8A - Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam
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Michigan looking for payback, pivotal home win
By CHANTEL JENNINGS
Daily Sports Editor
It's been three weeks since the
Michigan men's basketball team
faced off against Northwestern.
That means it's been three
weeks since the Wolverines (4-7
Big Ten, 14-10 overall) played one
of their worst games of the season.
But since that game, Michigan,
despite going 3-5, has found itself
with an opportunity to win in the
final five minutes of each game.
When playing the Wildcats in
Evanston last month, the Wol-
verines allowed Northwestern to
take a commanding first-half lead
before being outscored by just one
point in the second half.
The Wildcats' first-half surge
was led by junior forward John
Shurna. Despite suffering a high
ankle sprain, he scored 22 points
in the first stanza, which allowed
Northwest-
ern's cushion Northwestern
to be built and
the Wolver- at Michigan
ines' hole to Matchup: North-
be dug. western 14-8;
In that Michigan 14-10
game, Michi- When: Wednes-
gan shot abys- day 6:30 P.M.
mally from Where: Crisler
long range Arena
- just 29 per-
cent - which TV/Radio:
contributed BTN
heavily to the
Wolverines' inability to mount
a successful comeback in what
ended up being one of the worst
games the youngteam has played.
"I think we're a better team
than we were amonth ago, there's
no question about it," Michigan
coach John Beilein said Tuesday.
"But they are too."
In the past three weeks, Michi-
gan has gone 3-2 with its only
losses coming to then-No. 15 Min-
nesota and No. 1 Ohio State. But
most important, the Wolverines
have reestablished themselves
in the middle of the Big Ten pack
with their three victories, and a
victory over the Wildcats could
prove to be a defining moment
come March.
And if there's one thing the
Wildcats (4-7, 14-8) are synony-
mous with, it's executing a quick
offense. Northwestern is known
for running the traditional Princ-
eton offense - a strategy that
consists of constant motion and
cutting - that most teams have
trouble keeping up with, let alone
defending, the offensive motion.
"If every team could get their
team to run their cuts like North-
western, all the scoring, every-
where in the country would go up
because they run their offense at
a high, high speed," Beilein said.
"It's the exact opposite of what
the perception would be, that this
Princeton (style) offense is run for
guys who can't play."
Junior guard Stu Douglass,
who had a team-high 17 points
against Northwestern last month,
said no matter how many times
he watches game tape, it's still
difficult to not get caught up in
the constant action of Northwest-
ern's offense. But he's not worried
about the younger guys on the
team keepingtheir poise this time
around.
Recently, Shurna hasn't been
as effective as he was against
the Wolverines. After suffering a
concussion in the Wildcats' game
against then-No. 16 Minnesota,
the junior sat out against No. 1
Ohio State. He returned to the
floor against Illinois on Saturday,
where Northwestern scraped by
the Illini in a one-point win, but
only contributed eight points.
The Wolverines have been
explicit about their intentions to
only look at the game in front of
them, but with just seven games
left in the regular season, Michi-
gan knows that it stands on the
bubble of the Big Ten - arguably
the most competitive conference
in the country.
Just one and a half games sepa-
rate fourth-place Illinois and the
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I
JAKE FROMM/Daily
Junior guard Stu Douglass scored 17 points against the Wildcats last month.
ninth-place Wolverines, mean-
ing every game from here on out
could be the difference between a
tournament berth and a very long
offseason.
"We've said it out loud in the
locker room, there's no hiding
from it at all but maybe a little dif-
ference from last year, we've been
able to take it one game at atime
and still not get too scared about
the big picture," Douglass said of
Michigan's postseason chances.
"But this week is crucial for us."
But the first step this week for
the Wolverines is tonight against
Northwestern, which offers a
chance to get ahead in the Big Ten,
but also a chance to redeem them-
selves after what many consider
to be Michigan's worst showing of
the season.
"It's payback and a whole lot of
combinations of things," Douglass
aid. "But payback is maybe the big-
gest."
