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Wolverines set to
face Villanova
By JAKE LOURIM night.
Daily Sports Editor The preseason first-team All-
Big East honoree spearheads a
NEW YORK - The 2014 well-rounded Wildcats team that
Progressive Legends Classic has had six different players score
started last Monday night with in double figures this season.
16 teams playing at four big-name Villanova returns four starters
regional sites. from a team that finished 29-5,
Eight days later, it will conclude won the Big East regular-season
with the two schools with the title and lost to eventual national
biggest names playing for the champions Connecticut in the
tournament title. third round of the 2014 NCAA
Traditioial programs, veteran Tournament.
coaches and strong fan bases "We have been very fortunate
will collide Tuesday when the to have this group of guys," said
Michigan men's basketball Villanova coach Jay Wright
team takes on Villanova. The after the game Monday. "The
Wildcats stormed past Virginia seniors demand focus of everyone
Commonwealth, 77-53, and the around them. ... Now, they're 21
Wolverines topped Oregon late and 22 years old, and that can
Monday, 70-63. change instantly. So we have to
Villanova came into the season stay committed; we have to stay
as the highest-ranked team in hungry."
the Legends Classic at No. 12, The Wildcats don't have
and it hasn't moved since. But the athleticism that VCU does,
the Wildcats, like Michigan, but took advantage of their
struggled with their second experience by slowly breaking
regional game Thursday against down the Rams' energetic full-
Bucknell, pullingawayinthe final court press. Junior guard Ryan
two minutes and winning, 72-65. Arcidiacono was the key, and
They had no such trouble could likely be so Tuesday.
Monday against VCU. Neither Michigan matches up well in
team led by more than five in a the backcourt with Villanova, but
tight first half. After the Rams the toughest matchup could be
opened the second half with a 6-foot-11 forward Daniel Ochefu,
quick 6-0 run, Villanova scored 16 who is two inches taller than any
straight points to pull ahead by 12 of the Wolverines' big men.
and never looked back. The Wildcats are also much
Whilebothteamshaddifficulty more experienced than Michigan,
shooting the ball in the first half, which could be a factor if the
the Wildcats heated up in the two end up in a close game. But
second.Theyhit four of their first the Wolverines were in one on
five tries from long range, opening Monday, and they proved they
up a sizable lead and holding onto could respond.
it despite intense pressure from "We needed that," Beilein said.
VCU all nightlong. "We had to inbound the ball. We
The lead hovered around a had to make big foul shots. Huge
dozen for a few moments, before steps for us and our development.
Villanova forward JayVaughn Even though we had some
Pinkston drove unimpeded veterans out there, those guys
from the 3-point arc for a slam, haven't been the guys in the past
energizing the crowd. He led the breaking the press. We've had
team with 13 points on 5-for-6 other people, so that was really
shooting in the first half, and that good to have them be able to go
dunk put the exclamation on his and do that"'
Millei
By ALEJANDRO ZfNIGA
ManagingSports Editor
Jack Miller hasn't liked
Ohio State since 2002, and
the Michigan football team's
redshirt junior center isn't
afraid to say so.
It's rivalry week, after all.
"I'll say it in the most
diplomatic way I can: I'm not
a fan of Ohio State. I never
have been," Miller said. "Ever
since they beat Miami in the
2002 National Championship,
I always disliked them. I don't
like The Horseshoe, and I don't
like 'Carmen Ohio."'
And yes, that was the
diplomatic statement. - He
saved the other version for his
teammates.
The Wolverines are 20-point
underdogs for their game
against the Buckeyes Saturday
in Columbus.And given the way
both teams' seasons have gone,
that line might seem a little
too small. Michigan is fighting
for bowl eligibility, while Ohio
State has secured a spot in the
Big Ten Championship and
is battling for a berth in the
College Football Playoff.
But in this rivalry, one
Michigan coach Brady Hoke
considers "the greatest one in
sport," rankings often don't
matter. Last year, for instance,
the Wolverines opened as 12.5-
point underdogs, yet scored
what would have been the
game-tying touchdown with 32
seconds remaining.
Instead of sending the game
to overtime by kicking an extra
point, though, Michigan's
seniors elected to go for the win
with a two-point conversion.
The attempt failed, and the
Wolverines lost, 42-41.
