The Victors | Project OSPREY

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same…"
—Rudyard Kipling, "If—"

(№ 16) Michigan 77-76 Purdue (O.T.)
20-7, Big Ten 12-3

As I shook my father's hand after the game—he's a Purdue alumnus, who was there at the same time as the legendary Rick Mount—I remarked that this was the valiant Wolverines' second-most disappointing win of the season, second only to January's ugly 71-70 victory over the unwelcome Cornhuskers. I didn't know how to react, because I'd spend the majority of the game, including the second half when the score tightening considerably, convinced that the valiant Wolverines were doomed. Time & time again I saw Purdue's lead shrink to a single point, only to see Michigan waste an offensive possession, leading to a bad defensive possession & the swelling of Purdue's lead. I said, "(The valiant Wolverines) have the talent to win, but (they've) decided to lose, (they've) made the conscious choice not to win the game." I'm not proud of how far short I fell of Mr. Kipling's immortal words.

First the bad, then the good. I am gravely concerned about the valiant Wolverines' prospects come the N.C.A.A. tournament. Yet again Michigan fell behind early, by as many as nineteen points against the ill-starred Boilermakers, & only by the thinnest of margins were they able to climb back before time expired. The valiant Wolverines truly ran out of time to win the game; they never lead in regulation, needing overtime time to carry the day. Against Wisconsin, that comeback attempt ran out of time & fell short. I am concerned that come the Big Dance we will simply run out of time against an enthusiastic opponent with a solid game plan. I have the utmost confidence in Coach Beilein & his staff, but this slew of slow starts is proving a tough nut to crack. Still, let us not lose sight of this squad's achievement: a twenty-win season! Huzzah! Twenty wins & the Big Ten championship there for the outright winning is none too shabby for the youngest club in the conference.

I remarked to my father at the beginning of the game that I wouldn't mind if sophomore forward Glenn Robinson III had a big night against his father's—Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson (Jr.)—alma mater. "G.R.III" was the highest-scoring valiant Wolverine, & scored the winning bucket in overtime time. As expected, I didn't mind one bit.

Next: Minnesota, at home. This is a potential "trap game," a late-season bout against a "lesser" foe that might see an overconfident club come out with insufficient verve & suffer an ignominious defeat. There is no murderers' row between the valiant Wolverines & the Big Ten tournament; so, dedication will be needed if the valiant Wolverines are to be playing their best basketball in time to make another run at the Final Four.

Go Blue!