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Men's Basketball
Turner the Latest Buckeye Villain For Downtrodden Wolverines
By Brandon Castel

INDIANAPOLIS – After Evan Turner stuck a season-ending dagger into Michigan’s heart Friday, one Wolverine beat writer proclaimed “the Red Sox have Bill ‘Freaking’ Buckner, we have Evan ‘Freaking’ Turner.”

The statement was a bit dramatic considering Buckner played in the World Series and this was the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, but it seemed to reflect the emotion of the times.

There was a time not too long ago when things were good in Ann Arbor.

A time before Jim Tressel.

Before Thad Matta.

And before Jim Foster.

A time when Lloyd Carr had John Cooper in his back pocket and the University of Michigan had never committed a major NCAA violation.

Those days are ancient history. A fading memory evaporating faster than water from the new Nike Pro Combat jerseys, which of course they cannot wear in Ann Arbor because they signed a contract with Adidas.

Today’s Michigan is a much darker place. A place where Rich Rodriguez walks in the shadows and John Beilein forgets to guard Evan Turner on the final possession of a two-point game (seriously, what was he thinking)?

To make matters worse, while things are rapidly spiraling into the Dark Ages up north (even the hockey team finished seventh in the CCHA), there is a renaissance taking place less than 200 miles south on US-23 in Columbus.

With Turner’s game-winning shot falling from 37 feet, Michigan’s 2009-10 basketball season has all but come to a close. Yet another disappointing season under Beilein, for whom they paid good money to pilfer from West Virginia (sounds familiar doesn’t it)?

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes wrapped up their third regular-season Big Ten Championship in the last five years under Matta. They’ve won six straight in women’s hoops under Foster and five straight under Tressel on the gridiron, where it has always mattered most. Even the men’s soccer, men’s tennis, men’s swimming and baseball teams have won Big Ten titles for Ohio State in the last year.

Of course Michigan does have the market cornered on ice dancing, but let’s be honest, that’s already a pretty dark place to begin with.

With his gut-wrenching shot, Turner became the latest in what is quickly becoming a long line of Ohio State villains for “that school up north.” He scored 18 points and dished out eight assists as the Buckeyes discarded the Wolverines from post-season play, but it was his half-court buzzer beater hat inflicted the maximum damage on Michigan.

Evan Turner launches the shot that ripped the hearts from the chests of the Michigan faithful.
Photo by Jim Davidson

The players may have taken a moral victory away from hanging with the No. 5 team in the country, but it didn’t show in the locker room, where some hung their heads while others tried to disappear into their own lockers.

It was true devastation.

And that says nothing of the Maize and Blue fans, who likely would have preferred a blowout because at least that is something they’re used to. Instead they had their hearts ripped from their chests at the last possible second (0.2 seconds to be exact).

The Wolverines did beat the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor during the regular season, their second win in 13 tries against Matta, but it came when it Turner was out of the lineup with a broken back.

Over his last four games against the Wolverines dating back to last season, Turner is averaging 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. All wins.

In Turner’s only loss to Michigan, an 80-70 defeat in Ann Arbor his freshman year, the Chicago native went for 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

As a freshman.

During his three seasons in Columbus, he has quickly joined the ranks of Troy Smith, Jonathan Wells, Anthony Gonzalez, Vernon Gholston and Beanie Wells as one of the top Wolverine killers of the last decade.

There have been a lot of heartbreaking moments for the Wolverines in recent years, but Friday’s shot by Turner may have been the hardest stomach. At least until the next one.

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