2B - February 17, 2014

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

SPdRe wMONDAY COLUMN
Beatdown disappears with win next weekend

omehow, Michigan is still
tied for first in the Big
Ten.
The 75-62 implosion to
Wisconsin was a bad loss. A
really bad loss. Like scoring
19 points in
the first half
without an
assist and
finishing
the game
without a
single steal
or block, bad. EVERETT
But thanks COOK
to Nebraska
upsetting
Michigan State on the road, the
beatingthat the Wolverines
took on Sunday almost
disappears.
It seemed like the majority of
the Michigan men's basketball
team's offensive weapons
played like somebody else was
going to step up. Freshman
point guard Derrick Walton
Jr., finished the game with
zero points on six shots despite
scoring in double figures in
four of Michigan's last six
games. Sophomore forward
Glenn Robinson III, supposedly
Michigan's best player,
continued his inconsistent play
by going almost 15 minutes of
game time without a field goal.
Sophomore guard Caris LeVert
was the only Wolverine to do
much of anything offensively,
as his 25 points were almost

for yourself, you can't produce
energy for yourself, then you
have to produce energy for your
teammates. If you're not putting
in the effort or the energy,
you're letting people down."
Added sophomore guard
Nik Stauskas: "Defensively and
offensively, there just wasn't that
sense of urgency there. Whether
that was rotations on defense
or being aggressive and making
smart decisions on the offensive
end, it just wasn't there today."
Right now, a week before
Michigan State, we'll have to
take Michigan's word that the
lack of effort was an anomaly,
just a weird hiccup in an
otherwise impressive run
through the Big Ten.
But there is no hiding or a
place for excuses next weekend,
because the Spartans are in
town in a game that very well
could decide the Big Ten title. If
the Wolverines can't get up for
that one, this team has bigger
problems than one isolated
February loss.

PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Sophomore guard Carls LeVert scored a career-high 25 points, but the Michigan men's basketball team suffered its second home loss of the season Sunday,

enough to outscore the rest of
the starting lineup combined.
And yet, with a win next
weekend, none of that matters.
In the last two weekends,
Michigan has dropped out of
first place with a loss, only to
see Michigan State fall later in
the day and fall back into a tie.
Next Sunday, by default, one of
those teams has to win by and

put itself in the driver's seat.
So don't panic yet. Soon,
maybe, but hold the worry for at
least another week.
It would be different if there

Again, this is the Big Ten,
where teams are beating up
on each other week in and
week out and every team has
an overall winning record,
including

SCHEDULE:
FEB. 23: MICHIGAN STATE
FEB. 26: AT PURDUE
MARCH 1: MINNESOTA
MARCH 4: AT ILLINOIS
MARCH 8: INDIANA
MARCH 13: BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
MARCH 16: SELECTION SUNDAY
MARCH 18: NCAA TOURNAMENT

was any sort
of common
theme in the
Wolverines'
losses this
year, but
there's really
not. Some
games, shots
don't fall, and
the defense
gets exploited.
Some games,
Walton
has trouble

bottom-
dwellers
"There justPenn State
and Illinois.
wasn't that Michigan is
goingto lose,
sense of urgency and some of
those losses
there." are going to be
bad.
The only
explanations
the players
had after

"The energy isn't always going Cook can be reached at
to be there. You're going to have evcook@umich.edu and on
days when you just aren't going Twitter @everettcook
to feel it, and if you can't do it
BIG TEN STANDINGS:
MICHIGAN STATE: 21-5, 10-3
MICHIGAN: 18-7,10-3
IOWA: 19-6, 8-4
WISCONSIN: 21-5, 8-5
OHIO STATE: 20-6, 7-6
NEBRASKA: 14-10, 6-6
MINNESOTA: 17-9, 6-7
PURDUE: 15-10, 5-7
NORTHWESTERN: 12-14, 5-8
INDIANA: 14-11, 4-8
PENN STATE: 13-13, 4-9
ILLINOIS: 14-12, 3-10

driving and setting up shooters.
Some games, a 15-point
halftime deficit is too much
to overcome, especially when
Wisconsin turns the ball over
just twice and shoots more than
41-percent on 3-point attempts.

