The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - 7A
Blue faces mirror image at Crisler Behind Enemy Lines
By BEN ESTES
Daily Sports Editor
On Wednesday night at the
Crisler Center, a team will take
the floor that features a com-
plicated offense and possesses
a 1-3-1 zone
as part of its
defensive arse- Nor testn
nal, complete at Michigan
with a solid
freshman point Matchup: NU
guard and astar 11-4; Michi-
scorer who's gan 13-3
the son of an When:
NBA veteran. Wednesday
And the No. 6:30 p.m.
13 Michigan Where: Crisler
basketball team Center
will take the TV/Radio:
court, too. BTN
The Wolver-
ines will see
somewhat of a mirror image when
they try to win their 11th-straight
game at home over visiting North-
western (1-2 Big Ten, 11-4 overall).
Though different from Michigan
coach John Beilein's system, the
Princeton offense that the Wild-
cats' Bill Carmody runs does have
some similar principles.
The Princeton system empha-
sizes constant motion, lots of
screens and, like Beilein's offense,
plenty of back-door cuts. It's a
disciplined attack, and the Wol-
verines will have even more dif-
ficulty defending Northwestern's
version of it - Beilein called Car-
mody "as innovative as anyone
that runs it," adding more twists
than most other Princeton looks.
t The Wildcats haven't played
since losing to Illinois at home
last Wednesday. They've had a
full week to prepare for Beilein's
intricacies, while Michigan (3-1,
13-3) has had just two days since
playing Wisconsin.
"It's hard to emulate the speed
and just the precision of (the
Princeton offense)," said senior
guard Stu Douglass. "It's hard
enoug4 for us to guard it, let alone
the scout team picking it up in
Freshman guard Trey Burke will be tasked with slowing down Northwestern freshman Dave Sobolewski tomorrow.
one or two days.... We've done
a pretty good job with the short
time we've had. I'm not too wor-
ried about it.
"We've just got to stick to our
principles, and I think we'll be
alright."
The last time freshman point
guard Trey Burke faced a Princ-
eton attack was a year ago, when
his dominant Northland High
School team was getting blown
out in the state finals by Cincin-
nati LaSalle.
The Wolverines hope the inex-
perienced Burke will fare bet-
ter against Northwestern. The
Columbus native said the team
had two separate film sessions
on Tuesday to help prepare for
the challenges that the Wildcat
offense presents.
Northwestern's defense, too,
should be familiar - the Wild-
cats are the only other conference
team to use the 1-3-1 with any
regularity, though they've been
favoring man-to-man the last
couple years,just like the Wolver-
ines.
And after getting the best of
Badger veteran Jordan Taylor,
Burke will find himself matched
up against a fellow freshman on
Wednesday night. Like Michigan,
Northwestern was concerned
about replacing a star point guard
cominginto the season. But just as
Burke has made fans forget about
Darius Morris, Wildcat freshman
Dave Sobolewski has played well
filling in for Juice Thompson.
Sobolewski has displayed a
steady hand, committing just 14
turnovers and ranking third in
the country with a 4.07 assist-
to-turnover ratio. Beilein said
Sobolewski has done a good job
of just fitting in instead of trying
to do too much, a task made easier
by the presence of forward John
Shurna and wing Drew Crawford.
The pair is the highest-scoring
duo in the Big Ten. Shurna leads
the conference in scoring with
18.7 points per game, while Craw-
ford - son of longtime NBA ref-
eree Danny Crawford - is third,
putting in 17.3 points per game.
One of the two has led North-
western in scoring in 13 of the
team's 15 games.
The senior Shurna has been
a threat for awhile now, though
Michigan limited him to just four
points at Crisler Arena last sea-
son, though he had just come off
a concussion. But Crawford has
taken his game up a notch this
year.
"You kind of play to his ath-
leticism, but he can really shoot
the ball really well too," Doug-
lass said. "We've got to just stay
focused, but with Crawford,
we've got to specifically (focus on
him)."
