Michigan Basketball Team Involved in Plane Accident on Way to Big Ten Tournament
Mar 8, 2017
COLLEGE PARK, MD - FEBRUARY 21: Michigan Wolverines logo on a pair of shorts during a college basketball game against the Maryland Terrapins at the Verizon Center on February 21, 2016 in College Park, Maryland. The Terrapins won 86-82. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The Michigan basketball team avoided harm in a plane accident Wednesday on the way to the Big Ten tournament in Washington D.C.
Kyle Rowland of The Toledo Blade provided an explanation of the incident from the team's sports information director Tom Wywrot:
The Michigan men's basketball team plane was involved in an accident Wednesday afternoon. After attempting to take off in high winds, takeoff was aborted and, after strong braking, the plane slide off the runway. The plane sustained extensive damage but everyone on board was safely evacuated and is safe. The team is making alternate travel plans.
Matt Shepard of Fox Sports Detroit provided a view of the plane:
Head coach John Beilein provided another update on the team's welfare, per Andy Katz of ESPN:
Michigan coach John Beilein texted saying, "All OK! A few guys a little banged up and shook up Blessed we did not get up in the air." https://t.co/8rE4pZUF9E
The Wolverines are scheduled to face Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten tournament Thursday at 12 p.m. ET.
Michigan has had an up-and-down season but finished the regular season with six wins in the last eight games. Even as the No. 8 seed, the squad has the fourth-best odds to win the Big Ten tournament, per Odds Shark.
While an opening win over Illinois would help, the team is likely safely in the NCAA tournament field regardless of their tournament performance.
The important thing is that everyone is safe after Wednesday's scary incident.
Scout: John Beilein Pleased After 'Great Win' vs. Illinois
Trey Burke Rips Michigan for 'Jail Food,' Not Preparing Him for NBA Career
Oct 24, 2016
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 06: Trey Burke #3 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates the Wolverines 61-56 victory against the Syracuse Orange during the 2013 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at the Georgia Dome on April 6, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Despite being one of the top college basketball players in the country, Trey Burke didn't think highly of his time at the University of Michigan.
The current Washington Wizards point guard spoke Monday at a Knight Commission panel and had some harsh criticisms. Per Jon Solomon of CBS Sports, Burke had major issues with the meals in Ann Arbor:
Trey Burke says he didn't eat breakfast at Michigan and it became a problem. He thought the food was "disgusting, it's jail food."
The 23-year-old player spent two seasons at Michigan, winning the Naismith Award as the National Player of the Year during his sophomore year. He also helped lead the Wolverines to the national title game before falling to Louisville.
His success during his final season makes another claim that he "checked out" before the year an interesting one.
Meanwhile, Matt Shepard of Fox Sports Detroit countered Burke's assertion about the poor standard for food at Michigan:
I ate plenty of meals w/ @TreyBurke. I guess jail food is steak, chicken, salmon for dinner and omelette stations and waffles for brkfst
After foregoing his last two years of college eligibility, the point guard was taken with the No. 9 pick of the NBA draft, spending his first three years with the Utah Jazz.
Burke has struggled since a promising first season in the NBA, when he was named to the All-Rookie team. He finished last season averaging 10.6 points and 2.3 assists per game after moving out of the starting lineup for the first time in his career.
Utah traded him to the Wizards for a 2021 second-round pick this offseason.
Shane Battier, Old Dominion coach Jeff Jones and Atlantic 10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade were among the other members of the panel for the Knight Commission, which was created to help improve academic value in the NCAA.
Scout: Saddi Washington on His Role on Michigan's Basketball Staff
The University of Michigan men's basketball team unveiled its new jerseys heading into the 2016-17 season.
It's safe to say the Jordan Brand didn't disappoint.
Michigan is one of only four collegiate schools associated with the Jordan Brand (along with North Carolina, Georgetown and Marquette) after signing a 15-year, $173 million contract with Nike in 2015, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Michigan Wolverines vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane Betting Odds, March Madness Pick
Mar 16, 2016
Michigan's head coach John Beilein directs his team in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Indiana in the quarterfinals at the Big Ten Conference tournament, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
With help from a pair of recent runs deep into March, the Michigan Wolverines are 8-2 straight up and 7-2-1 against the spread over their last 10 NCAA tournament games. The maize and blue hope to begin a similar run when they take on Tulsa in a First Four matchup Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio.
Point spread: The Wolverines opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 143, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).
March Madness pick, via Odds Shark computer: 74-66, Golden Hurricane
Why pick Michigan to cover the spread
Coach John Beilein's crew lost four of its last five games in the regular season and began the Big Ten tournament needing at least a couple of victories to secure an NCAA bid. Fortunately, it got them, nipping Northwestern in overtime and then hitting two three-pointers in the last 45 seconds to upset regular-season champion Indiana before bowing out against Purdue.
