8 — Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Senior defenseman Nolan De Jong and the Michigan hockey team have suffered through a disappointing season.

A sad reality

N

olan De Jong stood 
outside the visitors’ 
locker room at 

Mariucci 
Arena. As the 
captain of 
the Michigan 
hockey team, 
the senior 
defenseman 
reflected 
on another 
loss, one of 
many in a 
frustrating 
and 
disappointing season. 

While clearly frustrated 

with the final outcome of 
two hard-fought matchups 
against then-No. 9 Minnesota, 
he still held some hope for 
the Wolverines’ upcoming 
games. Michigan would face 
rival Michigan State in two 
weeks, and De Jong believed 
a sweep against Spartans 
would provide some necessary 
momentum to rejuvenate the 
Wolverines’ season.

“I think beating State a 

couple times this next coming 
weekend will be huge for us,” 
De Jong said that night. “I 
think it’s going to come down 
to the hard work that we have 
to put in this week. We’re going 
to have to have intensity and 
we’re going to have to come out 
and believe we’re a team that 
can play a full 60 minutes.”

The Wolverines, though, 

didn’t sweep Michigan State. 
They didn’t have that intensity 
and they failed to play a full 60 
minutes. That first game saw 
Michigan drop a 4-0 shutout 
at Yost Ice Arena and while 
it earned a shootout victory 
in East Lansing the following 
day, it wasn’t the result the 
Wolverines needed.

Just last weekend, Michigan 

faced off once more against 
the Spartans, and like its 
first two meetings, struggled 
in its matchup with the Big 
Ten cellar-dwellers. It took 
a shootout goal from junior 
defenseman Sam Piazza to fend 
them off Friday night, while 

Saturday, the Wolverines failed 
to get any offense going in a 
5-1 loss.

The weekend served as 

a microcosm for a season 
Michigan will want to forget. 
One — usually close— game 
ending in a win and another 
matchup ending with a large 
loss. Against Ohio State the 
week before, Michigan fared 
similarly, winning on Friday 
night before losing a nail-biter 
the next day.

It was a loss that led 

Michigan coach Red Berenson 
to walk out after his postgame 
press conference. He discussed 
his disappointment with his 
team and left, neglecting to 
take any questions from the 
media.

But who could blame him? 

In such a tumultuous season 
that often leaves both coaches 
and players frustrated, it might 
even be justified.

Many expected the 

Wolverines to regress this 
season.

With the graduation of Steve 

Racine, Boo Nieves and Justin 
Selman and the expected 
departure of Kyle Connor 
and Zach Werenski, fans 
understood there would be 
some fallback. Still, they held 
out hope that JT Compher, 
Tyler Motte and Michael 
Downing would return.

But once everyone departed, 

the sad reality was that the 
team lacked experience and 
was filled with young, untested 
players.

It is difficult to quantify the 

exact effects that the return 
of Downing, Compher and 
Motte would bring, but it isn’t a 
stretch to say that at the least, 
their veteran presence would 
provide essential assistance to 
one of the youngest teams in 
the NCAA this season.

But given the sad reality of 

the present, fortunately for 
Michigan, they have some 
bright spots for the future.

Freshmen forwards Will 

Lockwood and Jake Slaker 
have gained valuable playing 
time in Michigan’s top six, 
while sophomore forward 
Cooper Marody — who missed 
the first half the season due to 
academic ineligibility — picked 
up where he left off from last 
season, tallying nine points in 
10 games.

In the crease, freshmen 

netminders Jack LaFontaine 
and Hayden Lavigne have also 
gained valuable experience 
— starting 73 percent of 
Michigan’s games this season, 
and will continue to battle for 
playing time in the upcoming 
years.

But these bright spots won’t 

see their full potential for at 
least another year.

And even this season, the 

sad reality is that it might even 
get worse for the Wolverines. 
This weekend, they travel 
to Madison to take on No. 
20 Wisconsin, followed by a 
series in Columbus against 
Ohio State before finishing the 
season with visits from No. 
5 Minnesota and No. 9 Penn 
State.

Michigan earned just two 

victories against these teams in 
its first six games and will not 
be the favorite in any of these 
upcoming matchups.

