7A - Wednesday, November 14, 2012 The Michigan Daily - m chigandaily.com 1A - Wednesday. November 14. 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom EK 2012 PREVIEW Blue blossoms early By DANIEL FELDMAN Daily Sports Writer The Michigan men's and women's basketball teams have a lot in common - they both play in the newly renovated Crisler Center, they both have play- ers that can shoot the lights out from beyond the arc and they are both coming off seasons that ended in berths in the NCAA Tournament. But unlike the men's squad, the women's team lacks the ros- ter depth that helped earn the men's team the No. 5 ranking to the season. The main reason behind the women's deficiency is something that is out of the team's hands - injuries. Torn ACL - to be exact. The bug started early in the summer when freshman for- ward Rebecca Lyttle, sopho- more forward Cyesha Goree and freshman guard Symone Den- ham all tore their ACLs. "Rebecca is not there yet, but those other two have been practicing but have been out for. six months, so obviously their ? conditioning and their touch is not nearly there," said Michi- gan coach Kim Barnes Arico on Oct. 10th. Since then, Goree and Denham have seen some action - albeit for 10 minutes of gar- bage time in the team's exhibi- tion-game thrashing of Slippery Rock. In Michigan' s first two regular-season games, though, they haven't had any minutes, and the same holds true with Lyttle. While that group continues to rehab and attempt to get back to near full-strength, junior forward Val Driscoll and fresh- man forward Kelsey Mitchell aren't as fortunate. They both tore their ACLs within a week of each( been de son. "Tha six mon "I've ne (ACL te The more p it wasa junior f fered a knee th player t( A ro of 15 pl and thr lar sea of thos( itV ass (A( a fr court. With that we the be 4 senio son, ser and so Elmblad minutes Detroit. starting Sheffer- The t man gu and sen and Sar just 19n ines we "Our on they Barnes. other in August and have the year we were last in the Big clared done for the sea- Ten last year in rebounding. We haven't improved our size or our t's five ACLs in the last athleticism up front, so I know ths," Barnes Arico said. every single night it's definitely ver been associated with a concern." ars). It's a freak thing." Perhaps the biggest loss of situation became even the three forwards missing eculiar last week when the season is Kelsey Mitchell, announced that redshirt who was the runner-up to her orward Kendra Seto suf- teammate Ristovski in the 2012 n ACL tear in her right Michigan Miss Basketball vot- at will force yet another ing after averaging 17.3 points, o miss the season. 14.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and ster that once consisted 8.1 blocks a game for Sterling ayers is now down to 12, Heights High School.. ough the first two regu- "We lost a ton of kids this year son games, only eight with ACL injuries, kids that we e players have seen the knew we're going to contribute," Barnes Arico said. "Kendra was going to give us some minutes, Kelsey was going e never been to give us some minutes, and Val S with was going to give us some min- Barnes Arico's attention is _L tears). It's now drawn towards the healthy bench players. Players that need eaky thing. to show themselves in practice, before getting game action. "(The bench players) have to get better. They have to raise their level of play each and out the trio of forwards every practice, so that way they re expected to come off become consistent and that way nch - starters 6-foot- I feel confident getting them in r guard Kate Thomp- the game," Barnes Arico said. nior guard Jenny Ryan "(The second and third bench phomore guard Nicole players) might be close if they 3 played 37, 39 and 40 can get better each and every , respectively, against single day." In addition, the lone While Barnes Arico and her forward - senior Rachel coaching staff hope that the - played 32 minutes. bench can play marginal min- three substitutes, fresh- utes and spark some plays while ard Madison Ristovski giving the starters a breather, ior forwards Nya Jordan Ryan is confident that her team- m Arnold combined for mates will come through. sinutes, and the Wolver- "We have great players that re out-rebounded 36-33. now have their opportunity to number one concern show what they can do," Ryan year is our rebounding," said. "That's what a team is all Arico said. "Coming into about." The seed was planted with a smile. Michigan women's bas- ketball coach Kim Barnes Arico stood at the podium during Mich- igan Media Day in October. With a smile, she answered questions about her GREG team's outlook and composi- _GARN _ tion. On Women's With a Basketball smile, she answered questions about the slew of inju- ries to begin the season and ham- pered Barnes Arico's capability to install her a high-tempo offense. This season had the potential to become one of the Wolverines' strongest in recent years, and Barnes Arico is at the heart of that opportunity. The smile - the one you get when you eat a Zingerman's Reu- ben or watch videos of kittens on YouTube - was plastered across her face. And now that the seed is planted, she'll have to help it grow. Barnes Arico has plenty of soil, water and sunlight to help her first Michigan team grow. She has a group of five returning seniors - three of which return as starters - to hold her team together. She also has a core of bench players to provide the energy to a team that will grow fast. Led by guard Jenny Ryan and center Rachel Sheffer, her squad has the experience to win close games, like a two-point loss to Michigan State or a one- point lossto Iowa last season. She has her leading point scorer in Sheffer, and her leader in assists with Ryan. The two are also her top two rebounders. Barnes Arico is also optimistic because two of Michigan's lead- ing scorers through two games - sophomore guard Brenae Harris and senior guard Kate Thompson - have unexpectedly stepped up in the season, even though neither started a game last season. With a smile, Barnes Arico watches her freshman pointguard adjust to a new style and new level at the collegiate game. Madison Ristovski, named Michigan's Miss Basketball last season for Grosse Pointe Woods University Ligget, adds to a loaded group of guards and may receive a chance to start. Barnes Arico has a system designed to take advantage of her guards, a system that moves fast- er and allows for more shooting