So Michigan is back in the tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Wolverines, one of the better shooting teams in the country, own victories this season over fellow dancers Texas, Maryland, Purdue and Indiana, and only one of their losses came against a team that didn't make the tournament.
Why pick Tulsa to cover the spread
Coach Frank Haith's bunch started 4-0 this season, with a win over eventual Missouri Valley regular-season champion Wichita State, and ended by winning 12 of its last 16 games, finishing in a tie for third place in the AAC and earning an at-large invitation for the second time in the last three seasons.
The Hurricane also own victories over fellow dancers Connecticut and Temple and took three close losses to teams that made the tournament. Tulsa is led by its backcourt trio of seniors James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison and junior Pat Birt, who combine to average 43 points per game.
And we all know how valuable good guard play is in the NCAA tournament. If those guys are on, the Golden Hurricane could win this game outright.
Smart betting pick
Michigan is only 3-5 both SU and ATS since losing leading scorer Caris LeVert for the season to injury, and if the Wolverines aren't hitting their shots, they're in big trouble. The Golden Hurricane, meanwhile, are an experienced outfit starting four seniors, and they're dangerous as dogs, winning outright four times this season when getting points. The smart money here takes Tulsa.
March Madness betting trends
The total has gone over in seven of Tulsa's last eight games.
Michigan is 1-4 ATS in its last five games against teams with winning records.
Michigan is 6-0 SU and 5-0-1 ATS since 2013 as a March Madness favorite.
Tulsa is 7-2 ATS in March Madness since 2000.
All point-spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, and all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates, and get the free odds-tracker app for iOS or Android.
Game-Winning Michigan 3-Pointer Leaves Young Indiana Fan Speechless
Mar 11, 2016
If it looks like March basketball and feels like March basketball, then it probably is March basketball.
The last 30 seconds of the Michigan-Indiana contest in the Big Ten tournament had all of the makings of fantastic spring hoops—including mixed reactions.
It began with great defense and a Hoosiers error, giving the Wolverines possession of the ball at their baseline with the score tied at 69.
Then the suspense.
Michigan dribbled the ball up the court, watching the seconds tick by.
Then with time running out, the Wolverines began a drive to the basket, followed almost immediately by a pass to the perimeter.
KameronChatman was ready. With a hand in his face, he drained the game-winning three right in front of Michigan's bench for a 72-69 victory.
His teammates went wild, players gleefully jumping in the air.
Not everyone was delighted by the game's nail-biting outcome, however.
Take this kid, stunned into a stereotypical portrait of disbelief:
Unfortunately for him and fellow Indiana fans, shock is only the first in seven stages of grief.
Caris LeVert's Latest Injury Woes Robbing Us of Epic Michigan vs. MSU Showdown
Kerry Miller
Feb 4, 2016
CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 30: Caris LeVert #23 of the Michigan Wolverines brings the ball up court during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on December 30, 2015 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
In the state of Michigan, there is a senior point forward with lottery-pick potential and the ability to record a triple-double on any given night. This high-ranking candidate for the various National Player of the Year awards is the driving force of an excellent three-point shooting offense that just might win the 2016 national championship.
That may sound like an introduction for a piece on Denzel Valentine and the Michigan State Spartans, but it's exactly what we could have been saying about Caris LeVert and the Michigan Wolverines.
The idea of those two guys going head-to-head was almost too great to fathom.
Ben Simmons vs. Buddy Hield was fun to hype up as a battle between Player of the Year candidates, but a shooting guard against a power forward? They individually squared off about as often as Stephen Curry and LeBron James in the NBA Finals last year.
LeVert vs. Valentine, though, was supposed to be two of the most unguardable wings in the country guarding each other; two of the nation's most versatile and experienced players waging war against mirror images of themselves.
Unfortunately, left leg injuries have derailed LeVert's path to new heights for a second straight year.
No Caris LeVert through warmups tonight. He'll miss his ninth straight game tonight vs. Indiana.
Once upon a time, LeVert was a no-name recruit from Pickerington, Ohio. Or perhaps I should say he was a no-face recruit, because 247Sports didn't even bother to upload a photo of the fifth-highest (aka lowest) rated recruit in Michigan's 2012 class.
According to Mark Snyder of USA Today, the only college that LeVert officially visited in high school was Alabama State. He originally signed with Ohio University and was only able to get out of his national letter of intent after head coach John Groce left the Bobcats to take the job at Illinois.
Needless to say, no one ever expected LeVert to be the most indispensable piece of a program as nationally relevant as Michigan. Nevertheless, that's exactly what he has been for the past two years.
Shortly after the 2014 NBA draft ended, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman posted his first 2015 mock draft, in which LeVert was pegged as the eighth overall pick.
