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March 03, 2008 - Image 12

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The Michigan Daily, 2008-03-03

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4B - Monday, March 3, 2008

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

Defensive letdowns continue to plague Wolverines

6

STATE COLLEGE -
hen John Beilein came
to Michigan from
West Virginia, Wol-'
verine fans had visions of players
routinely draining clutch shots
from downtown.
Catch-and-shoot, pro-range,
he-shouldn't-
shoot-from-
that-far
distance.
They've
seen those
shots fall, all
right.
The prob- IAN
lem is, those ROBINSON
buckets have
been made by
opposing teams.
This season, the Wolverines
have made 17 fewer 3-pointers
than their opponents, despite
attempting 80 more.
For a stretch in the second half
Saturday, Penn State knocked
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down five straight 3-pointers.
Michigan tried to respond with its
own deep shots. Three times, the
Wolverines tried a trey to stop the
run. None of them fell.
"It just shows you the value of
having a good shooting team,"
Beilein said.
That's not something Beilein
has right now.
Two of Michigan's top perim-
eter shooters, Anthony Wright
and DeShawn Sims, went a com-
bined 0-for-tO from beyond the
arc against Penn State.
Penn State's two top shooters
went 12-for-20 from downtown.
There's not much more Beilein
could have done about his own
players. He put a special emphasis
on shooting during summer work-
outs and has continued with that
focus.
It's the other team's shooting
that's been the real problem.
It's no coincidence the Wol-
verines have repeatedly allowed
RATKOWIAK
From page 1B
bottom-feeder Ohio State, right
after the Wolverines won the
College Hockey Showcase for the
first time in recent history. Its
unacceptable two-point weekend
against Northern Michigan came
a week before the most hyped
series of the season, against then-
No. 1 Miami (Ohio).
I'm not implying Saturday's
game had any clout in the stand-
ings, because it didn't. But
Michigan did itself a disservice by
skidding into the postseason with
an overtime loss to a.500 team.
The top-ranked Wolverines were
a minute and 38 seconds away
from leaving with a tie, but that's
still better than skating off the ice
to the sound of Ferris State fans
pounding on the glass and "over-
rated" chants.
And in the first round of the
CCHA playoffs, Michigan will be
playing another basement-dwell-

opposing players to have career
nights from behind the arc.
The perimeter defense has
been porous, and opponents have
exposed those gaps.
' After 29 games, Michigan still
struggles toeffectively communi-
cate on the perimeter and switch
on screens.After Penn State's
Talor Battle and Mike Walker
torched the Wolverines for 36
points from the outside, freshman
Manny Harris said he thought
the team shouldn't still be strug-
gling this mightily guarding the
perimeter.,
The Nittany Lions looked like
they were on fire, NBA Jam-style,
but they were left open.
This late in the year, routinely
leaving guys open shouldn't be
a problem. By now, Michigan
primarily plays a man-to-man
defense - not a very complex
system.
Guard your man. If there is
a switch, pick up your new guy.
er. The highest possible seed it
will face next weekend is eighth.
While looking ahead to an almost-
inevitable semifinal matchup the
following weekend at Joe Louis
Arena, Michigan could fall back
into the same lazy mindset.
The Wolverines could have
made excuses Saturday. Sauer was
resting for the playoffs. Forward
Louie Caporusso was sick. But the
rest of the lineup was the same as
the night before, and it just looked
like they didn't care.
After Michigan's 3-3 tie against
Northern Michigan Feb. 1, Kolarik
said, "We took it for granted, and
they took it to us."
Exactly a month later, their lack
of desperation and intensity were
the same. .
This season, the Wolverines
have emphasized improvement in
every series.
"We've been playing better
as of lately," defenseman Mark
Mitera said Friday. "It's one of our
goals we can check off this year."
Not yet. The penalty-killing