Northwestern has struggled in
Big Ten play this season, despite
many predicting this edition of
the Wildcats to become the first
in program history to make the
NCAA Tournament. But Michi-
gan has struggled against Car-
mody recently, falling at home
two years ago and getting beaten
handily in Evanston each of the
last two years. For that reason,
Beilein said he isn't worried about
a letdown after the big Wisconsin
victory.
"You would (worry) if it was
a team that did not have Zack
Novak and Stu Douglass in that
locker room," Beilein said. "It's
not like we have been beating
them every year. I think our kids
will come in this one ready to
play. I'm not worried about that."
with Northwestern
By LUKE PASCH DC: It'sgot to be soon. It's some-
Daily Sports Editor thing we think about. It's kind of
like a motivation for us, works us
Could this be the year for hard every day.... It would be huge
Northwestern? for our school, huge for the com-
The program has never made munity and huge for our Athletic
an NCAA Tournament appear- Department. It's something we're
ance, and it hasn't won a regular really working toward.
season conference championship TMD: How strong can the team
since 1933. be without Juice Thompson?
With Wildcat point guard DC: There's a little bit more
Michael "Juice" Thompson grad- uncertainty this year just because
uating after last season, many we don't have Juice. He was our
dismissed Northwestern (1-2 Big leader last year. But at the same
Ten, 11-4 overall) at the start of time, we've got seniors now that
this season, but Carmody's squad are really stepping up to lead this
has not been an easy team to beat team, so we're confident in them
so far. leading this team and really help-
At Big Ten Media Day, Carmo- ingus achieve our goals.
dy and Crawford sat down with BC: Mike Thompson leaving
the Daily to discuss the upcoming creates opportunities there for
season. people to fill in that gap. Leader-
The Michigan Daily: What do ship is one of those areas where
you tell people who say thatthere's Mike, he wasn't that talkative. But
no basketball tradition at North- in practice, he's as hard a worker
western? as you could get.And he had so few
Drew Crawford: That's kind of bad practices in four years, that
upsetting. We talk to former play- just by osmosis, you see the waya
ers all the time - they're really guy works, and you're around him,
involved in what we're doing now. and you watch his behavior, and
Whether it's internships, whether that rubs off on guys. So Shurna,
it's on the court, whether it's in Crawford, Mirkovic, Curletti,
academics, they're really support- Marcotullio, those veteran guys
ive of us. And we really appreci- - there's an opportunity for all of
ate the trail they've blazed for us. them.
We're trying to improve every TMD: What do you see in Mich-
year. igan this year?
Bill Carmody: Isaytraditionally, DC: Michigan is tough, they're
we have not had much success tough every year. They've got
in basketball. But I think we've great coaching, they're bring-
certainly improved. And I think ing in great recruits every year
good players make good coaches. and they're constantly a threat in
I think we have some very good the Big Ten. ... It's going to be an
players in the program, and we're experienced team. Losing Dari-
getting involved with more and us (Morris) is tough, but they're
more good players, so I think that going to be tough this year.
good things are on the horizon. Or BC: Theyhave alotofgood play-
near horizon. Is there such a thing ers. Good coach, good program.
as a near horizon? I don't know, It's a very good team. Michigan
help me out. has a rich tradition of success ina
TMD: Hmm, not sure, Coach. Is number of sports, and you have a
this the year you make the NCAA great coach there, so I think good
Tournament? things are probablyto follow.
Arnold finding her
way into M' offense
Merrill back on track after suspension
By MICHAEL LAURILA
Daily Sports Writer
During the Michigan-Ohio
State women's basketball game
last Saturday at the Crisler Cen-
ter, junior forward Rachel Sheffer
picked up two early fouls and was
forced to sit.
