The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, November 8, 2017 — 7A
Bracket breakdown: Analyzing potential NCAA Tournament opponents
Ranked
No.
11
at
the
beginning of the season, the
Michigan field hockey team has
proven that ranking was far too
low. The Wolverines rattled off
16 wins in a row with 13 shutouts
to finish off their season. Then,
Michigan
dispatched
Ohio
State, No. 9 Northwestern and
No. 5 Penn State to win the
Big Ten Tournament, securing
an automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament.
There is no longer any dispute
about Michigan’s status as a top
team. The Wolverines earned
the third overall seed and will
host Syracuse on Saturday. The
Daily broke down Michigan’s
side of the bracket.
No. 3 Michigan
Michigan finished its season
with an undefeated 8-0 record
in conference play and swept
the Big Ten regular season
and
tournament
titles.
The
Wolverines have a good balance
of
offensive
and
defensive
standouts who work together
cohesively. They rank second
in the nation in goals-against
average, eighth in goals per
game
and
fifth
in
scoring
margin.
Senior
goalkeeper
Sam
Swenson was named the Big Ten
Defensive Player of the Year, and
senior forward Katie Trombetta
the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Both were unanimous All-Big
Ten
First
Team
selections.
Sophomore
forward
Meg
Dowthwaite, who ranks 15th in
the nation in goals scored, was
also named to the first team.
Fifth-year
senior
midfielder
Esther de Leijer, who scored
the winning goal in the Big
Ten Tournament championship
game despite a broken hand,
made the second team.
Though the Big Ten is not as
strong as the ACC, Michigan has
proved it is up to the challenge.
The Wolverines’ offense has
been inconsistent at times —
they were outshot by Penn State
in the Big Ten Tournament
final and didn’t score the game-
winning goal until the final
minutes — which could cause
them trouble against a top-
ranked defense like Syracuse.
But if Michigan finds its groove,
it will be a hard team to beat.
No. 11 Syracuse
Syracuse didn’t make it out
of the quarterfinals of the
ACC Tournament, losing 3-2 to
Louisville. However, the Orange
managed an at-large bid due to
the strength of their conference.
Despite finishing 2-4 in ACC
play, they were 12-6 overall,
including seven victories over
ranked teams.
Syracuse has one of the
stingiest defenses in the nation,
ranking third in shutouts per
game and goals-against average.
It’ll be a battle of strengths as
it faces a Michigan team that
ranks first and second in those
categories, respectively.
Still, the Orange allowed
fewer
shots
on
goal
than
any team in the tournament
besides Connecticut, which is
no small feat considering their
powerhouse conference. Two
defenders made the All-ACC
teams: senior Lies Lagerweij
was named to the first team,
and junior Roos Weers made the
second team.
Offensively, senior midfielder
and forward Laura Hurff, an
All-ACC Second Team selection,
is a standout, but the team ranks
only 15th out of 18 teams in the
tournament in goals scored per
game.
Facing
one
of
the
only
other teams that can match
its defensive prowess will be a
challenge for Syracuse, and that
should give the Wolverines the
upper hand in what will likely
be a low-scoring matchup.
No. 10 Louisville
If
Michigan
makes
the
quarterfinals
on
Sunday,
it
will play the winner of the
match between Louisville and
Northwestern.
The
Cardinals
advanced
to
the
finals
of
the
ACC
Tournament, upsetting No. 2
Duke, 3-2, in the semifinals
despite being outshot, 31-8. In
the finals, they lost to North
Carolina, 1-0, but received an
at-large bid with a 14-7 record.
The Cardinals, who are hosting
the semifinal and final rounds
of the tournament, fared better
than Syracuse in conference
play with a 4-2 record.
Junior goalkeeper Ayeisha
McFerran, who had a career-
high 18 saves against Duke, and
senior midfielder Nicole Woods
were both named to the All-ACC
First Team. Despite its impact
players, however, the team has
a middling offense and defense.
The Cardinals rank 26th in the
nation in goals-against average
and 35th in scoring average.
They managed only one shutout
during
the
regular
season
— against unranked Central
Michigan — and their scoring
margin was lower than all but
one team in the tournament.
But
Louisville
has
come
through in big games, defeating
Syracuse and Duke in the ACC
Tournament. It also played in
the toughest conference in field
hockey, meaning that despite
lackluster stats, the Cardinals
could
fare
well
against
teams
from
less-competitive
conferences. Still, most teams
that are able to make it far in the
NCAA Tournament stand out on
either offense or defense, if not
both. Because the Cardinals do
neither, they’ll need some more
big-game magic to keep their
season going.
No. 9 Northwestern
Northwestern
made
it
to
the semifinals of the Big Ten
Tournament, beating No. 20
Rutgers in the quarterfinals
before
falling
to
Michigan,
3-0. The Wildcats received an
at-large bid with an overall
record of 14-6 (6-2 Big Ten).
