Learning curve 
remains steep for 
Michigan on 1-3-1, 

2-3 zones

By LEV FACHER

Managing Editor

More than halfway through 

its season, the Michigan men’s 
basketball team is still gaining 
a clearer understanding of its 
strengths and weaknesses.

Unfortunately 
for 
the 

Wolverines, 
after 
suffering 

a 71-52 blowout at the hands 
of Ohio State on Tuesday, the 
weaknesses certainly seem to 
outnumber the strengths.

One of the trouble spots 

is 
Michigan’s 
man-to-man 

defense, which has led to 
recent foul trouble for multiple 
Wolverines, including freshman 
forward 
Kameron 
Chatman 

and sophomore guard Derrick 
Walton Jr.

As a result of the foul 

trouble and his team’s lack 
of size, Michigan coach John 
Beilein has been forced to 
turn to alternative defensive 
alignments increasingly often. 
The Wolverines have shown 
off two zone looks in the past 
several games — a 2-3 and a 1-3-1 
— and the formations have seen 
varying degrees of success.

“Their 
2-3 
zone 
wasn’t 

effective,” said Minnesota coach 
Richard Pitino following his 
team’s 62-57 loss to Michigan 
on Saturday. “We got an open 
look on it.”

Michigan’s 1-3-1 look seemed 

slightly more potent, especially 
on plays following timeouts 
and during its late-second half 
comeback, but Pitino attributed 
the Golden Gophers’ frequent 
turnovers and offensive miscues 
to a simple lack of execution, 
not an elevated defensive effort 
from the Wolverines.

“They went all 1-3-1,” Pitino 

said. “I thought we were getting 

some good looks. I thought Joey 
(King) had a couple open looks 
in the corner, (Maurice Walker) 
had an open one he dropped, 
so, you know … you can’t beat 
anybody playing like that.”

Beilein’s take, though, varied 

substantially. In his Wednesday 
appearance on WTKA radio’s 
“The Michigan Insider,” he 
said that the switch to the zone 
formations was an attempt 
to keep his players out of foul 
trouble and to prevent his 
team from gifting the Golden 
Gophers points.

“You can’t just go toe to toe 

sometimes,” Beilein said. “You 
could be at the foul line all day.”

The switch paid immediate 

dividends, as Michigan climbed 
out of a nine-point hole to earn 
its third Big Ten win in four tries 
and keep Minnesota winless in 
the conference. The Wolverines 
outscored the Golden Gophers 
22-8 in the game’s final 11 
minutes.

“It 
wasn’t 
that 
shrewd,” 

Beilein said. “It was out of 
desperation at that point, and it 
certainly worked.”

Many of Michigan’s players, 

as the results have shown, feel 
more comfortable in the 1-3-1 
zone than in the 2-3.

“I really like the 3-zone,” said 

sophomore guard Zak Irvin 
following the Minnesota game. 
“I think that had a big impact on 
the game today. Because once 
we went to that, it seemed to 
rattle them a little bit, and that’s 
when we made our run.”

The Wolverines didn’t just 

use the zone to their advantage 
against the Golden Gophers — 
against Illinois on Dec. 30, they 
used their 1-3-1 look to come 
back from a late-game deficit 
and force overtime, eventually 
coming away with a 73-65 
victory.

Irvin, 
a 
relative 
veteran 

on a team with just three 
upperclassmen, 
might 
be 

comfortable in the 1-3-1. But 
for Michigan’s freshmen, the 
learning curve remains steep.

“It takes a while to learn it,” 

Beilein told WTKA. “It’s just 
difficult for some guys to just 
grasp all the things that you 
have to do, because the angles 
are very different than man-
to-man angles, so you go back 

to your man-to-man tendencies 
and it would kill you.”

Not much could have saved 

the Wolverines on Tuesday. 
The 
19-point 
final 
deficit 

undersold the degree to which 
the Buckeyes dominated, as 
evidenced by their 36 points in 
the paint. And while Michigan’s 
31-percent shooting from the 
field was most harmful on the 
offensive end, it also stopped 
the Wolverines from being able 
to use the zone looks even in 
situations where they might 
have wanted to.

“It 
depends 
on 
the 

personnel,” Beilein said. “It’s 
hard to get into it after you miss 
a shot, it’s easier to get into after 
you make a shot. So you’ve got to 
make shots in order to get into it 
very well.”

The bottom line, according 

to 
Michigan’s 
eighth-year 

coach, is that the Wolverines 
will use zone looks whenever 
their personnel and the game 
situation allow them to.

“It’s not as easy as people 

think,” Beilein said. “We try to 
use it when it’s ready to be used, 
and it takes time.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, January 16, 2015 — 7

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Sophomore forward Zak Irvin and Michigan are working on their 1-3-1 zone to compensate for a lack of size inside.

Zone defense still developing
Wolverines set 
for last tune-up

By MATTHEW KIPNIS 

Daily Sports Writer

More than eight months 

have passed since the Michigan 
women’s tennis team played 
a match at home. When the 
Wolverines last left the Varsity 
Tennis Center, they looked as 
if they could finally win the Big 
Ten Tournament and make it 
to their fifth straight Sweet 16 
appearance.

Ultimately, though, neither 

goal came to fruition. Michigan 
was ousted by Northwestern in 
the Big Ten Tournament and 
by Southern California in the 
NCAA Tournament last year.

That 
was 
eight 
months 

ago, though, and now the 
16th-ranked Wolverines aren’t 
looking in the rear-view mirror.

“The girls are very excited 

about this weekend, not only 
to get the season started but to 
just be at home,” said Michigan 
coach Ronnie Bernstein. “We 
haven’t been at home at all this 
year, which is unusual.”

After a fall season spent 

entirely on the road with 
tournaments 
in 
California, 

Arizona and New York, the 
Wolverines finally return to 
Ann Arbor on Saturday to 
conclude tournament action at 
the Michigan Invitational.

Michigan 
faces 
tough 

competition 
against 
three 

teams that rank in the top 
40 nationally — No. 23 South 
Carolina, Texas Tech and South 
Florida. All three reached the 
NCAA Tournament last season.

The non-scoring event will 

serve as the Wolverines’ final 
practice before the regular 
season begins next week.

“Every year, I invite teams 

and try to make it as tough as I 
can to start off,” Bernstein said. 
“We need to get started quickly 

with some good competition. 
We don’t know them that well, 
so it is going to be tough.”

The 
Wolverines 
haven’t 

played any of the visiting teams 
since 
January 
2013, 
when 

they defeated the Gamecocks 
to advance to the finals of 
the 
ITA 
National 
Indoor 

Championship.

The trip to the finals was 

aided 
by 
this 
year’s 
team 

leaders, 
despite 
the 
youth. 

Senior Emina Bektas hadn’t 
been named Big Ten Player of 
the Year, senior Sarah Lee had 
57 fewer wins under her belt 
and junior Ronit Yurovsky was 
just getting her footing on the 
collegiate level.

Now, 
along 
with 
senior 

captain Kristen Dodge, the 
three anchor Michigan, with 
No. 18 Bektas, No. 23 Yurovsky 
and No. 38 Lee all ranked in the 
top 40 in the country.

“I can’t really believe the 

season is starting again,” Bektas 
said. “It feels like I just came 
in for my freshman year, but I 
know it is my senior year.”

This match will be the 

first dual match for freshmen 
Kara 
Hall, 
Alex 
Najarian 

and Mira Ruder-Hook, who 
came to Michigan with high 
expectations as the nation’s 
10th-ranked recruiting class, 
highest in the Big Ten. But the 
seniors have proven they can 
help ease the transition for the 
freshmen class, as evidenced by 
Bektas teaming with Najarian 
to win the doubles title at the 
ITA Regionals.

This weekend’s matches will 

be the Wolverines’ last tune-up 
before the five-month season 
begins, and Michigan looks not 
to dwell on the broken streak 
but rather the start of what 
could be a new streak of Sweet 
16 appearances in a few months.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Red-hot Wolverines take 
on Ohio State after sweep

By ZACH SHAW 

Daily Sports Writer

Red Berenson isn’t buying the 

hype. Not yet, at least.

The Michigan hockey coach 

has guided his team to the 
nation’s third-best record (10-
2) since Nov. 1, and it now sits 
alone alone atop the Big Ten after 
sweeping then-No. 9 Minnesota 
last weekend.

But 
as 
the 
19th-ranked 

Wolverines (4-1 Big Ten, 12-7 
overall) travel to Columbus to 
take on Ohio State (2-3, 7-10-1) 
Friday, Berenson knows that his 
team is only as good as its latest 
practice.

“I 
think 
they 
got 
some 

confidence,” 
Berenson 
said. 

“But I don’t want us to be 
overconfident. We still have to do 
a lot of things better than we did 
last week. We’re in a good place. 
We looked a lot better today than 
we did yesterday, which we’ll 
need for Friday.”

The reason for Berenson’s 

hesitation, 
in 
part, 
is 
that 

Michigan has struggled mightily 
on the road, where it is 1-5. Its 
last four losses have come by a 
combined 18-6.

Michigan 
has 
a 
golden 

opportunity to buck that trend, 
however, against an Ohio State 
team that is a paltry 2-6 at home.

“We’ve got to play better 

than we have on the road,” 
Berenson said. “It’s confidence, 
it’s preparation and then there’s 
a level of mental toughness that 
has to be there. There’s going 
to be guys that have a chance to 
make a difference and they have 
to be ready to do that.

“It might be me on a blocked 

shot, it might be you with an 
opportunity to score or take a 
hit, it might be a second effort 
backcheck, but we have to play 
with that second-effort attitude. 
If we do that, then we’ll give 
ourselves a chance.”

On paper, the Wolverines 

have a clear advantage over the 
Buckeyes. With the nation’s No. 2 
scoring offense, Michigan should 
find the back of the net against 
Ohio State, which has allowed 
16 goals in its last three Big Ten 
games.

The Wolverines are scoring 

5.8 goals per game in conference 
play, including eight goals in 
their previous matchup with 
the Buckeyes and 11 goals in two 

games against a Minnesota team 
that touts eight NHL draftees on 
the blue line.

Still, Berenson would much 

rather see a defensive struggle 
from his team.

“We’ve only played a handful 

of games,” Berenson said of the 
success in conference games. 
“You aren’t going to be able to 
keep that scoring going the rest of 
the way. You might get that when 
everything’s going your way, but 
mostly not. I’m expecting this 
will be a one-goal game.”

A one-goal game would be 

a stark contrast to the teams’ 
previous meeting Dec. 5, in 
which Michigan came back from 
an early deficit to win 8-3. The 
Wolverines were clicking on all 
cylinders then, too, but Berenson 
doesn’t read too much into it.

“It was a game where the puck 

went in for us and the power play 
took over for us,” Berenson said. 
“We scored four power-play 
goals in that game, so that’s not 
something you can count on very 
often.”

Michigan has been among the 

nation’s best the past 10 weeks. 
Now it has an opportunity to take 
its show on the road.

‘M’ takes on No. 4 OSU

After road split last 
weekend, Michigan 

continues tough 
conference stretch

By BEN FIDELMAN

Daily Sports Writer

After splitting the first two 

matches of a grueling Big Ten 
slate, the No. 16 Michigan 
wrestling 
team 
heads 
into 

Sunday’s home-opening dual 
meet against No. 4 Ohio State in 
search of a statement win.

“When you get into the Big 

Ten grind, it’s important that 
you’re prepared weekend-to-
weekend,” said Michigan coach 
Joe McFarland. “This is a big 
dual for us. The Michigan versus 
Ohio State rivalry bodes true in 
all sports. We’re excited to have 
them here in Cliff Keen Arena.”

The Wolverines head in as 

underdogs against the Buckeyes 
(1-1 Big Ten, 5-3 overall), who 
have given Michigan (1-1, 3-2) 
a tough time over the last three 
years, winning handily twice.

Although both teams have 

played 
challenging 
non-

conference 
schedules, 
Ohio 

State has taken on three of the 
top five teams in the nation 
in the last month. That swing 
featured losses to No. 1 Iowa 
and No. 3 Missouri, along with a 
win over No. 5 Penn State.

Somewhat of an oddity for 

the Wolverines is that they face 

their toughest rivals on back-
to-back weekends, competing 
against Michigan State last 
Sunday and this week hosting 
the Buckeyes.

“It’s very important to keep 

the momentum going,” said 
sophomore heavyweight Adam 
Coon. “We’re on a good roll here 
with that close dual against 
Minnesota and a good turnout 
at Michigan State. We’re just 
going to keep trying to ride the 
roller coaster up, and having 
a rivalry match is, of course, 
going to add a little more hype 
to the dual.”

Michigan is looking to turn 

heads in the nation’s best 
wrestling conference for the 
second consecutive season. The 
team lost by 
a single point 
against 
No. 

2 
Minnesota 

on 
Jan. 
9, 

broadcasting 
to other teams 
toward 
the 

top 
of 
the 

conference 
that a match 
against 
this 

Wolverine squad isn’t another 
win to check off on the 
schedule.

Michigan 
feels 
the 

importance of preparing with 
a sense of urgency for these 
Big Ten duals. To do this, the 
team decided to hold simulation 
matches 
— 
essentially 
an 

intra-squad scrimmage — on 
the competition mats at Cliff 

Keen Arena for Wednesday’s 
practice. Usually all practices 
are held at the Bahna Wrestling 
Center, which is about a mile 
down State Street.

“It’s a different atmosphere,” 

McFarland said. “I was telling 
the guys in the locker room to 
take advantage of this, and try 
to visualize and get ready for 
Ohio State. I told them to give 
the kind of intensity you want 
in your warm-ups and matches. 
We haven’t done this in a few 
years, so it’s a good change of 
pace for the guys.”

Not only was there a different 

location for the practice, but 
the competition surface was 
new, too. With Sunday’s dual 
being the first home event of the 

year for the 
Wolverines, 
it will be the 
first time their 
new mats have 
been 
used. 

New mats can 
have 
much 

more 
spring 

than 
older 

ones, so both 
the 
coaches 

and players thought it would be 
a good idea to roll them out for 
practice once during the week 
so they could get a feel for the 
surface.

While the Wolverines are 

going out with the old and in 
with the new mats, they will 
still be bringing an old familiar 
sight: a sold-out Cliff Keen 
Arena, after an 11-month hiatus.

WRESTLING

“It’s very 

important to keep 

the momentum 

going.”

DO YOU HAVE ENTHUSIASM 
UNKNOWN TO MANKIND?

THEN COME TO ONE OF OUR MASS MEETINGS:

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25
MONDAY, JANUARY 26

ALL MEETINGS AT 7:30 P.M. AT 420 MAYNARD

PAUL SHERMAN/Daily

Junior forward Andrew Copp leads the Michigan hockey team into Columbus on Friday for a road tilt against Ohio State.

