0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
January 11, 2010 - 3B
M' defense
struggles
in second
half, again
NORTHWESTERN
From page 1B
It's as simple as that.
And Michigan's defense,
which feeds off offensive suc-
cess, struggled in the second
half, too. Northwestern shot
7-for-10 from beyond the arc
and tallied 40 points after half-
time alone. The lack of defen-
sive pressure made it all too
easy for the Wildcats to claw
back into the game.
"We were distracted by our
lack of offense, and that's just
the story of this team," Beilein
said when asked why his team
collapsed. "There was no com-
placency."
Worries of complacency
should have been at the fore-
front of every Wolverine's mind
at halftime Sunday afternoon.
Just three nights earlier, they
had been the stars of an incred-
ible comeback story, storming
back from a 16-point deficit to
defeat Penn State on the road.
Sunday's game felt all too simi-
lar - but from the opposite
point of view.
In the postgame locker room,
reporter after reporter asked
players what exactly happened.
Blank stares and dejected
expressions answered the ques-
tion better than words could
have.
Nobody knew what hap-
pened, nobody could come up
with ideas to fix the team's
problems, and certainly, nobody
felt good after Sunday's loss.
"It's real confusing," sopho-
more guard Stu Douglass said.
"I'm not sure, you know. I think
it starts with leadership at all
positions. We all have to step
up.
"We have to get a lot better
than we were today."
BURNS
From page 1B
And until it defeats any team
of significance, it will continue to
be a mediocre squad which has
underperformed all season.
On paper, Michigan has one of
the best crops of talented play-
ers in the conference, maybe even
in the country. It boasts 11 NHL
draft-picks and a multitude of
other solid, well-rounded play-
ers. While counting the number
of NHL draftees isn't a fool-proof
method for assessing a team's tal-
ent, many Wolverines have been
recognized as players with the
skill-set to potentially have a shot
at the next level.
This team beat now-No. 4 Wis-
consin over Thanksgiving break
- its signature win of the season.
Michigan played one of its best
games of the season, defensively,
winning 3-2 in a "man's game,"
according to coach Red Berenson.
That win, in contrast with the
Wolverines' recent performance
on the ice, further indicates that
the team is playing beneath its
STAPLETON
From page 1B
to a Northwestern team play-
ing without its best player, senior
Kevin Koble.
And after every game, no mat-
ter the opponent, one of the first
things we hear from Beilein is how
good the opposingteam is.
It's one of the things I like about
Beilein. He's a good guy, and he is
very willing to give credit where
credit is due.
But here's the thing-the vast
majority (I might venture to say all)
of Michigan's losses this year can't
be blamed on how great the other
team was. They happened because
of this team's tendency to shoot
itself in the foot.
Come on a ride with me. Let me
take you back to Orlando, during
the Old Spice Classic, when Michi-
gan's season was still young and
full of promise.
Remember the first game,
against Creighton, when junior
Manny Harris had to carry the
Wolverines on his back to barely
eke out a win against the Jays?
"I truthfully believe we just beat
a very good team," Beilein said
after the game. "They've got a lot of
talent, and their fans are going to
enjoy watching them play, because
they're a good team."
What's Creighton's record now?
7-9.
They had me fooled, too. In
Beilein's defense, they did look like
a good team against Michigan. But
that was because the Wolverines
made them look like a good team,
not because they actually were.
Every Michigan loss besides
Kansas was to an inferior oppo-
nent. Take your pick-Marquette?
The Golden Eagles are 1-3 in the
Big East, 10-6 overall. Boston Col-
lege? 1-1 in the ACC, 10-6 overall.
After each of these losses, Beilein
made sure tolet us know just how
good these teams were and how
good they were supposed to be.
And against Northwestern
yesterday, it was the same story.
Michigan was at home. It came into
the game having won two Big Ten
games in a row. It even led by 17 at
one point. The Wolverines should
have won this game, and they lost
it not because Northwestern was
that much better, but because they
gave it away.
"They're a good team," Beilein
said yesterday. "They were nation-
ally ranked last week."
While there is some truth to that
assessment, it still doesn't explain
how a Wildcat team without its
' best player, coming off a 21-point
loss at home to Michigan State,
snatched away a game that looked
like it was 100 percent Michigan's
until the end of the first half.
