8A— Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wolverines prepare for Minnesota
By SIMON KAUFMAN
Daily Sports Editor
Two weeks ago, when the
Michigan men’s basketball team
looked at its schedule, it held its
breath. It was
readying for a
daunting three-
game
stretch
of top-25 talent
featuring then-
No. 20 Purdue
on
the
road,
then-No.
3
Maryland
at
home and then-
No. 16 Iowa in
Iowa City. The
Wolverines
came out with
only one win
—
upsetting
the Terrapins — but also put up a
good showing against a stronger
Hawkeyes team.
This week, as Michigan (3-2
Big Ten, 13-5 overall) looks ahead,
it can breathe a small sigh of
relief. The menu for the next 10
days includes a helping of the Big
Ten’s bottom feeders, starting
with Minnesota (0-6, 6-12) on
Wednesday night at Crisler Center
and ending with Penn State (2-4,
11-8) in a neutral-site game at
Madison Square Garden in New
York on Jan. 30. Sandwiched in
between is a trip to Lincoln to take
on Nebraska (3-3, 11-8) and a home
bout against Rutgers (0-6, 6-13).
To simplify the difference
between the last two weeks and
the next two weeks: Michigan’s
past three opponents have totaled
46 wins this season; it’s next four
have combined for 34.
The slate of lesser opponents
offers the Wolverines a chance to
bounce back from a challenging
stretch. But, of course, don’t
tell that to Michigan coach
John Beilein, who is as likely to
discount an upcoming opponent
as Rick’s is to let you skip the line
when it’s not your birthday.
“Still no must wins, you know
that — not this time of the year,”
Beilein said of the upcoming slate
of games. “But yeah, this is the
way you got to look at it always:
every home game. You saw how
difficult it is to win on the road.
You know that; we all know that.
… (Our game against Minnesota
is) an opportunity to win at home
against a team that’s scrappy,
that’s feisty.”
Despite that scrappiness and
feistiness, Minnesota has little to
show for it. The Golden Gophers
are still looking for their first
conference win and are riding
a seven-game losing streak into
Ann Arbor, looking for their fist
win since Dec. 16.
Statistically, it’s easy to see why
Minnesota is in the gutter. The
Gophers’ 41.2 shooting percentage
ranks last in the Big Ten, and their
77.3 points allowed per game is the
second highest in the conference.
In his third year at the helm,
Minnesota coach Richard Pitino
has struggled to find the same
success as he did in his first
season, when he led the Gophers
to a 2013-14 NIT title. Since taking
over, he has lost nine players to
graduation, and his roster this
year is underclassman-heavy. The
past two contests, Minnesota’s
starting five has featured three
freshmen and two sophomores.
One of those sophomores,
guard Nate Mason, leads the
team in minutes and is pacing 12.3
points per game. He’s one of four
Gophers averaging double-digit
scoring. Forward Joey King (12.9,
3.4, 1.6) has been one of Pitino’s
first options off the bench in the
last two games, and Minnesota
has also gotten contributions from
guard Carlos Morris (10.8, 3.9,
1.4) and forward Jordan Murphy
(10.5, 8.1, 0.5).
After
getting
mauled
by
Nebraska last week, Minnesota
hung with an Indiana team
Saturday that is undefeated in
the Big Ten, though the Golden
Gophers ultimately came up short.
On Michigan’s side, Beilein all
but confirmed that it would be
without senior guard Caris LeVert
for the fifth straight game as he
continues to recover from a left-
foot injury.
“We continue to get encouraging
news about Caris,” Beilein said.
“He’s doing more and more right
now on and off the court. We
expect (more work) on and off
the court going forward. We have
no date yet, and we’ll see how he
tolerates any pain going forward.”
Michigan might miss LeVert’s
on-court leadership the most.
In its two most recent losses to
Purdue and Iowa, it was able
to fight back, but never able to
completely close the gap, allowing
the Boilermakers and Hawkeyes
to go on late runs.
