SAN ANTONIO – John Beilein walked to the podium this past fall with an exasperated grin on his face.
His team’s identity was still months away from being realized. His point guard situation was murky. No one knew what to make of his bench. His freshmen were nowhere near ready.
“It’s going to be quite a journey this season,” Beilein said back then. “Quite a journey.”
If only he knew.
That journey took Michigan from unranked to a second consecutive Big Ten tournament title in early March and then a magical five-game run through the NCAA tournament.