Junior Sam Arnold was called
to duty from the bench to take
Sheffer's spot on the floor. At
6-foot-4, Arnold was given the
difficult task of facing off against
two big Buckeyes - 6-foot-5
sophomore center Ashley Adams
and 6-foot-2 sophomore forward
Martina Ellerbe.
i But Arnold never faltered,
finishing with a season-high 13
points and scoring seven straight
for the Wolverines at one point
in the first half. That surge from
Arnold, combined with eight
points from fellow bench player
junior Kate Thompson, allowed
Michigan to remain in control
and take a seven-point lead into
halftime.
"When you are in the game, you
have to be able to do something,"
said Michigan coach Kevin Bors-
eth after the victory. "When Sam
comes in, we rely on her under the
basket. Rachel has been doing it
(all season) and now tonight Sam
did it. That's the difference for
us. Those kids have to be able to
come in and contribute."
Not only was Arnold an offen-
sive force to be reckoned with,
she also was a presence in the
paint defensively. In her 17 min-
utes of playing time, she totaled
two rebounds, a block and a steal,
all without a personal foul.
Since the beginning of Big Ten
play on Dec. 30, Arnold has aver-
aged 7.3 points per game, while
shooting an impressive 48 per-
cent from the field, playing just 12
minutes per game. Her ability to
come in and stay out of foul trou-
ble has been crucial for Michigan
in games that have come down to
the wire.
Though Arnold is usually the
first Michigan forward to come
off the bench, Sheffer's 13 points
and four rebounds per game is
difficult to match. However, at
just 6-foot-2, Sheffer and the
other Wolverine starters have
struggled in the paint against
some of the bigger teams they've
played. One example was Michi-
gan's loss to then-No. 6 Maryland
on Nov. 30, when it was out-
rebounded by 23.
"Coming off the bench, I know
my role is to get in there and give
a spark and make the most out of
every minute I'm in there for,"
Arnold said. "If my shots are fall-
ing, that's awesome, and guards
like Courtney (Boylan) do a great
job of getting me the ball."
As the season progresses,
Arnold can only get more con-
fident if this leap in production
continues. She's looked more
comfortable around the basket
since the beginning of Big Ten
play, and that only continued
against Ohio State.
Because of her size and the
role she plays in the paint, teams
have tended to allow Arnold open
looks from outside the arc. She is
shooting a respectable 40 percent
from deep this season, which,
compared to her career mark
of 32 percent, has been a leap in
itself.
"I think just her energy, and
even her confidence yesterday in
practice was better," Boylan said.
"Sam has done a really good job
for Rachel every time she's come
in, but the other day (in practice)
she was just hitting shot after
shot, so she definitely needed that
(confidence boost)."
Whether or not this rise in
production will continue is diffi-
cult to say. But if Arnold can keep
producing offensively, opposing
teams will have to start to pay the
junior a little more attention in
their scouting reports.
On Thursday, when Michigan
squares off against Penn State,
she will be critical in the paint,
-as the Nittany Lions boast two of
the best post players in the con-
ference in sophomore forward
Talia East and junior center Nicki
Greene.
0
By LIZ VUKELICH
Daily Sports Writer
Jon Merrill cracked a big
smile at Michigan's hockey
practice on Monday afternoon.
There wasn't anything in par-
ticular to get excited about - it
was just ordinary warm-ups.
The sophomore defenseman
went through the normal drills,
passing a puck back and forth
with a teammate before taking a
shot on goal.
The team was focused on the
upcoming Ohio State series, but
you couldn't see any disappoint-
ment on Merrill's face left over
from the shootout loss on Satur-
day against Lake Superior State.
For him, the weekend meant
just one thing: his first time in a
maize sweater since Michigan's
Frozen Four appearance back in
April.
Merrill was suspended from
the team at the beginning of
October for an unspecified vio-
lation of team rules. In Novem-
ber, he was permitted to start
skating with the team at prac-
tices again, but a timetable for
full reinstatement was never
specified.
After months of deliberation
and communication between
Michigan coach Red Beren-
son and Athletic Director Dave
Brandon, Merrill's suspension
was finally lifted on Friday
afternoon.
