Michigan Basketball's Long Climb Back Is Nearly Complete ANN ARBOR, Mich. - John Beilein acknowledged he might have underestimated the task ahead when he became the Michigan men's basketball coach in 2007. He likened rebuilding the Wolverines" faded program to buying a house needing serious renovations: a lot of things needed to be changed and upgraded, but the framework and the location looked really good. Beilein has made progress in Michigan's physical, mental and strategic rebuilding, as the team has taken a big leap forward this season. Michigan (22-8, 12-5 Big Ten) is tied for second in the conference with Ohio State, and behind Michigan State, with one game left in the regular season. "I always saw the potential here, saw what this could become with hard work, and did the things we needed to do on and off the court," Beilein said. Seeing that potential gives you the energy to do this. But we're not done yet, we're still progressing and building on a good foundation. The Wolverines want to take a serious step forward in the coming weeks, aiming for the Big Ten tournament title and a deep run in the N.C.A.A. tournament. They have struggled to reach the heights the program attained during a memorable run in the late 1980s through the early "90s. Michigan's last Big Ten regular-season title came in 1986, its lone N.C.A.A. championship in 1989. Michigan was runner-up for the national title in 1992 and 1993, but those achievements were vacated because of N.C.A.A. violations. The Wolverines have reached the N.C.A.A. tournament twice since Beilein arrived from West Virginia, losing in the second round both times. The under-construction meme is metaphor and reality for Michigan. Beilein's spacious, bright office in the recently opened William Davidson Player Development Center faces a construction site. The $24.5 million complex, which contains practice courts, offices and training facilities for the men's and women's basketball teams, is only a piece of a bigger project. A $54 million plan will expand 44-year-old Crisler Center, with a private club, improved areas for fans and more retail space. The first phase of the renovation replaced the seats, scoreboard, infrastructure and roof of the facility last year. Michigan's investment in the arena, and by proxy the basketball team, is taken as a vote of confidence by the players and members of the basketball staff. The Wolverines nearly went undefeated this season at Crisler, ending up at 15-1 after losing to Purdue last Saturday. "I never could have imagined this when I came here," the senior guard Zack Novak said. It's like Christmas every day, having a great place to practice and play, all the fan support, and we're working hard and getting the wins. We've all had our hearts broken here, so we really appreciate things we're getting and how they're coming to us. It's setting us up for even bigger successes now and in the future. The Wolverines think they are on equal footing, on and off the court, with their archrival Michigan State. While Michigan's program fell apart on and off the court, Michigan State surged under Tom Izzo. The Spartans, who have clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title, have put together a deep legacy since 1994: winning the 2000 N.C.A.A. tournament and reaching six Final Fours while collecting seven regular-season Big Ten championships. In his early days at Michigan, Beilein made a trip to Michigan State to tour its basketball facilities. He said he was impressed by the practice courts, office space and meeting rooms for the men's and women's teams. "I was told Crisler was old, but I thought it looked fine until I saw what Michigan State had," Beilein said. That really opened my eyes that we needed to do something. The renovated Crisler Center's now matches the Spartans" Breslin Center, and the basketball tide could be turning. Michigan has beaten Michigan State in three of their past four meetings. "We notice that people aren't talking about us yet," the sophomore shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. said. We turn on the TV and hear ESPN talking about Ohio State and Michigan State, and that's fine. We're the underdogs. We're going to take care of that by winning, and we feel we're a team that could win the national championship this year. We believe. Hardaway and the freshman point guard Trey Burke have become an explosive backcourt combination. Novak and his fellow senior Stu Douglass provide the toughness and calm underpinning Michigan's play this year. "I never saw myself as a leader, but I grew into it and I really like being that person on the floor," said Douglass, whom Beilein described as the team's Dalai Lama for the way he quietly counsels younger teammates. I think we've all grown and gotten better. I see where we've come from and this is the best team I've been on here. There is a clear, easy chemistry between the players and the coaching staff, with plenty of friendly ribbing and laughs during film sessions and practices. Beilein awarded Burke a maize-and-blue sledgehammer during a recent film session, signifying commendable defense and rebounding in a 67-55 overtime win over Northwestern on Feb. 21. The sledgehammer was awarded with the playing of M C Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" video on the screen in the room, eliciting a little shimmy from Beilein and a bigger one from Burke with his sledgehammer. Laughs rang out from every player and coach before everyone got back to business. The assistant Bacari Alexander has been trying to share a little of the Michigan attitude online, through his Twitter account. He has written more than 12,000 entries in two years at Michigan, with more than 5,100 followers getting his "Wolverine Revolution"-themed posts. "What I am saying on Twitter is more than a slogan or attitude; it's who we are," Alexander said. We've been changing everything we do to get better, and having this social media side is part of it. Anything we can do to convey how Michigan is evolving, and to be a positive force of change, is what we are about. Michigan basketball is being rebuilt, we are coming back, and we're going to take it to new places.