6A — Thursday, November 10, 2016 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com B1G Breakdown: Terps on top Once again, Michigan will see red on its road to the top of the Big Ten — the top two teams the Wolverines will be attempting to box out will be Maryland and Ohio State. But if the season plays out in their favor, they won’t experience deja vu and once again be passed over for an NCAA Tournament bid. The Michigan women’s basketball team hasn’t been selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament since the 2012-13 season — coinciding with the first year coach Kim Barnes Arico headed the program. In the past three years, the Wolverines have been outplayed, barely, in outlier games and have instead been sent to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, where they have not been able to advance past the semifinals. This year, though, could be different. A rising “superstar” freshman class, according to Barnes Arico, mixed with key players like junior forward Katelynn Flaherty and sophomore guard Hallie Thome, could possess the ingredients needed to break into the NCAA Tournament. The Daily breaks down who Michigan’s top conference competition will be on the path to its first potential NCAA appearance in five years. No. 6 Maryland: Ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll, the Terrapins are the strongest team in the conference and are entering their third season in the Big Ten. Though Michigan dominated Wayne State in its final preseason exhibition match, 93-41, Maryland upped the ante by demolishing Mary Baldwin, 153-27. The triple digits came from a strong freshman class, including Jenna Staiti, who contributed 25 points and eight rebounds. Returning player Shatori Walker- Kimbrough will be hard to defend, too, as the senior guard set the Big Ten record in 3-point field-goal percentage and was the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player last year. The Terrapins were picked to win the Big Ten title by both league coaches and the media panels for the second year in a row, which makes it an uphill battle for the Wolverines to pick off their new competition. No. 7 Ohio State: The next biggest threat to the Wolverines is the Buckeyes, who have junior Kelsey Mitchell, the Big Ten’s Preseason Player of the Year. Ohio State was chosen to finish second in the conference, and the effort will no doubt be led by Mitchell. Other players to focus on will be senior Ameryst Alston, who has finished with first team All-Big Ten honors in each year of her collegiate career. The Buckeyes went 26-8 last year with a 16-1 home record — something to look out for considering it is the only time the Wolverines and Buckeyes will meet in Columbus this year. Michigan State: The Spartans received the 22nd spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, but slid out of the AP Poll rankings. Under the nine-year tutelage of Suzy Merchant, the Spartans have finished in the top three in the Big Ten in seven of the last eight seasons. Their only hiccup was their 2014-15 year, in which the Spartans had multiple players suffer injuries and finished 16-15. Indiana: The Hoosiers were picked to finish third in the Big Ten, but find themselves left out of all preseason rankings, despite finishing last season with a 14-0 home record. With the recent hire of a new assistant coach, Glenn Box, Indiana is looking to jumpstart its defense and perimeter play. Purdue: The Boilermakers have a senior duo who are each aiming for the 1,000-point club, Ashley Morrissette and Bridget Perry. The pair were the only two in their recruiting class and are both in position to achieve a feat that just 30 players have accomplished in 42 years of program history. Purdue is also returning five of its top- six scorers, including three starters. Iowa : Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder is entering her 17th year at the helm of the program. She has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year three times and has led her team to nine consecutive postseason appearances. The Hawkeyes will be looking to repeat the success of their 2014- 15 season and head to the Sweet Sixteen. The charge will be led by senior Ally Disterhoft, who was named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection. Michigan loaded with scorers The Michigan women’s basketball team didn’t lose much star power with the departure of last season’s seniors. And with a top-20 recruiting class to fill the void the seniors left, the Wolverines are primed for their first NCAA Tournament run since the 2012-13 season. Michigan finished 21-14 last season and is coming off its second consecutive year of being eliminated from the WNIT semifinals after suffering a 71-62 defeat to Florida Gulf Coast. While the team is still young, the coaching staff, led by Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico, is in its third straight year together and is built around a big three of Katelynn Flaherty, Siera Thompson and Hallie Thome. Guards: If last year is any indication, the Wolverines will want to make use of their depth at the guard position by keeping three on the court as often as possible. As the only Wolverine to gain national attention, junior Katelynn Flaherty spearheads the team from the point. With an average of 22.1 points per game and a 40 percent average from behind the arc last season, Michigan will rely on her as its main offensive threat. Senior Siera Thompson started all 35 games last year, and unless something drastic happens, Barnes Arico is expected to keep her on the court for at least half of each game. Thompson is known for her consistency, putting up an average of 9.4 points per game. But her real contribution to the frontcourt is her playmaking ability — Thompson averages more assists than any other Wolverine. Senior Danielle Williams will be fighting for a starting position once again this year. While she didn’t average many minutes — just 12.7 last season — she brings experience to the group of guards. Williams is also one of Michigan’s best rebounders, which could prove to be essential to this year’s team. The first guard off the bench will likely be native Michigander and freshman Kysre Gondrezick. Gondrezick was Ms. Basketball her senior year, averaging 40.5 points per game and posting a high school women’s basketball record of 72 points in a playoff game. If she can continue sinking shots at the collegiate level, she could be a real difference-maker once she grows acclimated to the faster pace of the game. Sophomores Nicole Munger and Boogie Brozoski will provide a shooting threat off the bench for the Wolverines. Munger received sparse playing time in her first season, but still maintained a .368 3-point percentage, while Brozoski mustered a .426 percentage from beyond the arc. Forwards: With such a guard-heavy lineup, Michigan will have to rely on the durability of its forwards to maintain a solid rebounding and low-post presence. The Wolverines lost two solid rebounders with the graduations of Kelsey Mitchell and Madison Ristovski, but they should be more than capable of making up for it with a more experienced frontcourt. Junior Jillian Dunston leads the forwards, coming off a sophomore campaign in which she averaged 4.4 points and a team-high 5.6 boards per game. Dunston should see an expanded role this year, as the Wolverines will rely on her more often on the defensive end. Besides Dunston, the rest of the forwards haven’t seen much playing time. Sophomore Sam Trammel and junior Maria Backman have both played on the court at the collegiate level, but neither of them have received regular playing time. Freshmen KeAsja Peace and Kayla Robbins stand at 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-1, respectively, but may not be able to see much playing time. Center: Six-foot-five sophomore Hallie Thome is Michigan’s only true center. The frontcourt talent finished last season scoring in the double digits for 25 out of the 35 games. Thome is an important returning starter who became just the second freshman in program history to record 500 points and and set a school single-season record in field-goal percentage (63.1). The All-Big Ten honorable mention is the tallest athlete on the team — for now. Redshirt junior Abby Cole is also 6-foot-5 and will be joining the Wolverines after her volleyball season ends in December. Her transition to basketball is highly anticipated, as her physical stature will literally push Michigan to new heights. Though Cole hasn’t touched a basketball since high school — four years ago — Barnes Arico is confident that she will complement Thome at center. SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily Junior guard Katelynn Flaherty leads a potent Wolverine offense this season. SYLVANNA GROSS Daily Sports Writer DAILY STAFF Women’s basketball beat