8A — Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

For Talcott, it’s about relationships with teammates

At 4:18 Monday afternoon, just 

a few players remained at Yost Ice 
Arena. Many of the members of 
the Michigan hockey team had 
departed. Their participation in 
practice had ended. The ones who 
remained did so because of their 
in-game absence in Madison this 
past weekend. 

While some of these players 

could be recognized by certain 
fans of the Wolverines, such as 
senior forward Alex Kile — who 
was injured last weekend — or 
junior forward Niko Porikos, 
one player would likely leave 
spectators wondering.

Alex Talcott spent that Monday 

practice as one of the last athletes 
on the ice.

Unlike Kile, Porikos and his 

other peers, the junior forward 
has yet to appear in a game during 
this season. Michigan coach Red 
Berenson has penciled Talcott in 

the lineup just eight times in his 
three years and just twice as a 
sophomore.

But despite Talcott’s lack of 

in-game 
experience, 
he 
still 

manages to impress Berenson 
with his work ethic.

“He’s a depth player,” Berenson 

said. “He knows that if we get a 
couple guys hurt, he’s gotta be 
ready. He hasn’t had a chance to 
show what he can do this year 
except in practice.”

While the active players dress 

and 
participate 
in 
pregame 

skates, Talcott and the other 
inactive players have different 
roles. They still eat the pregame 
meal with the team and practice 
in the early afternoon, but once 
the game begins they head to the 
weight room and prepare for the 
weekend’s second game.

It 
might 
be 
difficult 
to 

seemingly prepare for nothing, 
but 
Talcott 
has 
found 
his 

niche. 
He 
spends 
his 
time 

during practices and off the ice 

developing relationships with his 
teammates. It’s an area that he has 
dedicated himself to improving 
over his three-year career.

“To be a good teammate is a 

really important part of what 
I do,” Talcott said. “(To be) 
someone 
that 

one of the other 
guys can come to 
and talk to about 
things, to show 
them 
support. 

That way they’re 
confident 
when 

they’re playing.

“I try not to 

have any negative 
relationships. 
I 

don’t want to be 
in a situation where I’m dragging 
anybody down or dragging the 
team down as a whole. I try to 
be positive and upbeat, and if I’m 
not playing then I reinforce that 
behind the guys that are playing.”

For Berenson, it is likely 

rewarding 
to 
see 
Talcott 

succeeding 
in 
this 
role. 

He 
explained 
that 
Talcott 

encountered 
some 
difficulties 

during his first years in Ann 
Arbor and that “some guys 
would’ve maybe just quit.”

Berenson 
praised 
Talcott’s 

determination to 
thrive, something 
he sees daily at 
practice.

“Alex, 
he’s 

had a tough time 
here,” 
Berenson 

said. “... The good 
thing 
is 
we’ve 

stuck with him 
and the other part 
of the good thing 
is that he has stuck 

with it. He’s in a much tougher 
position than being (freshman 
forward) 
Will 
Lockwood 
or 

(senior defenseman) Nolan de 
Jong who are playing every night.

“He’s gotta say to himself ‘I’ve 

got to play better than these guys 
to be in the lineup. I’ve got to do 

that every day in practice.’ So 
there’s a challenge (for him.)”

One of the challenges for 

Berenson is how best to motivate 
Talcott when he will rarely see the 
ice during games. It’s a dilemma 
he faces not only with Talcott but 
other players such as sophomore 
goaltender Chad Catt, who rarely 
crack the rotation. He urges them 
to focus on their academics and 
again emphasizes their time spent 
in practice. While other players 
have opportunities to impress 
the coaching staff in games, for 
Talcott, it is imperative that he 
strives for excellence every other 
day of the week.

But even then, it’s difficult to 

find opportunities. Because of 
his status on the depth chart, 
Berenson will place Talcott on 
defense if the Wolverines lack 
a blueliner at practice, another 
obstacle in his desires to make an 
impression on the coaches.

That’s why Talcott remained at 

practice that Monday afternoon 

when most others moved on to 
homework or other activities. It 
was an opportunity for him to 
play some offense, showcase his 
shooting, passing and skating 
skills.

For the near future though, 

Talcott 
will 
continue 
giving 

assistance and motivating to his 
teammates. It might not be on the 
ice, or even during game time, but 
Talcott has carved out a role for 
himself.

