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INDIANAPOLIS -- This time, Jordan Morgan got the ball to bounce the right way -- and Michigan celebrated. wholesale nfl jerseys . A little more than one year after missing a last-second tip-in that would have given the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, the 6-foot-8 forward scored on a layup with 7.9 seconds left to give No. 8 Michigan a 64-63 victory over Illinois in Fridays Big Ten tournament quarterfinals and a shot at another league championship. "Im telling you -- I probably exaggerate -- 10,000 times, at least 2,000 times in five years Jordan Morgan has run that same drill," coach John Beilein said. "Theres a bag to hit him, you still got to catch it in a crowd and keep it up and dunk it if he can. He said he wanted to add a little drama to the game, so he decided to put it up on the rim. Illinois had a chance to win it when Tracy Abrams drove in for a layup, expecting contact, but the ball hit the front of the rim and bounced off. No foul was called. Its about time something went right for the Wolverines (24-7) in this tournament. Since going 3-0 to win the first title in 1998, Michigan has not won more than one game in the annual tourney. The Wolverines later vacated that tourney title because of NCAA infractions, and Michigan has endured everything from an embarrassing 21-turnover game in a 2006 first-round loss to Evan Turners buzzer-beating 40-foot heave, which gave rival Ohio State a 69-68 quarterfinal win in 2010. Things are supposed to be different this year. After ending a 28-year drought between outright regular-season titles with a win at Illinois last week, Michigan came into this weekend with the No. 1 tourney seed for the first time in school history and with a full head of steam -- six straight wins. But it almost happened again. Michigan blew a 13-point second-half lead, scored just six points in the final 7 1/2 minutes and then wound up getting bailed out by Morgan when Big Ten player of the year changed the play coach John Beilein called in the huddle. "I was looking to be aggressive and raised up to shoot and man, the guy guarding me was still chasing me and the big was chasing me too and J-Mo rolled down the lane and he was wide open," Stauskas said. "I hit him with the ball and he laid it in." The Wolverines usual trio led the way. Stauskas had 19 points despite going 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 10 on 3-pointers against Illinois zone defence, Glenn Robinson III had 15 points and seven rebounds and Caris LeVert finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Yet it was Morgan, who wound up the star. He made the only two shots he took -- none bigger than the layup he never expected that sent Michigan into Saturdays semifinals against either fourth-seeded Nebraska or fifth-seeded Ohio State, who played in the second quarterfinal of the day. Michigan swept Nebraska this season and won at Ohio State in this seasons only meeting with the Buckeyes. Morgan, who missed the shot that gave Indiana last years outright regular season title, made this one. "As far as catching it, I just put it on the rim and got a nice roll," he said matter-of-factly. Ninth-seeded Illinois (19-14) was on the cusp of pulling off a major upset after finally retaking a 59-58 lead on Rices driving layup with 4:53 left. The Illini allowed just one 3-pointer, one free throw but couldnt stop Morgans layup the rest of the way. Abrams and Rayvonte Rice each finished with 11 points. Kendrick Nunn had 10 points as the Illini lost for only the second time in seven games. "Its obviously an uncontested shot that I probably could make," Abrams said. "We obviously wanted to get that one in and we wanted to win, but there was a lot of other plays that we can account back to that we could have did different or could have got an extra rebound." Illinois zone defence changed game. Following a media timeout with 11:26 left, Stauskas made two free throws to give the Wolverines a 55-44 lead. The Illini answered with 10 straight points and finally took the lead on Rices driving layup with 4:53 left. Michigan tied the score at 61 with 3:10 to go, but all the Wolverines could muster the rest of the way was one free throw from Stauskas until the surprised Morgan got the right roll. "Well, were thrilled to get that win because as you can see, as Illinois has shown in their last six games, how well the program has played after a tough January," Beilein said. "They proved how good they were, and, fortunately, we got some good bounces around the basket to finish the game." cheap jerseys from china . And this recent run of success also has general manager Bryan Murray re-thinking his plans for the near future with the March 5 trade deadline not too far away. wholesale jerseys . -- The Royals expect to place left-hander Bruce Chen on the disabled list with a swollen disc in his back that has already caused the club to juggle its starting rotation.INDIANAPOLIS -- Of the three quarterbacks projected to be picked at the top of the NFL draft this year, Blake Bortles is considered to be the most raw. This, he freely admits. "I have no problem with that. I need coaching. I need help. I think everybody in the game does," Bortles said. He is also determined to make up the difference, fueled by the belief he can become the best prospect at this heralded and critical position. "Im going to do everything that I can here to make sure that when I leave theres other people saying that besides me," Bortles said Friday at the NFLs annual scouting combine. Bortles was measured at an ideal 6-foot-5 and 232 pounds. He has a strong arm and decent athleticism for his size. He didnt face consistently top-tier competition at Central Florida, but he has shown steady improvement and shined at the Fiesta Bowl in his last college game before deciding to skip his senior season. "To give you a complete evaluation at this point, I dont think Im ready to do that, but I can tell you weve watched enough that were very intrigued by him, the traits he has: big, tall, timing, accuracy, decision making," Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley said. "Those are the things we take a close look at." With Houston at No. 1, Jacksonville at No. 3, Cleveland at No. 4, Oakland at No. 5, and Minnesota at No. 8, teams all seeking a long-term solution at quarterback, there is almost no way Bortles, Texas A&Ms Johnny Manziel or Louisvilles Teddy Bridgewater will still be available after that. Bridgewater, who wasnt available to reporters on Friday, declared early for the draft like the two others. But he is the most polished. "You can put the tape in and watch him do things and say, yeah, that translates to the next level," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. "Hes not as much a wild card as Manziel, and I think hes more developed in his reads and throws than Bortles. So thats why I say I think hes the most ready to play." Bortles will throw in front of the teams and their evaluators Sunday when the quarterbacks test their skills at Lucas Oil Stadium. It is a seemingly simple decision now seen as risky by some prospects under advisement from agents to limit their participation to pro day workouts on their own campuses. Bortles stood at a podium Friday with poise, polish and plenty of confidence, not brash but sure sounding ready for whatever the NFL will bring. jerseys from china. . He revealed Brett Favre as his childhood favourite and said he sees Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck as contemporary examples of the type of quarterback he can develop into. He even boldly mentioned Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. "By no means am I those guys," he said, adding: "I 100 per cent believe that eventually I can do what those guys do." Bortles also emphasized his character during the mini-sales pitch he made to the media, undoubtedly similar to what hes sharing with the teams themselves during screening interviews throughout the weekend. "I wont embarrass an organization off the field by making maybe bad decisions or anything like that," Bortles said. "I wont embarrass my familys name, and will be a trustworthy guy and a trustworthy player." Perhaps that was a subtle shot at Manziel, the biggest headliner of this class. Manziel was all business in his news conference Friday, but he wont soon escape the tales of off-the-field shenanigans and questions of character that have followed him from Texas A&M. In many ways, Bortles is the opposite of Manziel, starting with the skill sets. "He is a big guy. He is athletic. He is a competitive guy," said Houston coach Bill OBrien, whose Penn State team was beaten by Bortles and Central Florida last year. "It has been fun to watch him play on tape. It will be good to work him out here." Derek Carr of Fresno State, Jimmy Garappolo of Eastern Illinois, and A.J. McCarron of Alabama comprise the consensus next tier of 2014 quarterback prospects. McCarron, of course, has what none of the others do: two national championships. In the hyper-saturated world of professional football analysis, somehow those titles have managed to become a potential weakness for McCarron, who had the benefit of maybe the most talented roster in the country around him. "Everybody says I played behind NFL talent at Alabama. Well, usually thats whats in the NFL: NFL talent. So I dont know how that can be a knock, really," he said, embracing the old chip-on-the-shoulder mentality. "Ive been disrespected my whole college career, because I won." cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
