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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, December 7, 2012 - 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, December 7, 2D12 - 7
Unbeaten Blue hosts Hogs
Better days ahead
for Daley, Michigan
By DANIEL WASSERMAN
Daily Sports Writer
When the. Michigan basketball
team traveled to Fayetteville, Ark.
for a midseason tilt against the
Razorbacks last season, it didn't
know what it was in for.
No matter how much Michi-
gan prepared
for the speed
and ferocity of Arkansasat
the middling Michigan
SEC foe, Arkan-
sas stormed out Matchup:
to a 29-10 lead Arkansas 4-3;
- making its Michigan 8-0
first 11 shots - When: Satur-
before the Wol- day 12 P.M.
verines could Where:
even blink. Crisler Arena
Arkansas TV/Radio:
stretched its CBS
lead to 20 in the
first half and
led by 13 with under seven min-
utes left before Michigan's frantic
comeback ended with then-fresh-
man Trey Burke missing a would-
be game-winning 3-pointer at the
buzzer.
Most fans remember Zack
Novak's hard foul on B.J. Young
as he attempted a fast-break dunk
during the 66-64 Arkansas vic-
tory, but when asked about the
game on Tuesday, Burke shook
his head. All he could remember
was the way the game started.
"We weren't prepared for that,"
he said. "No matter how much we
prepared in practice, Arkansas'
pressure is tough. They're a real-
ly good team. They're long and
active - very athletic."
Michigan coach John Beilein,
known for his X's and O's and the
way he readies his teams in prac-
tice, ajso hasn't forgotten how the
game opened.
"I haven't watched much tape,"
Beilein said of last year's contest.
"All I know is (it was) a blur last
year, the first few minutes. Our
defensive transition, with our
scout team ... was not like guard-
ALDEN
Sophomore guard Trey Burke failed to hit a 3-painter at the buzzer last year against Arkansas to win the game.
ing them."
But Novak is gone, and instead
of playing in the hostile Bud
Walton Arena, the game will be
played at home in Crisler Center,
where the Wolverines (8-0) have
won 24 of their last 26 games.
And that Michigan team last
year wasn't the No. 3 team in the
nation, and didn't have the trio of
freshmen - guard Nik Stauskas
and forwards Glenn Robinson III
and Mitch McGary - that have
turned the Wolverines into a for-
midable transition offense capa-
ble of scoring points in bunches.
That was something that stuck
out to Kansas State coach Bruce
Weber, who spent the previous
nine seasons at Illinois, after
Michigan beat the Wildcats in the
NIT Season Tip-Off two weeks r
ago.
"They are their best in transi-
tion," Weber said. "In the years
I've watched (Beilein's) teams and
competed against them, he went
from walking the ball up, grind-
ing it out, to now their best thing
is their transition."
In last year's game, Burke
scored 13 points but shot just6-of-
19 from the floor while junior
guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was held
to nine points on 3-of-8 shoot-
ing. Redshirt junior forward Jor-
dan Morgan had one of the most
efficient offensive games of his
career, scoring 16 points on 7-of-
11 shooting while pulling down
six boards. Young, who returned
later in last year's contest after
Novak's flagrant foul, scored 15
points and currently leads the
Razorbacks (4-3) with 19.5 points.
Forward Marshawn Powell, who
missed most of last year, includ-
ing the Michigan game, after knee
surgery, is second on the team
with 16.1 points but burst onto the
scene with a 33-point outing in an
upset over Oklahoma on Tuesday.
The win snapped a three-game
skid for Arkansas, which included
losses to Wisconsin and a 91-82
barnburner against No. 4 Syra-
cuse.
Despite the mediocre record,
the Razorbacks average a whop-
ping 82.1 points per game and,
with their intense defensive pres-
sure, force more than18 turnovers
per game - nine of them coming
off of steals that help Arkansas
counter quickly in transition.
But with a more experienced
Burke, and ateam more apt to not
just handle a high-tempo play-
ing style, but excel at, Michigan
might even be able to beat the
Razorbacks at their owngame.
