The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, January 13, 2017 — 7

Wolverines return to Crisler to face 
Nebraska and head coach Tim Miles

Though the conference season 

is still young, few teams in the 
country have had a better stretch 
of 
games 
in 

the past couple 
weeks 
than 

Nebraska.

After 
a 

bumpy 
non-

conference 
slate 
that 

included a loss 
to 
Gardner-

Webb, 
the 

Cornhuskers 
(3-1 Big Ten, 
9-6 
overall) 

have 
found 

new life and 
been the surprise of the Big Ten 
thus far in conference play.

Nebraska has earned road wins 

at Indiana and Maryland, and 

will look to add a win at Crisler 
Center to its resume when it faces 
Michigan (1-3, 11-6) on Saturday.

Senior guard Tai Webster has 

led the Cornhuskers’ resurgence. 
The senior is currently the fourth-
highest scorer in the Big Ten, 
averaging 17.7 points, while also 
producing four assists per game.

Stopping Webster and the 

rest of the offense will be a high 
priority for the Wolverines, and 
based on some news this week, 
that job may be easier than 
Michigan originally anticipated.

Nebraska forward Ed Morrow 

has been ruled out indefinitely 
with a foot injury. Morrow 
currently leads Nebraska with 
7.9 rebounds per game, and was 
one of three sophomores who 
started for the Cornhuskers in 
their last outing, a home loss to 
Northwestern.

The Daily sat down with 

Nebraska coach Tim Miles at 

Big Ten Media Day in October to 
discuss his young roster and his 
relationship with Michigan coach 
John Beilein and the rest of the 
conference’s coaches:

The Michigan Daily: What 

should fans expect when they’re 
watching “Nebrasketball” this 
year?

Tim Miles: I like our group. 

We’re young and there are some 
real unknowns because eight 
of our top 10 guys are freshmen 
and sophomores or new. I think 
if we can handle ourselves, if we 
can get off to a really solid start, 
that will bode well for us. Last 
year we played 21 games in this 
league. We were 8-13. There was 
a .2 difference between our points 
against and our points scored per 
game. That’s insane. It just tells 
you about the depth of our league.

TMD: What comes to your 

mind when you see these stats 
and realize how close you are in 

so many games?

TM: I immediately go, what 

are we weak on defensively? What 
are we weak on offense? How 
can we correct that? What can 
we get better at? For this year, I 
don’t think there’s any way we’re 
going to make as many threes as 
we made last year, so where are 
we going to get our points from? 
But at the same time I think we’re 
going to defend the three much 
better. So scoring might be down 
on both sides, but if it’s more 
favorable for us, I don’t care.

TMD: Can you give us some 

insight into what goes on at the 
coaches’ dinner before media day?

TM: We go out and all have 

a nice dinner with the coaches. 
Quite frankly, Coach Beilein, 
who should be a good friend of 
mine because we’re both St. Louis 
Cardinals fans, was upset with 
me because I don’t follow the 
Cardinals as closely as he does. I 
also have young kids, and I’m not 
as veteran a guy as he is — which 
means old. If I’m not paying 
attention to what the Cardinals’ 
rotation is this week, he’s mad. 
He’s just sensitive.

TMD: Do you call or text Beilein 

about the Cardinals frequently?

TM: I will text him and on 

occasion he will text me back. I’m 
a true Cardinals fan. John Beilein, 
I don’t know. He’s like my father 
who listens to every game, lives 
and dies with them.

TMD: Does your relationship 

with Beilein reflect the dynamic 
between all the Big Ten coaches?

TM: No question. I think 

there’s a great relationship. Guys 
are highly competitive, yet no one 
is easily insulted so you can give 
each other a hard time. We got a 
lot of energetic guys, and some 
guys aren’t. You look at a calm guy 
like Coach Beilein and, when you 
get to know him, he’s a passionate 
person about things. If you 
were just a common viewer, you 
wouldn’t see that every day. I love 
our league. I love the coaches.