Former iHobey Baker winner
Porter adjusting to NHL game
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By MARK BURNS
Daily Sports Editor
"Your legacy is your career,
but the senior year is the icing
on the cake. I think (he's) giving
himself a chance to be right up
there with the best players that
have played here."
Those were the exact words
iterated by coach Red Beren-
son at the midway point of the
Michigan hockey team's 2007-
08 season. If a team-leading 33
goals, CCHA Player of the Year
honors and a Hobey Baker award
is any indication, then the icing
was pretty darn good for former
Michigan standout Kevin Porter.
"I think everyone is finding
out who Kevin Porter is," Beren-
son added.
Take a glance at the hardware
and accolades Porter took home
that season, and you'd see a Divi-
sion-I player firmly cemented in
the national spotlight.
Following his junior season;
though, there were thoughts
the Northville, Mich. native
wouldn't even return for his
fourth year in Ann Arbor, but
would instead sign an NHL
entry-level contract with Phoe-
nix - the Coyotes drafted Porter
in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
But Porter opted to return to
the friendly confines of Yost Ice
Arena for one more go-round,
one more shot at winning a
national title.
"I was having a lot of fun in
school," he said this past Satur-
day. "You're never going to get
another year or another chance
to go back to school, so you might
as well do it while you can."
Porter reiterated that he
wasn't necessarily ready to play
at the professional level and that
staying
in orde
ate was
Ever
Oct. 11,
in hisf
the Co
"dream
Porter.
"It's
for you
five-yea
what y
finally
nervous
make a
go out t
adrena
your ga
"(N
dt
Nine
ter sur
able pl
ranks a
he's alt
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transit
hockey
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Fora
ably th
Michig
Morris
reality<
surrour
skill an
30 tear
"Guy
another year at Michigan a lot faster," Porter said. "Every
r to get stronger and gradu- part of the game was a lot tougher
tin his best interest. - in the corners, you're losing a
ything came to fruition on lot of battles, but you get used to
2008, when Porter played that. Youget stronger yourself."
first NHL contest against And even though players'
lumbus Blue Jackets - a speed and the physical nature of
come true" according to the NHL have been two key areas
of adjustment, perhaps the big-
something you've worked gesttransition for Porterhasbeen
r entire life since you were with his counterparts' hockey IQ
ars-old," he said. "That's - not a tangible characteristic,
ou wanted to do and you but certainly one that forced Por-
get there ... You're really ter to learn on the fly.
s, and you don't want to "They know what you're doing
tny mistakes, but you just before you know what you're
:here and you have so much doing," Porter joked.
line. You just go out, play Through the whole process
tme and have fun." - the call-ups from the AHL to
NHL to the consistent time spent
with the big club this season in
Colorado - Porter's learned to
HLers) know maintain the perspective that the
switch from amateur to 10-year
What you're veteran isn't going to occur over
night.
oing before The learning curve for a for-
1 , mer Wolverine with 85 goals and
yOU knOW. 98 assists during his four-year
career is still present, but with
each additional game comes the
notion that he's one step closer
ety-eight games later, Por- to making a bigger impact in the
prisingly isn't as comfort- NHL.
aying in the professional "There's some games I feel like
s one may thinwk. Though I'm really comfortable, and I can
most eclipsed the century go out there and play my game,"
n games played, the long Porter said. "And then there's
ion process from college some games where I'm a little bit
to the pros is one that nervous and I don't want to make
been easy. a mistake and kind of get away
a player like Porter - argu- from my game.
e best forward to don the "Each game and each practice,
an sweater since Brendan like I said, you get a little bit more
on in the mid-1990s - the comfortable ... The more games
of the situation is that he's you play, the better you feel. It's
nded by an abundance of just going totake a little bit more
id finesse in a league with time and a few more games until I
as. finally feel like I can stick around
ys are just a lot stronger, in this league."
TheRide
MOVING YO
A COUNTYWIDE TRANSIT VISION
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_
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Former Wolverineforward Kevin Porter won the Hobey Baker award following the 2007-08 season.
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