The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com Friday, January 11, 2013 - 9 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, January 11, 2013 - 9 Burke returns home against OSU on Sunday FILE PHOTO/Daily Sophomore point guard Trey Burke will be playing in his hometown of Columbus in Sunday's game against OSU. Behind Enem Li es with OSU's Tho-mas By STEVEN BRAID Daily Sports Editor When Tim Hardaway Jr. was asked Thursday night where Ohio State ranked among all of Michigan's rivalry games, Michigan at the swing- man refused Ohio State to answer, say- Matchup: ing only that Michigan the Wolverines 16-0; Ohio were going to State 12-3 be taking the When: Sunday contest very 1:30 P.M. seriously. Where: Value But for City Arena sophomore TV/Radio: guard Trey BS Burke, Sun- day's matchup against the 15th-ranked Buckeyes (2-1 Big Ten, 12-3 overall) in Columbus is much more than just a rivalry game. It's a return to the place where he grew up. "It means a lot for all of us, but I'm definitely excited to be back playing in front of my home- town," Burke said. "It's a real big game." Burke, the reigning National Player of the Week, will have the opportunity to show family and friends how much No. 2 Michi- gan (3-0, 16-0) has improved' since last year's Big Ten Tourna- ment championship, when the Buckeyes thumped the Wolver- ines, 77-55. Michigan has matched its best start in program history, and a big reason for that is its dynamic offense. Led by Burke's team- high 18.3 points and 7.3 assists, the Wolverines rank 10th in the countryin points per game (80.8), fourth in field-goal percentage (51.4) and have four starters scor- ing in double figures. The Wolverines cooled off a bit.in their gritty 62-47 win over Nebraska, posting their lowest offensive output of the season and shooting 3-of-17 from behind the arc, but will try to return to their efficient ways on offense against a Buckeye team that allows less than 60 points per game. "We didn't take Nebraska lightly," said freshman forward Glenn Robinson III. "They had a great game plan coming in, so we just got to continue to execute going into Sunday." The Wolver- " ines will most likely receive a big boost in the frontcourt, sophomore forward is expected to mak after being sideline five games with a le "If (Horford) pla in the next two d tice, and shows he's of condition, we'll in there," said Mi John Beilein. on the surface State team seemsa lar to last year's s and allowing rougi amount of points p a deeper look rev Buckeyes are a me team than the one A in 2012. Their top scorer: er from the 201 center Jared Sullir the NBA. Their n year. "Ohio State has a fe'll be ready great team, they're well coached, and Sunday" they're capable of beating anyone in the country," Burke said. as redshirt But besides Thomas, the Jon Horford Buckeyes have struggled to ke his return receive consistent production d for the past from anyone else during the first g injury. half of the season. ys really well Guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. is, lays in prac- the only other player averaging s in that type double-digit points (10.7) and throw him preseason All-Big Ten selec- chigan coach tion Aaron Craft has not per- formed up to expectations. The this Ohio point guard is averaging just awfully simi- 8.9 points and 4.7 assists, while quad, scoring shooting career lows of 39.8 per- hly the same cent from the field and 33.3 per- er game. But cent from beyond the arc. eals that the Though he'll be playing in uch different front of a home crowd, the mag- Wichigan saw nitude of the game for Michigan has not been lost on Burke. and rebound- "This game could decide 1-12 season, who wins the Big Ten champi- nger, left for onship," Burke said. "We'll be ost danger- ready Sunday." ous threat from behind the arc, swingman William Buford, is gone as well. In has stepped junior Deshaun Thomas, who has smoothly transitioned into the Ohio State offense, aver- aging 20.3 and 6.8 rebounds. The 6-foot-7 forward has also become the resident 3-point marksman for the Buckeyes, making a team-high 38 shots from downtown while shooting just over 40 percent. The Wolverines will have their hands full with Thomas, who averaged 20 points and eight rebounds in the teams' three meetings last By NEAL ROTHSCHILD Daily Sports Writer Last year when the Michigan basketball team went