BRANDON CARNEY

Daily Sports Writer

Nebraska at 
Michigan

Matchup: 
Nebraska 
3-1 Big Ten, 
9-6 overall; 
Michigan 
1-3, 11-6

When: 
Saturday 
2 P.M.

Where: Crisler 
Center

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Nebraska coach Tim Miles will lead his team into Ann Arbor to face a reeling Michigan team Saturday at Crisler Center.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Michigan seeks to 
extend home streak

This weekend, the Michigan 

women’s basketball team (3-1 Big 
Ten, 14-4 overall) will be looking 
to 
defend 
its 

undefeated 
9-0 
streak 
at 

Crisler 
Center 

this season. The 
Wolverines will 
be 
squaring 

off 
against 

Minnesota (1-3, 
10-7) on Sunday, 
the only contest 
between the two 
teams this year.

The 

Wolverines are coming off a hot 
win against Indiana, something 
sophomore center Hallie Thome 
attributes to focus. 

“We have a lot of growth (this 

season),” Thome said. “And to pull 
it out against a Big Ten team is 
something special. To pull it out 
means we’re still locked in at the 
game and locked in throughout 
the entire game to be able to take 
away what (the opposing team) 
wants to do.”

Michigan has been averaging 

83.7 points per game on 49.2 
percent shooting at home, and 
junior guard Katelynn Flaherty 
has done most of the damage. 
Flaherty has 1,614 career points 
and stands fourth all-time at 
Michigan, though she is just 33 
points away from overtaking 
Trish Andrew, who played from 
1989-93, for third place.

The last time the Wolverines 

faced 
the 
Golden 
Gophers, 

Michigan 
swept 
Minnesota 

and ended the Golden Gophers’ 
three-game winning streak in the 
series — the record stands with 
Minnesota in the lead, 34-27. This 
year, Minnesota is coming off an 
88-point performance in a win 
against Wisconsin, but it hasn’t 
played a game in over a week

Notably, the Golden Gophers 

hold a 31-4 record when scoring 
at least 80 points. The Wolverines 
will try to stop them from 

reaching that number, most likely 
with the help of Thome and junior 
guard Jillian Dunston. Thome 
boasts 129 total rebounds on the 
season, and Dunston leads by one 
with 130. 

Thome has been praised for 

her dominant performances since 
conference play started. She has 
notched two double-doubles in 
the past four games and anchors 
Michigan on both the defensive 
and offensive ends, averaging 20.3 
points per game. 

She currently ranks sixth in 

the conference in scoring, and 
is shooting 69 percent from the 
floor. 

Thome has started all 18 games 

this season, along with Flaherty, 
Dunston and senior guard Siera 
Thompson. New to the starting 
lineup is freshman guard Kysre 
Gondrezick, 
who 
is 
quickly 

becoming one of Thome’s biggest 
allies on the court. 

“I trust her,” Gondrezick said. 

“I trust all my teammates. I know 
one thing that I do well is getting 
the ball to my teammates to make 
everyone else around me better —
something (Michigan coach Kim 
Barnes Arico) stresses all the time.

“It allows Thome to be visible 

and present; it definitely is a game 
changer in the interior.” 

Yet, Minnesota’s offense is 

nothing to scoff at. The Golden 
Gophers hold two of the Big Ten’s 
top-11 scorers in guards Carlie 
Wagner and Kenisha Bell. Wagner 
and Bell are averaging 18.2 points 
per game and 17.3, respectively. 

This is Barnes Arico’s fifth 

season as head coach, and her 
record at home is an impressive 
59-22. The key to this season’s 
success has been its ability to 
dominate competition in the first 
10 minutes of the second half. 
The Wolverines have outscored 
opponents, 229-108, in that time. 

But as far as Barnes Arico is 

concerned for this game—and 
future games — she’s repeating 
one mantra about the team’s 
performance. 