The Wolverines are not losing
to great teams. They are beating
themselves. And while there are
clearly internal problems within
the team that need to be addressed,
want to know the real problem?
Pretty soon, Michigan is going to
start playing teams that actually
are great.
These first five Big Ten games
on the Wolverines' schedule (at
Indiana, home against Ohio State,
at Penn State, home against North-
western, home against Indiana)
were supposed to be relatively easy,
givingthem time to prepare for the
gauntlet that is the next two weeks.
After they take on Indiana at
Crisler on Thursday, the Wol-
verines have a brutal four-game
stretch, starting with Connecticut
at home on Jan. 17, then Jan 20 at
Wisconsin, Jan. 23 at Purdue, and
at home against Michigan State on
Jan. 26.
Certainly not for the faint of
heart. Michigan has officially
missed its chance to build up its Big
Ten resume by giving away two of
its early conference opportunities.
Now, it faces what is unquestion-
ably its toughest stretch of the sea-
son with a less-than-stellar record.
After losing so many early non-
conference games, the Wolverines'
only chance at an NCAA tourna-
ment berth is to tear through the
Big Ten, beat Connecticut for their
only relevant nonconference win,
and make a run in the Big Ten
Tournament. But unless they can
pinpoint what it is that causes them
to beat themselves, that doesn't
look like it's going to happen.
"We're better than this," Beilein
said yesterday.
It's true.
The Wolverines are better than
the team they played, better than
they themselves are playing, and
they're better than their record.
And when they fix whatever
internal problems are ailing them,
ARIEL BOND/Daily they might just have time to prove
onference. it.
::
Junior Manny Harris has carried the Wolverines' offense in the Big Ten, but Michigan remains 1-;
potential. But if they have the
skills, where is the success?
The Wolverines have been
swept by Miami and Michigan
State, No.1 and No. 2 in the CCHA
respectively, and they split series
with Ohio State and Bowling
Green.
The Wolverines' struggles must
stem from another fault - it could
be the lack of consistent play on
the defensive side of the redline.
Or it couldbe the inefficient power
play that has struggled to get the
puck on net. It could potentially be
any number of things.
"We'll turn it around," Beren-
son said after his team's second
loss to Michigan State in the mid-
dle of November. "It's just a matter
of when. It's like any team, there's
going to be a weak point in your
season."
The entire team is still experi-
encing that weak point, and the
transition from average to a team
in contention, still hasn't hap-
pened.
It'll be decided when the Wol-
verines face off against Alaska,
Ferris State and Michigan State
the next three weekends - three
of the top four teams in the CCHA.
So, in actuality, the sweep of
Western Michigan means nothing,
unless the Wolverines show some-
thing new in the next few weeks
- something that proves it was a
turning point.
Berenson said he breaks down
the season into small, 10-game
segments, where the coaching
staff and players analyze different
aspects of the team's performance
and how they can improve in the
coming weeks.
In the first 20 games, Michigan
finished with a sub-par 10-10 over-
all record.
The next 10 games will define
this team's season and whether
it makes it to the NCAA Tourna-
ment.
But for now, Michigan is noth-
ing exciting, and it must keep this
weekend's results in perspective.
It defeated a pitiful Bronco
team and until it knocks off a con-
ference powerhouse, the Wolver-
ines are and will continue to be
average.
- Burns can be reached
at burnmark@umichedu
WESTERN
From page 1B
weekend.
On Saturday, Junior defense-
man Chad Langlais wasted no
time, scoring 26 seconds into the
first period on a slap shot - the
fastest goal of the season for Mich-
igan and his first this season. Soph-
omore Brandon Burlon got a shot
through from the point that beat
the Broncos' goaltender on Friday.
Burlon and senior defender
Steve Kampfer each had a goal and
two assists on Friday.
Even though the defenders
contributed offensively, West-
ern Michigan (2-11-3-1, 6-12-4)
took advantage of a few uncon-
tested opportunities. The defense
responded with an energetic effort
Saturday that seemed to feed off of
the offense's success.