“We talk about losses that we
have had this year, there’s always
been that four-minute stretch in
the first half or the second half we
just fell apart,” said junior forward
Zak Irvin. “We just got to stay
together as a team. We can’t have
mental lapses. (Against Iowa) we
had one in the beginning of the
game which hurt us, and then we
had one late in the second half also.
We got to stay strong mentally and
just come together as a team.”
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Junior forward Zak Irvin has come alive for the Wolverines in the absence of senior guard Caris LeVert.
‘M’ selects trio of
captains for 2016
By BRAD WHIPPLE
Daily Sports Editor
After missing two straight
NCAA
Tournaments,
the
Michigan women’s soccer team
will need to do everything in its
power to break the trend next
season.
Tuesday
afternoon,
that
campaign began with the naming
of three captains for the 2016-17
season: junior forward Madisson
Lewis, junior midfielder Jessica
Heifetz and redshirt sophomore
forward Ani Sarkisian.
“Jess, Madi and Ani will make
a great trio of captains to lead our
2016 team,” said Michigan coach
Greg Ryan in a statement. “Spread
evenly throughout the pitch, with
Jess in the midfield, Madi on the
back line and Ani up top, we will
have a great leader in each area of
the field.
“These three captains are
supported by an outstanding
senior class. We view the whole
class as a leadership team, and
we are enjoying the meetings we
are having as we create a shared
vision for our 2016 team.”
Former
captains
Maddie
Clarfield, Corinne Harris and
Christina Murillo now hand
over the reigns to another trio
composed of three players who
have each had vastly different
experiences as Wolverines.
During
their
freshman
seasons, both Lewis and Heifetz
were part of the Michigan squad
that reached the 2013 Elite Eight.
Heifetz saw almost no action
that season, though, and played
in only one game — against
Oakland.
Lewis, on the other hand, was
one of the team’s difference-
makers on the frontline that
year and rarely played like a
freshman — a statement often
backed by Ryan. After Michigan’s
NCAA Tournament first-round
win against Milwaukee, he even
compared Lewis to being “faster
than a rocket ship” to describe
her ability to quickly break any
opponents’ backline and find a
scoring lane.
After ending the season ranked
second on the team in goals (six),
assists (nine) and points (21),
Lewis was a unanimous selection
for the All-Big Ten Freshman
team. Since coming to Michigan,
she hasn’t missed a game.
The
next
season
was
a
turnaround
for
both
future
captains, as Lewis played more
minutes as a defensive back
and still notched five goals, and
Heifetz went from playing only
one game to 18 while adding three
goals as well.
Though the Wolverines’ season
was short-lived that year, it
marked the arrival of Sarkisian, a
Florida State transfer who missed
the 2013 season due to injury.
Returning from an injury was
no problem for Sarkisian, who
has started every regular-season
game since donning the maize and
blue. She hasn’t skipped a beat,
finishing last season with seven
goals, three assists and 17 points
— tying all three categories for
first on the team with sophomore
forward Taylor Timko.
“All three captains have been
key impact players on our team
since arriving at Michigan,” Ryan
said. “They have the complete
respect of our coaching staff and
of their teammates for how they
carry themselves on and off the
field.”
Michigan will soon begin
its strength and conditioning
regimen
in
addition
to
a
competitive spring season, but
the Wolverines will have to wait
until August to see meaningful
results. The election of Lewis,
Heifetz and Sarkisian is a start,
though, and it might just be
Michigan’s antidote.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Martin, Dancs suspended
By JUSTIN MEYER
Daily Sports Writer
The
Big
Ten
announced
Tuesday
that
Michigan
sophomore
forward
Dexter
Dancs
and
sophomore
defenseman Cutler Martin would
be suspended following an on ice
brawl involving the two after
Sunday night’s contest against
Ohio State.
The
announcement
was
expected — Michigan’s pair of
disqualification penalties each
automatically carry a one-game
punishment — but each player
earned extra-game suspensions.
