The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 7A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 7A

Struggling MSU gives
'M' chance to snap skid

Lynch in a scoring drought
for second straight season

By BEN ESTES
Daily Sports Writer
Zack Novak hates Michigan
State.
The junior guard for the
Michigan men's basketball team
said Wednesday that his rivals
throughout his life have all worn
green and white - so for Novak,
adopting the Spartans as hated
competitors was an "easy transi-
tion."
The Wolverines (1-6 Big Ten,
11-9overall) will
have to hope Mich
that the added
intensity in this at Michigan
in-state match- State
up canfuel them
to an upset win Matchup:
Thursday night Michigan 11-9;
in East Lansing. State1n7
Michigan
faces a tall task When: Thurs-
- winning at day7P.M.
the Breslin Cen- Where: Bre-
ter is never easy. slin Center
But Michigan TV/Radio:
State isn't as for- ESPN
midable as was
predicted enter-
ing the season.
Despite returning almost their
entire team, the Spartans (4-3 Big
Ten, 12-7 overall) have fallen off
from their preseason No. 2 rank-
ingto No.25.
And Michigan State has won
just two of its past five games,
needingovertimeinbothvictories
despite playing athome. Still, don't
tell Michigan coach John Beilein
that the Spartans have slipped.
"(They're) not struggling,"
Beilein said. "They've played an
incredible schedule ... They're
going to make the NCAA Tour-
nament. They're a heck of a team
(and) they've got a heck of a
coach.
"These are part of the things
that you go through. You can't win
every game."
Michigan State ranks seventh
in the conference in both scoring
offense and defense.And now the
Spartans must play the rest of the
season without key reserve guard
Korie Lucious, who was kicked
off the team on Tuesday night by
coach Tom Izzo for conduct detri-
mental to the program.
But the team still has a trio of
weapons, including point guard
and defending Big Ten Player of
the Year Kalin Lucas (14.4 points
per game), his backcourt mate
Durrell Summers (13.9 points per
game) and the bruising Draymond
Green (13.2 points per game, 8.8
rebounds per game).
And Michigan has been strug-
gling even more than its rival, hav-
ing lost its last six games. Beilein
said he's seen the team improving
every day in practice - even if it
hasn't translated on the score-
board - but admitted that a lot of
the Wolverines' problems aren't
going to suddenly evaporate when
they take the court in East Lan-
sing.
"When you're young, and the
other team has more talent than

Sophomore forward
still getting playing
time for defense
and penalty killing
By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily Sports Editor
While games aren't played
on paper, Kevin Lynch's season
has been defined by the third-
to-last page of the game notes
every week.
Under Lynch's name in the
No. 6 Michigan hockey team's
game-by-game scoring break-
down is half a page of 0-0-0
lines. The sophomore forward
hasn't registered a point in 13
games.
His last point came over a
month ago, when he scored
two goals on Nov. 20 against
Lake Superior State.
Of all players still on the
team and not injured, the only
player who has a longer score-
less streak is senior goaltender
Shawn Hunwick, who is cur-
rently just one game behind
Lynch.
The statistic sheet isn't the
only indication of Lynch's scor-
ing issues.
Lynch got off the ice after
practice on Tuesday and smiled
at the mention of the scoreless
streak.
"I knew sometime, at some
point this was coming," Lynch
said.
He should have. He's no
stranger to streaks like these as
a Wolverine. Last season, near

the b
Lync
withc
mess
chan;
repea
both
Red
down
"I'
not
Lync
"I ju
once
come
"I
fir
No
"Thet
do. Si
you g
ing h
first
La
strea
ister
as he
the si
He
tum
nine i
befor
scorn
"(H
chani
stretc