“Keep it going. Just keep it 

going.”

SYLVANNA GROSS

Daily Sports Editor

Minnesota 
at Michigan

Matchup: 
Minnesota 1-3, 
10-7; Michigan 
3-1, 14-4

When: Sunday 
4:30 P.M.

Where: Crisler 
Center

‘M’ set to resume season in Minnesota 

The last time the Michigan 

hockey team faced off against 
Minnesota was in March of 2016, 
when 
the 

Wolverines 
left the ice in 
Minneapolis 
as 
Big 
Ten 

Tournament 
champions 
after 
a 
5-3 

win 
over 

the 
Golden 

Gophers.

This 

weekend, 
in 
their 

first 
series 

matchup 
of 

the season, the 
Wolverines 
will travel to Mariucci Arena 
to resume Big Ten play against 
No. 9 Minnesota on Friday and 
Saturday. Michigan (1-3-0 Big Ten, 
8-9-1 overall) is coming off a two-
week break after the Great Lakes 
Invitational on December 29 and 
30, where it finished third overall.

“You’d like to say that you keep 

the same mentality whether you’re 
playing on a weekend or not, but 
it’s just a different feel around the 
rink,” said senior goaltender Zach 
Nagelvoort. “I feel like we haven’t 
been playing consistent hockey 
games in months because we’ve 
been off for a couple weeks, so I’m 
excited to play this weekend. … I’m 
hungry to play hockey.”

The Golden Gophers (3-1-0, 

11-5-2) are currently riding a four-
game win streak and won five of 
six in the month of December. 
Captain 
and 
forward 
Justin 

Kloos has been imperative to the 
program’s recent success, tallying 
nine points in Minnesota’s past 
four games with three goals and 
six assists.

Kloos also boasts a record of 129 

career points in 135 games, ranking 
him third in the NCAA and first in 
the Big Ten among active players. 

But it is forward Tyler Sheehy who 
leads Minnesota in points and 
goals so far this season with 25 and 
12, respectively.

“They score a lot of goals at 

home, they’ve got the home crowd 
just like everyone does,” said 
Michigan coach Red Berenson. 
“If we can keep them off the 
scoresheet, that means they’re not 
having a good game and we are. So 
that’s the bottom line. We’ve got 
to shut their best forwards down, 
they’ve got guys with 12 goals and 
so on, so it’s going to be a good 
challenge for us.”

Michigan isn’t without a strong 

roster, either. Junior forward Tony 
Calderone leads the Wolverines 
in goals with 10, while freshman 
forward Will Lockwood leads in 
points with 13. And sophomore 
defenseman Joe Cecconi has just 

returned to Michigan’s lineup 
after winning a gold medal at the 
World 
Junior 
Championships 

with the U.S. team.

However, the Golden Gophers 

do 
have 
one 

interesting 
challenge 
for 

the 
Wolverines: 

Minnesota’s rink 
is Olympic-sized. 
To prepare for 
the 
different 

atmosphere, 
Michigan 
has 

been 
practicing 

at The Cube, an 
Olympic-sized ice 
rink in Ann Arbor.

“Practicing here (at the Cube) 

is big for us,” said Nagelvoort. 
“The only thing I really notice is 
the angles are a little different on 

the power play because the ice is 
wider. They have more room to 
play with the puck on the sides, so 
you have to change your angles a 
little bit. But I feel confident after 

skating here the 
last 
couple 
of 

days. 
We’ve 

worked on those 
kinds of things.”

That work will 

come into play 
this weekend, and 
while this series 
isn’t determining 
a 
tournament 

title, it does decide 
which team will 

tack on additional conference 
wins. With much of Big Ten play 
coming in the next few months, 
both teams could use a step in the 
right direction.

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Senior goaltender Zach Nagelvoort and the Michigan hockey team will return to action in Minnesota on Friday.

