8A - Wednesday, January 30, 2013 S p o r
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wolverines struggle
to find stable lineup
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Redshirt junior forward Jordan Morgan has been a big defensive presence for Michigan but won't play against Northwestern due to an ankle injury.
W ou MorganMichigan
prepares for Northwestern
By EVERETT COOK
Daily Sports Editor
Freshman forward Glenn
Robinson III, alongside the four
other Wolverines that comprise
Michigan's freshman class, is
takingaclassthis semester called
"The Cultures of Basketball." It's
a favorite among Michigan stu-
dents, -but
even more Northwestem
so among the .a4iig
basketball atIMihgan
players, for Matchup: North-
obvious rea- western 12-9;
sons. Michigan 19-1
On Mon- When: Wednes-
day after- day 6:30 p.m.
noon, their Where: Crisler
profes- Center
sor, San- TV/Radio:
tiago Colas, BTN
walked into
class and
announced somethingnew to his
class, something he or anyone in
Ann Arbor hasn't been able to say
:in more than 20 years.
He told his class, and the play-
ers, that the Michigan basketball
=team was the No. 1 team in the
-country. Now sitting in Colas'
class, Robinson wasn't born the
last time that happened.
The players recieved a stand-
ing ovation from their class-
mates.
"A smile broke out across our
faces," Robinson said. "But it's
business. The hardest thing is
staying on top."
* Michigan (6-1 Big Ten, 19-1
overall) will most likely be
without its starting center, red-
shirt junior Jordan Morgan,
on Wednesday when it tips off
against Northwestern at the
Crisler Center.
Morgan suffered a right-ankle
injury less than two minutes into
Michigan's 74-60 victory over
Illinois on Sunday.
While Michigan coach John
Beilein said that the ankle was
probably sprained and an X-ray
showed no sign of a broken bone.
He did say there was "a lot of dis-
coloration" in the ankle, and that
he didn't expect Morgan to prac-
tice or play in the next couple
days.
Michigan's leading big man
has started all 20 games this
season, averaging a little over
six points and five rebounds per
game. His numbers don't tell the
whole story, though, as Morgan
is seen as the vocal and physical
leader of the defense.
"Jordan has really learned
how to be a defensive special-
ist in some regard," Beilein said.
"He does a wonderful job for us
in the last line of defense ... if
everything breaks down and he
plays it poorly, we would give up
a lot oflayups."
Beilein said that they would
have "some sort of competition
in practice" to see who would be
starting in place of Morgan, but
it seems to be a decision between
freshman Mitch McGary or red-
shirt sophomore Jon Horford.
Beilein also downplayed the
significance of who starts, since
McGary and Horford will likely
play the same amount of minutes
on Wednesday.
Redshirt freshman Max Biel-
feldt, who averages less than six
minutes per game, will also play
a role in picking up Morgan's 20
minutes per game. Both poten-
tial starting big men have stam-
ina issues - Horford is coming
off a left-knee dislocation that
sidelined him for a month, and
McGary plays at such a high
intensity that he gets winded
after long stretches on the court,
so Bielfeldt will be counted
on for significant minutes on
Wednesday.
In terms of the Big Ten sched-
ule, Morgan's injury might have
come at the perfect time. On
Saturday, Michigan travels to
Bloomington to take on an offen-
sive juggernaut in No. 3 Indiana.
Wednesday, Michigan plays
Northwestern (3-5, 12-9), which
averages almost 20 points less
per game than the Hoosiers and
don'f have a big presence down
low.
The Wildcats have been deal-
ing with the loss of their best
player since December. Senior
forward Drew Crawford was
ruled out for the season after suf-
fering a right-shoulder injury.
The loss of Crawford raised a
lot of questions about the, Wild-
cats, and through a month of Big
Ten play, not many of them have
been answered.
It's been a season of incon-
sistencies so far in Big Ten play.
In the Wildcats' last game, they
lost by 15 to a Nebraska team that
had one previous conference
win. This was coming off three
straight strong performances,
including wins at then-No. 23
Illinois, at home against then-
No. 12 Minnesota and a close loss
to then-No. 2 Indiana.
It's difficult to gauge how
Michigan will play without Mor-
gan for the first time this season,
but even that's easier then trying
to figure out which Northwest-
ern team shows up.
Morgan or not, the Wolverines
shouldn't have an issue in their
first game on the No. 1 perch.