down to Columbus in a mid-season Big Ten showdown, it didn't come back to Ann Arbor happy. The Buckeyes bullied the Wolverines around all game, beating them on the boards and getting second-chance points throughout. The 64-49 Ohio State win gave Michigan its fifth consecutive loss in true away games. The storyline for that game was then-freshman point guard Trey Burke returning to his hometown to take on child- hood best friend Jared Sullinger. Since then, things have changed. Michigan went 4-1 on the road after thatgame and has continued its run this season, remaining undefeated in its first 16 contests. And with Sullinger now play- ing with the Boston Celtics in the NBA, Burke has taken his place in the National Player of the Year conversation. But the Wolverines (3-0 Big Ten, 16-0 overall) will have to worry about a different domi- nant force in the middle. Versa- tile 6-foot-7 forward Deshaun Thomas, who busted out-for the Buckeyes down the stretch last season and earned himself a pre- season'player of the year nomi- nation. The junior is averaging over 20 points and nearly seven rebounds per game this season for No.15 Ohio State (2-1,12-3). The Daily got a chance to talk with him at Big Ten Media Day in October. The Michigan Daily: Do you ever think about how you com- pare to the other top players in the country, like last year did you compare yourself to Thomas Robinson or Anthony Davis? Deshaun Thomas: Not really. I was just trying to go out there and be the best player I could be. They were great players and if. you noticed - I don't know why people always get on me about my defense - but I held Dray- mond Green, Robbie Hummel, I held them pretty well. But I never try to be like them or tryto fit my role like them. TMD: Last year, Sullinger took on the role of guarding the opposing team's best big man. Do you think you'll have that role this year? DT: To me, I don't think I will. It just depends on the sys- tem, how coach (Thad Matta) wants us to run it. We have a shot blocker now, Amir Wil- liams. So he can be our starter, and if he gets in foul trouble or (Evan Ravenel) gets in foul trou- ble, I'll probably have to hold (the opposing player) for a little bit, frustrate him a little bit. But I don't think I'll be that player like Jared that was holding the best player on the team. TMD: Do you feel more com- fortable guarding someone on the perimeter where you can use both your size and quickness? DT: By me getting my body right and being in shape, I can be that player who can hold some of the perimeters. If you think about it, Cincinnati had all guards out there (in the NCAA Tournament last year) and one big and I did that pretty well. Note: The Buckeyes beat the Bearcats 81-66 in the Sweet 16. Thomas was effective offensive- ly too, leading all scorerswith 24 points. TMD: What's the change in your leadership role with Sull- inger and William Buford leav- ing? Is it harder? DT: I don't think it's really that hard. By me coming back last year and freshman year, I learned a lot - you've got to learn to be more vocal from the older guys. You've got to be more of a leader. I don't think it's hard because in practice, coach has pointed me out and I talked to the guys and I have no problem talking to them. And they listen, and we had a great practice. TMD: How long did it take to get used to that? DT: Freshman year, I don't remember saying nothing. I wasn't even talking. I came a long way. Sophomore year it was getting there, getting better. Then junior year it just got way better. By having experience in being here and learning from David Lighty and Jon (Diebler) and Jared and learning from (Aaron) Craft - but it was natu- ral for him. But being that lead- er is not so bad and being that more vocal. TMD: Do you feel more com- fortable on the court when you have that type of role? DT: I feel more comfortable on the court and off the court. Just talking to my teammates, texting them, asking them how they're doing off the court. 1i.'edod le LIVE COLLEGE FOLLOW OUR BEATS: @BLOCKMHOCKEY AND @BLOCKMBBALL apply today for fall 2013 Great location on S. University Ave-walk to class. Designer interior finishes. Green entertainment deck with hot tub & fire pit. Individual leases. On-site retail. Resort-style amenities. State-of-the-art fitness center. Fully-loaded game room. Wireless study lounge & open air veranda.