"I think it gives the defense
more confidence to step up, to play
more aggressive," junior forward
Matt Rust said. "The forwards
play off the 'D,' and the 'D' plays
off the forwards. If the forwards
are struggling then the 'D' feel like
they need to play more cautious propelled Michigan. And along
and their confidence goes down. I with a few of the regulars on the
think their confidence is up when stat sheet, like juniors Carl Hage-
we're scoring goals." lin and Louie Caporusso, Sparks is
Junior goalie Bryan Hogan starting to be a factor on the ice.
bounced back from a soft goal on And the offensive firepower
Friday to make some key saves the may be the key to success for
following night. Michigan for the rest of the sea-
Facing a five-on-three in the son. In the Wolverines losses,
they have scored an average of 1.4
goals per game, but when Michi-
"There's no room gan wins, it tallies 4.5 goals per
game. But the Wolverines haven't
for error at this been able to sustain the success -
or score big against ranked teams.
pOnt. Their longest winning streak of
the season is three games, and it
was matched with this weekend's
sweep.
middle of the second period, the Their inconsistency certainly
defense successfully killed off a has been noticed too. Michigan
five-on-three Western Michigan only sings "The Victors" after
advantage to preserve a 3-1 lead. it sweeps a weekend series, and
"That's a bigboost for our team," Berenson joked that his team had
senior defenseman Chris Summers forgotten the words.
said. "I think that was .a definite "There's no room for error at
turning point in the game saying, this point," Berenson said. "We've
'This is our game, and you can go got to take advantage of this week-
five-on-three or whatever, but end. I think it will give us con-
we're going to shut you down."' fidence. It got some guys on the
Hogan and the defense showed score sheet that haven't been on
up at a crucial time, but the offense the score sheet for a while."
Kelly's effort falls short in loss to Hoosiers
By FELIX CARREON
Daily Sports Writer
Before the start of the 200-yard
butterfly, the Michigan women's
swimming and diving team trailed
72-59 against Indiana in its first
home Big Ten dual meet of the sea-
son on Saturday.
It needed someone to step up.
To the surprise of no one, the
Wolverines' all-star senior swim-
mer Margaret Kelly answered the
call.
Kelly went stroke-for-stroke
with Hoosier Kate Zubcova dur-
ing the first 150 yards. In the final
50 yards, Kelly edged out the five-
time All-American- who domi-
nated in the Wolverines' Oct. 31
loss to Indiana- by 18 hundredths
of a second.
"Anytime you can have a best
time when you're not rested is
great," Kelly said. "I think I had
some extra motivation because
swimming against Indiana, they're
a very strong team and they won
Big Tens last year."
Too strong for the Wolverines,
perhaps. Despite Kelly's strong
performances, No. 16 Michigan
couldn't complete the comeback,
falling to No. 12 Indiana, 130-113.,
The Wolverines recently
endured the most difficult practic-
14 ft;
I
JAKE FROMM/Dail
Senior Margaret Kelly defeated Indiana's five-time All-American Kate Subcova to pace the Wolverines' efforts.
es of the season and started a new
phase of dry-land training. They
were visibly fatigued.
"We're in a demanding part
of our training cycle right now,"
Michigan coach Jim Richardson
said. "Some of our people are han-
dling it well and others you can see
were fatigued."
In the team's previous meeting,
Zubcova edged out Kelly in the
200-yard individual medley. This
time around, Kelly took the lead
and never looked back, finishing
first by nearly four seconds.
Fifth-year senior Emily Brun-
emann cruised to an easy victory
in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Senior
Emily Hanson was a distant second
to touch the wall. In a rare outing,
Brunemann also came in second in
the Soo-yard freestyle..
With the meet still in conten-
tion, Michigan's fatigue and lack of
depth in the breakstroke reared its
ugly head. Indiana claimed the top
two spots in the 200-yard breast-
stroke to cement the victory.
"For the most part, I think we're
better than we were last year at this
time," Richardson said.
Richardson emphasized that his
sights are set on the postseason.
"A month from now, nobody will
remember if we won or lost a dual
meet," Richardson said. "All that
matters is what you do at Big Tens
in February and NCAAs in March.
I sometimes think of dual meets as
'leftovers.' After a week of train-
ing, sometimes leftovers are really
good and other times they are not."