8A - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 17, 2006
Success
without
practice
By DANIEL BROMWICH
Daily Sports Writer
To get into Harvard, you have to study hard.
But to beat the Crimson in basketball, the Wol-
verines
hopethey
don't
have to. Harvard
When -at Michigan
it takes Matchup: Harvard 1,
the
Crisler K
Arena When: Tonight,7p.m
floor at Where: Crsder Arena
7 p.m. TV/Radio: WTKA 1050o
tonight,
Michigan
will be playing its fifth game in eight days. For
Harvard, it will be just its third game of the
season.
With the seemingly non-stop games, the
Wolverines have not had much chance to
practice. Following Wednesday's close con-
test against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Michigan
coach Tommy Amaker voiced some concerns
about the flurry of early-season games.
"We are trying to make sure that we are
ready for game night and prepare for our oppo-
nent, and so there's a lot ofislippage in our game
right now," Amaker said. "That's the downside
of having a lot of games very quickly at this
time of the year. We are still a work in progress
obviously, and not having the time to get on the
practice floor to work out some of the kinks
that we need to hurts us."
But when asked if there was an upside to
playing so many games to start the season,
Amaker had a simple reply.
"Well, the fact that we're 4-0."
Senior Dion Harris proposes another posi-
tive of the frequent games.
"I think it keeps you in a rhythm," Har-
ris said. "When you have a week off between
games, sometimes your rhythm isn't there. I
think it's been great so far."
Few would argue with the results the inces-
sant games have produced. The Wolverines
have faced some early-season tests, nota-
bly matchups against tournament-seasoned
Davidson and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but have
come out on top each time. These tests have
allowed Michigan to gain a little experience
in overcoming adversity, and adjusting to the
style of the team they face.
But one player who hasn't had to withstand
much of a challenge so far is center Courtney
Sims.
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Finesse line to
fuel power play
0
By NATE SANDALS
Daily Sports Writer
In order to see if it can get things
going on the power play this weekend,
Michigan first has to go across the
state.
When the Wolverines travel to Big
Rapids for two games against Ferris
State this weekend, they will showcase
two new power-play units.
"We
tried
to split Michian
our top
scor- " at Ferris State
ers up
and p w Matchup: Mich igan
themon 7-3-0; Ferris State
two dif- 3-6-1,
ferent Wh" ijTu o ht id
Michns extamn offnse asne
t-s Tohs orrow, 7:05 pm
theuCHA
far)," Where: Big Rapids
Michi-g
gan assistant coach Mel Pearson said.
"Now we're going to try and overload
and see if we get at least one group
going on the power play."
"Going" is just about d."Wth ling
Michigan's extra-man offense has done
this season. The power play is just 10-
for-58 this season, ranking eighth in
the CCHA.
Michigan's newly loaded top-power-
play line features three of the team's
most prolific scorers: T.J. Hensick,
Chad Kolarik and Andrew Cogliano.r
"There's much more skill on (the new
line), there's going to be a lot more puck
control," Hensick said. "With Cogliano
and Kolarik now on my unit, hopefully
we'll get things going."
The trio has a combined 44 points in
Michigan's 10 games this season.
Considering the team's offensive
prowess, the Wolverines' power-play
struggles have been a mystery of sorts
this season.
Michigan has the nation's best
offense - scoring nearly five goals
per game - but its power play ranks
just 26th.
Early in the season, the Michigan
power play lagged because it was look-
ing for the perfectgoal. There were too
many passes and too few shots. The
larger forwards spent too much time
passing and not enough time camped
out in front of the goalie.
Those problems have subsided
in recent weeks, but new ones have
emerged.
Last weekend against Nebraska-
Omaha, Michigan went 0-for-7 with
a man advantage and didn't move the
puck quickly enough against the Maver-
icks' pressure penalty-killingstrategy.
Poor power-play production haunt-
ed Michigan last year, too. The Wolver-
ines converted on less than 20 percent
of their man-advantage opportunities.
This week, it doesn't appear as if it
will get any easier as Michigan (4-2-0
CCHA, 7-3-0 overall) will test out its
new power play against a respectable
Bulldog unit that ranks fifth in the con-
ference.
Add to that the fact that Michigan
has struggled in recent trips to Ewig-
leben Ice Arena (2-5-1 in its last eight
games), and a weekend against a peren-
nial middle-of-the road conference
opponent becomes that much more
harrowing.
Even though Ferris State (1-4-1, 3-6-
1) currently stands second to last in the
conference, it has had to struggle with
an early-season trip to Fairbanks and a
difficult home-and-home with Michi-
gan State.
Despite the apparent difficulties the
weekend presents, senior captain Matt
Hunwick is looking forward to the
chance to get out of town.
"It's going to be a good test for our
team, seeing how we respond playing
in a new atmosphere without all our
fans there," Hunwick said.
NOTE: Michigan added four more
prospects to its 2007 recruiting class,
bringing the total number to nine. The
newest additions include Swedish for-
ward Carl Hagelin and Matt Rust of
the U.S. National Team Development
Program. Forward Max Pacioretty and
goalie Bryan Hogan also signed letters
of intent yesterday.
EM MA NO L AN
Senior center Courtney Sims will square off against 7-foot H arvard center Brian Cusworth t<
The senior has played against just two play-
ers taller than 6 foot 9 (Eastern Michigan's
Chris Knaub and Kyle Dodd) in three games.
For the 6-foot-11 Sims, neither the Eagles' big
men or the rest of his vertically challenged
opponents presented much of a problem.
On the young season, Sims is averaging
almost 18 points and seven rebounds per game.
He finished with fewer than 17 points in just
one game, and has been demanding the ball in
the post more frequently than in past seasons.
And when he gets the ball, he's been finishing.
"It's what he should do," Amaker said. "If
he has a size advantage, then we should take
advantage of it. It's nice to see him produce the
way we think he's capable of."
Tonight's game might provide a taller order
for Sims. The Harvard (1-1) roster includes 7-
foot center Brian Cusworth, who averages
22 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, both of
which lead the team. In the Crimson's recent
loss to Boston University, he tallied 24 points,
nine boards and three blocked shots.
But for Sims, who has traditionally strug-
gled against the big, talented players he sees in
the Big Ten, it's not the height of the player that
prepares him for the conference season.
"Our conference is the most physical con-
ference, so it depends on how (Harvard's) big
guy is," Sims said. "Eastern had a 7-footer too,
so it really depends on how the big guy plays,
you know, if he's physical, if he's a finesse-type
player. Just because a guy is tall doesn't mean
he's going to be tougher."
With the lack of available practice time
due to the constant game action, the players
have not had too much time to look at Har-
vard before tonight's game. Even the Boston
native Sims was not familiar with the 7-foot-
er on the team.
But the Wolverines can infer at least one
thing about the Crimson.
"I expect them to be an intelligent team,"
Harris said.
CHECK OUT OUR COVERAGE OF WOMEN'S
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MICHIGANDAILY.COM.
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