The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, December 6, 2012 -'7A

P The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, December 6, 2D12 - 7A

Michiqan's future is now

'M' earns road win

aris LeVert was des-
tined to redshirt, too
skinny and too raw to
see regular minutes as a fresh-
man. Michigan coach John
Beilein said he wasn't going to
use LeVert in a game this season
unless he absolutely needed to,
wanting to preserve the for-
ward's redshirt eligibility.
Freshman
Nik Stauskas
was also,
supposed to
come off the
bench this
season, too
one-dimen-
sional and
specialized EVERETT
to be in the COOK
starting line-
up. Beilein
said he needed to see more of
Stauskas to put him in the start-
ing lineup, and he wanted to give
consistent minutes to his lone
senior starter, Matt Vogrich.
So when Beilein stuck Staus-
kas in the starting lineup and
put LeVert into the game less
than five minutes into Saturday's
contest against Bradley, it was
more than just a simple lineup
decision.
It was a statement, a sign of
Beilein betting on this year's
squad. In a normal year, the
veteran coach would have stuck
with Vogrich for at least another
couple weeks, instead of just six
games. In a normal year, LeVert
would have stayed on the bench,
his potential minutes used by
Vogrich or senior Eso Akunne.
But in an abnormal year,
Beilein put every chip he had
available into play, making a
decision for the now rather than
for the later. He thinks that
Michigan can compete nation-
ally, that it can compete now.
It wasn't like a change needed
to be made for the Bradley game.
The Wolverines were sitting
pretty at 6-0, coming off a four-

Freshman guard Caris LeVert scored his first career points against WMU.

day stretch where they won the
NIT Season Tip-Off and beat
then-No. 18 North Carolina State
in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The change wasn't made for
now, though. It was made for
March, when LeVert - already
one of the team's best perimeter
defenders - will be a valuable
defensive asset off the bench.
The move was made for later
on, but needed to be executed
now, because LeVert needs the
game experience in December to
be able to play in March. Beilein
is wary of burning Levert's red-
shirt if he isn't goingto get min-
utes, so combined with Stauskas
in the starting lineup, this
effectively bumps Vogrich and
Akunne out of the rotation.
, "You don't want a redshirt
playing two minutes a game,"
Beilein said after the game
against Bradley. "So you gotta
take minutes from somewhere
in order to give it to (LeVert), but
the young man's proved it and
(Vogrich and Akunne) are ready
if we need them."
The move to replace Vogrich

with Stauskas was due to the
play of both guards. In Beilein's
offense, Vogrich's role is to stand
in the corner and make 3-point-
ers - that's obviously a simpli-
fied version of it, but it's more or
less his job.
And Vogrich wasn't doing
that. He has shot 40 percent
from deep on the year, ont1O
attempts, and is averaging a little
more than two points a game.
That's fine, but it isn't great,
especially for someone whose
only job is to shoot from beyond
the arc.
Stauskas, on the other hand,
is shooting at a 64-percent clip
from deep, which is third best
in the country. The 6-foot-5
Canadian has also been more
than just a shooter, as his off-
the-dribble abilities have seem-
ingly improved in every game
this year.
To be fair, it only seemed like
a matter of time before Stauskas
would supplant Vogrich. Staus-
kas has an NBA-like shooting
stroke, while Vogrich's basket-
ball career will probably end in

Ann Arbor or a low-level Euro-
pean league.
But the fact that Beilein made
the switch now, in December,
shows that the coach didn't
think he could waste any time
getting Stauskas as much game
experience as possible before Big
Ten play started.
Case in point: over the last
two games, Stauskas has played
67 minutes. Vogrich has played
seven.
For the first time since the Fab
Five era in the early 1990s, there
are multiple Wolverines with
NBA-caliber talent, players who
could easily leave Ann Arbor
before their senior years. That's
exciting, but that's also why
Beilein isn't taking his time with
this team.
Preseason All-American Trey
Burke almost left for the NBA
after last season, and probably
will at the end of this one. Junior
Tim Hardaway Jr. could join
him. Freshman Glenn Robinson
III and McGary might not be far
behind. Even Stauskas might not
be at Michigan long enough to be
called a senior.
And yes, Michigan has tal-
ented recruits coming in, but
recruits are recruits. The highest
ranked player in this year's class
was McGary, who has so far
been the third-best freshman on
the team. Who knows how guys
are going to pan out.
And who knows who will stay,
and who will go.
Maybe next year everyone
will come back, and the rota-
tion will stay the same, just with
an added year of experience.
Maybe.
ButI don't think so, and
Beilein doesn't think so, and
that's why Stauskas is starting
and LeVert is on the court.
There is no playing for the
future anymore.
- Cook can be reached
evcook@umich.edu.