"LeVert has gone from a little-known recruit to a star at Michigan," wrote B/R's C.J. Moore in ranking LeVert as his No. 4 overall player in the 2014-15 preseason. "And being a star guard in head coach John Beilein's offense means the accolades and a fat NBA contract are likely to follow."
He wasn't quite that good—and Michigan as a whole was drastically worse than we expected—but he did average 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals for 18 games before suffering a season-ending foot injury.
It wasn't his first issue with that leg, and it turns out it wasn't the last, either.
LeVert had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot in May 2014, and it was a stress fracture in the same foot that cut short his junior season.
Thanks everybody for the prayers and support! I'll be back better than ever God doesn't make mistakes🙏
"I am familiar with the recovery process and what work lies ahead for me," said LeVert in Michigan's press release on the injury. "I am very confident that I will return 100 percent and have already begun work to ensure that happens."
To his credit, LeVert returned this season at closer to 125 percent.
Through 14 games, LeVert was posting career highs in points, rebounds, assists and both two-point and three-point field-goal percentage.
In fact, his numbers were so good that he is part of a pretty exclusive club of mostly very recognizable names.
Player
School
Points
Rebounds
Assists
Ben Simmons
LSU
19.5
12.5
5.0
Denzel Valentine
Michigan St.
18.5
7.7
6.6
Alex Hamilton
Louisiana Tech
17.8
5.7
6.1
Caris LeVert
Michigan
17.6
5.4
5.2
Kris Dunn
Providence
17.2
6.0
6.9
Gary Payton II
Oregon St.
16.3
8.1
5.5
But then injury struck again.
Late in the Dec. 30 comeback win against Illinois—a game in which he recorded 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds—LeVert stepped on an opposing player's ankle and suffered what has been cryptically described for weeks as a "lower left leg injury."
He missed the following game against Penn State.
He didn't play against Purdue, either.
Somehow, the Wolverines managed to win a home game against Maryland without him, but he has now missed nine consecutive games with minimal optimism that he'll be back for Saturday's crucial showdown with the in-state rival Spartans.
According to a Jan. 26 report from Tony Paul of the Detroit News, Beilein—who has stated the injury is not related to the recent history of stress fractures—has a timetable for LeVert's return.
Dec 19, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Caris LeVert (23) goes to the basket in the first half against the Youngstown State Penguins at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
He just isn't sharing it.
"When you see him out on the court, you'll know what that timeline looks like," Beilein said more than a week ago.
But there have been three games since that report, and LeVert hasn't touched the floor in any of them—including Tuesday night's loss to Indiana that featured an insane 28-0 run by the Hoosiers.
As a result of that game, the Wolverines are sitting at 17-6 overall with a 7-3 record in Big Ten play. However, they're just 2-6 vs. RPI Top 90 teams and faced a nonconference strength of schedule that ranks outside the Top 100 nationally. That's a resume good enough for a projected tournament bid, but dicey enough that it wouldn't take much of a losing streak to really put them on the bubble.
Moreover, a coveted double bye in the Big Ten tournament might be on the line in Saturday's game, as Michigan and Michigan State are both battling with Purdue for fourth place in the conference standings.
Given the magnitude of the game, maybe LeVert will give it a go against the Spartans.
Don't count on seeing vintage LeVert right away, though.
Valentine missed four games earlier this season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery, and it wasn't until his third game back in the lineup that he really looked like the stud we all fell in love with in November. It was the first time in three-plus seasons that Valentine missed a game due to injury, and he still needed some time to get up to full speed.
LeVert has been out for twice as long and has an injury history, so it would be a pretty big surprise if he can give so much as 15 minutes off the bench.
And that's a crying shame, because this is a huge game for both teams that deserves to be played at full strength.
Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
Caris LeVert Injury: Updates on Michigan Star's Leg and Return
Jan 2, 2016
ANN ARBOR, MI - DECEMBER 30: Caris LeVert #23 of the Michigan Wolverines lands out of bounds after keeping the ball in bounds during the second half of a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Crisler Arena on December 30, 2014 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Illinois in overtime 73-65. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Michigan Wolverines star guard Caris LeVert was held out of action for 11 games after suffering a leg injury on Dec. 30. However, he has been cleared to return to the court.
Continue for updates.
LeVert Active vs. Purdue
Saturday, Feb. 13
LeVert will play against Purdue on Saturday, per Matt Shepard of WDFN.
Injuries Continue to Nag LeVert
Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com noted the senior has dealt with a nagging foot injury over the previous two seasons that required two surgeries and cut his 2014-15 campaign short.
Hopefully his return from this injury isn't short-lived, as Michigan relies on him heavily.
LeVert is an explosive scorer who rebounds well for a 2-guard and is a capable passer, not to mention a strong on-ball defender who can disrupt passing lanes (1.8 steals per game last season). No one on the Wolverines roster can replicate his all-around skill set.