Stick with him.
It's not a skill issue, not some-
thing that has to wait for next
season. Defensive mentality can
change.
While Beilein couldn't turn
Sims into Kevin Pittsnogle over-
night;he could've transformed his
team's defensive mentality. But he
hasn't.
He could've lit a fire under his
team to get out and attack on the
perimeter, but the results aren't
there.
Michigan continues to allow
the deep shots and struggles to
make its own ones.
Beilein didn't inherita roster of
snipers. The Wolverines' skill set
might not match what he wants to
do on offense.
But that's no excuse for not
stopping what opponents want to
do on offense.
SAID ALSALAH/Daly
- Robinson can be reached Redshirt freshman Anthony Wright passes toa teammate against Penn State on Sat-
at irobi@umich.edu. urday. Michigan has struggled on defense, allowing almost 69 poirts per game.

a

unit took a giant step back this
weekend, allowing three power-
play goals Friday and two Satur-
day.
Yes, the offense was still
impressive. Michigan's stilla
great team. But it better hope
Saturday's game was its last lack-
luster effort.
"We're not going tobe a good
playoff team based on that game,
so you know, we've got a little bit
of soul searching to do," Berenson
said Saturday.
Michigan will find that talent
won't push it through the post-
season. Heart and grit will carry
this team, just like they have all
season.
The Wolverines showed neither
in Big Rapids.
They need to have both every
night, or they're going to choke in
the playoffs.
And that's why Saturday was a
big deal.
- Ratkowiak can be reached
at cratkowi@umich,edu.

NITTANY LIONS
From page 1B
losses in a season - done.
"It can't get no worse," sopho-
more forward DeShawn Sims said.
Penn State (6-10 Big Ten, 14-14
overall) has had a tough year, too.
After playing well early in the sea-
son, the Nittany Lions lost their
best player, senior forward Geary
Claxton, for the season after he
tore his ACL in mid-January.
Saturday, both teams suffered
through a frustrating, unspectac-
ular opening frame in which both
coaches picked up technical fouls.
As the Nittany Lions were blowing
an 11-point lead midway through
the second half, their fortunes
worsened.
Freshman point guard Talor
Battle (19 points, nine rebounds
and four assists at the time)
drove to the hoop, but fell hard
on his tailbone after sophomore
Ekpe Udoh blocked his shot. As
the Bryce Jordan Center crowd
chanted "Talor Battle,' he went to
the locker room with the help of a
trainer.
Battle retuned to the game four
minutes later, and the Nittany
Lions promptly went on a 15-0 run
with five 3-pointers. Senior Mike
Walker hit three, and Battle made

two and assisted two of Walker's.
On the final triple, Battle got
caught in the air at the top of the
key and threw the ball to the right
elbow in the direction of Walker.
Walker, who said he didn't know
where he was on the court, circled
the bouncing ball and shot almost
as he picked it up.
"Oh, that was drawn up,"
said Battle, whose 28 points, 13
rebounds and six assists overshad-
owed Michigan freshman Manny
Harris's career-high 29 points.
As Penn State pulled away in
the second half, Beilein shuffled
Sims (1-for-10, three turnovers)
and senior Ron Coleman (2-for-6,
two turnovers) in and out of the
lineup, looking for a contribution
from either. It never came.
By the time it was all over, Penn
State's 3-point-field-goal percent-
age was 20 points higher than
Michigan's overall field-goal per-
centage.
"They're home and we're away,"
Sims said, explaining the Wolver-
ines' shooting woes. "Guys hit
shots. Everybody can't be on."
The defeat, which gave Michi-
gan its second-ever 20-loss season
(1959-60) dragged out its misery,
ending two hours and 14 minutes
after the scheduled tip.
"It was a unique game," Beilein
said. "Let's just say that."

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REMINDER!!!
Applications to run in the MSA
Winter Term Elections are due
tomorrow (March 4, 2008) at 5pm
in the MSA Office (3909 Michigan
Union).
Applications can be found in the
MSA Office or on our website,
www.nisa.Umich.edu.
TAGLTIT- n L'3n
00, BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL
www.birthrightisriel.com

6

9

Jennifer Crocker
Claude M. Steele Collegiate Professor
of Psychology
The Costly Pursuit
of Self Esteem
1Student Experiences
at U of M

I

I I

9

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