Michigan happy to find its way back to tourney

Posted March 15, 2009 11:00 pm

Associated Press

John Beilein finally did what his predecessors couldn't in 11 years - get Michigan back to the NCAA Tournament.

A perennial bracket presence up until the mid 1990s, Michigan's program fell apart after the Ed Martin (a now-deceased former booster) scandal forced coach Steve Fisher out on the eve of the 1997 season.

The Wolverines made just one appearance since then - courtesy of an improbable run through the Big Ten tournament in 1998. It has been 11 lean years since.

But in Beilein's second season, the Wolverines won 20 times - including against Duke, UCLA and Purdue - to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.

Beilein said he planned to savor the accomplishment before watching film of first-round foe Clemson at his house tonight.

"I might go home, pour myself a nice cold beer," Beilein said, "sit back and maybe just glance at Clemson's roster and look at their stats. And relax a little bit."

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