The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, March 22, 2013 - 9 Villanova will test Michigan from deep Michigan coach Red Berenson has reached the NCAA Tournament for 22 straight years, but needs two more wins for 23. Season streak on the line at the Joe Wolverines look to stay unbeaten in CCHA Tournament against Miami By MATT SLOVIN ManagingEditor It took the Michigan hockey team nearly the entire season to come up with its slogan. Last year, it was "burn the boats." The new motto is equally sim- ple, and now it's written on the white- Michigan vs. board in the Miami (OH) locker room. "Go blue or Matchup: go home." Michigas t7-18- go e 3; Miami 24-10-5 When seventh-seed- When: Satur- ed Michi- day 4:35 p.m. gan (9-15-3 Where: Joe CCHA, 17-18- Louis Arena 3 overall) and TV: No. 1 seed Fox Sports Miami (Ohio) Detroit Plus square off in Saturday's CCHA semifinal at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, 148 days will have passed since the teams last met. And if the Wolverines fail to extend their unbeaten streak to nine games, they will be going home - with- out a spot in the CCHA title game. Freshman goaltender Steve Racine was between the pipes for Michigan's 4-2 win over the RedHawks on Oct. 26 at Yost Ice Arena. The next night, Miami salvaged the split, and the teams' years went in opposite directions the rest of the way. "That was a long time ago," Racine said. "Obviously, they've gotten a lot better since then. They've had a great year, so I'm not really thinking much about that (series)." Michigan's recent resurgence elicited RedHawks coach Enrico Blasi to refer to the Wolverines as the hottest team in the CCHA on Tuesday's league conference call. "Over the years, it's become a pretty good rivalry between us and Michigan," Blasi said on the conference call. "We feel that Saturday will be no different." Miami (17-7-4, 24-10-5) has already wrapped up an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament that begins next weekend, but the RedHawks would like noth- ing more than to erase Michi- gan's tournament hopes. The Wolverines, who have. reached Joe Louis Arena and the CCHA Championships for the 24th straight season, must win Saturday and Sunday to extend their record NCAA Tourna- ment appearance streak to 23 years. The winner of Michigan and Miami will meet the winner of Saturday's contest between second-seeded Notre Dame and fourth-seeded Ohio State on Sunday. Since Racine regained the starting job in net, he's gone 7-0-1 with a 1.98 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. But the goaltending edge like- ly belongs to the RedHawks as their two freshmen netminders, Ryan McKay and Jay Williams, have been key to Miami's suc- cessful season. Though Blasi played his cards close to the vest when asked which goalie would get the nod Saturday, it would seem that Ryan McKay, who has played five straight games, is the favor- ite. McKay is 12-5-2 this season with an unbelievable 1.20 goals- against average and a save per- centage of .954. Michigan coach Red Berenson sees several similarities between the RedHawks and Western Michigan, the latest victim of the Wolverines' hot streak. Both teams typically limit the number of scoring chances given up. And though both have high-end scor- ing talent, Berenson said players like CCHA Rookie of the Year favorite Riley Barber and Hobey Baker Award finalist Austin Czarnik make the RedHawks a bigger threat offensively. "Miami prides themselves on being a blue-collar team, and they work hard every night," Berenson said. "There's a lot of similarities (to the Broncos)." The Wolverines haven't ever lost to Miami in the CCHA Tour- nament, but the single-elimina- tion format of the semifinals and finals lends Michigan little room for error. "It's playoffs, so every game counts," said junior defenseman Mac Bennett. "You can't afford to take a game off. Whether we're playing a three-game series or doing one game, we've got to come to play." First-round foe is a familiar one for Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico By DANIEL FELDMAN Daily Sports Writer When the eighth-seeded Mich- igan women's basketball team plays ninth-seeded Villanova Sunday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it will face a team that has suffered similar consequences and results this Both teams finished with the same overall and conference record this season - Michigan (9-7 Big Ten, 21-10 overall) and Villanova (9-7 Big East, 21-10). In addition, Villafl V S. both teams Michigan started 4-0 in conference play Matchup: and suffered Villanova 21-10; losses in the Michigan 21-10 quarterfinals When: Sunday of their respec- 4:30 p.m. tive conference Where: tournaments. Maples Coming Pavilion from the Big TV: East, Michi- ESPN2 gan coach Kim Barnes Arico has experience coaching against the Wildcats. At St. John's, she won three straight games against Villanova, includ- ing a 69-49 victory in her last con- test. Given her win streak and familiarity with longtime Vil- lanova coach Harry Perretta, Barnes Arico feels confident