LET THE MADNESS BEGIN

INDIANAPOLIS 
— 
Fresh 

off 
a 
Big 
Ten 
Tournament 

championship, 
the 
Michigan 

men’s 
basketball 
team 
has 

experienced a rapid turnaround. 
After four games in as many days, 
the Wolverines will take the court 
once again Friday — albeit on a 
much bigger stage.

While the magic of March 

Madness has already struck 
Michigan once, the Wolverines 
will officially open play in the 
NCAA Tournament in what 
Michigan coach John Beilein 
called “the heart of the Big 
Ten”.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse — the 

site of the 2016 Big Ten Tournament 
— should bring back positive 
memories for the Wolverines. Last 
year, the arena played host to No. 8 
seed Michigan’s miracle win over 
No. 1 seed Indiana on a buzzer-
beating corner three from former 
wing Kam Chatman.

This season, the Wolverines 

(24-11) are far from underdogs. 
As the No. 7 seed in the Midwest 
Region, Michigan will take on No. 
10 seed Oklahoma State (20-12) in 
the first round of the Big Dance. 
And while the Wolverines won 
their conference tournament in 
impressive fashion — defeating 
ranked opponents such as then-
No. 13 Purdue and then-No. 24 
Wisconsin — the Cowboys fell 
in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 
Tournament to No. 23 Iowa State.

“The whole goal at Michigan 

is 
to 
win 
championships. 

And if you compete for a Big 
Ten 
championship, 
you’re 

going to compete for national 
championships,” 
Beilein 
said. 

“… Our league, year in and year 
out, can play with anybody in the 

country.”

Despite the disparities between 

the two sides, both teams have 
similarities leading up to Friday’s 
matchup. Michigan and Oklahoma 
State 
are 
both 
characterized 

by their shooting ability from 
anywhere on the court, and by 
their transition offense predicated 
on forcing and capitalizing on 
turnovers. 

While 
the 
Cowboys 
score 

an average of 85.5 points per 
game compared to 74.8 for the 
Wolverines, 
Michigan 
boasts 

a higher scoring margin due to 
the strength of its defense. The 
Wolverines give up just 65.5 points 

per game, whereas Oklahoma 
State allows its opponents to score 
an average of 78.

The 
Cowboys 
carry 
the 

edge 
from 
beyond 
the 
arc, 

though, shooting 40.1 percent 
compared to 38.1 for Michigan. 
Its perimeter defense is better as 
well, as Oklahoma State allows its 
opponents to shoot 35.8 percent 
while the Wolverines give up a 37.8 
shooting percentage.

All 
five 
Cowboy 
starters 

will prove to be a challenge for 
Michigan to contain, particularly 
guard Jawun Evans, wing Jeffrey 
Carroll and guard Phil Forte III 
— all of whom boast double-digit 

scoring averages at 19, 17.4 and 13.3, 
respectively. While the Wolverines 
are more used to that level of 
scoring from dominant big men in 
the Big Ten, they will have to adapt 
to the Big 12’s plethora of skilled 
guard play. 

“It’s a balance,” Beilein said. “… 

You have to be prepared for a team 
that is going to be unique to you. 
At the same time, you can’t make 
yourself unique to yourself by 
trying to out-trick them.”

While Michigan must stand up 

to that test, Oklahoma State will 
have its own test to take. All five 
Wolverine starters also have the 
potential to pile it on in a hurry due 
to the success of their pick-and-
pop game.

Four of them average double-

digit point totals — senior guard 
Derrick Walton Jr., senior wing Zak 
Irvin, sophomore forward Moritz 
Wagner and redshirt sophomore 
forward DJ Wilson with 15.2, 12.8, 
12 and 10.6, respectively — and the 
lone starter shy of the mark is just 
0.9 points away.

“You pick your poison with 

whichever you choose (to guard),” 
said Oklahoma State coach Brad 
Underwood. “You’ve got to make 
it difficult and not allow them to 
be as comfortable as they want to 
be, and then you’ve got to contest 
shots.”

Michigan 
gained 
national 

attention after the near-tragic 
plane incident last Wednesday, but 
the Wolverines gained national 
acclaim for turning that experience 
into a title run. According to Irvin, 
their mindset throughout the 
tournament centered on one key 
question:

“Why can’t this be one of the 

greatest stories ever told?”

While Michigan closed the first 

chapter Sunday, its postseason 
story continues Friday.

Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, March 17, 2017 — 7

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Moritz Wagner (left) will be key in Michigan’s game vs. Oklahoma State.