Northwestern easily dispatched
lower-ranked
opponents
but
struggled
against
tougher
competition, losing to every top-
10 team it faced except then-No.
10 Maryland.
The strength of the Wildcats
lies with three game-changing
players. Senior defender Sophia
Miller was one of only three
unanimous selections to the
All-Big Ten First Team. Junior
midfielder Puck Pentenga also
made the first team and was
fifth in the nation in assists per
game. Junior forward Pascale
Massey, Northwestern’s most
prolific goal-scorer, was named
to the second team.
Pentenga and Massey lead
a high-powered offense that
ranks 12th nationally in goals
per game, a feat that is even
more
impressive
considering
many of the teams ahead of them
came
from
less-competitive
conferences.
However,
the
defense has at times left a
little to be desired — only two
tournament teams allowed more
goals per game — which could
explain the Wildcats’ struggles
against
top
competition.
In
Louisville,
however,
Northwestern
faces
a
team
that has struggled offensively
and one it has already defeated
in the regular season, 2-0.
With a strong foundation in
Miller, Pentenga and Massey,
Northwestern has the pieces to
repeat that result.
ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily
The Michigan field hockey team enters the NCAA Tournament as the third overall seed and will host No. 11 Syracuse at Ocker Field on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
‘M’ defensemen striving for consistency
Wherever Mel Pearson goes,
offense follows.
When Pearson became the
head coach at Michigan Tech in
2011, the Huskies were coming
off a 4-30-4 campaign in which
they averaged just 1.97 goals and
24.9 shots per game. But after
only one season, the Huskies
were outshooting opponents and
scoring nearly one more goal
per contest than they had the
previous year.
As the head coach of the
Michigan hockey team, Pearson
has worked similar wonders. The
Wolverines have gone from 51st
in the country in shot attempts in
2016-17 to fourth this season and
are tied for 10th in scoring.
Pearson’s
teams
have
always been quick to grasp his
up-tempo brand of hockey. While
watching
sophomore
forward
Will Lockwood blast down the
ice or the first line of seniors
Dexter Dancs, Tony Calderone
and junior Cooper Marody work
in perfect harmony, it’s easy to
forget all about last season.
For
Michigan’s
defense,
however, the learning process
hasn’t been quite as smooth.
“We’ve got to buy in and make
a total commitment to team
defense,” Pearson said after the
Wolverines’ 5-4 loss to Penn State
on Oct. 27. “We’ll score goals;
we’ve got enough guys that can
score goals. But we’ve got to play
a lot better defensively.”
Michigan allowed three goals
in the third period and overtime
of that contest, as well as 54
shots on goal. The following day,
Pearson and the coaching staff
arranged
a
longer-than-usual
video session, which involved
watching the game’s last five
minutes and identifying defensive
mistakes. This paid off, as the
Wolverines rebounded with a
5-2 win over the Nittany Lions to
split the series.
“The
last
three
goals
in
last night’s game, we had the
puck possession and we just
gave it away. Just poor puck
management,”
Pearson
said
after that game. “We (watched
video) not to be overly critical
or to pick on anyone but just as a
learning process going forward,
so when we get in a tough game
somewhere down the line, we can
play with that composure.”
But
giveaways
in
the
defensive zone have still plagued
Michigan. Against Ferris State
last Thursday, the Wolverines
allowed just two goals, and both
came as a result of avoidable
turnovers — junior defenseman
Nicholas Boka slipped and lost
control of the puck, and Ferris
State
forward
Lucas
Finner
stole the puck from sophomore
forward Jake Slaker to score the
Bulldogs’ second goal.
Pearson
understands
that
eliminating
what
he
terms
“unforced errors” won’t happen
overnight, and that one strong
performance
doesn’t
mean
that process is complete. On
Thursday, he chalked many of
the Wolverines’ defensive lapses
up to the competitiveness of the
blueliners in always wanting to
make an outstanding play, even if
one isn’t available.
“Just
watched
an
NHL
game this weekend and those
defensemen,
(if)
they
don’t
have a play, they just gotta get
it out and live for another day,”
Pearson said. “I think that’s one
of the big things. We have to just
understand the situation.”
The
Wolverines
do
have
defensemen with the ability to
contribute on offense — freshman
Quinn Hughes, junior Joseph
Cecconi and senior Sam Piazza
have all tallied at least four points.
But
priority
number
one
still lies in the defensive zone,
as Pearson has used statistics
as motivation for the unit to
perform.
“You call them together as
a group to take pride in our
statistics
nationally,”
Pearson
said. “It’s a good reflection on your
defensemen, your goals-against.
... We want to encourage them to
do some things offensively but we
want to be rock-solid defensively.”
Sophomore defenseman Luke
Martin — one half of Michigan’s
top
defensive
pairing,
along
with Hughes — also stressed
developing a rapport with other
defensemen as a unit is key for
improvement.