she will be able to prepare her team adequately before Sunday's game. "I was in (that) league for 10 years, and he was always some- one that was a tremendous coach, but an even better person and someone you could always turn to in our league," Barnes Arico said. "I've gone and sat down with him to talk basketball. I've gone and talked to him about his offense. So yeah, I know Villanova really well, coach Perretta really well. It should be interesting." Michigan will have to get used to contesting the 3-point shot more than it has all year. Villano- va ranks seventh in the country in 3-pointers made per game, aver- aging 8.3. The Wildcats attempt- ed 256 shots in the season - also enough for seventh in the country. "They play a unique style, kind of like Princeton men of old, they play five out," Barnes Arico said. PATRICK BARRON/Daily Senior guard Jenny Ryan called Michigan "OK at defending the three," and said the Wolverines would devote practice time to improving before meeting Villanova. "They play five out, they shoot threes like crazy, they probably take 20 to 30 more threes than anybody else per game," Barnes Arico said. It's no surprise, then, as to what Michigan has devoted its time practicing this week in prep- aration. "We're OK at defending the three, and we'll work on it this week and be ready," senior guard Jenny Ryan said. Added senior forward Rachel Sheffer: "I feel like we've faced Maggie Lucas, one of the best 3-point shooters in the game right now. We defend (senior for- ward Kate Thompson) in practice every day, and I'm sure she'll be shooting up a storm in the next couple days. Knowing that they are a 3-point shootingteam, that's going to beone of our main focus- es in the next few days in prac- tice." Though they're making their second consecutive NCAA Tour- nament appearance, the Wolver- ines haven't advanced beyond the first round since 2001 - their last NCAA berth before 2012. After falling to Oklahoma in the first round last season, Michigan returned five seniors who have carried the team with their experience and scoring. The seniors led the team to its second straight 20-plus win campaign. With such experience in hand, it's no surprise that Barnes Arico and company envision bigger things this post season compared to last. "You're not just happy to be ,there anymore, you want to be successful once you get there," Barnes Arico said. "The senior class really wanted to create something special, and they've been able to do that. We don't want to end here, we want to keep going forward." To move beyond the first round, though, the Wolverines will have to deal with the senior duo of Laura Sweeney and Rachel Roberts, who are the only two double-digit scorers for the Wildcats, averaging 13.9 and 1L0 points, respectively. Sweeney also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.9 per game. No other player averages more than 3.8 per game. Meanwhile, Michigan boasts three double-digit scorers in Ryan, Sheffer and Thompson. The latter leads the Wolverines with 14.5 points per game and is sec- ond in the country with 107 made 3-pointers. On the defensive side of things, Villanova ranks 18th in the nation in points allowed per game, at 52.3. Michigan stands at 42nd, allowing55 points per game. While a date with top-seeded Stanford more than likely looms for the winner, the Wolverines are still just focused on the game at hand and not looking ahead. SOFTBALL PREVIEW 013 Again, Michigan is early favorite in Big Ten By ALEJANDRO ZUNIGA Daily Sports Writer As the only ranked team in the Big Ten, the No. 14 Michigan softball team is a favorite to win its sixth consecutive champion- ship. The Wolverines (21-7) look in form as the conference slate begins, having won eight of 10 games, including an upset of No. 2 Arizona State. But coach Carol Hutchins' teamwill face stiff com- petition this spring. Wisconsin (22-3) With only three losses through their first 25 games of the season, the Badgers could be Michigan's biggest obstacle in its quest for the conference title. Pitcher Cas- sandra Darrah has shut down opponents all season with a 1.65 earned-run average and has com- pleted 11 of 14 games she started. At the plate, outfielder Mary Mas- sei has averaged an RBI a game, as she streaked through the non- conference schedule with a .451 batting average. Nebraska (20-6) The Big Ten's new- comers didn't treat its -new conference too kind- ly in 2012, winning 14 games and finishing third. The Cornhuskers have historically been an elite pro- gram, winning18 conference titles in the 35 years they've been affili- ated with a conference. The Husk- ers will meet Michigan for the first time as Big Ten foes on April 26 in Lincoln. A two-time Pitcher of the Week last year, Tatum Edwards has continued her dominance this season, winning 12 games with a L76 earned-run average. Nebras- ka has an experienced leader in Rhonda Revelle, the only coach besides Hutchins inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame. Iowa (19-8) The Hawkeyes barely cracked .500 last sea- son but finished as