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Sports
Friday, January 5, 2018 — 7

Behind Enemy Lines: Illinois 
forward Finke talks Michigan

The Illinois men’s basketball 

team hasn’t made the NCAA 
Tournament since they entered 
as a No. 7 seed in 2013. With a 
new coach in Brad Underwood, 
as well as the loss of one of its 
best players in program history 
in Malcolm Hill, the learning 
curve doesn’t make a hopeful 
tournament bid any easier. 

And after three Big Ten 

games and the entire non-
conference slate, the training 
wheels are definitely still on 
for a growing Fighting Illini 
team. They toppled Missouri 
in St. Louis, and have taken 
Northwestern and Maryland 
into overtime, but to no avail. 
On the other hand, they were 
put away swiftly by lower-
ranked teams such as UNLV 
and New Mexico State.

Illinois (0-3 Big Ten, 10-6 

overall) will enter Crisler Center 
on Saturday off an uninspiring 
— but expected — 77-67 defeat 
at 
the 
hands 

of 
Minnesota 

Wednesday 
night. 
Praise 

and 
blame 

during 
its 

up-and-down 
season 
has 

fallen 
upon 

a 
carousel 

of 
different 

players. One of 
them is redshirt 
junior forward Michael Finke, 
who is averaging 11.1 points 
and 5.7 rebounds per game — a 
dramatic 
improvement 
from 

only a season ago, when he 
posted 6.9 points per game. The 
Daily sat down with Finke at 
Big Ten Media Day in October 
to discuss a changing dynamic 

with a new coach, putting 
Illinois back into conference 
relevancy and more.

The Michigan Daily: Having 

a new coach in the mix, how 
have you seen 
the 
demeanor 

of 
the 
team 

change?

Michael 

Finke: 
The 

intensity 
has 

changed 
a 

bunch. 
Just 

offensively and 
defensively, 
he wants us to 
be much more 
aggressive. Attack on defense, 
(he) really doesn’t want your 
man to catch the ball, trying to 
stop offenses from running their 
normal plays. It sounds easier 
than it really is. Honestly, it’s 
been tough, but we’re grasping 
it well. Offensively, it’s a whole 
different system I’ve never been 
used to. Really spreading the 
floor, moving the ball.

TMD: In the few months 

Coach 
Underwood 
has been here, 
Illinois 
has 

one of the top 
recruiting 
classes 
in 
the 

Big Ten for next 
season. 
What 

has he and the 
team 
done 
to 

start 
bringing 

Illinois back into 

the conference spotlight?

MF: Recruits talk to him and 

they see how good of a guy he 
is, first and foremost. Just how 
tough he wants the players to be 
here, and for our identity to be 
toughness. He wants a tougher 
team. For recruits to see that 
going forward, and to see that 

he’s won everywhere he has 
been is important.

TMD: 
The 
team 
lost 

leading scorer Malcolm Hill 
to graduation, so how do you 

make 
up 
for 

this 
missing 

production?

MF: 

Obviously 
Malcolm 
is 
a 

great 
player. 

Losing a leading 
scorer in Illinois 
history, it’s big. 
But 
honestly 

in the system 
that 
Coach 

Underwood brings to the table, 
there are so many options 
and so many threats. We have 
counters and counters, and 
counters for those. So many 
plays that we have really open 
the floor, get the ball out of 
people’s hands and moving. One 
night, (redshirt junior forward 
Leron Black) might be scoring 
20, the next night Mark Smith 
will.

TMD: Has anyone taken 

it upon themselves to be the 
team’s new on- and off-court 
leader?

MF: A lot of people on our 

team are stepping up. (Leron 
and I) are taking leadership 
roles. The freshmen have come 
in working super hard and 
doing their piece to make this 
team better, too.

TMD: As an upperclassmen, 

what do you expect for yourself 
individually?

MF: I’ve been working really 

hard 
this 
offseason, 
being 

in the gym as much as I can 
looking for an improvement. So 
I think I’ve become more of an 
offensive threat than I’ve been 
in the past, especially in this 
new system.

ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Editor

MEN’S BASKETBALL

“Losing a 

leading scorer 

in Illinois 

history, it’s big.”

“... He wants 

us to be 

much more 
aggressive.”

The redshirt sophomore spoke at Big Ten Media Day 

Livers could be the answer at ‘4’

I

t took Iowa mere seconds 
to expose the weakness 

Michigan’s 
basketball 
team endured 
without 
forward D.J. 
Wilson. 

On the first 

possession 
of Tuesday’s 
matchup, 
Hawkeyes 
forward Tyler 
Cook snapped the ball behind 
his back, took two clean steps 
and threw down a highlight-reel 
dunk.

Left in the dust was fifth-

year senior forward Duncan 
Robinson — simply unable to 
compete with the ballhandler’s 
quickness.

Minutes later, Cook took 

advantage of Robinson yet again. 
Utilizing his six-foot-nine and 
255-pound frame, Cook backed 
him down with little resistance, 
leaving Robinson no choice but 
to foul.

“We all know Duncan 

Robinson is a mismatch ‘4,’ that 
we don’t have another answer 
(for) right now,” said Michigan 
coach John Beilein. “D.J. Wilson 
was the answer (last) year, and 
he’s not here.”

That was apparent Tuesday. 

Robinson finished minus-18 and 
played just four minutes in the 
second half. Cook, meanwhile, 
scored 28 points on 10-for-15 
shooting to lead all scorers — just 
one of the outbursts Michigan 
has surrendered against sizable 
and skilled forwards. 

In November, Luke Maye 

scored 27 points and grabbed 
seven rebounds to lead North 
Carolina to a comfortable win. 
A week later, Ohio State’s Keita 
Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate 
combined for 32 points to key 
the come-from-behind Buckeye 
victory.

Sure, Michigan — despite 

a dramatic turnaround this 
season statistically — isn’t one 
to prioritize defense. Beilein 
primarily thinks about floor 
spacing and shooting. Robinson 

provides that, even when if he 
does create mismatches for the 
Wolverines defense.

But Tuesday, freshman 

forward Isaiah 
Livers showed 
he can provide 
the best of both 
worlds. In 27 
minutes, Livers 
had a career-
high 13 points 
along with two 
rebounds and 
three assists. 
And he was 
equally as 
impressive on the defensive end. 

Midway through the second 

half, Livers thrust his hand into 
the passing lane between point 
guard Jordan Bohannon and 

Cook — his second steal of the 
night.

And in the paint, the 230-

pound Livers held his own, 

posting a 
positive-21 plus/
minus rating.

“Now he’s 

engaged on 
defense,” said 
sophomore 
point guard 
Zavier Simpson. 
“He’s getting 
50-50 balls, he’s 
playing good 
defense, which 

we need out of him.”

Of course, Michigan doesn’t 

mind Livers’ offensive showing. 
Looking more confident than 
ever, he knocked down a trio of 

3s as part of a five-for-six effort 
from the floor.

His shooting stroke was 

even reminiscent of the sharp-
shooter above 
him in the 
rotation.

With the 

Wolverines 
offense stagnant, 
the Hawkeyes 
embarked on a 
7-0 run to cut 
their deficit to 
single digits 
with roughly 
10 minutes to 
play. But on the next possession, 
Livers spotted up from the arc, 
caught a feed from Simpson and 
buried a triple as the shot clock 
expired.

“I think that I could be more 

of a Duncan Robinson,” Livers 
said. “I could shot fake, get the 
defender in the air, and I could 

go right past him 
and get to the 
bucket or make 
open passes for 
my teammates.”

Added Beilein: 

“Isaiah should 
be playing more 
in the future. 
He has been 
working on that 
jump shot and 
his numbers are 

good in practice. He hasn’t done 
it in games, but maybe this a 
breakthrough.”

Plenty of players like Maye 

and Cook line Michigan’s 

remaining schedule. This 
month alone, it will face two 
highly-rated NBA prospects in 
Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson 
Jr. and Purdue’s Isaac Haas. 

Already, opposing frontcourts 

have been instrumental in two 
of the Wolverines’ three losses 
this season.

