6A — Thursday, March 10, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wildcats up first in Indy
Michigan takes on
Northwestern in
second round of Big
Ten Tournament
By LEV FACHER
Daily Sports Writer
It’s March — the magical
month when every team entering
a conference tournament has
at
least
one
conceptual
path
to
the
NCAA
Tournament,
even a national
championship,
if it can just
keep winning.
If
the
Michigan
men’s
basketball
team is going
to
reach
the
NCAA
Tournament, however, it needs
to create some madness of its
own. When the Wolverines tip
off their Big Ten Tournament
slate
against
Northwestern
in Indianapolis on Thursday,
they’ll know a single win likely
won’t be enough for a ticket to
the Big Dance.
To secure an at-large bid,
Michigan would also need to win
the next day against top-seeded
Indiana, creating an instant
catch-22. To beat Northwestern,
the
Wolverines
might
need
their starters to give everything
left in the tank. To beat the
Hoosiers, Michigan likely needs
its starters to have fresh legs,
especially since Indiana will
have been off since Sunday.
“You can’t balance it,” said
junior guard Derrick Walton Jr.
“You give it your all every time.
No matter who’s off and who’s
having to play, guys are tired at
this point, either way it goes. To
make that excuse would just be
a cop-out.”
The
circumstances
are
different this time, but Michigan
has won two or more Big Ten
Tournament games only once
in coach John Beilein’s eight
attempts.
To even try for two, though,
the Wolverines
first
need
to
quiet
the
Wildcats.
Northwestern
presents
a
sizable obstacle
in its own right,
especially
center
Alex
Olah, who has
developed
a
reputation as a Wolverine killer
over the course of his career. In his
last three games against Michigan
dating back to the 2014-15 season,
Olah is averaging 22 points and
eight rebounds.
Much of the scoring has come
from mid-range jump shots that
most Big Ten centers wouldn’t
even attempt, and has proved
particularly tough to defend for
the Wolverines in particular.
“The way we hedge ball
screens — he’s been doing a
good job taking advantage of
that,” said junior forward Mark
Donnal. “Most of his shots
are coming from jump shots.
There’s little coming from inside
the paint his last few games. I
think we need
to
adjust
(our)
help
defensively so
we can slow
him down a
little bit.”
Olah scored
19 points in
Michigan’s
72-63 win on
Feb.
24,
in
which the Wolverines struggled
to recover from an 11-0 deficit
early on after missing their
first eight field goals. A pair
of
second-half
threes
from
sophomore
guard
Aubrey
Dawkins, who combined with
sophomore guard Muhammad-
Ali Abdur-Rahkman to score 30
points, put the Wildcats away.
Michigan’s mentality entering
this weekend is substantially
different from that in its last two
trips to the Big Ten Tournament.
In
2013-14,
the
Wolverines
finished
the
regular
season
and secured in their NCAA
Tournament
bid,
and
had
relatively little to gain through
their
conference
tournament
performance.
Last
season,
Michigan entered knowing it
needed to win the tournament
with four victories in four days.
This year, the Wolverines’
must-do list is more realistic,
though still unlikely. Needing
just a pair of wins has Michigan
playing
with
a
sense
of
desperation it hasn’t needed at
a Big Ten Tournament for years.
“We hope so,” Beilein said of
the no-holds-barred mentality.
“We’re trying to just go down
there and win it all. If your
team’s not very good and you’re
down in the bottom half of the
league, the chances are that
you’re not making it to Saturday
night. If your team is really
good, they’re probably already in
the NCAA Tournament. The real
crown has been done.”
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Junior forward Mark Donnal will be tasked with stopping Northwestern 7-footer Alex Olah on Thursday in Indianapolis.
Northwestern
vs. Michigan
Matchup:
Northwestern
20-11; Michigan
20-11
When:
Thursday 12 P.M.
Where: Bankers
Life Fieldhouse
TV/Radio:
BTN
“You can’t
balance it. You
give it your all
every time.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Michigan working
on preventing fouls
By CHRIS CROWDER
Daily Sports Writer
In the Michigan women’s
basketball
team’s
Big
Ten
Tournament matchup against
Iowa, the Hawkeyes used a
steady diet of hard cuts off
of passes to draw fouls in the
first quarter. Iowa kept doing
it — rinse, lather, repeat — until
junior guard Siera Thompson
fell victim early, picking up her
first foul and checking out of the
game soon thereafter.
Fouls have plagued Michigan
all season long, and in coach Kim
Barnes Arico’s interview with
Inside Michigan Basketball on
Monday, that’s exactly what the
discussion focused on — mainly
keeping players from picking up
fouls and when to take them out
of games.
In the matchup against the
Hawkeyes, it was especially
unusual for Thompson to pick
up a healthy dose of fouls. She
averages just two per game and
is touted as the Wolverines’ best
defender, counted on to shut
down her opponent without
fouling. But as soon as she put her
hands up to defend, the whistle
blew. After the point guard and
team captain headed to the
bench, Michigan’s dynamic was
never the same.
