8A — Friday, November 4, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
What to Watch For: Armstrong State
Seven months and 17 days ago,
the Michigan men’s basketball
team’s season ended at the hands
of Notre Dame in the first round
of the NCAA Tournament. Now,
the doors to Crisler Center are set
to open again, as the Wolverines
will begin the 2016 season with
an exhibition against Armstrong
State on Friday night.
“It’s not the real thing yet,
but it is time to go out and really
play against somebody else,” said
Michigan coach John Beilein.
“It’s been a good preseason. I
wouldn’t say it’s been a great one.
I watched the video and we have
some issues, still making similar
mistakes over and over again.
We’ve just got to keep cleaning it
up and cleaning it up.”
Though Michigan may have
a long way to go before it can
call itself a complete team, the
Pirates are an underwhelming
Division II opponent competing
in the Peach Belt Conference
— where they notched a 12-15
record
last
year.
To
make
matters worse, they lost their
three leading scorers — Herbert
Graham, Shaquille Mitchell and
Nicholas Scott — to graduation.
The
matchup
is
more
compelling given that former
Wolverine star Cazzie Russell is
an assistant coach at Armstrong
State, a small school of about
7,000 students in Savannah, Ga.
Regardless, this game has all the
ingredients for a blowout in favor
of Michigan.
Even though it’s only an
exhibition game, there are still
many questions surrounding the
Wolverines entering the season.
Here are four things to look for
on Friday:
1. Who will thrive at the ‘5’?
Sophomore Moritz Wagner
and senior Mark Donnal have
been competing for the starting
spot at center throughout the
preseason, and that competition
is still going strong. According to
Beilein, Wagner’s skill level and
shooting ability have currently
put him ahead of Donnal in the
quest to assume the starting role.
Still, there are tradeoffs that
come with Wagner at center.
Donnal is more experienced,
a better defender and, most
importantly, a more effective
rebounder — something that could
be paramount for a Michigan
team which has struggled in that
category in the past.
Beilein indicated his choice of
a starter may fluctuate depending
on what the Wolverines need in
specific games, but Wagner and
Donnal’s performances Friday
night could set the tone for who
receives the nod going forward.
“I wouldn’t say they’re neck
and neck,” Beilein said. “But I
think we’ll know
in the next couple
of days who is
a
gamer,
who
can do things in
games.”
2. What impact
will Michigan’s
freshman class
have?
The exhibition
against Armstrong State gives the
freshman class an opportunity
to play without losing a year of
eligibility, and it should serve as
a barometer for Beilein to judge
what he has seen in practice so far.
Jon Teske has impressed with
his basketball IQ and skill set so
far, and as the Wolverines’ only
7-footer, his size
certainly stands
out.
Beilein
touted
Austin
Davis
as
the
best
rebounder
on
the
team
right
now
but
acknowledged
he
still
needs
to acclimate to
the speed of the
game.
Throughout preseason, Xavier
Simpson has drawn defensive
comparisons to senior guard
Derrick Walton Jr. and will likely
make the biggest splash as a
freshman. Beilein has played him
alongside Walton in scrimmages
this year, and indicated that he
likes the option of playing a quick
defensive lineup with Simpson,
Walton, redshirt sophomore DJ
Wilson and senior forward Zak
Irvin.
Ibi Watson will also be in the
mix at guard, and Friday night
could serve as an indication of
which freshmen could contribute
immediately this season.
3. How will DJ Wilson look at
the ‘4’?
Wilson has had a rocky start
to his career in Ann Arbor,
redshirting his freshman year after
suffering an injury and failing to
carve out playing time for himself
during his sophomore campaign.
But after a smooth transition
from center to power forward,
Beilein suggested that Wilson
should have significant time on
the court.
Wilson has grown visibly
stronger in the offseason, and
Beilein has seen his new power
forward reap the benefits.
“We go back two years, and
I said this to Moritz yesterday,
that DJ didn’t get a rebound
ever in practice when he came,”
Beilein said. “… All of a sudden
he’s getting traffic rebounds.
“Don’t
confuse
him
with
Dennis Rodman yet, but he will
go in and stick his nose in there
like you’ve never seen him do
before, and we’re encouraging
that. That would be a big change,
if we can rebound and defend out
of that ‘4’ position. It’s going to be
huge for us.”
4. Is this the debut of a new-
look defense?
Since assistant coach Billy
Donlon arrived in Ann Arbor,
Beilein has placed the bulk of
the defensive responsibilities on
his shoulders. Defense has been
the emphasis this preseason, and
Friday’s game will be the first
chance to see how far Michigan
has
come
since
allowing
opposing teams to shoot at a 47
percent clip last season.
Beilein
is
hoping
the
Wolverines
can
be
more
aggressive in forcing turnovers
and better dictate how the
opposing offense plays. Donlon
is trying to more effectively
strike a balance between foul
trouble and smart fouls this
season, so don’t be surprised to
see Michigan be more physical
on the defensive end.
The Pirates are far from the
perfect measuring stick, but the
matchup could shed some light
on the Wolverines’ defensive
approach going forward.
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Sophomore forward Moritz Wagner has proven to be Michigan’s best big man, and that could edge him into the starting lineup over Mark Donnal on Friday night.
KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Editor
“It is time to go
out and really
play against
somebody else.”
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Sophomore guard Nicole Munger paced the Michigan women’s basketball team’s offense with 16 points on 4-for-4 3-point shooting in Thursday night’s exhibition.
‘M’ wins exhibition at Crisler
The
Michigan
women’s
basketball team had talked about its
high expectations and significant
improvements for weeks before
it faced off against Division II
foe Wayne
State in a
season-
opening
exhibition Thursday night.