“It’s a lot in practice and a lot
in preparation, but the big key for
me is communication,” Martin
said. “Always talking with your
partner, always dissecting shifts
or plays and whatever it is and
just getting on the same page and
getting used to the way people
play. Quinn and I — we’ve been
talking so much and I think it
shows that our chemistry and our
togetherness. It’s gotten so much
better and I think we still have so
much left to build on.”
The aspect of chemistry has
been hugely important to Pearson
as well. While the Wolverines
may lack experience or veteran
presence in many areas, defense is
not one of them, and Pearson has
taken advantage of this, going as
far as seating underclassmen next
to upperclassmen in the locker
room to aid their development.
“A lot of these guys won the Big
Ten championship a couple years
ago,” Pearson said. “So they’ve
been through it, they understand
what you need to do to have
success and win championships.
They have it, they experienced, it,
they earned it. They understand
what it takes. Even during the
game, most players, they’re sitting
right next to each other, they
can add some advice to them or
even in the locker room between
periods and all these practices.”
Michigan’s
transformation
into one of the most dynamic
offenses in the country took
place quite rapidly. Building
consistency behind this attack,
however, has taken a bit longer.
But
through
communication,
video sessions and a strong focus
on the defensive zone, Pearson
and the Wolverines believe that
stability will emerge in time.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Sophomore defenseman Luke Martin emphasized that Michigan needs to establish consistency among its blueliners.
JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Wolverines emphasize
improvement on glass
Going into the 2017-18 season,
the Michigan men’s basketball
team has some well-documented
concerns.
Questions
of
Duncan
Robinson’s
defense,
Charles
Matthews’ shooting ability and
the
Wolverines’
point
guard
competition were the focal points
of preseason media availabilities.
But one area of concern that
has gotten little attention is the
lack of proven rebounding ability
Michigan returns this year.
According to UM Hoops, the
Wolverines return just 40 percent
of its defensive rebounding from
a season ago, hurt by the losses of
D.J. Wilson, Derrick Walton Jr.
and Zak Irvin – last season’s top
three rebounders.
That showed in last Friday’s
exhibition
when
Michigan
allowed Grand Valley State to grab
15 offensive rebounds and score 17
second-chance points.
It’s only November – sure.
But that statistic isn’t exactly
encouraging, especially given the
relative size of the opposition. Of
the Lakers who played significant
minutes, only one was taller than
6-foot-6 – center Drake Baar.
Compare that to what the
Wolverines will see on a nightly
basis in the Big Ten. Michigan
State, for example, features three
players over 6-foot-8 in its starting
lineup.
Against larger teams, a lack of
defensive rebounders could come
back to bite more noticeably than
it did in Friday’s 82-50 rout, and
Michigan realizes this.
“We
gotta
do
better
on
defensive rebounds,” said fifth-
year senior point guard Jaaron
Simmons. “We had a lot of long
rebounds, so us as guards, we
gotta help on that.”
Added
John
Beilein:
“(Defensive
rebounding)
is
obviously a concern for us. A lot
of them were hustle plays, too.
(Grand Valley State) did a great job
with that, and fought really hard.”
To limit those second-chance
opportunities,
Beilein
said
rebounding is a focus of practice
this week. One of his favorite drills
– called “takeaways” – emphasizes
physicality and assertiveness in
crashing the boards.
“It’s great touching point for
us to say, ‘This is what we have,
and now we’ve got to continue to
emphasize it,’ ” Beilein said. “You
can emphasize it in practice all day
long, and you start play in games –
you’ve got to see in games.”
One player who has already
displayed a knack for rebounding
is
junior
forward
Charles
Matthews. Though he collected
a mundane four rebounds Friday,
his hustle and knowledge of the
glass was evident.
With just over six minutes
remaining in the first half,
Matthews jutted into the paint,
got inside position and grabbed
the rebound off a missed free
throw attempt from freshman
point guard Eli Brooks. Matthews
then
looked
up
and
found
Robinson on the perimeter for an
open three.
Matthews says he has always
been that type of player –
searching for loose balls and
looking to capitalize off missed
shots.
“When I was younger, nobody
passed me the ball, and I wanted
to score,” Matthews said. “So I just
said, ‘I’m going to get the rebound
and go back up with it.’ That’s just
a natural knack I have – just going
up and trying to get the ball. And
coaches are stressing on me to
do it even more and continue to
rebound.”
Still, Matthews won’t always be
there to take advantage of every
missed shot. He knows the perils
of giving up too many offensive
boards – like Michigan did in its
only exhibition.
“A lot of them was long,
granted,” Matthews said. “Still,
we can’t let a team – I don’t
care who they are – get 15
offensive rebounds. That could
be potentially dangerous. We’ll
correct.”
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Writer