8A - Thursday, March 21, 2013

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

8A - Thursday, March 21, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

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SDSU's upset hopes
lie with Nate Wolters

Stopping standout
point guard will be
key for Michigan in
NCAA first round
By STEVEN BRAID
Daily Sports Editor
Nate Wolters might not have
a Sports Illustrated Player ofthe
Year award under his belt or a
selection to the U.S. Basketball
Writers Association All-Amer-
ica first team, but the South
Dakota State
point guard MichC an vs.
is one of the S Dakta St.
few players S-a -t
good enough Matchup:
to inspire a SDSU 25-9;
catchy slogan: Michigan 26-7
"Naters gonna When: Thurs-
Nate." day 7:15 P.M.
Possibly the Where: Palace
best player of Auburn Hills
no one has TV:
seen play, the CBS Sports
often-over-
looked Wolt-
ers could give Michigan (12-6
Big Ten, 26-7 overall) fits on
the defensive side of the floor,
Whether he's labeled as a pass-
first guard that can score, or a
score-first point guard that can
pass, the 6-foot-4 guard had

Michigan coach John Beil
gushing about his ability to h
tiate the Jackrabbits' offen
When describing Wolters' a
around game, Beilein did
know where to start.
"He has a great ability
make the right pass at the rip
time, instantaneously," Beili
said. "He gets many m
assists by not taking the ex
dribble and hitting the op
man. What he's really good (e
which is very unusual for p1
ers of his size, is his runne
Whenever he can see what'
call a 'bubble,' where there's
open area of the court and t
basket is open, he's attacking
The Summit League Pla
of the Year leads South Dak'
State (13-3 Summit Leag
25-9), averaging 22.7 poin
5.8 assists and 5.6 rebound:
game. He's one of just five pl
ers since 2000 to average
least 20 points, five reboun
and five assists per game, a
he's the only player to acco
plish the feat twice. He a
shoots nearly 50 percent frc
the field and 40 percent frc
beyond the arc. Wolters h
scored 30 points or more ir
game four times this seas(
including a 53-point outbu
against Indiana Universi
Purdue University Fort Way
in early February.

ein But while the Jackrabbits'
ni- offense starts and ends with
se. Wolters, he isn't their only
all- impact player. South Dakota
n't State has four players who aver-
age double figures in scoring
to and have a low-post presence in
ght 6-foot-8 Jordan Dykstra, who
ein averages nearly 13 points and
ore eight rebounds per game. All
tra four of their players that shoot
'en more than three 3-pointers a
at), game all shoot better than 35
ay- percent from beyond the arc.
rs. "They can spread you out,"
we Beilein said. "There are many
an times when there's nobody
:he underneath the basket and
." there's five guys that we have to
yer guard, so that's a challenge."
ota The Wolverines hope to
sue, get freshman forward Glenn
ts, Robinson III involved in the
s a offense early on, and Beilein
ay- has said they will need either
at him or freshman guard Nik
xds Stauskas to be a third scorer
nd for the team to find success
m- in the tournament. Michigan
lso is 17-1 when Robinson scores
om in double digits, and while it
om says something about the for-
has ward's clear contribution in the
n a box score, it underlies a more
on, important point.
rst When Robinson is active, he's
ty- crashing the offensive glass,
'ne running the fastbreak and
making off-the-ball cuts to the
basket, and there are very few
players in the country that can
match up with his athleticism.
South Dakota State's preference
for playing an up-tempo game
will certainly benefit Robinson
and could lead to a big game.
"I'm going to do whatever I
can to help out my teammates
and help get the victory," Rob-
inson said.
The Wolverines will, as
usual, look to sophomore guard
Trey Burke and junior guard
Tim Hardaway Jr. to lead the
way. Based off' ;1ying experi-
ence, Michigan is the eighth-
youngest team in the country
and has only three players in its
current rotation that saw min-
utes in last year's NCAA Tour-
nament. Burke will do his best
to make sure the underclass-
men understand the magnitude
of the event.
"Teams are just as hungry
as we are, teams are trying to
get where we are trying to get,"
Burke said. "We'll get beat if we
come out (slow), so I think the
sense of urgency will definitely
raise from this point forward. I
think you will see a team that is
AP similar to the team you saw in
of. the beginning of the year."

ADAMGLANZMAN/Daily
Redshirt junior Jake Ryan will almost certainly miss part of the 2013 season with a torn ACL suffered in practice Tuesday.
Jake Rya-n tears ACL
and is out., indefinitely

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By ZACH HELFAND
DailySportsEditor
Redshirt junior linebacker
Jake Ryan sustained a torn ante-
rior cruciate ligament in practice
Tuesday, the Michigan football
team announced Wednesday.
Ryan is out indefinitely, and based
on standard recovery times for
the injury, it is likely he will miss
part, if not all, of the 2013 season.
Ryan emerged as Michigan's
leading tackler and its most
dynamic difference maker in
2012. He recorded 88 tackles,
including16 for loss, 4.5 sacks and
four forced fumbles - all tops on
the team. He was named to the
All-Big Ten second team by the
media.
"You always hate when anyone
gets injured, and unfortunately
we've dealt with our share of inju-
ries in the last 12 months," said
Michigan coach Brady Hoke in a
statement. "We will support Jake
to make sure he has everything he
needs to get through this. I know
he will attack his rehabilitation
just like he does everything else

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Fifth-year senior Cameron Gordon (left) is an early candidate to replace Ryan at
strong-side linebacker. SophomoreJoe Bolden could moue from the weak side.

and will be back when he's ready."
The competition for strong-
side linebacker will likely be
between fifth-year senior Cam-
eron Gordon - who impressed
in winter workouts, according to
Hoke - and sophomore lineback-
er Joe Bolden, who typically plays
on the weak side.
Recovery time for an ACL tear
typically takes a year, though that
time varies by person. Adrian
Peterson, running back for the

Minnesota Vikings, tore his ACL
on Dec. 24, 2011 but was able to
return for the start of the 2012
NFL season.
Ryan already redshirted his
freshman year and cannot be
granted a sixth year of eligibil-
ity through a medical redshirt in
2013 unless Michigan can show
Ryan redshirted his freshman
year because of an injury or other
circumstances beyond his con-
trol.

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