The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, November 15, 2017 — 7A

Final Foes: Previewing the NCAA Tournament Final Four

In 
the 
early 
rounds 
of 

the 
NCAA 
Tournament, 

the 
Michigan 
field 
hockey 

team proved it was up to the 
challenge. 
The 
Wolverines 

dispatched 
Syracuse 
and 

Northwestern to advance to the 
semifinals. 

Michigan is coming in hot — 

not allowing a single goal in the 
postseason so far — but the Final 
Four will be its biggest test yet. 
The Daily broke down potential 
matchups for the Wolverines 
this weekend in Louisville.

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 9 

Maryland

Prior 
to 
its 
3-2 
double-

overtime win in September, 
Michigan had failed to defeat 
the Terrapins in 15 years. That 
time, it clinched a national 
championship. So it seems only 
fitting that the Wolverines will 
have to get through Maryland 
one more time.

The Terrapins defeated No. 

13 Wake Forest in the round 
of 16, 2-0, then upset No. 2 
Duke in the quarterfinals, 3-2, 
to advance to the semifinals. 
There, Michigan awaits.

Maryland, a traditional field 

hockey powerhouse, brings a 
well-balanced attack. It ranks 
18th in the nation in goals per 
game and 13th in goals-against 
average. 
Midfielder 
Lein 

Holsboer led the Terrapins in 
goals scored and assists. She 
was named to the All-Big Ten 
First Team and the All-Big Ten 
Tournament team.

The Wolverines face a big 

threat in Holsboer, who scored 
one of Maryland’s two goals in 
its earlier matchup. However, 
as the season progressed, the 
Wolverines 
have 
improved 

their strategies for overcoming 
those challenges. Michigan will 
seek to neutralize Holsboer 
with its dynamic back line of 
freshman Halle O’Neill, junior 
Maggie 
Bettez 
and 
senior 

Katie Trombetta – the Big Ten 
Player of the Year. Look for the 
Wolverines to utilize a 2-on-1 
defensive formation for extra 
protection.

Leading Michigan’s offense 

on the forward line are fifth-
year senior Carly Bennett, junior 
Emma Way and sophomore Meg 
Dowthwaite. They contributed 
to a squad that ranked 11th in 
the nation in goals per game. 
On offense, the Wolverines are 
fast and confident, but their 
real strength comes from their 
passing. To keep Michigan off 
the board, the Terrapins will 
need to be as aggressive with 
their 
blocking 
as 
Syracuse 

was in the NCAA Tournament 
quarterfinal.

Maryland led the conference 

in shots, and it will look to 
overwhelm 
its 
opposition 

with sheer quantity. In senior 
goalkeeper Sam Swenson – 
the national leader in save 
percentage – the Wolverines 
have just the person for the job.

The Terrapins are a team 

with no real weaknesses, but 
Michigan is ranked better in 
all aspects of the game, making 
this match the Wolverines’ to 
lose.

If Michigan does advance 

past Maryland, it will advance 
to the title game, where it 
will face one of two potential 
opponents.

Michigan vs. No. 4 North 

Carolina

North 
Carolina 
is 
the 

underdog in its semifinal match 
against 
Connecticut, 
but 
if 

Michigan advances to the title 
game, it should hope the Tar 
Heels are there waiting.

That said, North Carolina 

is no slouch. The Tar Heels 
outscored 
their 
opponents 

8-2 in their run to the ACC 
Tournament championship and 
earned the fourth overall seed 
in the NCAA Tournament.

North 
Carolina 
does 

everything 
well. 
It 
ranks 

sixth in the nation with 3.82 

goals per game, a feat more 
impressive when considering 
its 
competitive 
conference. 

Rather than one standout on 
offense, North Carolina has 
remarkable depth. Seven of its 
players had five or more goals 
on the season, with midfielders 
Ashley Hoffman and Malin 
Evert leading the tally at 11 
apiece.

A leading scorer who also 

plays defense, Hoffman will be 
a different look for Michigan. 
Planning 
an 
offensive 
and 

defensive 
attack 
will 
be 

tough against a team with so 
many hybrid players, but the 
Wolverines come in with the 
advantage of having seen the 
Tar Heels before. Michigan 
won its season opener against 
North Carolina, 3-2.

Since then, both teams have 

improved. But the Tar Heels 
may be in for a big surprise with 
the look of the Wolverines’ back 
line. Neither O’Neill nor Bettez 
started the season opener, but 
both have come into their own 
as vital pieces of Michigan’s 
defense.

Perhaps the biggest change 

has 
been 
the 
Wolverines’ 

approach to penalty corners. 
They struggled with defending 
corners in the early part of the 
season, and North Carolina took 
advantage in its first match. But 
the personnel change, along 
with a focus on corner defense 
in practice, has led Michigan to 
be much stingier with allowing 
goals — posting 15 shutouts in 
its last 18 games.

The Wolverines have been 

able to formulate a defensive 
plan of attack for all types of 
offenses, an ability that will be 
more crucial than ever against 
North Carolina. If these teams 
play in the title game, it will be 
closely-fought and low-scoring. 
However, Michigan’s previous 
success against the Tar Heels 
and 
much-improved 
defense 

should make it a slight favorite.

