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Lankinen played a better game than the final score would indicate, but the Rangers had two factors going their way: For stretches, they kept the Hawks in their zone and they effectively used seam passes to catch Lankinen on the backdoor — and Lankinen played a role in that, leaving his open side a little too open.
“We’ve got to be consistent with what we’re doing,” Dalton said. “To have that last drive (against the Lions), to go on the long drive that allows us to win the game, kick the field goal right at the end, there’s stuff we can build off of for sure. We have to carry a little bit of that momentum into this week and where we’re going from here on out.”
“I know and believe in what is happening … and if it is meant to be, it will be,” Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said of his team’s chances for a playoff spot. “I don’t think these guys can be denied. Just the way they answered the bell and everything they have done all year. It would be a shame for them to be denied.”
The Wolverines handed the Hawkeyes (10-3) their second straight title-game loss and prevented coach Kirk Ferentz from capturing his first conference championship since 2004. Iowa lost to Michigan State in the 2015 title game, and this one came on a night both quarterbacks, Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla, struggled against the Wolverines.
“In my mind, it’s just win,” DeRozan said. “Win. Whatever it takes. My mindset just shifts. I’m not thinking about failure. I’m not thinking about missing shots. Everything is just about being aggressive. Whatever the result is after that, I just lock in and turn into something else mentally.”
“The resiliency they’ve shown all year makes this so special,” Saban said. “Winning the game as we did last week, playing a game today to a level that most people probably didn’t expect, I’m really proud of this bunch. They’ve shown tremendous ability to overcome adversity all year long.”
“Why not?” said former DePaul forward Tom Kleinschmidt, who is coach at DePaul Prep. “The ‘L’ series, I don’t know why (it stopped). It would great to see them play every year, home-and-home. The atmosphere is great here. This is the best it’s been in a while — loud, exciting, and it’s a great place to play. If we keep getting wins, it’ll be fun.”
Hagel, who’s 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds, said, “It was one of those things that I’ve always been the slim kid that needs to put on weight, but I’m pretty strong in certain areas that I need to be, especially in the corners. I’m not afraid to go in there.
“I think there was some hope and some optimism that we passed this going into this season. That certainly hasn’t happened,” Donovan said. “There’s a lot of inconveniences. Things can get frustrating and annoying. You worry about, you know, are you infected? Are you healthy? We’ve got a couple (of) teammates and guys on the team that have tested positive, so sure some of that stuff goes to those guys minds.”
Loyola Ramblers forward Aher Uguak (30), left, and guard Braden Norris (4) grab teammate forward Chris Knight (23) after a play as DePaul Blue Demons guard Javon Freeman-Liberty (4) looks up at the official in the second half at Wintrust Arena on Dec. 4, 2021, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)