By DANIEL FELDMAN
Daily Sports Writer
The last time the Michigan
women's basketball team trav-
eled to Normal, Ill. was Dec. 12,
1998. Then, Kim Barnes Arico was
coaching at the New Jersey Insti-
tute of Technology and the Wol-
verines outscored the Redbirds,
86-43.
Barnes Arico now leads Michi-
gan (7-2) as
the Wolver- MICHIGAN 56
ines' first- ILL. STATE 45
year coach
and Michigan topped Illinois
State, 56-45, in a back-and-forth
game.
After a slow start, cqnsisting
of five turnovers in the first 2:53,
Michigan was forced to adjust
from its usual reliance on its
starters. As a result, the Wolver-
ines substituted senior forward
Sam Arnold and freshman guard
Madison Ristovski for seniors Nya
Jordan and Kate Thompson - two
players that have carried Michi-
gan in its two most recent games.
For a team that typically relies
on just five starters for the major-
ity of scoring, and minutes, Michi-
gan needed the help of some bench
players to right the ship.
After nearly six minutes of rest,
the Wolverines' leading scorer,
Thompson, returned to the court
and promptly made a 3-pointer to
give Michigan its first lead of the
game midwaythrough the half.
By scoring 14 straight points to
make the score 19-9, it appeared
that the Wolverines' signature
dribble-drive style of play, and
kick-out 3-pointers were going to
be able to put the game away early,
but Illinois State fought back.
In the final 9:36 of the first
half, the Redbirds (4-3) outscored
Michigan 12-4, as the Wolver-
ines turned the ball over again
and again. To be fair, Michigan
was not alone, as each team only
scored one basket each in the final
5:19 of the first stanza.

The Wolverines' scoring lapses
continued after the break, when
the Redbirds opened with the
first five points of the half to take
their first lead since 6:58 into the
contest. But just as she did in the
first half, Thompson again hit a
3-pointer to wake the Wolverines
up and give them a one-point lead.
From that point on, Michigan
repeated the same pattern that led
to its first-half success - 3-point-
ers and easy layups.
Led by Thompson's 12 second-
half points, and 18 total points, the
Wolverines were able to do what
they didn't do well in the first half
- protect their lead comfortably,
rather than gradually let it slip
down to a narrow margin.
After a layup by senior guard
Jenny Ryan - who finished with
12 points and seven rebounds -
with 2:07 left pushed the lead to
nine, it was up to Michigan to
make its free throws and secure
the victory. And that's just what
the Wolverines did - making four
of six from the charity stripe to
close the game out.
What ultimately doomed Illi-
nois State was its lack of offensive
production from its big-three of
Jamie Russell, Janae Smith and
Candace Sykes, who coming in had
averaged slightly over 52 points
per games. The trio was limited by
Michigan's tight defense and man-
aged only 16 total points, while
being out-rebounded 42-24.
"I thought (our defense) was
outstanding," Barnes Arico said.
"We were really going after it. I
was really proud of it."
Two players in particular
that were key for the Wolverines
rebounding and defense were
Arnold and sophomore Nicole
Elmblad, who combined for 15
rebounds, including a team-high
of 10 by Elmblad. Arnold also
added seven points, well above her
average of two for the season after
playing 18 minutes for the foul-
troubled Sheffer, who still tallied
10 points and seven rebounds.