In a year marred with 

injuries, disappointment and a 
longing for the past, it is sadly 
fitting that Michigan’s best 
hope for a victory may already 
be in the rearview mirror. 

Sholkoff can be reached 

at sholkoff@umich.edu or 

on Twitter @avisholkoff.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Michigan reflects on 
Sunday’s Pink Game

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball team has been playing 
historically well this season. The 
Wolverines’ 21-5 record is its best 
in program history up to this point 
of the season, and is only one win 
shy of tying another program 
record for most wins in a season.

Undoubtedly, the allure of 

Michigan’s NCAA Tournament 
prospects 
paired 
with 
the 

competition against elite teams 
in Division I have been at the 
forefront of the players’ minds 
as the end of the regular season 
draws near.

But even they realize that the 

physical and mental hardships 
of playing competitive basketball 
pale 
in 
comparison 
to 
the 

challenges 
that 
were 
shared 

with them this weekend during 
their annual Pink Game against 
Wisconsin, when they got to talk 
with breast cancer survivors prior 
to the matchup.

“It’s just so inspiring to see how 

positive they are,” said sophomore 
guard Nicole Munger. “They were 
laughing and having a great time. 
We think basketball’s hard, and 
it’s really just for fun. They’re 
fighting the real fight.”

The Pink Game is held each 

year as a part of the team’s 
philanthropic 
effort 
to 
raise 

breast cancer awareness and 
celebrate survivors of the disease. 
During the game, both teams don 
pink garments during warmups 
and the game — the Wolverines 
rocked pink and white Air Jordan 
XXXI basketball shoes. Even fans 
were involved, as a sea of pink 
shirts of all shades flooded Crisler 
Center to witness Michigan’s 
75-66 win.

“I remember just standing on 

the court and just looking up and 
seeing all the pink and thinking 
‘It’s bigger than Michigan,’ ” 
Munger said. “This is bigger than 

Michigan. This is bigger than us. 
It’s just really cool to being playing 
for something greater and bigger 
than yourself.”

When the Wolverines’ starting 

lineup 
was 
announced, 
the 

jumbotron — newly draped in 
pink 
background 
graphics 
— 

didn’t show the typical highlight 
reel accompanied with video 
snippets of the players flashing 
their handles in the locker room 
tunnel. Rather, six different breast 
cancer survivors were displayed 
on screen, reading off the names of 
the Michigan players and coaches.

And when the ball was finally 

tipped, the roar of the crowd and 
intensity of the game had a gusto 
unlike any of the Wolverines’ 
previous 
contests, 
especially 

during halftime, when breast 
cancer survivors of all ages were 
introduced and applauded on the 
court.

“I thought our crowd was 

outstanding and I thought we 
had an unbelievable atmosphere,” 
said Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico. “The day and the things 
that we do to celebrate the breast 
cancer survivors is really special.”

The day before the game, when 

a handful of the survivors that 
were on the court spoke and ate 
dinner with the team, the message 
of gratefulness resonated the 
most, according to Barnes Arico.

“It’s so impactful how these 

women can come and share their 
stories with 18-to-22 year-old girls 
that think they’re invincible,” 
Barnes Arico said. “At this point 
in their lives, most of them haven’t 
really had any major obstacles or 
any hardship, and to hear from 
young women that just have had 
children to old women that it 
doesn’t discriminate.

“It can happen to anyone. 

And to really make sure to know 
your body and to have a great 
appreciation and great work ethic 
and a great attitude to everything 
in your life is important.”

Wolverines displaying well-rounded post play

BLOOMINGTON — Coming 

out of the halftime break with 
a 10-point lead, the Michigan 
men’s basketball team emerged 
from the tunnel shooting on 
their first possession, when 
senior guard Derrick Walton 
Jr. found sophomore forward 
Moritz Wagner for a pick-and-
pop shot.

The 
ball 
rimmed 
out 
as 

Wagner’s shot just missed the 
mark. 

On the Wolverines’ next time 

down the floor, sophomore guard 
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rakhman 
found himself open, but his shot 
also rattled out.

Michigan missed its first six 

shots of the half before Wagner 
finally nailed a 3-pointer at the 
15:43 mark, ending an almost 
eight-minute scoring drought.

