IOWA CITY – He may be a fan favorite in Ann Arbor, but Graham Brown isn’t making very many friends at other Big Ten schools.
First, Wisconsin’s Kammron Taylor felt the wrath of the 6-foot-9 power forward. Then, on Saturday, Iowa’s Jeff Horner ran into the brick wall known as Hambone.
The most recent collision occurred with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. With his team trailing 27-28, Brown looked to open the corner up for teammate Daniel Horton. He set a screen on an unsuspecting Horner, who ran into Brown and immediately crumbled to the ground. Brown then rolled off the screen and toward the basket. He proceeded to take a Horton pass and turn it into a lay-up, giving Michigan a 29-28 lead.
“I was just trying to get my guy open on the wing,” Brown said. “He just ran into me. It was nothing crazy.”
But just like last week – malicious intent or not – it seemed to open the floodgates for the other team.
The referee stopped the game after it appeared Horner was injured. Iowa coach Steve Alford took the opportunity to yell at the officials – seemingly convinced the pick was illegal.
The Hawkeyes came out of the break with revenge on their minds. They finished the half’s final four minutes on a 15-4 run. The lead Brown gave Michigan was its last of the game.
“Right around that time, we had a couple turnovers that were key,” Brown said. “There was a turn in the game at that point . in the second half, they just ran away with it.”
On Jan. 28, the same effect occurred against Wisconsin. A blindside pick set by Brown sent Wisconsin’s Taylor to the floor. He reentered the game less than a minute later and scored 13 points in the game’s final 2:17, almost leading an improbable comeback for the Badgers.
“That was probably one of the biggest hits (I’ve put on someone playing basketball)” Brown said earlier in the week. “It was pretty good. Unfortunately, his teammate didn’t call the pick for him, and he took a big blow.
“I don’t necessarily feel bad when I do it, but I’m not trying to hurt anyone.”
Unlike at Crisler Arena, where his pick on Taylor was embraced, Brown was feverishly booed for the rest of Saturday’s game.
Every time he touched the ball, checked into or left the game, the Mio native was greeted by jeers from the 15,550 people who packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Despite hearing decibel levels arguably louder than anywhere he had played this year, Brown maintained that the crowd had no effect on him.
“I don’t really even hear anything out there,” Brown said.
Even after seeing the way opposing teams and players have responded in the past few weeks after his picks, the senior says the next time the opportunity arises to set another one, he won’t think twice when it comes to making his decision.
“I won’t be afraid to do it,” Brown said.