“The relationships that I build 

with my teammates are built 
around respect and showing 
them that I really care about them 
and care about their success as if 
it was my success,” Talcott said. 
“And then in return it kind of is 
contagious. (It leads to) a better 
relationship with everyone on the 
team and then it manifests itself 
from there.

“I feel like that’s something I 

can bring to the team to influence 
it. Even if it’s in a small way, I’m 
still happy with that.” 

Michigan set to rebound against Rutgers

If not for a collapse in overtime 

— which featured two turnovers, 
an 0-for-2 trip to the free throw 
line and just six total points — the 
Michigan men’s basketball team 
could have left 
Williams Arena 
on 
Sunday 

riding a four-
game winning 
streak. 

Instead, the 

Wolverines 
return to square 
one, with their 
first 
chance 

to 
bounce 

back from last 
weekend’s loss 
on Wednesday 
night, 
when 

Michigan 
will travel to 
Piscataway 
for a matchup 
against Rutgers in what will be 
the first of a three-game, 10-day 
stretch.

The Wolverines couldn’t ask 

for a much better team to face as 
they aim to get back in the win 
column. The Scarlet Knights (2-13 
Big Ten, 13-15 overall) sit at dead 
last in the Big Ten, and it’s easy to 
see why.

Rutgers ranks last in the 

conference in four categories 
— scoring 66.1 points per game, 
shooting just 41.2 and 29.4 
percent from the field and beyond 
the arc, respectively, and posting 
a lowly free throw percentage of 
61.2. Still, Michigan coach John 
Beilein refuses to allow his team 
to take the Scarlet Knights at face 
value.

“This is going to be a difficult 

one going to Rutgers,” Beilein 
said. “I know you look at the 
record, but look at the scores 
instead of the record and you’ll 
see, watching this team, they are 
going to be the best rebounding 
team that we’ve played all year.

“We are obviously not a great 

rebounding team, and that’s a 

tough matchup for us. … It is going 
to be a great win if we can get it. 
I know that sounds like ‘coach 
speak’, (but) I’m telling you it’s 
going to be a great win if we can 
get it. We’re going to have to 
play better than we did against 
Minnesota.”

Rebounding 
is 
certainly 

Rutgers’ one saving grace, as it 
leads the Big Ten with 41.1 per 
game — 15 of which come on the 
offensive glass. And if there were 
ever an advantage that Michigan 
wouldn’t want its opponents to 
have, it would be on the boards.

Unlike Rutgers, the Wolverines 

(7-7, 
17-10) 
sit 
last 
in 
the 

conference with 29.3 rebounds 
per game. Though sophomore 
forward Moritz Wagner has 
markedly improved — averaging 
5.4 rebounds through the last five 
contests — his emergence still 
isn’t enough to offset one of the 
biggest problems that Michigan 
has faced all year.

While 
rebounding 
should 

realistically be the only issue 

the Wolverines face Wednesday 
night, they are stepping onto 
the court against a team that is 
playing with house money. A 
loss to the Scarlet Knights could 
deal a serious blow to Michigan’s 
tournament 
resume, 
as 
the 

Wolverines have an invitation to 
the Big Dance to lose. Rutgers, 
on the other hand, has nothing to 
lose at all.

“We’ve been in that situation,” 

Beilein said. “We were in that 
two years ago, we were in that 
certainly my first year … of just 
trying to get a ‘W’ somewhere. 
They’ve been on the road I think 
the last two games, at their 
place right now, in a storied 
environment there at Rutgers 
— they’ve had some great teams 
back in the day.

“And they’re trying to grow 

that. I think with a new coach, 
it’s all fresh, a lot of enthusiasm. 
Every day there’s a small victory 
in that program right now, and 
a huge victory would be beating 
Michigan tomorrow.”

Regardless, there is no denying 

that, on paper, Michigan should 
win the matchup handily.

Though it stumbled against 

Minnesota, Michigan is still 
averaging 74.6 points over the last 
five games while allowing just 
66.2.

What’s more, all five of the 

Wolverines’ starters scored in 
double digits against the Golden 
Gophers — an encouraging sign 
of consistent production that they 
have been searching for all season.

Michigan 
holds 
an 

unimpressive 1-7 road record, 
but given that Rutgers’ season 
has been a consistent progression 
from bad to worse, the Wolverines 
should be able to bump that total 
up to two.