By MICHAEL LAU
Daily SportsEdit
Last season, afte
eliminated by Cornel
first round of the NCA
riament, the Michigan
team finished
the year with NOTE
a 24-13-5
record. Seven players
roster had appearedi
games.
Michigan is 8-16-2
son, and there are just f
ers who have appeared
games - senior defense
Moffiq, senior forwar
Lynch, sophomore fors
Di Giuseppe and fresh
ward Boo Nieves.
Despite Michigan'
sistencies on the year
problems, poor defen
lack of offensive fire
Moffie, Lynch, Di(
and Nieves have prov
consistent enough to fi
selves in the Wolverine
night in and night out.
But Michigan co
Berenson said that jus
a player is in the lineu
necessarily mean he
tributed consistently.
because of an attitude
or just a play-
er perform-
ing poorly c
the previous 1
weekend, t's
Berenson
hasn't hesi-
tated to
scratch a player who
a regular starter. Bere
also continually rot
lines in an effort to f
production from his
duringoffensive droug
"I think wheneve
losing you're going t
things up," Moffie said
it keeps everything
tive, so I don't think
thing."
Aside from a pair
game suspensions sa
freshman defensema
Trouba and senior for
Treais for misconduc
ties, injuries - partic
the defensemen - ha
constant thorn in the
ines' side. All six starti
semen have played tog
a handful of times thi
but Moffie said that
shouldn't affect the
defensemen play as a w
"We're a prettyc
corps, and the comm
is all the same, so you c
any of us with anyone
would be fine," he sai
all played together
point. I don't think
lines) are that big of a
obviously it would be n
some consistency back
SEARCHING FOR
Michigan has a hi
grooming and develop
ey players. Tradition
majority of recruits t
RILA play for the Wolverines stay
or until they graduate, which is
why Berenson expects players
r being to improve every year.
I in the "There's a lot of different
kA Tour- ways to measure these players,
n hockey and that's the bottom line," he
said. "They can ask themselves,
BOOK 'Are you having a better year
than you had last year?'"
on the When talking about last
in all 41 year's team, Berensoi refer-
enced the play of then-seniors
this sea- Luke Glendening, Greg Pateryn
our play- and Shawn Hunwick, who all
I in all 26 posted career highs in their
man Lee final season for Michigan.
d Kevin But the veterans this year
ward Phil haven't had the same kind of
man for- success. Treais, who had eight
goals in the first four weeks of
s incon- the season to lead the NCAA,
- goalie has cooled off to the extent that
se and a he's tallied just three points in
power - the past month.
Giuseppe Whereas production came
'en to be from the upperclassmen a year
nd them- ago, the freshmen have found
es' lineup themselves contributing more
and more this season. Three
ach Red freshmen - Trouba, Nieves and
t because forward Andrew Copp - sit in
p doesn't the top 10 for total points. But
has con- it's more than just point pro-
Whether duction Berenson is looking for
problem - he expects his veteran play-
ers to provide
the team other
don't think intagibles as
a bad thing" "For for-
wards, some-
times it'sgoals
and assists,
had been sometimes it's plus-minus,
nson has sometimes it's your role,"
ated the Berenson said. "Kevin Lynch
ind more is a senior forward. Now he
forwards might not have scored as many
hts. goals yet as he had last year,
r you're but he's definitely adding more
o switch physicality and better defensive
. "I think physical presence, more leader-
competi- ship."
it's a bad BENNETT REPORT: Junior
defenseman Mac Bennett, who
of one- suffered an apparent knee inju-
erved to ry during Michigan's 5-1 loss to
n Jacob Bowling Green on Jan. 8, now
ward A.J. has a timetable for a return.
ct penal- Berenson said that Bennett
ularly to will likely start skating on his
ve been a own this week, and "if he's prac-
Wolver- ticing with the team next week,
ng defen- he'll be playing next weekend."
ether just The Narragansett,R.I. native
s season, had contributed four goals and
injuries nine assists before his injury,
way the and also played a pivotal role
vhole. to an already depleted defen-
close 'D' sive corps. In the same game
unication that Bennett went down,
an throw junior defenseman Jon Mer-
and they rill returned from a vertebrae
d. "We've injury that had sidelined him
at, some the entire season.