Tuesday, they came out on 

top — thanks in part to Livers’ 
blending of offense and defense 
while playing for Robinson 
down the stretch.

Now, if Livers can extend that 

beyond Tuesday, the freshman 
could be the forward Beilein has 
been searching for. 

Calcagno can be reached 

at markcal@umich.edu or on 

Twitter at @MWCalcagno

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Freshman forward Isaiah Livers has shown that he is a very capable defender already. Now, coming off a game against Iowa where he was also a threat offensively, perhaps he is the answer at the ‘4.’

MARK
CALCAGNO

“He’s getting 

50-50 balls, he’s 

playing good 
defense ...”

“I think that I 
could be more 
of a Duncan 
Robinson.”

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico became Michigan’s all-time winningest women’s basketball coach on Thursday.

Barnes Arico sets record for wins

Following a road loss to then-

No. 23 Iowa on New Year’s Eve, 
the No. 22 Michigan women’s 
basketball team looked to bounce 
back Thursday night at Wisconsin.

That’s exactly what happened. 

The Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 13-3 
overall) notched an 80-57 victory 
against the Badgers (0-3, 7-9).

Michigan’s 
offense 
started 

hot, finding success in the paint. 
Center Hallie Thome showed 
off quick footwork and scored a 
couple quick baskets to get the 
Wolverines on the board early. 
The junior finished the night with 
20 points.

With Thome and contributions 

from freshman forward Hailey 
Brown, 
Michigan 
outworked 

Wisconsin down low throughout 
the opening quarter. But the 
Badgers didn’t call it quits, tying 
the game at 11 just over six minutes 
in.

The contest would remain tied 

for the next two minutes, as both 
sides failed to execute on offense.

But when freshman guard Deja 

Church came charging down 
the court, things took a turn. 
Church attacked the basket hard 
from the right side and scored a 
quality layup to break the tie and 

provide some energy in what was 
becoming an uneventful game.

Church’s play created a spark 

for Michigan, and senior guard 
Katelynn 
Flaherty 
followed 

up with a three-point play to 
further build the momentum. The 
Wolverines then began pressing. 
This caused a turnover, which 
led to another Michigan bucket 
and an 18-11 lead at the end of the 
quarter.

The second quarter was even-

sided, but the Wolverines faced 
some 
challenges. 
Thome 
got 

called for her second foul early on 
and had to sit out for most of the 
stanza.

To 
make 
matters 
worse, 

Flaherty struggled to get into her 
rhythm offensively and was, at 
one point, 1-for-7 from the field. 
Wisconsin’s zone defense was 
locked on her, and she appeared to 
be a bit rattled. But when Flaherty 
struggled, junior guard Nicole 
Munger stepped up.

Midway through the quarter, 

Munger dove on the floor for a 
loose ball, winning the possession 
back for her team. Munger’s hustle 
— coupled with her 10 points on 
the night — helped Michigan’s 
offense compete when its stars 
were having trouble.

But the Badger’s leading scorer, 

guard Cayla McMorris, then 

settled in on offense. After missing 
the last three contests, she finished 
the night with eight points, and 
her 3-pointer in the second quarter 
helped keep the game somewhat 
close and Michigan’s lead at 31-24 
at halftime.

Though Wisconsin cut into 

the Wolverines’ lead early in the 
third quarter, the second half, 
overall, was more of what you 
would expect when a ranked team 
faces the last team in the Big Ten 
standings.

After 
finally 
finding 
more 

strength on defense and leadership 
from its stars, Michigan started to 
pull away. Flaherty looked more 
like herself, and ended the night 
with 25 points, despite going 
0-for-6 from beyond the arc.

The Wolverines were up 54-42 

heading into the final quarter 
when they really put the pedal to 
the metal, outscoring the Badgers, 
26-15, to secure their victory.

Not only did the victory provide 

Michigan the confidence it lacked 
following its previous loss, but it 
also helped Barnes Arico make 
history. She now holds the record 
for the most wins in program 
history, with 124, passing Sue 
Guevara.

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

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