Still, Beilein is still approach-
ing the game with an air of cau-
tion.
"They're going to really force
the tempo," he said. "We'll find
out (if we're more ready than
last year). They run up and'down
on everybody.
"We're going to simulate the
best we can, and then hopefully
we can adjust as well as we did
last year, but just not get down
early."
Most NCAA soccer teams
could liken their season to a
roller-coaster ride, but for the
Michigan men's soccer team,
its 2012 campaign was quite the
opposite.
Michigan coach Chaka Daley
and hissquad started their sea-
son at the
top of the JEREMY
hill with SUMMITT
their hands
in the air, On Men's Soccer
heading
down a 70-degree drop at rough-
ly 60 miles per hour.
The Wolverines were defeated
in five of their first seven games,
a disastrous beginning to a new
era of Michigan soccer. A team
who had been to the national
semifinal just two years ago
seemed to be heading for another
rebuilding year.
Many players were putting
forth sufficient effort, but ques-
tioning if they could actually get
positive results midway through
the season. But against Ohio
State, in one of the most impor-
tant matches of the season, that
70-degree drop seemed to sub-
side at least for a moment.
A thrilling, double-overtime
victory against the Buckeyes
generated confidence back into
the Michigan squad, leadingto its
first multi-game unbeaten streak.
"The goal (for the season) was
to instill a culture of consistently
winning," Daley said. "Growth
throughout the season is very
important to us."
It should be noted that the
unbeaten stretch stemmed from
three home games, while the
Wolverines often struggled away
from Ann Arbor. In the next two
games, both on the road, Michi-
gan fell short to Wisconsin and
No. 3 Akron.
Searching for answers in the
midst of a 4-7-1 record, the Wol-
verines stormed into Blooming-
ton for their first road win in what
the team called one of the turning
points of the season.
Michigan had a minor lapse
against Bowling Green a few days
later, possibly an emotional hang-
over from the well-earned vic-
tory at Indiana. But following the
tough loss at home, Michigan rat-
tled off five straight wins en route
to the Big Ten Tournament final.
"We allowed our guys not to be
mediocre anymore," Daley said.
"We had a tough season and they
didn't play to the final whistle.
Losing to Bowling Green was the
big wake up call."
In an attempt to reach the .500
mark - required to qualify for
an NCAA Tournament bid - the
Wolverines needed to win their
first match of the Big Ten Tourna-
ment, which they did. Later that
weekend, a crushing defeat at the
hands of Michigan State could
have sent Michigan back down
that same hill they started on.
But with the strength derived
from previous adversity, the team
responded with composure. It
grew a vast amount from the
beginning to the end, just like
Daley expects out of his teams.
In the first round of the NCAA
Tournament, down one goal with
30 minutes remaining, junior
midfielder Fabio Pereira surely
lived up to expectations by scor-
ing a hat trick in just seven min-
utes.
Propelling the Wolverines into
the next round of the tournament
was an amazing feeling, Pereira
said.
In one of the most entertaining
games of the season, Michigan
finally fell to Akron in the second
round to end a remarkable late-
season run.
The Wolverines believe they
have the confidence and talent to
build off of that late success and
turn it into next year's early-sea-
son momentum.
i.,
VOLLEYBALL
Spartans next in Sweet 16
M' hockey lines in flux
By GREG GARNO play a team that's an hour away,"
Daily Sports Writer said junior outside hitter Molly
Toon. "I think it's definitely going
The Michigan volleyball team to be a fun game, but at this point
has harped on its strong confer- it's just another team in the way."
ence schedule all year, explaining For some Wolverines, Friday's
that it would pay off in December. contest will be more than just
Now that it's December, that another postseason game, it will
strength couldn't be more evident be a homecoming, as freshman
after six of seven Big Ten teams libero Tiffany Morales and junior
that made the defensive specialist Ally Sabol
NCAA Tourna- h hail from the Golden State.