“We’ve just got to realize how 

close we are to reaching our 
goals,” said senior forward Mark 
Donnal. “Take it one game at a 
time and just really be locked in 
going into Rutgers, and make sure 
that we play up to our potential 
and not let anything beat us.” 

KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Senior forward Mark Donnal will need to contribute on the glass Wednesday in a matchup against Rutgers.

Michigan 
at Rutgers

Matchup: 
Michigan 7-7 
Big Ten, 17-10 
overall; Illinois 
2-13, 13-15

When: 
Wednesday 
6:30 P.M. ET

Where: Louis 
Brown Athletic 
Center

TV/Radio: 

BTN

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Junior forward Alex Talcott has played just eight games in his career, but he still values the contribution he can make by developing a rapport with his teammates.

AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer

“Even if it’s in a 
small way, I’m 
still happy with 

that”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
‘M’ relying on seniors

Two regular season games 

remain for the Michigan women’s 
basketball team. Winning only 
one would lock the Wolverines 
(10-4 Big Ten, 21-7 overall) into 
a top-four seed for the Big Ten 
Tournament.

If it can manage that, it will be 

No. 25 Michigan’s highest finish 
under fifth-year coach Kim Barnes 
Arico. This Monday marks the 
team’s third week spent in the top 
25 — already the longest stretch in 
which the Wolverines have been 
ranked in Barnes Arico’s tenure.

“This is a spot we’ve never been 

in,” Barnes Arico said. “I think our 
kids are getting incredibly tight, 
and I think the teams that are 
playing against us are coming out 
like, ‘Hey, we’re beating a ranked 
opponent, now that’s on our 
resume in the NCAA Tournament.’ 
That’s something our team has 
never faced before.” 

In the past few seasons, the 

Wolverines 
have 
consistently 

been the underdogs. They have 
never won more than 22 games in 
a season, and have never made it 
past the semifinal round of a Big 
Ten Tournament — ever.

With two regular season games 

left against unranked opponents 
Nebraska 
and 
Penn 
State, 

Michigan has an opportunity 
to make history by reaching the 
23-win mark. And it has prepared 
for this moment all year.

“I think we have the ability 

to come out and play against top 
teams,” said sophomore center 
Hallie Thome on Inside Michigan 
Basketball on Monday night. “In 
the beginning of the season we 
were in the Virgin Islands playing 
against all the top teams, and we 
were able to hold our own. I think 
having that confidence under our 
belt really helped us coming into 
the Big Ten season.”

Yet, Michigan has lost its last 

two matchups, including its first 
home loss of the season against 
Michigan 
State 
on 
Saturday 

afternoon. 
A 
record-breaking 

season is far from guaranteed, but 
the Wolverines have access to an 
unprecedented opportunity.

Michigan’s ranking, along with 

a streak of three 100-point games 
earlier this season, has already 
solidified the 2016-17 season as one 
of firsts for the program. But while 
the younger Wolverines relish this 
run, for the two co-captains, it is 
a bit bittersweet. Thursday night, 
senior guards Danielle Williams 
and Siera Thompson will play their 
final regular season home game at 
Crisler Center.

Thompson has started in every 

game this season and leads the 
team in assists with 140 — the only 
current Michigan player to break 
into triple digits in that category. 
Thompson also ranks fourth in 
points and third in rebounding.

Williams has started 15 of 28 

games, and while she has just 53 
points, she is an effective defensive 
presence every time she steps on 
the court. 

Both seniors are known as stable 

presences for the Wolverines, 
which will be an important factor 
in postseason play. With two of 
their top three leading scorers— 
junior guard Katelynn Flaherty 
and 
freshman 
guard 
Kysre 

Gondrezick — having shooting 
troubles recently, the seniors’ 
steadying focus will be necessary 
to get the team back on track.

Michigan’s postseason might 

even hinge on Williams and 
Thompson’s ability to lead the 
team during the next two games 
because winning will give the 
Wolverines a bye for the first round 
of the Big Ten Tournament.

“We are at our best when we 

have that time to prepare for our 
opponent,” Barnes Arico said on 
WTKA Radio. “So that would be a 
position we would be really excited 
about and I think it could definitely 
be a difference maker moving into 
the Big Ten Tournament.”

With a core group of five starters 

that average over 25 minutes a 
game, the rest afforded from a bye 
could be crucial.

MAGGIE KOLCON

Daily Sports Writer