Michigan to open NCAA Tournament against hot-shooting Oklahoma State

BETELHEM ASHAME

Managing Sports Editor

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s been 

going on all season.

Derrick Walton Jr. brings the 

ball up the court. Moritz Wagner 
saunters from the top of the key 
and sets a high-ball screen. The 
sophomore forward plants his 
6-foot-11 frame on his senior point 
guard’s defender.

Walton drives by Wagner’s left 

shoulder with a decision to make 
— take it to the hole or feed it to 
his big man, unattended behind 
the arc with his hands prepared 
for a pass that may never come 
and a shot he wants to take.

More often than not, it goes 

something like this: Wagner 
gets the ball, knocks it down 
and heads down the court with 
some variation of the emotional 
celebration he has become known 
for. It’s all too easy.

Tomorrow 
afternoon, 

Oklahoma 
State 
has 
the 

unpleasant task of making that a 
lot harder.

As Big Ten play ran its course, 

eventually, the Michigan men’s 
basketball 
team’s 
conference 

foes caught on. Any time the 
Wolverines faced a conference 
team for the second time, Wagner 
noticed the adjustments.

Some teams would have their 

‘4’ guard Wagner from the get-go, 
hoping to switch screens more 
effectively. Others would simply 
try to run Wagner off the line, 
often to no avail.

“If somebody runs you off the 

line, you just gotta shot fake and 
dribble,” Wagner said. “I think 
that’s something I do pretty well.”

Added 
Michigan 
assistant 

coach Saddi Washington: “I think 

it actually helped us, from being 
able to compare the moments like 
that so that this isn’t the first time 
we’re seeing a five-man switching 
rotation from a defense.”

The bottom line is that the 

majority 
of 
the 
Wolverines’ 

competition has had multiple 
cracks at bringing Michigan’s 
pick-and-pop system crumbling 
down. Most of the time, those 
teams have failed.

On Friday afternoon, though, 

Oklahoma State needs to buck 
that trend. If the Cowboys don’t, 
then their tournament is likely to 
end early.

The Cowboys have seen plenty 

of talented guards in the Big 12, 
Frank Mason III and Monte 
Morris being just two of them. 
How they fare against Walton 
may not be the problem, but how 
they fare against Wagner could be 
a big one.

Oklahoma State hasn’t seen a 

big man like Wagner or redshirt 
sophomore DJ Wilson all season.

Cowboy 
forward 
Mitchell 

Solomon said Wagner reminds 
him of Baylor’s Johnathan Motley 
and Texas Christian’s Vladimir 
Brodziansky, but even they don’t 
“play outside as much as Wagner”.

And that’s an understatement. 

Wagner 
has 
attempted 
108 

3-pointers 
and 
converted 
at 

a 40.7 percent clip. Motley 
and 
Brodziansky, 
however, 

have attempted just 31 and 29, 
respectively.

“It’s 
completely 
different,” 

Solomon said. “Almost all the 
guys in the Big 12 are big bruisers 
that we’ve done a lot of battle in 
the paint. It’s going to be different 
playing out on the perimeter a 
little more, but I think we’ll be 
ready for it.”

Wolverines rely on ‘pick-and-pop’ to 
utilize mixture of size and shooting

KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

NCAA-tourney snub Wolverines 
open WNIT by beating Kent State

A basketball left the fingertips 

of a Kent State guard, soaring in an 
arc over mid-court trying to get to 
a teammate. The ball would never 
reach its destination. 

Six-foot-five 
Hallie 
Thome 

reached up and plucked the 
ball out of its course, with the 
sophomore center’s toes barely 
lifting off the ground. The play 
demonstrated 
the 
blistering 

defense 
that 
the 
Michigan 

women’s basketball team boasted 
all night en route to a 67-60 victory 
over the Golden Flashes (13-5 Mid-
American, 19-12) at Crisler Center 
on Thursday. 

Though still reeling from being 

left out of the NCAA Tournament, 
Michigan (11-5 Big Ten, 22-9 
overall) 
proved 

its 
dominance 

on 
the 
court 

once again in the 
first game of the 
Women’s National 
Invitation 
Tournament, 
despite a string 
of four losses in 
its previous five 
games. 

“Coming 
into 

this, we knew we 
had to prove a point to the NCAA 
and make them realize they made 
a mistake with leaving us out,” 
Thome said. “Then again, we 
still have to realize we’re still in a 
tournament and we’re lucky to be 
in a tournament and still playing 
right now. So we got to push 
through it, and if we’re in it, we 
might as well try to go all the way.” 

