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