WOLVERINES BASKETBALL

The Latest News, Updates and Opinions

This week's visit with Sam Webb and Andy Evans on WTKA started out with an unexpected discussion of why forcing the Ford family to sell the Lions as a condition of a federal bailout wouldn't really help the car company (but would, of course, help Lions fans). We then talked a little Texas v. Oklahoma BCS controversy, Eastern Michigan football and some Michigan basketball - which I imagine we might be talking about even more if the Wolverines can upset Maryland on the road Wednesday.

Full audio below:

The University of Michigan men's basketball team will spend next Thanksgiving in Florida as part of the eight-team Old Spice Classic, ESPN announced on Monday.

The Wolverines join a field that also includes Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Marquette and Xavier in a tournament that will be held Nov. 26, 27 and 29 at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team was feeling blue Saturday. But the Wolverines' choice of attire didn't reflect on the outcome of their game.

Seniors Jessica Minnfield and Stephany Skrba, wearing blue uniforms for the first time in coach Kevin Borseth's two-year tenure, combined for 43 points in Michigan's 61-51 win over host Southern Miss in the championship game of the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic.

AP PhotoSavannah State guard Jovonni Shuler (20) watches Michigan forward DeShawn Sims, front, make a basket in the first half of Saturday's game in Ann Arbor.

With one buzzer-beating opportunity already gone haywire for his University of Michigan basketball team, DeShawn Sims made the most of a second chance.

With the Michigan bench rising in anticipation behind him, the junior forward hit a 19-foot jumper as time expired, giving Michigan an unexpectedly competitive 66-64 overtime win over Savannah State on Saturday.

The Wolverines (5-1) scored the first 15 points of the second half to partially atone for a dreadful opening 20 minutes of play and set up a thrilling finish for the announced Crisler Arena crowd of 8,190 - roughly 2.5 times Savannah State's enrollment.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Jessica Minnfield's struggles from the floor didn't carry over to the free throw line Friday night.

The University of Michigan senior guard's two free throws with 7 seconds remaining helped the Wolverines squelch a late Belmont rally and win 64-60 in the first round of the Southern Mississippi Lady Eagle Classic.

The Wolverines will play host Southern Miss for the tournament championship at 5 p.m. today.

Michigan men's basketball coach John Beilein joined Bill Simonson on "The Huge Show" to talk about the Wolverines' solid start, which has included a win over UCLA.

"My experience with rebuilding a program, especially in the second and third year, it's so up and down. Last year, we were just hanging on," Beilein said. "(The win over UCLA) was a bright spot, and you need them to keep everybody excited. I think it's very important that I as a coach am patient, yet demanding."

Two leaders have emerged from Michigan's basketball team, and it's not necessarily who you might think.

While sophomore swingman Manny Harris is lighting up the scoreboard, senior David Merritt and C.J. Lee are providing some necessary leadership to the young team, says Michigan head coach John Beilein. Despite modest scoring averages, the two guards are helping out with plenty of maturity and game experience.

Leisa Thompson | The Ann Arbor NewsMichigan's Jevohn Shepherd, left, goes up for a shot as Norfolk State's Brandon Monroe pressures during the first half of Tuesday's game at Crisler Arena. Shepherd came off the bench to match a career-high 11 points.

For nearly 5 minutes, shots wouldn't fall, turning wide-open looks into missed opportunities.

Ten straight shots missed their mark, coming from a variety of sources and from an array of spots on the floor.

Once Stu Douglass finally connected on the 11th attempt of the night, the University of Michigan's offense suddenly started to come into focus.

And, a sluggish start was soon replaced by the up-tempo transition style of play John Beilein likes to see in an 83-49 runaway win over Norfolk State on Tuesday night at Crisler Arena.

What turned out to be the Wolverines' biggest offensive output of the season just took time to develop.

In the grand scheme of a grueling University of Michigan men's basketball season, it was one November victory.

But, in terms of generating early momentum and a buzz that has been increasingly difficult to ignore, an upset victory over No. 4-ranked UCLA has created its fair share of excitement.

Lon Horwedel | The Ann Arbor NewsMichigan's Carly Benson, center, reaches out to try and get the ball back from Vanderbilt's Jessica Mooney, left, after being knocked to the floor Sunday. Benson finished with 10 points.

When Melanie Balcomb was putting together her 2008-09 schedule, she wanted to give her experienced Vanderbilt University women's basketball team some good early-season road tests.

The veteran coach got more than that Sunday afternoon at Crisler Arena.

Michigan put the clamps on the Commodores' high-scoring offense in a 50-42 win, sending the Southeastern Conference preseason favorites on the 500-mile trip back to Nashville, Tenn., with their first loss of the season.