In addition to serving conference
suspensions, neither player will
be permitted to suit up for the
exhibition matchup against the
United States National Talent
Development Team on Thursday.
“I think our players have to
take some responsibility for (the
suspensions),”
said
Michigan
coach Red Berenson. “Our team
doesn’t condone that. We don’t
teach that. We expect players to
play with emotion, but to play
with discipline. When the whistle
goes or the horn goes, the game
is over. I can’t speak for the other
team, but that’s not how we play.
I’m disappointed, but if we got
suspended, then we deserve it.”
Martin, who will sit out two
conference games, made waves on
the internet over the weekend as
a highlight circulated of his hard
right punch landing square on a
Buckeye facemask.
Dancs will sit only one Big Ten
game for retaliating with a high
cross-check. It appeared that Ohio
State’s Dakota Joshua instigated
the extracurricular activity when
he hit Dancs with the butt end of
his stick after the final whistle.
The Buckeyes had two players
suspended for the minimum of
one game.
“I don’t think it was brewing,
it just exploded at the end,”
Berenson said. “Obviously, their
team was frustrated, and our
team has to understand that.”
Dancs plays left wing on the
fourth line for the Wolverines.
He has suited up for 19 games this
year, recording five goals and five
assists on 20 shots.
Martin has started 20 games,
recently taking the ice alongside
freshman defenseman Nicholas
Boka. Martin has eight points and
leads the team in blocked shots
with 39.
The Big Ten elected not to tack
on any additional suspension for
junior forward Alex Kile, who
was penalized for leaving the
bench.
In an official press release, the
conference said:
“Following a review of the
incident by the conference, the
Big
Ten
imposed
additional
suspensions and issued public
reprimands of Michigan’s Dancs
and Martin for violating the Big
Ten Sportsmanship Policy.”
The fight catapulted the rivalry
matchup into larger news circles,
but Berenson was unwavering in
his view.
“You win the game on the
scoreboard, you’re not going to
win it after the game is over,”
Berenson said. “We made it clear
to our team that we don’t want
to be a highly penalized team.
We don’t want to be a team that
retaliates. We’re not a team that
takes cheap shots. We don’t
recruit players that we think are
going to help us run the other
team out of the building. We don’t
play like that.
“It’s not good for college
hockey. It’s not good for the Big
Ten. It’s not good for Michigan.”
Michigan has a clear option for
replacing Martin in sophomore
defenseman Sam Piazza. The
Chicago-area native has cracked
the lineup several times since
the
Great
Lakes
Invitational
tournament.
Meanwhile, Dancs will be
replaced by either sophomore
Niko Porikos or junior Evan Allen.
However,
the
potential
absence
of
Zach
Werenski
from Thursday’s lineup — the
sophomore defender did not
practice due to “bruising” —
leaves the Wolverines in a tight
spot. Kevin Lohan is still out
with a back injury, and it is
likely that Michigan will have
to dress every available player
on its 22-man roster if Werenski
is not ready to go for the NTDP
exhibition game.
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Sophomore defenseman Cutler Martin will sit out two conference games following an on-ice fight against Ohio State.
Barnes Arico, Wolverines
get much-needed day off
Michigan takes
advantage of rare
break to rest
bodies and minds
By BRAD WHIPPLE
Daily Sports Editor
Monday morning, Kim Barnes
Arico dunked a basketball.
No, the Michigan women’s
basketball coach wasn’t on the
floor of Crisler Center. Nor was
anybody else. The Wolverines
never have Monday practice, but
Barnes Arico told her staff and
players not to show up for any
reason whatsoever.
With Martin Luther King
Jr. Day, Monday came with the
added benefit of no class, so the
Wolverines truly had a day off.
Having played five games in
the last two weeks, they need
all the rest they can get ahead
of a grueling Big Ten stretch —
starting with No. 7 Ohio State on
Thursday.
As for Barnes Arico, she
could’ve
spent
her
morning
doing the usual: watching film,
preparing for the next game, etc.
