offense by the hapless Hawkeyes (4-7, 2-5) until Gardner threw an interception early in the fourth quarter. Gardner threw three touchdowns and ran for three scores. He became the first Michigan quarterback to account for six TDs since 1983 when Steve Smith had as many passing and rushing scores in a game at Minnesota. Denard Robinson played after missing two-plus games with nerve damage in his right elbow. Robinson started at running back and took some snaps at QB, but didn’t throw a pass. Michigan running back Fitzgerald Toussaint appeared to break his left leg on his team’s first drive. The Wolverines didn’t need Toussaint to beat Iowa, but it will be more difficult to beat Ohio State for a second straight year without him…