"That's what makes rivalries
like this so great, is you know
everyone is going to bring
their A game," Miller said,"e
were able to put some tings
together, probably, that-.e
hadn't up until that poinI
wish I knew why. ... Hopefully,
°:'J don't like Ohio
I
I
we'll be in that kind of situation "Winning means a lot," he
again, where it's neck and neck said. "It's bragging rights for
and we can put ourselves in a sure."
chance to win the game." Both Miller and coaches
Hoke was born and has expressed a great deal of
coached in Ohio, while respect for the Buckeyes, which
defensive have won
coordinator 34 games -
Greg Mattisonbcompared
coachedYfng, to 21 by
against the being r O i Michigan
Buckeyes i from Ohio, - since the
in the 2007 ifIa this st time the
BCS National saidWolverines
Championship. wasn't the most won "The
But Miller, Game,' in
one of 23 " 2011.
players from "They
Ohio on the deserve
Wolverines' what they've
roster, has a different gotten, no doubt about it,"
connection to Ohio State - his Miller said. "They're a great
girlfriend goes to school there. program, they've got great
Fortunately for their players, they're well-coached.
relationship, Miller's girlfriend People get what they deserve,
is rooting for the Wolverines. If and they're having a good
she weren't, the center claimed season, and I'm sure they
it would be a deal-breaker. deserve that.
"It's not tough to see that. It's
tough that we're not doing as
well as we think we should be
doing."
Saturday could mark the last
collegiate game for Michigan's
12 seniors., That should be
enough motivation, and the
opponent will add plenty of
fire to the matchup.' But the
Wolverines haven't done well
against rivals this year, losing
by a combined 55 points to
Michigan State and Notre
Dame, plus a home blowout
defeat to Minnesota,
But Miller warned that Ohio
State week is different.
"As far as rivalries go, they're
all important, but I'd be lying,
being from Ohio, if I said this
wasn't the most important,"she
said.
0
ICE HOCKEY
Despite offensive outburst,
N CHIIgA; /special teams still an issue
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
Sophomore SieraThompson had her streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer broken, but that hasn't slowed her.
Hot shooting carrying 'M'
H; . C3 )
By JACOB GASE junior guard Madison Ristovski
Daily Sports Writer against Western Michigan on
Sunday and use Flaherty as the
Michigan women's basketball first option off the bench.
coach Kim Barnes Arico knew "(Flaherty) is such a good
that despite her impressive start, scorer and such a good shooter
reality would eventually set in that sometimes we just look for
that guard Katelynn Flaherty is her instead of executing offense
just a freshman. or having other options," Barnes
That time came in the Arico said, "I felt like she was
Wolverines' loss to Pittsburgh getting a little tight and feeling
last Thursday, when Flaherty, a little bit of pressure. We went
the team's leading scorer and with (Ristovski's) experience, and
go-to long-range threat, lost six I thought it brought a calming
turnovers and sank just five of her effect to everyone else."
17 shots. For Flaherty in particular,
Barnes Arico didn't panic the results of the change were
or get angry at her young star. staggering. Despite coming off
Instead, she quickly developed the bench, she finished the game
a plan to take the pressure off with a team-high 18 points and
Flaherty and' give her a second zero turnovers. Her confidence
chance. Barnes Arico knows, showed no signs of damage - she
after all, inexperienced freshmen knocked down severalgutsystep-
are bound to make silly mistakes back jumpers just inside the arc
sometimes. without a moment's hesitation.
But more importantly, The successful Flaherty-
Barnes Arico understands the Ristovski decision is just one of
importance of the bounce back. many signs of the effort Barnes
"Sometimes, you just have a Arico and her coaching staff put
bad game," Barnes Arico said. into their weekly preparation.
"You've got to have the ability Reviewing game film after a
to keep your confidence. That's tough loss, the coaches regularly
something we talked about with make decisions to facilitate the
Katelynn this week and also the best possible environment for
rest of our team. You have one bad players to bounce back.
game, shake it off." Sometimes, that means
To ease some of the weight designing drills to focus on areas
off Flaherty's shoulders, Barnes of weakness. Sometimes, that
Arico made the decision to start means tweaking the lineup, as
Barnes Arico did Sunday. And
other times, it means letting a
struggling player know that she
still has the trust of her team.,
Sophomore guard Siera
Thompson got the latter
treatment. In Thursday's loss to
the Panthers, she put up a career-
low two points, missed all of her
shots from the field and snapped
her record streak of 36 straight
games with a 3-pointer.
But against the Broncos three
days later, Barnes Arico let
Thompson keep shooting. The
point guard didn't disappoint that
time, hitting two 3-pointers on
her way to an 11-point game and
proving that both her confidence
and her teammates' faith in her
remain intact.
And on a team lacking size,
where a cold shooting day
could mean certain defeat,
that confidence will be crucial
to future success. Through
focused practices and frequent
opportunities to succeed,
Michigan's young shooters are
learning how to maintain a steady
temperament in the face of failure.
So, when Barnes Arico tells
Flaherty, Thompson and the rest
of the team to "shake it off," as she
did after the loss to Pittsburgh,
she's not channeling her inner
Taylor Swift. She's just laying
the foundation for the rebound
performance to follow.
By ERIN LENNON sophomore goaltender Zach
Daily Sports Writer Nagelvoort.'
So when senior forward
Last weekend the Michigan Travis Lynch forced a Penn
hockey team looked strong - State turnover at center ice
even dominant at times - when and found junior forward
playing five-on-five. It scored Andrew Copp, who broke
nine even-strength goals last out and wristed a shot past
weekend alone, in a series Nittany Lions goaltender
coach Red Berenson called "the Eamon McAdam - scoring the
best" thus far in the season. Wolverines' first shorthanded
Ithasfoundsuccesscompeting goal of the season - it came as a
five-on-five all season, as the welcome surprise.
offense has continuously created But that was the only bright
scoring chances despite what the spot for special teams on the
scoreboard often suggests. weekend.
But the Wolverines' subpar PennState'sonlygoalSaturday
5-6-0 record is a representation came on the power play. The
of several team weaknesses, Nittany Lions scored on one of
with -the exception of the their two man-up opportunities
offense at even strength. In its the night before, when they
two games against Penn State, embarrassed the Wolverines at
the poor play of Michigan's Yost Ice Arena with three goals
special teams, which has in three minutes.
been unpredictable at best, By contrast, none of
continued to plague the team. Michigan's 11 goals was earned
"We needed that," Berenson on the power play. Instead, the
said Saturday. "You'shouldn't Wolverines went 0-for-9 and
have to score eight goals every managed just 17 shots over the
night to win, and we didn't, but weekend, fewer than two per
the point is, I think our team opportunity. And when they
still hasn't do shoot, they
played our find the net
best game." "You shouldn't less than 7
Moving Z percent of the
forward, the have to score time for the
difference season.
between a eight goals every Still, the
close win and Wolverines
a one-goal night to w in." are confident
loss could it won't be
be special long before
teams. the power
The Wolverines have scored play finds its slots. After
just five power-play goals in 43 all, sophomore forward JT
chances this season, good for Compher notched two goals
a .116 conversion percentage. Saturday after starting the
The unit hassurrendered two season with an 11-game scoring
shorthanded goals in front of drought..
"Sooner or later you've got
to convert on some of those
chances," Berenson said.
Added Copp: "Sometimes
it just clicks, sometimes it
doesn't. But we gotta be able
to have (special teams) win in
the goals-against column every
night."
On the defensive side,
Michigan has just as much
work to do with the penalty
kill. Though its kill percentage
stands at a respectable .880, the
Wolverines have allowed four
more penalty-kill goals (nine)
than they've scored with an
extra man.
In net, Nagelvoort quietly
allowed just four goals in
two games, saving 66 shots
on the weekend. His 41-save
performance on Saturday
wasn't necessary, but it could
have been.
Both Nagelvoort and junior
Steve Racine have struggled
when put in situations where
they need to stand on their head
to secure a win. Nagelvoort
allows an average of 3.00 goals
per game. And, save for two
eight-goal performances this
season, Michigan scores just 2.66
times per contest - all the more
reason to prioritize the penalty
kill and the defense as a whole.
"Consistency would be No. 1
(priority)," Copp said Saturday.
"An 8-1 win and then a close
loss, you know, we're capable
of winning both games, we
want to have that. We still need
to work on our special teams.
We let up a PK goal and didn't
convert on any of our power
plays, which isn't good enough.
"Overall, we're getting better.
And that's all there is to it."
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