Michigan 
vs. 
No. 
1 

Connecticut

Connecticut 
is 
still 

undefeated 
at 
21-0. 
The 

Wolverines lead the nation in 
goals allowed per game, and the 
Huskies lead in goals scored.

This matchup, if it happens, 

will be a clash of the titans.

Connecticut 
has 
been 

unstoppable all year. The 
American Athletic Conference 
may not be as competitive as 
the Big Ten or ACC, but the 
Huskies 
beat 
top-10 
teams 

Northwestern, Penn State and 
Michigan.

Forward Charlotte Veitner 

leads the nation in goals per 
game, and three Connecticut 
players – Svea Boker, Amanda 
Collins and Casey Umstead – 
rank in the top 10 in assists. The 
Huskies’ offense is so prolific 
that they have been held to one 
goal only once this season.

The 
two 
teams 
met 
in 

September and the Huskies 
came out on top, 2-1. However, 
like the North Carolina match, 

this game was early in the 
season, when both teams were 
still developing their identities. 
It was an evenly-matched game, 
with the ultimate advantage 
for Connecticut coming on a 
goal scored off a penalty stroke. 
Michigan 
has 
not 
allowed 

another this season.

The other two goals came 

off penalty corners. While both 
teams have strong defense on 
corners, they may provide the 
best scoring opportunity in a 
match between two top back 
lines. The Huskies may be 
more poised to take advantage, 
as one of the Wolverines’ few 
weaknesses in the postseason 
has been giving up corners. 
It will be up to Michigan to 
strike a balance between being 
conscientious 
of 
giving 
up 

corners while not becoming too 
passive.

If the Huskies have any 

cracks in their foundation, it 
is their recent performance. 
Connecticut 
gave 
up 
four 

goals in its first two NCAA 
Tournament matches against 
Boston 
University 
and 

Penn State. Meanwhile, the 
Wolverines earned shutouts in 
each of their first two games. 
It could be a fluke for the 
Huskies or it could be a product 
of 
unfamiliarity 
with 
the 

competition — one disadvantage 
of a smaller conference.

Still, it’s hard not to give the 

upper hand to Connecticut. 
Michigan’s 
offense 
has 

struggled against elite defensive 
units such as Syracuse and 
Penn State, from which the 
Huskies would be a step up. And 
while the Wolverines’ defense 
has thus far been prepared 
for 
anything, 
no 
previous 

opponent has received offensive 
production from quite as many 
sources.

Two teams that seem near 

unstoppable, with only one of 
them emerging as champion. 
This is the matchup the NCAA 
Tournament deserves.

ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily

Senior defender Katie Trombetta was named Big Ten Player of the Year and will be crucial to Michigan’s defensive effort.

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer

Defensive zone key ahead of Wisconsin

During the first period of its Big 

Ten home opener against then-
No. 4 Minnesota, the Michigan 
hockey team saw three viable 
scoring opportunities — but none 
broke past elite goaltender Eric 
Schierhorn.

This was a microcosm of one flaw 

in the Wolverines’ distinguished 
weekend — they struggled to find 
the net early despite creating many 
opportunities for themselves. 

“I think we had some good 

chances,” said Michigan coach 
Mel Pearson. “And sometimes you 
finish and some you don’t.”

Though 
the 
Wolverines 

eventually triumphed in their 
Friday slate, the Golden Gophers 
built a dangerous scoring cushion 
early on. Right after the first 
intermission, they put three on the 
board within eight minutes.

“It’s awesome that we have 

character to be able to come back 
from whatever deficit,” said junior 
forward Cooper Marody, “but it’s 
not something you want to build on 

as far as doing that every game.”

Pearson mirrored this sentiment, 

emphasizing that playing behind 
with three-or four-goal deficits 
will not be a sustainable practice 
moving forward.

And his solution to this problem? 

Don’t get so far behind in the first 
place.

“You can’t continue to play from 

behind,” Pearson said. “I think 
(we need) more preparation, and 
attention to detail defensively. 
We’ve got to be better defensively; 
you can’t give anything up until you 
get something going.”

This week in practices, Michigan 

has put a greater emphasis on 
the defensive zone, focusing its 
attention on odd-man rushes and 
not turning the puck over the blue 
line from the neutral zone.

Minnesota’s third goal Friday 

night came when Golden Gopher 
forwards Brent Gates Jr. and Tyler 
Sheehy created an odd-man rush in 
Michigan’s zone, en route to a clean 
shot past sophomore goaltender 
Jack LaFontaine.

The following night, defensive 

lapses were responsible for another 

Minnesota goal, when defenseman 
Ryan Lindgren found a breakaway, 
bringing the Golden Gopher lead to 
3-0.

With more direct attention 

to 
these 
game-like 
defensive 

scenarios, Pearson believes the 
Wolverines can curb the number 
of scoring opportunities for their 
opposition.

He largely sees this lack of 

attention 
on 
defensive 
play 

stemming from how defense is 
treated from the time hockey 
players begin their careers.