Sunday had to do with effort,
a problem that's impossible to
pinpoint on just one factor.
"It's something you have
to force out of yourself
sometimes," said redshirt
junior forward Jon Horford.

74 #

WOMEN'S TENNdIS
Michigan dominates Irish

Bernstein earns off the doubles play strong for
Michigan. Behind stellar net
299th career play from Lee, the duo jumped
out to a quick 7-2 lead. Notre
victory in blowout Dame fought hard to win
another game, but Lee and Zhu
of Notre Dame overwhelmed the Irish and took
the match, 8-3.
By JOHN KOPKO Both the first and third doubles
Daily Sports Writer teams for Michigan played to
7-5 leads, but the third pair of
Michigan women's tennis sophomore Ronit Yurovsky and
coach Ronni Bernstein casually freshman Laura Ucros were
volleyed back and forth with quicker in the final game, sealing
her daughter, Hannah, on the off the match 8-5 and picking up
far corner court of the Varsity the first team point of the day for
Tennis Center before her the Wolverines.
team's match against No. 22 "We tried a new combo at No.
Notre Dame Saturday, letting 3 (doubles)," Bernstein said. "I
the Wolverines prepare in the thought Laura did a great job
locker room on there, so to
their own. get off to the
"These guys h 11 good start in
get up for pTheypay doubles was
every match," d for each big for us."
Bernstein said. '- a After
"I don't have to other and for a short
even motivate intermission,
them. They M ichigan." Michigan
play hard for Cy continued its
each other and dominance
for Michigan." in the singles
Bernstein's portion of the
confident words team held true. match. Junior Emina Betkas,
No. 13 Michigan (5-2) came the No 12. singles player in
out playing strong to beat the the nation, cruised behind
Fighting Irish, 6-1. strong ground strokes to a 6-1,
The second doubles pairing 6-4 victory. Sophomore Ronit
of junior Sarah Lee and Yurovsky also got through her
sophomore Amy Zhu started match with ease on the way to a

6-2, 6-1 win.
"The top of our lineup, you
saw Emina and Ronit and even
Brooke there got off the court
pretty quick and didn't let Notre
Dame in the match," Bernstein
said. "We didn't have time to
feel the pressure because we
kind of dominated."
Senior Brooke Bolender and
Zhu also played their way to
straight-set victories. The only
lossofthe day for the Wolverines
was a three-set thriller in No. 3
singles between Lee and Notre
Dame's Jennifer Kellner.
"I'm happy with the effort,"
Bernstein said. "Notre Dame
always presents us a tough
challenge, and they're one of
our biggest rivals. To beat them
6-1, we played well all the way
down the line."
Michigan won 11 of the 13
singles sets played, and all
five singles victories came in
straight sets. The Wolverines
improved to 5-0 on the year
when winning the first doubles
point, and it moved Bernstein
closer to a major milestone. The
win gave Bernstein her 299th
career victory, and her first
chance to eclipse the 300 mark
will come against Western
Michigan next Saturday.