(different Though Berenson has said
deal, but that the defensive woes are just
ice to-get as much a result of the forwards'
defensive-zone coverage than
VETS: the actual play of the defense-
story of man, Bennett's presence on the
ing hock- blue line can only have a posi-
ally, the tive effect as the team winds
hat come down the regular season.
41
ii
0
WOMEN'S SWIMMING
How to be a Michigan athlete
By SHANNON LYNCH
Daily Sports Writer
Three words bunched together
create a remarkably simple phrase
- "Be an athlete." As simple as they
might be, those words have had a
massive impact on the freshman
class of the No. 25 Michigan wom-
en's swimming and diving team.
Marni Oldershaw and Ali
Deloof, two of the team's top per-
forming freshman, have become
very familiar with those three
words over the course of their first
season at Michigan. The mantra,
"be an athlete," is the one that
Michigan coach Mike Bottom
constantly reminds his swimmers
to follow.
"It's just completely. commit-
ting yourself to what you're doing
'and being able to overcome kind of
ranything, in sport or in your life,"
Oldershaw said. "I really take that
.to the classroom, I take it to social
situations, I take it to the pool, - it
follows us." 4
The phrase itself is not imagi-
native. It's not unique. It can apply
to any athlete playing any sport at
any level. So why has this mantra
meant so much to this team and
.propelled the freshman class to
compete at such a high caliber?
It's because the Wolverines
have made the phrase their own,
something that applies only to
them. It is almost as if the fresh-
man have created a guide on how
to "be an athlete."
Team first
"You don't swim for yourself,
and I think that truly gets me
through all the hard parts, all the
hard aspects of my whole life right
now," Oldershaw said. "It's not
about me, it's about the team, and
that really helps."
The team has blossomed in the
past month, showing strength
across the board in a number of
events, and is currently 3-1 in 2013
and 4-2 in the Big Ten. The fresh-
man class has made major con-
tributions in every victory, and
senior Ashley Cohagen attributes
their success to a team commit-
ment.
"It's not about you, it's about the
people on the sidelines cheering
for you which is a really cool thing
and it really helps you get through
your races," Cohagen said.
Just keep swimming
"Whenever we're doing a hard
set, (assistant coach Mark Hill)
always says, 'Just keep moving
forward. You'll be fine, just keep
moving forward,' " Deloof said.
Added Oldershaw: "The hurt
goes away but the work you've
done will stay."
Overall, this season hasn't been
an easy one for the Wolverines.
With the retirement of former
coach Jim Richardson just before
the fall semester began, Bottom
took on the task of head coach for
both the men's and women's team,
and the entire program experi-
enced growing pains as a result.
Not only did the freshman class
have to adjust to being on a brand,
new team, it was entering an envi-
ronment no one had experienced
before.
While the adjustments may not
have been easy, the team has done
surprisingly well considering the
circumstances. Seven swimmers
currently hold top-10 ranks in the
Big Ten, and despite starting the
season with some rough losses,
the team is now 4-4 overall.
Making waves
Bottom is constantly throwing
curve balls at his team, challeng-
ing them to do more than just win.
Whether it's moving faster in the
pool or break records that have
been around for decades, his style
of coaching has prepped them to
deal with any situation and given
them the tools to surprise their
opponents.
"It's not about winning or los-
ing, it's about causing chaos or
disruption, is the way that Mike
puts it," Oldershaw said. "Beating
someone you're not supposed to
beat, going a time you're not sup-
posed to go."
The Wolverines were able to
pull this off in an underdog victo-
ry against then-No. 15 Ohio State
by surprising their opponents and
topping the scoreboard the entire
night. They won eight events dur-
ing the meet and went 2-3-4-5 in
two races, and 2-3-4 in two others,
to add to their point margin.
"Anything that's thrown our
way during meets we can handle,
but (other teams) are not as pre-
pared," Cohagen said.
The meet against Ohio State
was not one the team anticipated
winning, but by creating chaos
and doing more in the pool than
they were expected to, they came
out with the victory.
Being a college athlete is never
easy. But having to adjust to a new
environment while also dealing
with the pressures of academics
and 'team pressures makes suc-
cess all the more difficult to attain.
While its season has been far from
perfect, the women's swim team
has lived up to the mantra "be an
athlete," and the expectations for
their success are far greater than
they were a few short months ago.
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Freshman forward Boo Nieves has appeared in every game this season.
I