ment advanced Morales opted to have her par-
to the Sweet 16. VS. MSU ents wait a weekend and skip the
Deep into Matchup: trip to Louisville to see her play in
the tourna- Michigan person. Now, the member of the
ment, Michi- 25-11; MSU All-Big Ten freshman team will
gan , will also 17-9 have the opportunity to see her
face an oppo- When: Fri- family and friends this weekend. .
nent its already day, 8 P.M. "My parents asked me 'So, do
seen twice this Where: you want us to come?' " Morales
season. More Berkeley, said.
importantly, it 'Calif. Morales told them, "I have
faces an in-state confidence in my team and I know
rival, Michigan you have confidence in my team. I
State, putting more pressure on a believe we're going to make it to
team that looks to continue its hot you guys next week."'
streak. Morales has been a solid defen-
Or so you would think. sive player for Michigan during
"I'm not throwing coaching its late-season run. The libero led
cliches out there, but to me in the her team in digs in both postsea-
NCAA Tournament it's just about son games with 19 against Ten-
advancing," said Michigan coach nessee and 17 against Louisville.
Mark Rosen. "I don't care if we're The Wolverines hope to con-
playing a team we've never played tinue to ride the strong play of
before or a team we're playing junior outside hitter Lexi Erwin
right up the street, like (Michi- and Toon for offensive produc-
gan State). We need to advance. tion- the pair accounted for half
Everybody becomes your rival." of the team's points in both post-
On Friday, the Wolverines will season matches.
compete in their fifth regional Erwin, the team leader in kills
semifinal in program history this season, has not let off the
when they face off against the gas against the strongest confer-
Spartans, following victories over ence in the country. On Tuesday,
Tennessee and No. 9 Louisville the American Volleyball Coaches
the previous weekend. Ironi- Association selected Erwin as
cally, though, Michigan will have an honorable mention to the All-
to travel across the country to Mideast Region team after she
Berkeley, Calif. to face Michigan was named a member of the All-
State, instead of driving an hour Big Ten team last week.
up I-96 to face the Spartans. Toon, on the other hand, has
The Wolverines split the series recently become a more consis-
against the Spartans this season, tent force after waitingto find her
losing at home in straight sets place during Michigan's offensive
before winning in straight sets in renovations. Toon took advantage
East Lansing to close out the sea- of the Cardinals' smaller blockers
son. Michigan trails the all-time in Friday's game.
series, 47-36, though neither team "I think (my performance) has
has played the other in the post- been building up the entire year,"
season. Toon said. "I don't think it was
"It's kind of funny having to go one thing that just switched. Its
all the way across the country to just all come together in the end."
Junior middle blocker Jen-
nifer Cross was named to the
AVCA All-Mideast Region team
Tuesday after playing in every set
this season. Along with freshman
middle blocker Krystalyn Goode,
opposing teams have no relief for
a force at the middle of the net.
Michigan State runs a 6-2
offense that features three hit-
ters,.making blocking more of a
challenge against teams that rely
on'just a pair. However, the duo
has combined for 267 total blocks
throughout the season, enough
for over half of the Wolverines'
total.
One area of concern for Michi-
gan will be its serving errors.
During the first and second
rounds, Michigan struggled to
keep the ball in play, which ended
runs or allowed the momentum
to shift. The Wolverines had nine
serving errors in both games, but
that doesn't surprise the veteran
coach.
"We're going to miss some
serves because we're going to
serve aggressively," Rosen said.
"I didn't really feel like there
was any point in the two matches
where I felt like that was getting
away from us, but we need to keep
serving tough. I never think we're
good enough. I always think we
have things to improve on."
Michigan would play the win-
ner of the match between No. 15
Iowa State and No. 2 Stanford
game on Saturday night should it
advance.
The idea of adjusting quickly
doesn't frighten the Wolverines,
though, who are accustomed to
making quick changes or adjust-
ing on bus rides between confer-
ence games.
Michigan (25-11) won't be the
only Big Ten team to play a con-
ference foe in the tournament.
