LeVert, Albrecht Say Michigan Stronger For Enduring Earlier Losing Streak

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

ANN ARBOR (CBS DETROIT) - In all likelihood, the Michigan Wolverines will not endure another stretch as rough as the one they weathered in December, when a stunning home loss to New Jersey Institute of Technology kicked off a four-game losing streak that also included a home loss to Eastern Michigan.

"It was a real wake-up call," junior guard Caris LeVert said Monday. "We've really gotten better because of those games. Sometimes you learn more in losses than in wins. I think that was good for us, and we've learned from that and moved past it."

Since the losing streak the Wolverines have won four of their last five games, and four games into conference play Michigan sits in a four-way tie atop the Big Ten standings.

LeVert, one of the most experienced players on the team, said the biggest difference between the losing streak and the current successful stint has been communication.

"The communication level has really picked up," LeVert said. "The coaches, they always tell us there are two parts to communication, listening and also talking, so the younger guys have really picked up their communication levels as well, and I think we're just a lot more cohesive as a group right now."

LeVert said the coaches pointed out communication needed to be better, and the players acted on those instructions.

"It's a two-way street," LeVert said. "The coaches, they identified it, but we really owned up to it, and we started doing it more in games, in the moment."

Michigan's other junior guard, Spike Albrecht, agreed with LeVert's assessment and noted that encouragement among players has been better as well.

"The leadership aspect has definitely picked up, especially when adversity hits or things start to go south," Albrecht said. "Before it was just kind of snowballing and getting worse and worse, but now, like Caris said, the communication aspect, being able to pick each other up and communicate things to each other, especially in tough situations, that's what's been key for us lately."

Albrecht said the team's turning point came in the Illinois game, when the Wolverines trailed by double digits midway through the second half, came back, forced overtime and ultimately prevailed, 73-65.

"I was proud of the way we responded," Albrecht said. "We didn't fold or anything like that, so that showed a lot of toughness."

Michigan head coach John Beilein said comebacks like that one have taught the Wolverines not to fear deficits. While they are not ideal, they are not insurmountable.

"The biggest thing would be that, you look up at the scoreboard, you're double digits down with 10 minutes to go, they've learned, 'Well, this is nothing if we just' – exactly what we said in the huddle –  'make two shots, and we're back in this game,'" Beilein said. "They've learned that. At the same time, they've learned on the other hand, whether it was the Villanova game or the Purdue game or any game where ... it seemed like we could get away from them, the other team was right back in the game.

"Games can change just like that," Beilein continued. "I think we understand it, not like a super-experienced team would, but we have a better understanding now than we did certainly in November."

Before the season began, few would ever even dream that Michigan would lose to New Jersey Institute of Technology or Eastern Michigan. Those humiliating defeats, however, surely humbled the Wolverines early, and LeVert said it is better the team went through such an ugly stretch in December rather than hitting a similar wall later in the season.

"I definitely think so," LeVert said. "I think it was better to get that out of us in the nonconference rather than in the conference. We take so much pride in the Big Ten and defending our title."