They’ve got 
the home 

crowd just like 
everyone does 

Michigan at 
Minnesota

Matchup: 
Michigan 
1-3-0 , 8-9-1; 
Minnesota 
3-1-0, 11-5-2 

When: Friday 
8 P.M. CT, 
Saturday 7 
P.M. CT

Where: 
Mariucci 
Arena

LANEY BYLER
Daily Sports Editor

With a two-week break after the Great Lakes Invitational behind it, 
Michigan will travel to Minnesota to start the second half of its season 

FOOTBALL
Michigan officially 
hires Pep Hamilton

The 
time 
for 
speculation 

has ended. Pep Hamilton has 
officially been hired as the 
Michigan football team’s assistant 
head coach and passing game 
coordinator.

“Pep Hamilton is a proven, 

outstanding 
football 
coach, 

husband 
and 
father” 
said 

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh 
in 
a 
released 
statement 
on 

MGoBlue.com. “His teaching and 
mentoring skills have produced 
quality athletes and quality young 
men, including some of the finest 
quarterbacks and wide receivers 
in the country. We are thrilled and 
excited to have Pep and Nicole and 
their children — April, Jackson 
and Elizabeth — as members of 
our Michigan family.”

Hamilton 
is 
joining 
the 

Wolverines’ coaching staff after 
spending the 2016 season as the 
Cleveland Browns’ assistant head 
coach and quarterbacks coach.

His move to Ann Arbor has felt 

probable for roughly a week, but 
the report only became offical 
Thursday.

This 
isn’t 
the 
first 
time 

Hamilton 
has 
coached 
with 

Harbaugh — he was a part of 
Harbaugh’s staff at Stanford in 
2010, where he served as the wide 
receivers coach. 

Hamilton’s arrival helps to 

fill the staff vacancy created by 
Jedd Fisch’s departure from the 
program, as he recently accepted 
a position as the new offensive 
coordinator for UCLA.

It appears Hamilton could 

be a perfect fit to replace Fisch, 
who 
served 
as 
Michigan’s 

quarterbacks 
coach, 
wide 

receivers 
coach 
and 
passing 

game coordinator. Hamilton has 
significant experience coaching 
both positions, as he has served 
as an offensive coordinator at 
numerous stops throughout his 

career. Like Fisch, Hamilton 
brings 
a 
unique 
blend 
of 

experience at both the collegiate 
and professional level.

Hamilton began his career 

at Howard University, where 
he served as the quarterbacks 
coach and later as the offensive 
coordinator before moving on to 
the professional level — coaching 
with the New York Jets, San 
Francisco 49ers and Chicago 
Bears. He returned to college 
football in 2010 to join Harbaugh’s 
staff at Stanford.

Under 
Hamilton, 
Cardinal 

receivers 
combined 
for 
129 

catches for 2,026 yards and were 
part of an offense that scored 40.3 
points per game that year, making 
Stanford the ninth-ranked offense 
in the nation.

After Harbaugh’s departure 

from 
the 
program 
following 

the 2010 season, Hamilton took 
over as the Cardinals’ offensive 
coordinator for the next two years. 
With him at the helm, Stanford’s 
offense averaged 43.2 and 27.9 
points per game, respectively, in 
2011 and 2012, before he left for 
the NFL once again.

Before his stint with the 

Browns, 
Hamilton 
was 
the 

offensive coordinator for the 
Indianapolis Colts, calling plays 
for 
former 
Stanford 
players 

Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener. 
He joined the Browns after being 
fired by the Colts in 2015.

But now, he has landed with 

Michigan for the next step in his 
coaching career. 

“It is an honor and privilege 

to be part of one of the most 
storied 
programs 
in 
college 

football history,” Hamilton said 
in a released statement. “I look 
forward to working with Coach 
Harbaugh and members of the 
staff at Michigan. I am excited to 
get to work meeting our players 
so that I can assist with their 
development on the field and in 
the university community.”

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