Minnesota travels to Purdue to
face the Boilermakers with the
winner advancing to possibly
face Penn State.
"People say all the time, like
Tennessee's coach before the
match, 'The SEC is so much
more like the Big Ten now,' "
Rosen said. "But in the back of
my mind I'm going 'No. You're
not.'
By MICHAEL LAURILA
Daily Sports Writer
The offensive line chart that
Michigan coach Red Berenson put
out Saturday night in the series
finale against Ferris State night
didn't look even remotely similar
to the one he posted when the
Michigan hockey team opened up
its season on Oct.11.
Even compared to the line
chart in the Wolverines' 5-0 loss
the night before, there were glar-
ing differences.
But sudden, multiple changes
to Michigan's offensive personnel
have been a common trend this
season. Berenson has continuous-
ly mixed and matched different
forwards in an effort to produce
more quality play.
"We're looking for who , can
help (each) linegetbetter," Beren-
son said. "It might be offensively
or defensively, but it gives you a
new life sometimes when you get
a new player on the line. If we
were playing really rock-solid as a
team night after night, I wouldn't
be changing lines."
Heading into last weekend's
contest with the Bulldogs, Michi-
gan had been stagnant on both
offense and defense. Spanning
back to a Nov. 10 loss at Michi-
gan State, the Wolverines have
gone 1-4, scoring just six goals
while allowing 22. The offense,
which had been one of the top
in the nation earlier in the year,
had faltered, and the defense had
allowed 3.46 goals per game on
the year.
Though Saturday's switch
worked offensively - the Wol-
verines scored three goals in less
than two minutes during the first
period - the defensive effort
still wasn't completely effective.
Whether it was the fault of fresh-
man netminder Steve Racine or
poor defensive-zone coverage,
which has plagued Michigan all
season, Ferris State was able to
rally in the second and third peri-
ods to tie up the game with three
unanswered goals.
Surprisingly, Berenson has
consistently said that the Wolver-
ines' defensive struggles are just
as much a result of forwards' mis-
cues as defensemen's miscues.
Senior forward Kevin Lynch played alongside two other seniors last weekend.
"I think coach is stressing the
importance of defense right now,"
said senior forward Kevin Lynch.
"As long as we're not giving up
goals, that's the most important
thing..I think he's still just 'try-
ing to focus on the defensive
part of the game - backchecking
hard and cutting things down in.
the defensive zone and then the
offense will come."
Berenson has also touched on
the production of the lines as a
whole. Senior forward A.J. Treais
who leads Michigan in scoring
with 10 goals - more than double
anybody else on the team - has
led the top line all season. The
rest of the offense has been decid-
edly hot or cold, either scoring
in bunches or not scoring at all.
Though Treais has been mixed
and matched with various players,
his line on Saturday of Lynch and
senior Lindsay Sparks accounted
for four points with two goals and
two assists.
The third and fourth lines,
which usually provide little pro-
duction, have been almost nonex-
istent. Freshman forward Justin
Selman has two goals during the
last sevengames and he isthe only
player from the third and fourth
lines to notch a goal during that
stretch.
Though the expectations for
the third and fourth lines are
lower than the top lines as they
tend to be comprised of younger
players, production from them
can rally the veteran players to
play harder and more inspired.
"We played the last two games
and at least three players have
scored their first goal of the sea-
son against us," Berenson said.
"That's the fourth line guys that
are scoring. ... We're expecting
(Treais) to be an offensive play-
er but we're also expecting the
other guys that are playing regu-
larly to chip in with the odd goal
when they get a chance. You can't
keep playing and never score and
expectto be a plus player."
Lynch said that Berenson likes
to mix up lines early in the season
to see "how much chemistry they
have."
The coaching staff has shown
all year that being a plus player
- having more goals scored than
allowed when you are on the
ice - is important. And with the
defense giving up a conference-
high 3.45 goals per game, play-
ing both ways will continue to be
the only way for Michigan to cut
down on the goals against.