A clear mantra for the team 

was playing for their seniors, 
guards Danielle Williams and 
Siera Thompson, who both will 
have been shut out of the NCAA 
Tournament when they graduate 
in April. The Wolverines are 
hungry for the WNIT title, too, 
with hopes to unfurl their first 
banner in program history at 
Crisler Center. 

“Even though it’s not the banner 

we want to hang, it’s a start in the 
right direction,” Thome said. 
“Although we want to prove a 
point, we have to make sure we 
take care of business at the end of 
the day.” 

The 
game 
started 

unsurprisingly, 
with 
three 

3-point shots from junior guard 
Katelynn Flaherty within the 
first three minutes of play. The 
Golden Flashes tried to respond 
and managed only one trey and 
one free throw in the same time 
frame. 

By the end of the game, 

Flaherty had amassed 22 points, 
with 
Thome 
trailing 
behind 

with 13 and Thompson with 
10. Thome needs just 11 more 
points to surpass 1,000 career 
points. Notably, Thompson, after 
this game, became the school 

record 
holder 

— in both men’s 
and 
women’s 

basketball — for 
minutes 
played 

(4,571).

Following 

an 
aggressive 

first 
period 

performance 
by 
Flaherty, 

the 
Wolverines 

pulled 
away 

further 
with 

a 
dominant 
second 
quarter, 

bringing with them a 43-22 lead 
into halftime. Both Flaherty and 
freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick 
hit back-to-back threes, though 
the most noteworthy basket came 
with a period-ending buzzer-
beater — a mid-range jump shot off 
the fingertips of sophomore guard 
Nicole Munger. 

Flaherty’s scoring was the 

difference-maker in the first half, 
but also apparent was Flaherty’s 
extra emphasis on rebounds, a 
relatively uncharted territory for 
her. She tallied five total. 

“It was different,” Flaherty said. 

“I’m really trying to expand my 
game and that’s one of the things 
my coaches wanted me to work 
on. So (the basketball) kind of fell 
to me today, and I was more ball-

conscious than I usually am.” 

Added Michigan coach Kim 

Barnes Arico: “I was really happy 
about the way she went in and she 
mixed it up. I thought we did a 
great job, too, of finding her. She’s 
really been shooting the basketball 
exceptionally well in practice. 
… She’s really worked hard on 
becoming a better rebounder, and 
that showed tonight.” 

Though the Golden Flashes 

tried to overcome the deficit in 
the third – even almost coming 
within 10 points – Michigan 
quickly dismissed any hopes for 
redemption, finishing the period 
up 55-43. 

With six minutes to go in the 

final period of the game, Kent State 
began to upend the Wolverines’ 
confidence when a layup put them 
within eight points of Michigan’s 
total. 

At the 3:50 mark, a jump 

ball call left the Golden Flashes 
with 
possession. 
But 
Kent 

State couldn’t capitalize, and 
the Wolverines extended their 
point total to 61. The Golden 
Flashes rebounded quickly and 
recaptured momentum to bring 
their deficit to just five points — 
the closest the game had been 
since the first minute. 

With 1:40 remaining, a pair 

of free throws by senior guard 
Siera Thompson and a basket 
the 
following 
possession 
by 

Gondrezick gave the Wolverines a 
nine-point advantage in the final 
minute of play — a far cry from the 
21-point lead it held following the 
half, but comfortable enough to 
secure the victory. 

“It was an ugly win tonight,” 

Flaherty said. “But, you know, it’s 
just good to come out with the 
win.” 

Regardless, Michigan pulled 

through in the end to notch its 
23rd win of the season, breaking 
the program record for most wins 
in a season. 

“I want this group to be able 

to look back and say (this is 
something special),” Barnes Arico 
said. “They did a lot of great things 
for that to happen this year.” 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SYLVANNA GROSS

Daily Sports Editor

“If we’re in it, 
we might as 
well try to go 
all the way.”

‘M’ falls to Penn State, season 
ends at Big Ten Tournament

Six days ago, the Michigan 

hockey team secured its first 
sweep of the season over then-
No.11 Penn State. The sweep was 
important — not only did it close 
out a season at Yost Ice Arena 
and honor the roster’s seniors, 
but it also secured wins for the 
Wolverines in the last games the 
two teams would play before 
facing off in the first round of 
the Big Ten Tournament. 