Sometimes, when players pick
up fouls, they’ll tell their coach to
keep them in and to trust them,
wanting to continue playing for
their team. Ultimately for Barnes
Arico, it’s her decision, based on a
player’s experience and prowess
for evading foul trouble.
“I think it depends on the
person,”
Barnes
Arico
said.
“With (freshman center) Hallie
Thome, when she picks up her
first foul, we take her right out of
the way because we know they’re
attacking her right away. She’s
young, she’s a freshman.
“When we have (Thompson)
who plays that many minutes for
us, we’re a totally different team
without her. She’s a junior, she’s
averaged 36 minutes in her career
since she stepped onto campus
running the team for us. So when
she’s not in the game, we’re a
really different team.”
Barnes
Arico
was
hoping
Thompson would be able to avoid
Iowa’s goal of drawing fouls on
her and that her point guard
would stay out of foul trouble like
she has all season. Thompson’s
defense
has
been
invaluable
all season, shutting down or
slowing the progress of stars
like Minnesota guard Rachel
Banham, who set a Big Ten record
with 60 points in another game
this season. But Thompson, and
therefore the rest of the team, did
not recover Thursday.
“It’s really important that you
know your team,” Barnes Arico
said. “With Siera, I thought she
was going to be OK. We switched
her matchup, we took her off
their best player, and they were
experienced and went at her and
that really hurt us.”
The outing was a fluke for
Thompson.
It’s
usually
the
Michigan bigs like Thome and
senior forward Kelsey Mitchell
who find themselves in foul
trouble, coming out of the game
when their presence is needed
the most. With the WNIT on the
horizon, the Wolverines have
been working on defense and
breakdown drills to play more
aggressively without the ball and
without fouling.
For Michigan to make a deep
run in the WNIT, it’ll need to be
mentally tough to avoid picking
up fouls that can be prevented.
Michigan is determined to work
on it, because even if it’s not
where it would like to be at this
point in the season, there is still
more basketball to play.
SOFTBALL
Sobczak answers the call
By AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer
Heading into the season, the
No. 2 Michigan softball team had
few question marks on its roster.
It knew which pitchers would
be throwing fastballs from the
circle. It knew who would be
catching the ground balls and
making double plays in the infield.
And it knew the players in charge
of manning the outfield grass.
It was not certain, however,
who
would
replace
the
Wolverines’
departed
starting
catcher of the previous four years:
Lauren Sweet.
Through 20 games, freshman
catcher Alex Sobczak looks to
have filled the void in Michigan’s
veteran-heavy lineup.
In 37 at-bats, Sobczak has hit
.270 with two home runs and 13
RBI with just four strikeouts.
Before
the
season
began,
Sobczak expressed concern about
her potential impact, but she soon
realized that high school softball
and college softball are similar in
many ways.
“I was worried coming in
because (we face) All-American
pitchers and there’s going to be
such a difference — and such
a change — but it’s actually
just the same,” Sobczak said
on Wednesday. “The pitchers
throw a little bit harder and the
movement is a little bit greater,
but (our team) has gotten so much
better as hitters — just focusing on
the ball — that I don’t really notice
too big of a difference.”
Where
there
is
a
clear
difference, though, is in the
personalities of the bubbly Sweet
compared to the quiet Sobczak.
While Sweet was often vocal
in the dugout, junior right-hander
Megan Betsa points out that
Sobczak leads in other ways.
“Alex isn’t the verbal catcher
that Lauren Sweet was,” Betsa
said. “She’s more of a lead-by-
example type of catcher, and I
think that’s good because we have
a lot of vocal leaders on the field,
(and it gives us) a good balance.”
Sobczak
has
experience
behind
the
plate
for
every
Michigan starter this season and
thus understands the importance
of forging connections with the
pitchers, each of whom have
different needs, strengths and
weaknesses.
“I think that’s been the coolest
thing so far,” Sobczak said. “Being
a freshman, they don’t know you
coming in, and getting to have a
different relationship with Tera
(Blanco), Leah (Crockett), Sara
(Driesenga) and Meg (Betsa).
It’s
weird
catching
pitchers
for the first time, because you
(personally) have to make that
relationship.”
While some players may shy
away from comparisons to an
esteemed
player
like
Sweet,
Sobczak embraces it. In the fall,
she had the opportunity to speak
with Sweet, whom she called her
“role model.”
“Lauren Sweet is awesome,”
Sobczak said. “I talked to her
about controlling and leading
the team because that’s what you
do behind the plate. You’re in
charge of everything, and that’s
a very hard position to walk into
as a freshman. You have to know
every play and every person.
“She pretty much told me to
relax, to own my position and
embrace it … that it’s OK not to
know everything at the start, just
do what you know how to do.”
Another
core
aspect
of
Sobczak’s development involves
visits
to
the
circle.
These
conversations can be used to
motivate, assist or calm down a
struggling pitcher.
Sometimes,
though,
the
pitchers themselves utilize the
trips to the circle to mentor their
young catcher.
While the talks usually initiate
with the catcher coming to the
mound on her own conviction,
Michigan’s pitchers sometimes
call the conference themselves.