opportunities. Most importantly, she has a smile that brings a pres- ence of never-ending enthusiasm to a team that watched its former coach leave for home. "I always have energy," Barnes Arcio said. "I told the girls after the first day, 'You might think this is the energy that I'm only going to have on the first day and it's not going to be here everyday, but this is who I am and this is how I'll be every single day.' I think it's really important that I act the same way all the time." But a seed must also endure flooding rains, the wind and of course the dreaded squirrels. The Big Ten flood of talented teams has rarely been a warm or hospitable welcome to a new coach, and will challenge Barnes Arico early. The wind of a fast, new system could wear down a team that will be running up and down the court more often than before. Centers like Iowa's Mor- gan Johnson will dominate in the post over a lineup that lacks height. But the seed, with that smile, is also a reason to be excited for Michigan. Barnes Arico, in her 16th season, comes from St. Johns after leading the Red Storm to a Sweet 16 berth and a24-10 record, knowinghow to build a program. And the players are aware of her record. "It takes about a half second to understand that it's a program that works," Ryan said. "It's a phi- losophy that works. You can't go against tradition and history and stats and that's what the has." But Barnes Arico still has that smile now. And as her enthusiasm grows, your enthusiasm may, too. It's growing on me at least. ,Breakdown: Guards will lead injury-riddled Michigan roster By ALEXA DETTELBACH Daily Sports Writer The 2012 edition of the Michi- gan's women's basketball team is small but fast, with an ability to score from all over the court. Here's a breakdown of this sea- son's squad: GUARDS: Coming into the fall the starting point guard position was the most uncertain for the Wolverines. Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico continuously says it's "point guard by committee" for her team, splitting minutes between senior Jenny Ryan, soph- omore Brenae Harris and fresh- man Madison Ristovski. In the first game of the season against Detroit, Harris started at point guard with Ristovski com- ing off the bench. Ryan is a four- year starter at the shooting guard position and looks to be the Wol- verines' most valuable offensive asset. "What I'm trying to do is put people in their best positions to be successful," Barnes Arico said. "Brenae and Madison are both young kids who haven't experi- enced the game at the highest level. "I don't know if I want to throw them into the fire so to speak, but we have Jenny (who) is more expe- rienced, so we are giving (Harris and Ristovski) an opportunity to play the position and kind of get everything comfortable." . With the point guard position still in rotation between Harris and Ristovski, the Wolverines have relied on Ryan to help carry the load. "I was really impressed when I was looking over the stats last year and saw Jenny Ryan's assist to turnover ratio and she didn't run the point," Barnes Arico said. "She always (has) a way to get everyone involved." After the three strong guards, Michigan also has sophomore Aquashia Anderson and injured freshman Symone Denham on the bench. FORWARDS: The Wolverines have been plagued by injuries at the forward position, but senior Kate Thompson leads the group of healthy players. In her first two games as a starter, she's second on the team in scoring with 16 points per game while going 8-for-14 beyond the arc. Thompson's ability to hit the Goree and freshman Rebecca Lyt- tie, both of whom tore their ACLs over the summer. Freshman Kelsey Mitchell also tore her ACL and will not return this season. CENTERS: Senior Rachel Shef- fer leads this group with her imposing 6-foot-I presence. Shef- fer - last season's leadingscorer - is Michigan's best offensive threat. "I have to get (Rachel) touches when she's face up," Barnes Arico said. "I'm not going to go against the strengths of our team. That's why in the beginning of (our first) game we ran a lot of stuff for Rachel to face up and I think she'll be a mismatch for some of the slower, bigger kids. She is a difference maker, (and) when the going (gets) tough, she is ready." After having just two double- doubles all of last season, Shef- fer already has one through two games. Behind Sheffer, though, the Wolverines are thin *at center. Junior Val Driscoll tore her ACL over the summer and redshirt junior Kendra Seto was ruled out for the season last week for the same ACL injury. outside shot has made her an irre- placeable scorer to the offense. "Kate Thompson is one of our best shooters," Barnes Arico said. "She is (also) really aggressive on the glass. "I think because of that she (has) brought a dimension to our team that has stood out, and that is rebounding." Michigan also looks to sopho- more starter Nicole Elmblad. Despite playing guard in high school, Barnes Arico has played Elmblad at the small forward posi- tion because of her rebounding ability and because of the team's injuries. Though she's only 5-foot- 11, Elmblad is second on the team in rebounds with six per game. After Elmblad, the Wolverines have seniors Sam Arnold and Nya Jordan off the bench. "Sam is one of our biggest post presence," Barnes Arico said. "(And) Nya Jordan is probably one of our most athletic kids. She is a tremendous rebounder." The forward position is round- ed off with sophomore Cyesha STAFF PICKS The Daily women's basketball writers do their best to predict what will happen in the world of college basketball this season. Auexa Dettelbach Daniel Feldman Michigan regular-season record Big Ten champion Big Ten second place Big Ten third place Big TenMVP. Big Ten Coach of the Year BgTen susprise team Michigan MVP National Player of the Year Michigan's season ends here NCAA Final Four 21-8 Penn State Nebraska Michigan Tayler Hill, Gsard, Ohio Stale Coquese Washington, Penn State Michigan Jenny Ryan Brittney Grnser, Baylor Sweet 16 Baylor Connecticut Duke Louisville 19-10 Penn State Nebraska Purdue AlesBentley, Guard, Penn State Washington Iowa .ae Thompson Griner NCAA Second Round Baylor Connecticut Stanford Notre Dame Greg Garno 22-7 Penn State Nebraska Michigan Hill Matt Bollant, Illinois Illinois Vyn Griner Sweet 16 Baylor Connecticut Stanford Notre Dame 20-9 Penn State Nebraska Purdue Bentley Sharon Versyp, Purdue NCA A First Round Baylor Oaks Penn State Notre Dame RachelSheffe i