“From the time you’re raised 

up in hockey, you get home and 
the first question your parents 
or grandparents ask is ‘Did you 
win and how many goals did you 
score?’” Pearson said. “It’s not 
‘Did you block a shot?’ or ‘How 
well defensively did you do?’ It’s 
all about offense. It’s ingrained. So 
we’ve got to change that.”

This mentality, since almost 

innate, can take time to change. 
However, Pearson believes the 
defensive tweaks his team needs to 
make won’t be major, as they tend 
to be representative of individual 

mistakes and not holistic issues.

“I will say of the goals we gave up 

(this weekend) everything can be 
changed,” Pearson said. “It wasn’t a 
total breakdown of the system.”

Michigan sees the responsibility 

of protecting its net as a duty of 
the entire team, and not solely the 
responsibility of its defensemen 
and goaltenders. 

“If one of your five guys on the 

ice messes up, you’re in trouble,” 
Pearson said. “You’re in trouble of 
giving up a goal.”

Sharpening 
the 
defense 

this week could see an almost 
immediate effect, as Michigan’s 
upcoming series is against another 
top dog with a hot offense: No. 
9 Wisconsin. The Badgers have 
netted at least one goal during the 
first period in each of their seven 
wins this season — notably scoring 
three before the first intermission 
Friday against Michigan State.

If the Wolverines are able to 

reduce these offensive efforts, 
they will leave more room to get 
ahead early, and not have to worry 
again about making extraordinary 
comebacks. 

Intangibles key for ‘M’

It’s not always glamor that 

wins the game.

In the No. 24 Michigan 

women’s 
basketball 
team’s 

74-50 blowout against Liberty, 
the Wolverines relied on a 
strong 
performance 
from 

the free throw line – a major 
differentiator in the game. The 
Lady Flames got to the line 
just 14 times and converted 
on just six free throws. On the 
other hand, Michigan shot 21 
of 26 from the charity stripe.

As junior shooting guard 

Nicole Munger explained, the 
team focused on free throws 
during this offseason.

“We ran a lot from missed 

free throws,” Munger said 
with a laugh. “And now they’re 
going in, and it’s paying off and 
we’re (also) in good condition. 
We worked a lot in practice 
and by ourselves just because 
we know they’re free points.”

And an improvement from 

the free throw line has been 
evident in Michigan’s young 
season. The Wolverines were 
18 of 21 from the line in their 
season opener against George 
Mason. While just two games 
in, the team has averaged 23.5 
free throw attempts, up from 
16.8 last season.

“We just did a good job 

of moving the ball,” said 
freshman 
forward 
Hailey 

Brown. “With that, we found 
ways to draw fouls. Whether 
that be a dish and then an and-
one, or a drive and attack. We 
were able to put people in the 
right positions to finish and 
draw fouls.”

The 
first 
half 
saw 
a 

particularly high number of 
fouls, with Liberty committing 
14 to Michigan’s nine. Twenty-
four of the Wolverines’ free 
throw attempts came within 
the first two quarters. This 
was, in large part, a byproduct 
of Michigan’s ability to get 

into the bonus early in the 
quarter. 

“We did a great job on 

drawing fouls early by picking 
up touch fouls,” said Michigan 
coach Kim Barnes Arico. “And 
that brought us to the line. I 
thought that’s really what gave 
us our lead – when Katelynn 
(Flaherty) was able to get to 
the line so early.”

To 
no 
one’s 
surprise, 

Flaherty converted on those 
opportunities, 
shooting 
a 

perfect 10 for 10. She finished 
the game with 20 points – 
only nine shy of becoming 
Michigan’s all-time leading 
scorer.

Barnes Arico also explained 

that getting the right players – 
like Flaherty and senior center 
Hallie Thome – to the line has 
contributed to the Wolverines 
success.

The impressive free throw 

display wasn’t the only thing 
that stood out, as the defense 
was equally impressive. By 
allowing 50 points, Michigan 
far 
outshined 
its 
2016-17 

average of 61.8 points allowed 
per game.

“We started off in our 

zone, and I think it was 
very effective,” Brown said. 
“Whether it was the 22 press 
or falling back to the two-
three … our zone did a good 
job of putting pressure. I think 
with our length we can cause 
a lot of havoc for the other 
players.”

The full court press was a key 

tactic for the Wolverines. The 
game plan was implemented by 
assistant coach Wesley Brooks 
and forced the Lady Flames 
to speed up the game, helping 
Michigan force 22 turnovers.

In 
the 
semifinals 
of 

the 
Preseason 
WNIT, 
the 

Wolverines are likely to play 
No. 9 Louisville. In order 
for Michigan to overcome a 
stout Cardinals team, these 
unglamorous 
areas 
must 

continue to be a focus. 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

HUNTER SHARF
Daily Sports Writer

Wolverines use defense, free throws 
to top Liberty on Sunday afternoon

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Michigan coach Mel Pearson emphasized that the Wolverines will need to avoid putting themselves in a hole early when they face the Badgers this weekend.

ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer

