Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, February 20, 2015 — 7

‘M’ travels to Tuscaloosa

By TED JANES

Daily Sports Writer

With mixed results against 

two 
southern 
powerhouses 

already, the No. 5 Michigan 
softball team 
will 
look 

for 
another 

early-season 
statement 
against No. 3 
Alabama. The 
Wolverines 
travel 
to 

Tuscaloosa 
this weekend 
looking 
to 

keep 
their 

eight-game 
win 
streak 

alive.

For 
the 

third 
time 

in 
three 

weeks, 
the 

Wolverines (8-1) are going up 
against 
a 
top-10 
opponent. 

Michigan has shown it can play 
with the best, beating No. 6 
Florida State twice in one day. 
Next in line is the Crimson Tide.

Throughout 
the 
weekend, 

the Wolverines will also play 
two games versus the Lipscomb 
and one against James Madison. 
While those games might not 
present the same challenge 
that the Crimson Tide pose, 
Michigan’s approach will be the 
same.

One of the Crimson Tide’s 

best assets this season has been 
pitcher 
Alexis 
Osorio. 
Last 

Sunday, the freshman ace threw 
a no-hitter against Pacific in 
a 10-0 victory and has a 4-0 
record to start her career.

Michigan 
will 
be 
ready, 

though, having already faced 
some very talented pitchers, 
most notably Florida State’s 
Lacey Waldrop. Osorio will 
surely be another tough test, but 
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins 

is making sure to keep her 
players calm while at bat.

“(Hutchins) is still focusing 

on staying loose and not trying 
to make too much of our 
swings,” said sophomore left 
fielder Kelly Christner. “A lot of 
what we’ve been practicing has 
been situational hitting. So not 
always thinking about trying 
to hit a home run but thinking 
that if there’s a runner on third, 
you need to try and hit to the 
outfield to score them.”

For Christner, consistency 

in the batter’s box has been 
key. She has managed to reach 
base in all nine games so far 
this season, finding a way to 
hit against every pitcher she’s 
faced.

“I just try to see a lot of 

pitches,” Christner said. “It 
really depends on the pitcher. 
If she’s trying to attack you 
first and you want to swing at 
that first one, go ahead, but 
whenever you see more pitches, 
at least for me, I feel better in 
the at-bat. I feel like I can see 

the ball better, and I’m not just 
giving her an easy out. I want to 
make her work for that out.”

While the team is always 

focused on improving its hitting, 
Hutchins turned to the defense 
as the focus of practice this 
week. In the first game against 
the Seminoles last weekend, 
Florida State managed to hit 
its way back to a one-run lead 
by three consecutive infield 
singles.

“We want to show up with our 

short game defense,” Hutchins 
said. “It wasn’t very good last 
weekend. It’s just a matter of 
getting a little more certainty. 
It’s tough, especially when you 
have to deal with slappers and 
bunts. We’ve worked on that a 
bit now.”

The battle for starting infield 

spots has been evident thus far 
into the season. Hutchins has 
not determined any starters at 
these positions, and multiple 
infielders have seen playing 
time, including freshman Taylor 
Swearingen. Swearingen, who 

has started six different games 
in three different spots, is 
hoping to get into the starting 
lineup more consistently.

“In the beginning of the year, 

I would’ve said I play best at 
first base,” Swearingen said. 
“But I’ve been getting a ton 
more comfortable at all of my 
positions now, and I’ve been 
practicing all over the field. I 
want to prove my consistency 
and be a little more aggressive.”

Because of the star power in 

both dugouts, fans will be able 
to watch the games against the 
Crimson Tide online. Friday 
afternoon, the Wolverines will 
play at 5 p.m. on ESPN3.

Michigan has already made 

clear it can compete with the 
best, but this weekend it will 
have the chance to let fans 
everywhere see that live.

“I hope fans think, ‘Wow, 

Michigan 
has 
incredible 

energy,’ ” Christner said. “ 
‘They’re always playing every 
pitch to win, never letting an 
inning up.’ ”

Easton 
Bama Bash

Matchup: 
Michigan 8-1; 
Alabama 11-1; 
Lipscomb 
5-4; James 
Madison 3-2

When: Friday-
Sunday

Where: 
Tuscaloosa, 
Alabama

TV/Radio: 
ESPN3 (Friday 
5 p.m., Satur-
day 2:30 p.m.)

RUBY WALLAU/Daily

Sophomore outfielder Kelly Christner has reached base safely in all nine games this season for Michigan.

Big Ten announces 
2015-16 matchups

Michigan to play 
MSU, OSU only 
once next season

By LEV FACHER

Managing Editor

The Big Ten announced the 

outline of its men’s basketball 
schedule for 2015-16 on Thursday, 
unveiling a slate that is, at least 
for Michigan, light on rivalry 
games.

After playing home-and-home 

series against Michigan State 
and Ohio State this season, the 
Wolverines will play each of 
those teams just once next year. 
The clash with the Spartans will 
take place at Crisler Center, while 
Michigan will travel to Columbus 
to take on the Buckeyes.

The Wolverines have home-

and-home series scheduled with 
Iowa, 
Maryland, 
Minnesota, 

Penn State and Purdue next 
season. One of the contests with 
the Nittany Lions, though, will 
be played at Madison Square 
Garden in New York. Per MLive.
com’s Brendan Quinn, the New 
York game will be Penn State’s 
home game, and the teams will 
also meet in Ann Arbor.

Single-play games at home, 

in addition to Michigan State, 
are Indiana, Northwestern and 
Rutgers. Maryland’s visit to Ann 
Arbor will be its first as a member 
of the Big Ten.

To round out its schedule, 

Michigan will travel for single-
play games at Illinois, Nebraska 
and Wisconsin.

All schedule dates — with the 

exception of the “Big Ten Day” 
clash in New York — have yet 
to be determined, as have game 
times and television broadcast 

information.

The 2016 Big Ten Tournament 

will be held at Banker’s Life 
Fieldhouse in Indianapolis after 
spending the 2013 through 2015 
at the United Center in Chicago.

The 
Big 
Ten’s 
schedule 

has changed substantially in 
recent years as the conference’s 
membership 
increased 
from 

11 to 14. Nebraska joined the 
conference 
in 
the 
summer 

of 2011, while Maryland and 
Rutgers joined the conference in 
the summer of 2014.

The 
additions 
forced 
a 

drastic increase in single-play 
competition. With an 11-team 
membership, 
the 
conference 

was able to facilitate home-and-
home series for the vast majority 
of pairings, an ability that 
vanished when the membership 
grew by three teams and the 
conference schedule held steady 
at 18 regular-season games. Since 
the league’s expansion, Big Ten 
teams play five opponents twice 
and eight opponents once.

Michigan 
had 
single-play 

pairings just twice per season in 
2009-10 and 2010-11, the years 
before Nebraska’s addition to the 
conference. In both seasons, the 
Wolverines played Purdue and 
Illinois once each, alternating 
venues each season.

In 2011-12, the first year of 

the Cornhuskers’ membership, 
Michigan played four teams — 
Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin 
and Iowa — only once each during 
the Big Ten regular season.

The 
Wolverines’ 
home 

schedule features four of the 
seven teams currently in the top 
half of the Big Ten standings: 
Maryland, 
Michigan 
State, 

Purdue and Indiana. Similarly, the 
road schedule features four teams 
currently in the bottom half.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Behind Enemy Lines with 
center Amanda Zahui B.

By MINH DOAN

Daily Sports Writer

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball 
team 
desperately 

needed a win Wednesday night 
to stay in the NCAA Tournament 
picture.

And 
it 

got one in 
the 
form 

of a 68-52 
victory 
over 
Indiana at 
Crisler Center.

Freshman 
guard 
Katelynn 

Flaherty got her first start since 
November and excelled, scoring 
21 points while senior guard 
Shannon Smith and sophomore 
guard Siera Thompson totaled 16 
and 15 points, respectively.

Down low in the post, senior 

forward 
Cyesha 
Goree 
was 

able to operate with her usual 
intensity. She only picked up one 
foul, unlike her last two games, 
in which she fouled out.

After knocking off Indiana 

on 
Wednesday 
night, 
the 

Wolverines (7-8 Big Ten, 15-11 
overall) had to quickly change 
their mindset and focus on 
traveling to Minneapolis to play 
the last team on its regular-
season schedule ranked higher 
than them in the Big Ten.

Currently ranked No. 4 in 

the Big Ten and No. 37 in the 
RPI, the Golden Gophers come 
into Saturday’s game riding 
a four-game winning streak 
including, most recently, an 
impressive 93-80 win over No. 
13 Iowa on Tuesday, and a win 
over Minnesota would give the 
Wolverines a big win before the 
Big Ten Tournament begins in 
two weeks.

The Golden Gophers (10-5, 

21-6) have played a majority 
of the season without Big Ten 
Preseason Player of the Year 
guard Rachel Banham, who 
suffered a torn anterior cruciate 
ligament on Dec. 10 against 
North Dakota and is out for the 
season.

In the absence of Banham’s 

22.1 points per game last season, 
Golden Gopher center and 2014 
Big Ten Freshman of the Year 
Amanda Zahui B. has taken over 
the bulk of the scoring. Zahui 
totaled a career-high 39 points 
and 29 rebounds in Minnesota’s 
win over Iowa. Zahui is also in 
the hunt for the John R. Wooden 
Award, given to the best player in 
the nation, as she was named to 
the Top 20 list last week.

The Daily sat down with Zahui 

at Big Ten Media Day in October 
to discuss her upcoming season, 
the weather in Minnesota and 
the transition from Swedish to 
American basketball.

The Michigan Daily: It’ll be 

your second year at Minnesota. 
How do you improve on last 
year’s All-Big Ten First Team 
performance?

Amanda Zahui B.: Well, this 

year, I just want to become more 
versatile and become faster and 
quicker on the court, so I can 
match up against the bigger 

players.

TMD: 
Coming 
from 

Sweden, what was the biggest 
difference in the style of play 
between American and Swedish 
basketball?

AZ: Well it’s quicker, fast-

paced and it’s rougher, if I can put 
it that way.

TMD: Like more physical?
AZ: Yeah, more physical, but 

definitely the pace is the biggest 
difference.

TMD: 
You 
were 
on 
the 

Swedish national team. How did 
playing internationally help you 
out when you came to Minnesota?

AZ: I got to play against players 

that played professionally, while 
on the national team, that had 
more experience playing against 
some of the best players in the 
world in the Euro League. I 
also got to play against other 
players in college. It was fun, 
it really helped me develop my 
game because you mixed a lot of 
cultures of basketball together.

Wolverines seek historic 
win over Fighting Irish

Michigan 0-16 all-

time vs. ranked 

teams; plays Notre 
Dame on Saturday

By BRANDON CARNEY

Daily Sports Writer

The men’s lacrosse team is 

already enjoying a historic week.

For the first time in program 

history, Michi-
gan 
received 

votes 
in 
the 

Inside Lacrosse 
rankings, 
while 
sopho-

more attacker 
Ian King was 
voted Big Ten 
Offensive Play-
er of the Week 
after earning a 
school single-
game 
record 

of eight points 
against Detroit last week.

Saturday, the Wolverines will 

have the opportunity to make 
more history when they play 
No. 2 Notre Dame in front of an 
expected record crowd at Ooster-
baan Field House.

In its brief three plus years 

of existence, Michigan is 0-16 
against ranked opponents. An 
overtime defeat at the hands of 
then-No. 15 Cornell last year was 
the closest the Wolverines have 
come to knocking off a top-20 
team.

“After our Cornell game last 

year and how we prepared that 
week, we’re all looking forward 
to this game,” said senior attacker 
Will Meter. “This year it’s differ-
ent. We’re not saying we can hang 
with this team anymore, we’re 
saying we can beat them.”

After opening the season with 

two comfortable victories, confi-
dence is flowing among players 
and staff. The Wolverines cur-
rently lead the country in caused 
turnovers per game, own 52 shots 

on goal and have outscored oppo-
nents 18-3 in the second half.

“Something 
we’ve 
never 

been able to do in the past is put 
together a complete game, espe-
cially in the second half,” Meter 
said. “It shows the confidence 
we’re all playing with.”

While Michigan had little 

trouble taming Bellarmine and 
Detroit, Notre Dame is a whole 
different animal.

The Fighting Irish return 

three All-Americans from their 
NCAA runner-up team. The 
fourth-ranked incoming fresh-
man in 2014, Mikey Wynne, 
started his collegiate career by 
scoring six goals in a 14-12 victory 
over Georgetown.

“(Wynne’s) IQ of the game and 

the way he goes about the game 
really makes him effective and 
unique,” said freshman midfield-
er BJ Mattheiss, Wynne’s high 
school teammate. “He helped 
us win in so many ways. I can’t 
speak enough of him.”

For years, the Fighting Irish 

have been best known for their 
airtight defense, but recently, 
Notre Dame’s attack has been 
grabbing all the headlines. Led 
by attacker Matt Kavanaugh, 
who earned 75 points last sea-
son, the Fight-
ing Irish will 
bring one of 
the country’s 
most dynamic 
offenses 
to 

Oosterbaan on 
Saturday.

“Right now, 

you 
watch 

them on film, 
and 
their 

offense might 
be scarier than their defense,” 
said Michigan coach John Paul. 
“They are a complete team. For us 
to compete in a game like that at 
the stage we’re at right now, we’ve 
got to play a mistake-free game.”

Saturday’s matchup has the 

potential to be a high-scoring 
shootout, especially if the Wol-
verines’ offense can maintain its 

recent form.

Michigan’s 
new 
offense 

includes fast-paced transition, 
and the Wolverines have already 
created more opportunities in 
transition than all of last sea-
son. Overall, Michigan’s 31 goals 
are the second-most the team 
has ever scored in a two-game 
stretch.

“We’re pushing it a lot more 

now,” Paul said. “We have the 
athletes to do it. It fits what we’re 
trying to do in our game, and the 
guys love it.”

The odds may not be in the 

Wolverines’ 
favor 
heading 

into 
Saturday, 

but that could 
help Michigan’s 
cause. 
With 

nothing to lose 
and everything 
to gain against 
Notre 
Dame, 

the lack of pres-
sure combined 
with 
recent 

success and growing confidence 
could be enough to spark an 
upset for the Wolverines’ history 
books.

“I think the excitement and 

the morale of playing the big, No. 
2 team in Notre Dame makes our 
team that much more motivated 
and to go out and get the win,” 
Mattheiss said.

BEHIND
ENEMY
LINES

RITA MORRIS/Daily

Cyesha Goree faces a tough test in Minnesota’s Amanda Zahui B. on Saturday.

Notre Dame 
at Michigan

Matchup: 
Notre Dame 
1-0; Michigan 
2-0

When: Sat-
urday 1 P.M.

Where: 
Oosterbaan 
Field House

MEN’S LACROSSE

“We’re all looking 

forward to this 
game. This year 
it’s different.”

BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Men’s Lacrosse

8.1

Average margin of defeat in 16 games 
against ranked teams (232-107 total)

14

Goals for Michigan in its closest loss, 
15-14 to Cornell in overtime in 2014

15

Largest margin of defeat in such games 

(22-7 at Penn State in 2014)

