Wet and wild! UM's Beilein sports Super Soaker in celebration

John Beilein is known for his meticulous preparation.

And, boy, did he come prepared to the Michigan locker room following Sunday afternoon's stunning, 73-69 victory over Louisville in a Midwest Regional game in Indianapolis.

With his players awaiting his arrival in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse locker room, Beilein turned the corner -- and had a surprise.

Sporting a Super Soaker water gun, he started dousing his players, who after previous wins this postseason have drenched their 64-year-old coach.

"The Super Soaker, I think it was (wife) Kathleen's idea," Beilein said. "She had it under surveillance. It was a little bit of a clandestine operation where she had it and then she snuck it to (equipment manager) Bob Bland and I was armed and ready to go. I went into this game with a lot of confidence I was going to use it at the end of that game. At the end of the first half I wasn't so sure the Super Soaker was ever going to be known I had it. We withstood everything they had and won the game."

Michigan has won six consecutive postseason games — four in four days to win the Big Ten tournament, and now two in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Sweet 16 next weekend in Kansas City, Mo.

The Wolverines have taken to having water fights in the immediate aftermath of postseason games, though until Sunday's win, they had been spraying bottled water.

Michigan, a No. 7 seed, will next play the winner of Sunday's later game between No. 11 Rhode Island and No. 3 Oregon.