Playing in a hostile environment 

like Assembly Hall and going cold 
from the floor would doom the 
Wolverines earlier in the season 
— much like the game at South 
Carolina back in November.

But this time, it didn’t. Indiana 

only scored once during the 
drought, and Michigan’s first 
make of the half actually extended 
their halftime lead.

While the backcourt played a 

big role — Abdur-Rakhman played 
exceptional defense on Indiana 
star guard James Blackmon Jr. — it 
was the Wolverines’ post men that 
made the biggest impact.

Wagner 
and 
redshirt 

sophomore forward DJ Wilson 
led the charge down in the post.

On both ends of the floor, the duo 

delivered a strong performance 
that saw them combine for 10 
points and 5 rebounds in the first 
half while completely shutting 
down Indiana’s other star, forward 
Thomas Bryant.

With 
Wagner 
and 
Wilson 

averaging double-digit points per 
game, there was no doubt that the 
two big men could put the ball in 
the bucket.

In the past few weeks, though, 

Michigan fans have witnessed the 
duo grow in two other areas: on 
the boards and on defense.

“Offensively, 
we 
didn’t 
do 

anything special,” Wagner said. 
“We just played our game. I know 
we’re hard to guard so we don’t 
need to change anything. … If 
we can just make the opponent 
feel uncomfortable, it’s such a big 
advantage.”

On the boards, Wagner reached 

a double-digit rebounding total, 
grabbing 10 on his way to the first 
double-double of his career.

It was an effort that had been 

coming for Wagner, and at Indiana 
on Sunday, all his work finally paid 
off.

While 
Wilson 
had 
just 

two rebounds Sunday, he still 
complemented Wagner with his 
defensive effort and offensive 
prowess.

On defense, Wagner was given 

a tough matchup with Bryant, who 
had been averaging 20.2 points in 
his past five games.

And after Bryant was held to 

just 13 points and one rebound in 
the two foes’ first matchup back in 
January, Michigan improved on 
that stat line, holding Indiana’s big 

man to just eight points on 3-for-8 
shooting.

The Wolverines put a double 

team 
on 
Bryant 
this 
time, 

effectively shutting him out and 
forcing him to find solace behind 
the perimeter, where he also 
wasn’t successful, missing four 
3-pointers.

“Moe 
and 
(redshirt 
junior 

forward Mark Donnal) have been 
doing a good job of fronting the 
post, not allowing them to get too 
many touches as they do in the 
post,” Wilson said. “We executed 
our game plan on defense as far as 
setting up the other one to trap the 
post guy and it worked out.”

Added Michigan coach John 

Beilein: “We didn’t want to give 
(Bryant) the same look every time. 
He’s too talented.”

While Wilson’s length was 

crucial for the double team to 
work, his help defense was just as 
vital.

Wilson slid over seamlessly to 

clog the lane all night, not allowing 
Indiana’s big men to operate.

“He’s doing a great job,” 

Wagner said. “He’s very good at 
using his arms. He’s so long and 
fast on his feet so it’s a really big 

advantage he has, and he uses it 
pretty well.”

Added Beilein: “The young 

man, for two years, has worked 
really had. The cerebral part of the 
game, he has the ability to do it, 
but he hasn’t had to be measured 
up and be accountable in games 
for it because it’s been scout team, 
it’s high school. It’s not like it is 
now, and he’s just embracing it all, 
trying to grow from it.

The growth of both Wilson and 

Wagner has been a whirlwind 
of a ride, including various ups 
and downs, ranging from the 
beginning of the season, when 
they were too aggressive on 
defense, committing too many 
fouls, to the beginning of Big 
Ten play, when they were afraid 
to be physical and their defense 
suffered. Now, though, the duo 
has found the balance to make 
them successful.

And as their play has started 

to turn for the better, so have 
Michigan’s results.

Now, their biggest challenge 

will be playing at that consistent 
level down the stretch, when 
the games will surely define 
Michigan’s season. 

MINH DOAN

Daily Sports Editor

ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer

CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily

Forwards DJ Wilson and Moritz Wagner held Indiana’s star forward Thomas Bryant to just eight points Sunday.

AVI 
SHOLKOFF

The weekend 

served as a 

microcosm for a 
season Michigan 
wanted to forget

