Michigan basketball wears practice jerseys in Big Ten Tournament
Mar 9, 2017, 4:02 PM
Michigan guard Zak Irvin (21) and forward D.J. Wilson (5) react as they walk off the court after an NCAA college basketball game in the Big Ten tournament, Thursday, March 9, 2017, in Washington. Michigan won 75-55. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Difficulties with airline travel aren’t uncommon, but Michigan basketball’s recent trip to the Big Ten Tournament was quite an ordeal.
It started when their flight sustained an aborted takeoff in Michigan and proceeded to skid off the runway. Everyone on board was fine, but the incident forced the Wolverines to leave their uniforms behind inside the plane’s storage compartments.
When they got to Verizon Center for their game against Illinois (which was delayed 20 minutes to accommodate the issues), Michigan was forced to wear its practice jerseys.
After a plane accident on the runway in Ann Arbor yesterday, #Michigan is wearing practice jerseys at Big Ten Tournament today (@umichbball) pic.twitter.com/MDEDe1ydIw
— ThePostGame (@ThePostGame) March 9, 2017
Now we huddle and hydrate!#GoBlue 〽 pic.twitter.com/TFCw7AHaPC
— Michigan Basketball (@umichbball) March 9, 2017
Michigan head coach John Beilein told WXYZ Detroit that everyone on the plane handled the situation with poise and, more importantly, that everyone’s okay.
“It puts so much in perspective right now, that everybody’s safe,” Beilein said. “We’ve got a few people banged up a little bit, a few cuts, a few bruises. But other than that, everybody’s healthy and it could have been much worse.”
Impressively, the Wolverines went on to beat Illinois — in its practice jerseys after a plane wreck — 75-55.
