No boycott for Michigan, looking forward to Dance
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Michigan players aren’t ready to give up their one shining moment.
In the growing controversy surrounding the debate over whether collegiate athletes should be paid, several Wolverines vehemently rejected the notion they should boycott the NCAA Tournament in an act of protest.
Earlier this week, former Michigan star and Fab Five member Jalen Rose publicly campaigned for players to boycott the NCAA Tournament in an attempt to leverage the NCAA, which generates nearly $1 billion in revenue on a yearly basis, to reconsider their position on compensating players beyond four-year scholarships.
“No. I’m definitely not going to boycott the NCAA Tournament,” said senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, laughing, following Michigan’s 77-71 overtime win over Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament Thursday. “I’m not going to even express my opinion on that. I mean there’s stuff going on — you see it, you hear about it, but it is what it is. You still have to go out there and play the game.”
“I wish NCAA players understood the power that they now have,” Rose said on ESPN’s “Jalen and Jacoby” on Tuesday. “In a climate of so many things that are changing, so many discussions that have now come to the forefront that have been closeted for so very long — for a multitude of reasons. I wish NCAA players would exercise that power by boycotting the NCAA Tournament.”
Star big man Moe Wagner called Rose’s suggestion “interesting” but said he decided to simply focus on basketball after talking with teammates.
“It’s interesting and we talked about it,” Wagner said. “It’s a very interesting view. …But I’ve got to be honest, I’m not trying to comment on that, and just play basketball — that’s all I’m focusing on.”
Charles Matthews, Michigan’s second-leading scorer, said, “The NCAA is a big money-making business. “I think that’s really obvious. We just come out here and we do our job and try to compete and win as many games as we can.”
Sophomore guard Zavier Simpson said he’s happy with his scholarship and opted not to comment any further.
“I’m happy. I have a scholarship. I’m playing for Michigan. That’s it. I’m neutral, I don’t want to be on this side, that side,” Simpson said. “That stuff is serious and I don’t want to get involved with the FBI or any of that. I’m happy with my scholarship.”
The debate over paying athletes was recently brought back into the spotlight due to a Yahoo Sports report claiming the FBI discovered during its investigation of the NCAA that several high-profile current and former players — including Dennis Smith, Markelle Fultz and Miles Bridges, among others — received payments from former agent Andy Miller to convince them to sign with his agency, ASM Sports.
RUTGERS UPSETS INDIANA: Corey Sanders scored 28 points and last-place Rutgers upset Indiana, 76-69, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, the Scarlet Knights most notable accomplishment in four seasons since joining the conference. The No. 14 Scarlet Knights (15-18) face third seed and No. 8 Purdue on Friday.
lThe 5-seed Wolverines will face No. 4 Nebraska Friday after overcoming a sloppy performance to hold off Iowa in overtime at the Garden. Iowa’s Luke Garza and Isaiah Moss missed consecutive potential game-tying three-pointers, allowing Michigan to close out the game with three free throws.
l Brevin Pritzl broke a tie with a foul-line jumper with 28 seconds left and Khalil Iverson secured the win with a steal in the waning seconds, leading Wisconsin past Maryland, 59-54.
l Tony Carr scored 25 points and hit two 3-pointers and set up another in the final minutes as Penn State made a late rush to hold off Northwestern 65-57.