But the 15th-ranked Nittany 

Lions (11-9-1 Big Ten, 22-11-2 
overall) wouldn’t accept a third-
straight loss to 
the Wolverines, 
capitalizing 
on 

early scoring to 
beat 
Michigan, 

4-1. 
For 
Penn 

State, 
the 

win meant an 
advancement to 
the second round 
of the Big Ten 
Tournament 
to 

face Minnesota 
at Joe Louis Arena on Friday.

For the Wolverines (6-13-2, 

13-19-3), though, it meant their 
season would come to an end.

“You knew it would be a hard-

fought game,” said Michigan 
coach Red Berenson. “We just 
played Penn State two games at 
Yost last weekend, and I thought 
the team that got the best start 
tonight was going to have the 
advantage, and obviously they 
took advantage. They scored I 
think with six seconds left in 
that penalty and then scored 
a late goal, last-minute goal in 
the first period, and we just 
couldn’t answer the bell.

“It was a tough night to get 

things 
started 
offensively. 

Their goalie was good when he 
had to be. And give Penn State 
credit, they played hard the 
whole game and they played the 
right way. We just weren’t good 
enough.”

The first period started with 

both teams on even footing. But 
the Nittany Lions soon began to 
dominate, and, by the end of the 
first period, they had three goals 
on the scoreboard to show for it. 
 

After 
freshman 
forward 

Jake Slaker was called for 
charging, Penn State found 
itself with a range of power-
play 
opportunities. 
Forward 

Brandon 
Biro 
managed 
to 

control the puck behind senior 
goaltender Zach Nagelvoort’s 
net, and after initially looking 
to circle back to the other end, 
he passed it to forward Liam 
Folkes. The ensuing shot put 
Penn State ahead with 9:50 

left in the first 
period.

Just 
over 

two 
minutes 

later, 
though, 

the 
Nittany 

Lions recorded 
another 
goal 

when 
Ricky 

DeRosa 
broke 

up a Michigan 
pass, 
and 
the 

puck eventually 

landed in the hands of Nate 
Sucese, who finished it off for 
the second goal at the 13:24 
mark.

With 29 seconds remaining 

in the period, forward David 
Goodwin scored again to put 
the Nittany Lions up 3-0 at the 
end of the first period.

The offensive initiative from 

Penn State didn’t end there, 
though. 
Defenseman 
Vince 

Pedrie jumpstarted the second 
period with a goal just over 
a minute in, and the Nittany 
Lions were playing with a four-
goal lead.

“The message (going into the 

second period) was (to) try to 
keep doing what we were doing 
and stay the same,” said Penn 
State coach Guy Gadowsky. 
“Unfortunately for us, I think 
Michigan came out a lot stronger, 
they took a few chances that paid 
off and were able to generate a 
lot more shots.”

The Wolverines almost wound 

up on the board when freshman 
forward Adam Winborg forced 
a shot on Penn State goaltender 
Peyton 
Jones 
that 
senior 

forward Alex Kile cleaned up, 
but Michigan was offsides and 
the goal was waived.

It wasn’t until the 10:19 point 

in the second period that the 
Wolverines finally managed to 
land on the scoreboard. Junior 
forward 
Tony 
Calderone’s 

shot sent the puck into the air, 
and freshman forward James 
Sanchez deflected it into the 
net, making the score 4-1 
headed into the third period.

Michigan began to lay on 

shots, but its late start to the 
game proved to be destructive. 
Sophomore 
forward 
Cooper 

Marody tried to capitalize on 
an open net when Jones found 
himself trying to cover the 
puck, but the shot hit the post 
instead. 

A late power play occurred 

when forward Chase Berger 
landed in the penalty box for 
hooking, but the opportunity 
didn’t result in a goal. By the 
time Berger stepped back on 
the ice, 1:30 remained in the 
third 
period. 
And 
despite 

an additional power play, no 
goals would be scored, and 
the hopeful weekend wouldn’t 
be big for the Wolverines 
like the sweep had been last 
weekend. There was no win, 
no celebration for the seniors, 
no momentum heading into the 
next weekend. Just a 4-1 loss 
that knocked the Wolverines 
out of the tournament.

“I 
think 
it’s 
extremely 

emotional,” Calderone said. “I 
mean, obviously for the seniors, 
but even for us. I think as 
juniors we’ve only got one more 
year left, and it’s always easy to 
say, ‘We’ve got next year, we’ve 
got next year.’ But it’s going to 
be us next year if we don’t pull it 
together this summer and come 
back with a better season next 
year.”

LANEY BYLER
Daily Sports Editor

“We just 
couldn’t 
answer 
the bell.”

ICE HOCKEY