Instead, she asked her kids what
they would want to do if she had
a day off.
Next thing she knew, she was
at Sky Zone Trampoline Park
in Canton, Mich. With a ball in
her hand, she flew toward the
basket and dunked. And yes, of
course she got the whole thing on
camera.
“I was just gonna watch
(my kids) and maybe do some
work on the e-mail, bring my
computer and watch some film,”
Barnes Arico said in her weekly
radio show. “And they said,
‘Mommy why don’t you come
out?’ So I paid, and I joined the
fun.”
The fun didn’t end there. With
her mother visiting town, Barnes
Arico took her out to lunch for
Ann Arbor Restaurant Week.
Once all was said and done,
though, Barnes Arico returned
home to start preparing for the
Buckeyes.
As for her players, Monday
was probably the most rest
they’ve had all season. This is
the Wolverines’ first season that
games consistently fall on both
Thursday and Sunday, which has
led to the same weekly routine:
game Thursday, practice Friday,
travel Saturday, game Sunday,
class Monday.
Yes, it’s as exhausting as it
sounds.
“Our players haven’t had a
true day off,” Barnes Arico said.
“I don’t know if we’re gonna get
another one for a really long time
— and we haven’t had one for a
long time.
“Sometimes less is more. They
need to be reminded this point in
the season to make sure they’re
resting both their minds and their
bodies.”
Last season, the Wolverines
had eight games on Monday,
Tuesday or Wednesday. This
year, that number is down to four.
Michigan players have lost their
weekends, and having to rest their
legs on Mondays with no practice
doesn’t mean they can just skip
class.
According to Barnes Arico, she
would prefer her team to have
more full days off. Regardless,
she has worked around the jam-
packed schedule to the best of her
ability.
“This is the first year that we’ve
had to do it like that,” Barnes Arico
said. “I don’t particularly love it,
because of the weekend aspect,
but I do think there is something
to be said for the routine. I think it
makes the kids feel comfortable —
they know what they have every
week, they’re set.”
The schedule has also taken
a toll on the coaching staff. One
of
Barnes
Arico’s
assistants
hadn’t been home for the last
four weekends, and that didn’t go
unnoticed by the head coach.
“I could tell she’s wearing it
a little bit on her face,” Barnes
Arico said. “I said, ‘You know
what, you need to get out of this
office a couple days, and you
need to go home and spend some
time with your family. You being
here an extra hour is not gonna
make the difference between us
winning or losing this basketball
game.’
“I think it’s important for us to
remember to tell the people we’re
surrounded by that it’s important
to do that — whether that’s our
players or staff. We will get more
in return.”
Of late, the Wolverines have
been getting more in return.
They’ve won three of their last
four games, all of which have been
decided by an average of nine
points. Michigan dropped a close
game against No. 8 Maryland
last Thursday, but it was the
Wolverines’ only loss in the two
weeks following a three-game
losing streak.
As
for
Michigan’s
recent
success, it completed a 17-point
comeback against Iowa and held
on down the stretch against
Minnesota on the road.
Most
importantly,
the
Wolverines
changed
the
storyline against Penn State.
In 2013 and 2014, Michigan
had been the Nittany Lions’
third-to-last and final game,
respectively.
Both
times,
Penn State earned a win to
clinch its share of the Big Ten
Championship.
Both
times,
Michigan players hung their
heads as confetti rained from
the ceiling and fans stormed
the court. Thursday, though,
Barnes Arico helped eliminate
the pit in her stomach as her
team pulled off its first win
in Happy Valley since 2001 —
evening out its Big Ten record
at 3-3.
And if that’s what Michigan
can do while battling great
fatigue, there’s no telling what it
could do on Thursday, against a
ranked Ohio State squad with a
full day off.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Minnesota
at Michigan
Matchup:
Minnesota
6-12 ;
Michigan 13-5
When:
Wednesday
8:30 P.M.
Where:
Crisler Arena
TV/Radio:
BTN