Betsa
and
Driesenga,
now
veterans
compared
to
their
catcher, call time and allow
Sobczak to gather herself.
Sobczak now plays the catcher
position
regularly,
which
is
a major difference from her
experience in travel ball, where
she also played third base.
That
was
not
the
only
adjustment for the freshman,
though. She also needed to get
acquainted to more than just the
speed and pace of the college game.
“You’re in front of a lot more
people, and the pressure is
definitely a lot more (because)
you’re fighting for a national
championship,” Sobczak said. “In
high school and travel, you’re not
playing for nearly as much.”
According to Michigan coach
Carol Hutchins, Sobczak has the
potential to impact the team, but
she simply needs to continue to
improve and grow.
While the current Wolverines
are reminded of the outgoing and
confident Sweet in the dugout,
Hutchins remembers a drastically
different Sweet as a freshman.
“None of the kids on this team
knew Sweet as a freshman,”
Hutchins said. “Lauren didn’t
have nearly the presence that
she had by the time she was a
junior and a senior, and that
comes from confidence and
trusting your game. And right
now it’s really typical, freshmen
are just trying to keep their head
above water.”
Hutchins also explained that,
compared to other positions,
catcher proves to be the most
challenging to grasp for freshmen
in particular.
“(Catcher
is)
the
biggest
learning curve on the field,”
Hutchins said. “There’s a lot
going on, the pace of our team
is
extremely
fast,
and
that
information can really get into
kids’ heads. (Sobczak is) going
through a lot of the things
that (Sweet) went through as a
freshman. She’s got to be able to
see the play and do the play and
not let her mind get in the way.
She’ll be all right.”
After all, as a recently named
Co-Big Ten Freshman of the
Week, Sobczak remains confident
in herself.
“I wouldn’t be here unless I
wanted to compete,” Sobczak
said. “I committed here knowing
I wanted to compete for a
position, and I think more than
anything, the pressure is why we
play. If it was easy, no one would
want to play.”
Third line reunited,
finally healthy again
By MINH DOAN
Daily Sports Editor
With a minute gone in the third
period Friday night, Michigan
hockey team coach Red Berenson
threw his third line out at Yost
Ice Arena.
But this third line was different
than the one that started the
game. After trotting out a third
line of senior Justin Selman and
freshmen Cooper Marody and
Brendan Warren, Selman was
replaced by sophomore Tony
Calderone, reuniting the third
line that started off the season.
After leading the team in
scoring through November with
14 goals, the line of Marody,
Calderone and Warren has tailed
off since then, scoring just five
goals in the subsequent months.
And in mid-January, when
Marody
came
down
with
mononucleosis, the line that was
so prolific early in the season was
split up. With Marody out, Selman
was brought in to center the line.
A month later, just as Marody
was healthy again, Calderone
came down with a lower-body
injury, which, once again, pushed
back the date for the trio’s return
to the ice.
But Friday, the third line that
started the season was brought
back together and rekindled its
scoring spark.
On
their
first
shift
back
together,
Calderone
retrieved
the puck in the corner of the
offensive zone and dished it off
to Marody, who got tied up and
lost it. Calderone gathered the
loose puck, spun around and fired
at the goal, beating Ohio State
goaltender Christian Frey to cut
the Wolverines’ deficit to three.
Later in the period, Marody
found Calderone open inside the
left circle and Calderone ripped
the puck past Frey to cut the
Buckeyes’ lead to two.
“(Berenson) just kind of put us
out there, and our first shift (on
the ice), we scored, and we stuck
after that,” Calderone said. “We
kind of just connected after that.”
Sunday, the line got on the
board late in the second period
on the power play. Once again,
Marody found Calderone in the
slot, and Calderone backhanded
the puck past Buckeye goaltender
Matt
Tomkins.
Marody
also
scored the game-tying tally to
push the game into overtime.
With the first line of junior
forwards Tyler Motte and JT
Compher and freshman forward
Kyle Connor leading the way
offensively for Michigan, the
three
other
lines
are
often
forgotten.
But with so much attention
given to the first Compher-
Connor-Motte line, it creates
opportunities for the other lines,
especially the third.
“We’re
the
depth
guys,”
Calderone
said.
“Everyone
looks at the CCM line and
saying, ‘We need to shut them
down.’ But our line can produce
every night, too, and it gives
(the team) more depth on any
given night. The opponent has
to watch all of our lines.”
On the line, each of the three
players has a role on the team,
a trait similar to the CCM line:
Warren is the grinder, Marody is
the passer and Calderone is the
shooter.
“Warren’s good in the corner,”
Calderone said. “He’s a real good
working guy. He wins all his
battles, which is big. Cooper’s an
unbelievable passer. He sees the
ice very well. He’s got great hands.
And then both of those guys try
to give me the puck to shoot. I’m
more of the shooter on that line.
We really complement each other
very well.”
With the third line back
together and rolling, evident in its
four-goal weekend against Ohio
State, the depth might be exactly
what Michigan needs to win the
Big Ten Tournament next week.
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Cooper Marody was out with mononucleosis, but is back on a strong third line.