the runner-up and just two games behind Michigan in the Big Ten. Thanks to Kayla Massey, Iowa hasn't suffered from another slow startthis year. The junior platoons with Chelsea Lyon in the circle and also terrorizes opposing hurl- ers with the second-highest bat- ting average and most home runs on the team. The Hawkeyes have toppled four ranked teams this season, including a 6-2 win over then-No. 11 Louisville that ended a 37-game Cardinal home winning streak that stretched back to April 13, 2011. Seeking its first regular- season title since 2003, Iowa could play more than just a spoiler this year. Ohio State (18-8) The last team besides Michigan to win an out- right Big Ten title, the Buckeyes returned five pitchers from a squad that won 31 games in 2012. But Melanie Nichols, one of the top performers last year, struggled in non-conference play and has seen less time in the circle as a result. A high-octane offense doesn't hit for power, but it fea- tures five players batting above .300. Of them, Cammi Prantl has perhaps impressed the most. The freshman utility player boasts a .400 clip and started all 26 non- conference games. Minnesota (17-10) Even the Big Ten's best sluggers might find themselves swinging at thin air against the Gophers' pitching, which has already no- hit three teams this season. With a 1.18 earned-run average and 161 strikeouts through 22 appearanc- es, Sara Moulton has flummoxed opponents all year. Utility player Kaitlyn Richardson has been on fire in 2013 and leads the team with an astounding .474 batting average, but she's a bit of a double- edged sword as she's committed more errors (nine) than any other Gopher. And besides Richardson and shortstop Tyler Walker, no Minnesota batter hits above .250. Northwestern (14-10) A perennial contender for the Big Ten crown, the Wildcats opened the season with five consecu- tive losses, but a win over then- No. 4 Tennessee highlights their improvement since then. Having led Northwestern for 12 years alongside her twin sister, coach Kate Drohan recently earned her 400th victory with the program. Drohan guided her team to back- to-back Women's College World Series semifinal appearances in 2006-07 and might have the talent to do it again. The Wildcats are the only team in the Big Ten with two players on the Player of the Year Watch List in shortstop Emily Allard and third baseman Marisa Bast, and Northwestern will keep piling on wins if the sluggers heat up at the plate. Michigan State (14-13) After struggling through their non-con- ference slate in 2012, the Spartans didn't find themselves on the positive end of the score- board for the rest of the season and went winless in the Big Ten. But the Spartans should steal at least a couple of games this year. Michigan will recognize most of its rivals' key players - outfielder Kylene Hopkins and pitcher Kelly Smith are both upperclassmen - but Michigan State has added few new faces. One of just three fresh- man, Dani Goranson is the Spar- tans' go-to reliever and gives them a little extra depth on the circle. IIJ Indiana (15-14) The Hoosiers return most of the key pieces of a team that finished fourth in the conference last year, including infielders Amanda Wag- ner and Shannon Cawley. But the veteran experience hasn't trans- lated into big non-conference wins, as Indiana has struggled against ranked competition. In one five-game road trip to Cali- fornia, the Hoosiers went winless and were outscored, 36-7. Indiana might have found a third weapon in infielder Breanna Saucedo, who has fully recovered from a foot injury in 2012 and batted over .500 in her first six games this season. a result, Shelese Arnold has seen more time in the circle. Illinois is solid defensively - nine players boast a perfect fielding percent- age - but has been uncompeti- tive against Top-25 opponents this year and will likely find itself near the bottom of the conference standings come May. Purdue (11-15) Pitching is key to a team's success, and it might be instrumental to the Boilermakers' downfall. While their lineup includes seven people batting over .300, none of Pur- due's pitchers have an earned-run average below 3.40. Still, the Boil- ermakers have quick-strike abil- ity, having blasted 30 home runs so far this year. Catcher Danielle Fletcher's patience at the plate has helped her knock eighthome runs, and she also hits for average (302). F Illinois (10-12) Penn State (7-16) MIL S Despite a disappoint- Purdue should be glad ing 2012 campaign, the (0 its pitching isn't as bad as Fighting Illini made Penn State's. No hurler history by becoming the first has an earned-run average below conference team in 11 years to four, theunit as awhole allows 7.12 defeat Michigan twice in a sea- runs per seven innings and the son in Ann Arbor. Pitcher Pepper Nittany Lions have surrendered Gay shut down the Wolverines 10 or more runs seven times this en route to earning All-Big Ten season. Don't expect Penn State honors, but she hasn't repeated to finish in the top half of a tough that success so far this season. As Big Ten.