Trouba on loan for WJC

By LIZ VUKELICH
Daily Sports Writer
On Tuesday, USA Hockey
announced that Michigan fresh-
man defenseman Jacob Trouba
was named to the the United
States' World Junior team's pre-
liminary roster.
"It's always an interesting
experience for those kids," said
Michigan coach Red Berenson.
"It'll be a good measuring stick for
(Trouba). He's already in a good
place right now, (but) he'll come
back and should give us a lift."
This wouldn't be the first
time Trouba has represented the
United States at an international
level - he won a gold medal at the
Under-18 World Junior Champi-
onship earlier this year.
If Trouba makes the final team
final roster, which is announced
on Dec. 23, he will miss the Great
Lakes Invitational to play in the
World Junior Championship, held
this year in Ufa, Russia from Dec.
26-Jan 5.
Trouba's absence at the GLI
would be a significant blow to
Michigan's defensive corps, which
has alreadybeen severely depleted
with injuries and has struggled
throughout the season.
Junior Jon Merrill, who was
expected to be the Wolverines' top
defenseman, hasn't seen action
since cracking his seventh verte-
brae in an exhbition game against
Windsor on Oct. 9. Though Mer-
rill is no longer wearing a neck
brace, Berenson still expects it
to be months before he is healthy
enough to skate again.
Junior defenseman Kevin Clare
also sustained an undisclosed
injury within the past month,
though he still played in last Fri-
day's game against Ferris State.
Berenson scratched Clare on Sat-
urday.
Berenson said his top prior-
ity is now keeping players healthy
enough to compensate for Trou-
ba's inevitable absence from the
GLI - there is little doubt in his
mind that Trouba will make the
roster.
"If (Trouba) doesn't make the
final cut, I want to see the guys
that do," Berenson joked.
GOING FOR THE GOAL:

I

UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN
WHAT DO w v
IHODES/MARSHALL/MITC
SCHOLARS
DO AFTER THEIR STUDIES
Well, this guy became governor
of Louisiana.

PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Freshman defenseman Jacob Trouba was named to the Team USA preliminary
roster and will audition to play in the World Junior Championships.

What will you do?
Anything you want.
You've written your own game
plan so far in life. Why not take
it one step further and become
a Rhodes, Marshall, or Mitchell
Scholar?

Though Michigan's goaltending
has been lackluster at best thus far
this the season, Berenson hasn't
pointed fingers at freshmen goal-
ies Steve Racine and Jared Rut-
ledge for Michigan's 5-8-2 record.
Though Berenson never
expected an easy transition for the
pair, he didn't anticipate Michigan
to be No. 1Sin the CCHA for goals
allowed per game, with 3.5.
"You're never going to be a win-
ning team without good goaltend-
ing andI think we're not far off the
mark," Berenson said. "We've got
to get our goals-against down and
our save percenaget up, no matter
who's playing."
Rutledge started on Friday,
though after allowing five goals, it
wasn't a difficult decision to put in
Racine the next night.
Though he gave up a goal in
the first 42 seconds of the game,
Racine quickly recovered and
looked more comfortable in the
crease as the night went on. With
the game tied in the third period,
Ferris State swarmed Michigan's
zone to look for the game winner.
Berenson estimated that the
Bulldogs had about five qual-
ity looks at net during that time,
including one on a breakaway,

and he was impressed that
Racine "made some great saves."
Though he looked good in the
game's waning minutes, Racine
didn't look as impressive ear-
lier in the contest when he let
in three goals that Berenson
dubbed soft. The Wolverines will
never put full responsibility for
losses on the goalies, they still
need them to step up more when
they can.
"We need (the goalies) to be
able to make the save they're able
to make," Berenson said. "We're
victimized by our goalies giving
up a bad goal at a bad time. It just
kills you."
BYE, BYE, BYE: Michigan has
its first of two.byes this weekend
before facing Western Michigan
next Friday.
The most welcome aspect of
the bye week isn't that it gives
the Wolverines extra practice
before its next series - it's that it
gives them extra time for school
work.
"It's nice to have a bye week
any time of year," said junior
defenseman Mac Bennett.
"Especially now with exams,
our guys will get some rest that's
been well deserved."

Come to a Rhodes/Marshall/Mitchell Orientation Session:
Monday, January 28, 2013 9 5:00-6:00pm
Vandenberg Room, Michigan League
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 . 5:00-6:00pm
Kuenzel Room, Michigan Union
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 * 5:00-6:00pm
Boulevard Room, Pierpont Commons
To learn more, please contact the Provost's Council on Student Honors at
734-763-8123 or visit the website at
provost.umich.edu/scholars/