"It was all timing," Berenson
said of the decision to reinstate
Merrill. "It was our athletic
director getting back from the
Sugar Bowl, Jon getting back
from the USA program, and us
getting all the information we
needed to put together."
Merrill spent the winter
break skating with Team USA
for the World Junior Champion-
ship. From Dec. 26 to Jan. 6, he
was out of communication with
anyone from Michigan.
That is, until approximately
1:30 p.m. on Friday, when Mer-
rill got a phone call.
"When I left for World
Juniors, (the possibility of
returning) was still just indefi-
nite," Merrill said. "I got back
Thursday night, didn't hear
anything. (I) finally found out
was out of my routine, it was
weird. I didn't know what to do
not going to practice everyday.
Now, getting back in the routine,
going on the road this weekend,
it'll be fun."
In the fall, there were rumors
of Merrill bolting for the OHL in
lieu of playing for the Wolver-
ines. But now he claims that it
was never a real possibility.
"I made a commitment to
coach Berenson and the Univer-
sity of Michigan and I thought
(staying) was the right thing to
do," Merrill said. "Not only the
right thing for me as a person,
but for the team, to stick it out
and face the punishment.
"I'm glad I did, and I think
I'm a better guy for it now."
Merrill is hesitant to call him-
self the solution for some of the
Wolverines' problems over the
past few months, but there's
little doubt that one of the coun-
try's top-tier defensemen can
have a huge impact on a team
that's faced its fair share of trib-
ulations this season.
Berenson calls Merrill a
"puck-moving defenseman," and
Merrill echoed those sentiments
by saying he likes controlling
the pace of the game and staying
consistent night after night - all
things Michigan has been strug-
gling with.
During last weekend's games,
Merrill skated with junior
defenseman Lee Moffie. Until
Berenson decides otherwise,
Merrill expects the pairing to
remain the same.
But Merrill doesn't like look-
ing too far down the road, be it
about his line-mates or whether
he'll stay at Michigan for a full
four years. Today, he is nothing
but grateful to Berenson and the
athletic department for allow-
ing his return to the squad.
"When you lose hockey like
that, it really makes you think
about the decisions you make
off the ice that influence your
hockey career," Merrill said.
"You never think things you do
off the ice can take the game you
love away from you so quickly.
"Now I'm in a place where
I'll do anything to keep playing
hockey and I won't make any
mistakes like that."
ADM SCHNITZER/Daily
Sophemore defenseman Jon Merrill played his first game af the seasan Friday.
I was playing on Friday (and) I
was ecstatic. I couldn't believe
it, because I had no idea."
The first person Merrill
called was his father, who was
almost in tears at the news that
his son would be taking the ice
at Yost Ice Arena for the first
time all season.
Merrill may have been out
of action for two months, but
he wasn't forgotten. All Friday
afternoon, teammates tweeted
their excitement about having
Merrill back in a Michigan uni-
form, and gave him countless
well-wishes in the hours leading
up to the game.
Michigan fans hadn't forgot-
ten him either - Merrill started
his first shift on Friday with the
Yost crowd chanting his name.
He didn't waste time making up
for the 24 games he missed, tal-
lying his first points of the year
with two assists.
Merrill admitted to a few
nerves during his first couple
of shifts, but Berenson was
never concerned about Merrill's
adjustment back to game mode.
"He's a special player," Beren-
son said. "I've got a lot of confi-
dence in him. I wasn't surprised
when he came back and fit right
in.
"He's been practicing with us
the last six weeks, so he's in sync
with our team. Now (that) he's
back in the fold, he'll be one of
our top defensemen."
Until the suspension, Merrill
had never gone any extended
period of time without playing
hockey. He had been injured
before, but even then he was
still in the locker room and sur-
rounded by the team on a daily
basis.
Merrill was away from all
of that during the first part of
his suspension - and he didn't
know what to do with himself.
"As a hockey player, you love
your routine, you love consis-
tency," Merrill said. "When I