eginning of the campaign, the puck in front of the net he'd
h also went 13 games pass it," Berenson said. "Never
out a point. And Lynch's mind passing it, get a shot on
age from last year hasn't the net, shoot like you want to
ged. Two phrases used score, and so on.
itedly in both instances by "You might only get one
Lynch and Michigan coach chance a game, so when you get
Berenson were "bearing it, be ready to shoot it."
" and "working hard." Despite coming to Ann Arbor
m getting chances, so I'm as a second-round pick (The
really worried about it," Columbus Blue Jackets took
h said in December 2009. him 56th overall) and putting
st need to bear down and up 48 points in 63 games as part
I get that first one, it will of the United States National
in bunches." Development Team Program,
Berenson doesn't judge Lynch
by his scoring.
Instead it's his work ethic,
just need to defensive play, puck touches
and penalty-killing ability that
get that allow him to earn a spot in the
lineup every night.
'st one out of The coach's decision to keep
the sophomore in the lineup
the way." paid off in the second period
Friday night.
With Michigan leading Alas-
ka 1-0, a Nanook sent a pass
w, a year later, Lynch said: from the corner to his teammate
re's nothing really you can in the slot for what appeared to
ometimes you're lucky and be a point-blank opportunity.
et the bounces from work- Playing winger, Lynch jumped
ard ... I just need to get that down and got his stick on the
one out of the way." pass, deflecting it harmlessly
st season, Lynch ended the away.
k at 13 and went on to reg- The play may have saved
six goals and nine assists a goal. But it didn't make the
tore through the end of game notes.
eason. "Things aren't clicking for
continued the momen- me right now, but it doesn't
into this year, registering really matter for me," Lynch
points in the first 14 games said. "Obviously, I'm a little
e being thrown off the concerned and trying to work
ng train. The explanation? every day in practice about it
ie's) not getting many but the team is winning right
ces, and then there was a now and obviously that's most
ch where every time he got important to me."

Michigan coach John Beilein is hoping his team can snap a six-game losing streak.'

your developing talent, it ain't
about schemes," Beilein said. "It's
about a good player beating a play-
er who's younger.
"It's about a strong player or
taller player scoring over some-
body. It's not a schematic thing.
It's just-part of (being young)."
A lot of contributors for Michi-
gan have yet to even play the
Spartans, let alone at the hostile
confines of Breslin, with its infa-
mous "Izzone" student section.
These young Wolverines may be
in for a rude awakening when
they see just how intense the
rivalry game is. Novak knows,
and he was reminded about
it this week when he traded
emails with former Michigan
player Dani Wohl (2002-05).
The subject was about a
potential internship for Novak,
but Wohl made sure to mention
just how important it was to beat
Michigan State.
"I think this is one of those
games where you throw records
aside," Novak said. "You throw
everything aside. It's Michigan-
Michigan State. It's going to be a
dogfight."
Look no further than Jan. 26
of last year. The then-5th ranked
Spartans came into Crisler Arena
but narrowly escaped with a
57-56 victory after former Wol-
verine DeShawn Sims's potential
game-winning shot rimmed out
at the buzzer.
Michigan State still has its
trademark physicality, especially
on the glass. Michigan was out-
rebounded by Indiana 37-18 and
by Minnesota 38-13.
The Spartans are third in the
Big Ten in rebounding margin,
meaning the Wolverines will
have to toughen up down low.
Michigan hasn't defeated
Michigan State since2007,losing
its last four games to the Spar-
tans. And this edition of the in-
state battle would seem to be an

unlikely time for the Wolverines
to break that streak, especially
given their current overall losing
skid.
Still, Novak and his team are
hopeful because of the anything-
goes nature of the teams' rivalry.
"There's games we could've
won and there's games we
should've won (in Michigan's past
six games)," Novak said. "But it's
over now. We got a great opportu-
nity coming up (Thursday).
"(If we) go up there and get a
win, then that's a huge kickstart in
the other direction."

WANT MORE
* DAILY SPORTS
COVERAGE?
LOG ON TO
WWW.MICHIGANDAILY.COM
FOR COVERAGE OF
ALL MICHIGAN SPORTS
And follow us on Twitter
@michdailysports