And when they finally hit the
court, the Wolverines backed
up their talk with a 93-41
beatdown over the Warriors.
Michigan took a 14-5 lead
early in the first quarter before
Wayne State called its first
timeout. From that point on,
Michigan kept its foot on the
gas pedal all game long.
“We had our little jitters,”
said
Michigan
coach
Kim
Barnes Arico. “I think we
played nervous at times. But
it was a great opportunity to
get out there and play against
another team.”
Many
Wolverines
picked
up right where they left off
last season, with junior guard
Katelynn Flaherty socing a
team-high 17 points. Flaherty
also flashed her passing ability
with three assists, including one
pass in the third quarter that
split two defenders and set up
sophomore center Hallie Thome
for a low-post bucket.
Senior guard Siera Thompson
exhibited her leadership on the
court, flirting with a triple-
double with 12 points, five
boards, and eight assists.
But
the
exhibition
game
also provided an opportunity
to stand out for some of the
players who may not usually be
in the spotlight. Junior forward
Jillian Dunston, who started
nine games last season and
got the nod Thursday, shined
in particular. She crashed the
boards all night, tallying 12 total
in addition to her eight points on
4-for-6 shooting.
Sophomore
guard
Nicole
Munger showed her range off
the bench, going 4-for-4 beyond
the arc and scoring 16 points,
adding five rebounds. Munger
credits
her
teammates
for
finding her when she was open,
and Barnes Arico was impressed
with her energy on the court.
“Nicole was a spark coming
off the bench for us,” Barnes
Arico said. “We were struggling
with a couple of people making
shots, and she came in and she
was instant offense for us. But
not only that, she was scrappy
all over the place. Loose balls,
second-chance opportunities.”
All
of
Michigan’s
highly
touted freshman class saw action
as well. Standout freshman
guard Kysre Gondrezick battled
nerves in her first collegiate
game, shooting 2-for-12 and
1-for-6 from the free-throw
line, but other freshmen showed
promise.
Akienreh
Johnson
scored
three
points
and
gathered three rebounds in just
eight minutes on the court.
While
the
Wolverines
dominated nearly every facet
of the game, both Dunston
and Barnes Arico agreed that
improvements needed to made
on the defensive end and at
the
free-throw
line,
where
Michigan shot just 55.5 percent.
“I think we definitely are
a better free-throwing team
tonight than everybody saw,”
Barnes Arico said. “I was really
pleased with the amount of times
we got to the line. Now we got to
be able to knock those out.”
Added Dunston: “I think our
defense will have to close the
gap. Even though they didn’t
score as many points as us, we
have to take pride in our defense
and we didn’t do that. We’re
gonna have to improve. If we
don’t do it in games like these,
then we’re gonna be screwed.”
Dunston, Munger provide spark
As the Michigan women’s
basketball
team
took
on
Division II Wayne State for
its first exhibition matchup
Thursday night, a few familiar
faces lit up the court. The
Wolverines
crushed
the
Warriors, 93-41, with heavy
assistance from junior forward
Jillian Dunston and sophomore
guard Nicole Munger.
Dunston provided a dynamic
rebounding presence with four
offensive and eight defensive
boards, making her the only
Wolverine to break into double
digits combined for the game.
She put up eight points as well,
but her defensive play gave
Michigan the impact it needed.
“Rebounding gets us more
possessions,
offensively
and
defensively,” Dunston said. “It
limits their possessions and gets
us more possessions. I think as
long as I can do that for my team
… that helps us a lot.”
Added Michigan coach Kim
Barnes Arico: “She’s just a
rebounding machine, all over
the place, and much more
confident on the offensive end,
which is something we really
need from her.”
As
an
upperclassman,
Dunston is taking on more of a
leadership role than she has in
the past, which, combined with
her on-court play, places her in a
vital role for the Wolverines.
“She’s playing so much more
confidently,”
Barnes
Arico
said. “This is her team. When
she was younger, she was
always looking up to others.
Now, she has to lead the
younger girls. And she’s doing
a great job.”
Munger stood out against the
Warriors as well, hitting the
court for just six minutes in the
first half, but tallying 11 points
— including a streak of three
3-pointers. She added five more
in the second half, earning
more playing time as the game
went on.
“(Munger) was scrappy, all
over the place,” Arico said.
“Loose
balls,
second-chance
opportunities.
She’s
another
player that is a gym rat and
works incredibly hard. I think
we’re going to see great seasons
from both of them.”
Only junior guard Katelynn
Flaherty, who was recently
named to the preseason All-
Big Ten team, scored more
than Munger, finishing with 17
points.
“It was my teammates that
were finding me,” Munger said.
“Some nights just go better than
others. It was really great that
my teammates were finding
me and honestly, I just want to
thank them.”
Neither Dunston nor Munger
were starters last year, but
each of their performances has
warranted serious consideration
for starting positions this season
if they can keep up the pace
they set tonight. Wayne State
gave the Wolverines a perfect
opportunity to shake off nerves
and re-acclimate to a level of
intensity that practices simply
cannot simulate, but it was far
from a challenging opponent for
Michigan. As the Wolverines
move
on
to
face
tougher
competition, both players will
need to continue exceling in
their roles.
“Nothing is really solidified
until the day of the game,”
Dunston said. “You kind of have
to continue to prove yourself.
You can never relax.”
With big names like Flaherty
and sophomore Hallie Thome
to compete with, Dunston and
Munger have no time to sit on
their heels. They have shown
that they can be definite assets,
and now it’s up to them to earn
those coveted starting spots.
Michigan wins, 93-41, in tuneup for season opener next week
Dunston leads team with 12 rebounds; Munger adds 16 points
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer
MAGGIE KOLCON
Daily Sports Writer
WAYNE ST.
MICHIGAN
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