wiRESrl.NG'
Wolverines top Pittsburgh
By JUSTIN MEYER four with a takedown and near redshirt junior transfer Steve
DailySports Writer fall count of his own. Dutton and fifth-year senior Eric
Coon played the aggressor Grajales put together a string of
As Michigan wrestler Brian for the rest of the match, nearly impressive wins over the next
Murphy hopped across the mat throwing 19th-ranked R.J. three matches. Bruno dominated
with his left leg caught in his Tasser over the scorer's table, in the closest-ranked match of
opponent's arms, a takedown but failed to score takedowns the bunch, taking control in the
seemed inevitable. But Murphy to build a lead. When Tasser second period with a series of
wouldn't let it happen. was forced into attacking mode single-leg takedowns.
Tucking, rolling and while facing a one-point riding No. 8 Dutton took the lead
spinning, the freshman escaped deficit late in the third, though, on a takedown of his own in
the single-leg takedown and Coon finished the match with a the 141-pound division, but
regained his composure on the takedown and sealed the dual struggled in the second frame,
way to a 6-0 win. meet for Michigan. unable to escape the grip from
"I thought Murphy wrestled "Things will go wrong in a Pittsburgh's No. 17 Edgar
his best match of the year," match," Coon said. "You can't be Bright. After an interesting
said Michigan coach Donny prepared for just weird things decision by Bright to start from
Pritzlaff. "He's a tough that happen. When those bad the top position in the third
takedown, and he's a competitor things happen, you can react period, though, Dutton seized
about everything. You get his immediately instead of digging the opportunity and caught the
leg, that's only 10 percent of the yourself a deeper hole." Panther in a near fall to win 5-1.
fight. I think Redshirt "I definitely like the way
a lot of the freshman Rossi wrestled," Pritzlaff said.
people in the "gMurphywrsl Connor "There was a moment there
Big Ten and M y resLeU Youtsey in the third period where he
around the his best match took the mat had the match pretty much
country are first for the secured. He could have started
starting to see of the ear" Wolverines to run and try to win easy, but
that." . when he we're always telling these guys
Like faced off winning's hard and you've got
Murphy, the against the to fight through it."
eighth-ranked Panthers' No. Fifth-year senior Dan Yates
Wolverines found themselves 19 Anthony Zannetta at 125 and redshirt junior Collin
backed into corners time and pounds. The match set the tone Zeerip both struggled, however,
again against No. 6 Pittsburgh for a very aggressive dual meet, making way for a furious
on Saturday, but just like as both teams knew that the Pittsburgh comeback.
Murphy, they wouldn't cave. lower weight classes would be "We need Dan Yates to go out
The meet was a tale of two full of swing matches. there and intimidate guys and
halves on the score report, Aftergivingup apenaltypoint bite down and get in people's
with Michigan (6-2 Big Ten, for a headlock that evened the faces," Pritzlaff said. "Right
11-4 overall) taking the first six match at 3-3 and sent the pair to nowthat's notthe guy that we're
matches before a string of four sudden-death overtime, Youtsey getting out there. Three weeks
losses sent the meet down to the wasted no time in attacking and from tonight, the semifinals are
final pairing. Every matchup, finishing. He ended the match going on and we need to get him
except for ones at 174 and 197 with a single-leg takedown, turned around quickly. We need
pounds, was tightly contested, and put the Wolverines into the Dan to flip the switch."
and onlyone major decision was driver's seat. The Big Ten Tournament
earned by either team. "I've been in that situation is next on the agenda for
After losses by freshman before and I kind of reacted the the Wolverines, and though
Dominec Abounader and wrong way," Youtsey said. "I Michigan has made deep
redshirt junior Chris Heald, the really got frustrated, really got postseason runs for decades, a
score stood at 15-13. The final out of my mindset. I learned from plethora of young talent means
match favored the Wolverines, that. I just tried to stay focused inexperience.
though, with one-loss freshman and go out there and win the "The season has prepared
heavyweight Adam Coon match. I knew that I had to win me to not be nervous," Youtsey
waiting his turn to take the mat. that to get everyone fired up." said. "Going into the season
But that didn't start out as Youtsey faced a similar I was a little bit nervous, but
expected either, when Coon fell position in a match earlier this now that I've been through the
into a 4-0 hole within seconds. year against Illinois, but failed grind, and wrestled a lot of the
The freshman regained his to keep himself collected and best wrestlers in the country
composure, however, and cost his team points. and beat some of them, it gets
immediately tied the match at Sophomore Rossi Bruno, me more excited than nervous."

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