The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 — 7A

Behind Enemy Lines: Fran McCaffrey

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery 

stepped to the podium at Big 
Ten media day and proclaimed 
this was “the deepest team 
we’ve ever had.” 

Perhaps he meant it at the 

time, but the results have hardly 
bore that out.

The 
Hawkeyes 
come 
to 

Crisler Center Wednesday at 
just 12-15 overall and 3-11 in 
Big Ten play, good for 11th in 
the conference — with no major 
role to play for 
the rest of the 
year but spoiler. 
This season will 
mark 
the 
first 

time since 2010-
11 that Iowa has 
won fewer than 
eight conference 
games.

Still, 
the 

offense 
that 

McCaffery 
praised at media 
day is still capable of bunching 
points, 
with 
guard 
Jordan 

Bohannon and forward Tyler 
Cook providing a formidable 
inside-out scoring punch.

The Daily sat down with 

McCaffery at Big Ten Media Day 
to discuss his projections for 
the season and his relationship 
with Michigan coach John 
Beilein:

The Michigan Daily: You 

lose Peter Jok, but return 77% 
of your scoring 86% of your 
minutes, do feel like you guys 
are being a little overlooked?

Fran McCaffery: It’s really 

irrelevant to me — and I mean 
that sincerely — what the 
projections are. We have a 
good team. What we have to 
do is play well, we have to play 
together. We have to play better 
defense. You can talk about that 
stuff and get hung up on it if you 
want to, but it’s a waste of time.

TMD: You’ve been high on 

your offense…

FM: We’re going to score. We 

can score.

TMD: What do you think you 

guys are doing defensively that 
can help you improve?

FM: The critical thing is 

we’ve got to be more connected. 
We weren’t connected last year 
in transition — because we’re 
going to be in transition a lot. 
We run. If you run, you’ve got 
to run back. You’ve got to get 
matched up. We really weren’t 
connected. When you play fast, 
sometimes that happens, we’ll 

just go down 
and 
score, 

start 
trading 

baskets. 
Then 

you can’t get 
the 
necessary 

stops in crunch 
time. So instead 
of 
winning 

a 
five-point 

game you lose 
a 
three-point 

game. For us, 
we have to be 

connected on the defensive end. 
That’s indicated in rebounding 
— second shots are what killed 
us. Second shots are what 
killed us. Second shots lead 
to high-percentage shots and 
uncontested 
threes, 
right? 

That’s what they lead to. Even if 
we play solid defense — not even 
great defense — but rebound the 
first miss, then 
we can run. We’ll 
be a lot better 
than last year.

TMD: 
Who 

do 
you 
think 

is 
sticking 
out 

most defensively, 
grabbing 
rebounds 
in 

practice?

FM: 
For 
us, 

it’s been a lot 
of 
different 

people. 
(Freshman 
forward 

Luka) Garza is a phenomenal 
rebounder, might be our best. 

Cook 
is 
rebounding 
better. 

(Nicholas) Baer has always 
been a good rebounder. Ahmad 
Wagner, Cordell Pemsl, those 
guys, Dom Uhl. Cordell has 
really been good.

TMD: 
How 
has 
Garza 

adjusted so far?

FM: 
Really 
good. 
Think 

about it. We go oversees and 
play four games. Ten years ago 
we weren’t allowed to bring our 
freshmen, but now we can bring 
our freshmen. We practice, 
everything’s new — how we play 
ball screens, terminology, how 
we run the break — everything’s 
new. He’s gotta pick it all up in 
a couple of weeks and then we 
go play. We play four games, he 
plays half the game. He played 
20 minutes a game four times, 
he averages 22.5 and 10.5. Those 
are staggering numbers, I don’t 
care who you’re playing against.

TMD: I read you talked to 

John Beilein about coaching 
your son...

FM: I did. More than once.
TMD: 
What 
was 
that 

conversation like?

FM: I’ve talked to him a lot 

about it. First of all, I really have 
a lot of respect for him, known 
him for a long time, got to know 
his wife. Unless you talk to 
someone who’s going through 
it — he just said, the greatest 
thing was that I got to see my 
son everyday. You take that 

for 
granted, 

unless they’re 
somewhere 
else. He said 
there 
were 

times 
when 

he 
didn’t 

play as much 
and 
it 
was 

uncomfortable, 
but 
that 
kid 

competed and 
was 
really 
a 

good player for 

them. Connor (McCaffery) will 
do the same as Patrick (Beilein) 
for me. 

Calm and confident, Lavigne provides support for Michigan in net

At the end of regulation in its 

December trip to East Lansing, 
the No. 18 Michigan hockey 
team had been blown out, 5-0. 
But this Friday proved a much 
different story.

The 
Wolverines 
left 
the 

first 60 minutes tied up at 
one, and with nothing added 
to the scoreboard by either 
team in overtime, Michigan 
and Michigan State headed to 
a shootout.

Before sophomore Hayden 

Lavigne skated back to his 
spot between the pipes, Mel 
Pearson briefly spoke to him.

“I just told him to ‘get ‘er 

done,’ ” Pearson said.

And adhering to his coach’s 

advice, the netminder did just 
that.

Fully locked in, Lavigne 

first stopped Spartans forward 
Taro 
Hirose’s 
shootout 

attempt. Then he left Mitch 
Lewandowski with the same 
fate. And to secure the extra 
Big Ten point, Lavigne finally 
shut down Patrick Khodorenko 
in conjunction with senior 
forward 
Tony 
Calderone 

knocking in the Wolverines’ 
last attempt. 

This 
performance 
was 

largely in contrast with the 
last time Lavigne played at 
Munn Ice Arena, on Dec. 8. In 
that game, after surrendering 
four goals over the first two 
periods of play, Lavigne was 
benched and his counterpart 
Jack LaFontaine was put in.

Lavigne’s 
performance 

this past Friday — where he 
allowed just one goal — was 
then matched by a nearly 
flawless showing in Detroit 
the 
following 
night. 
The 

goaltender stopped 32 pucks, 
letting just two slip by en route 
to Michigan’s 3-2 victory.

These 
big 
outings 
for 

Lavigne, 
which 
aided 
the 

Wolverines 
in 
claiming 
a 

crucial 
tie 
and 
win 
over 

Michigan State this weekend, 
are emblematic of newfound 
confidence the netminder has 
gained over the course of this 

season.

Since 
the 
beginning 
of 

January — when he was given 
the starting role — Lavigne 
has 
positioned 

himself 
both 

more decisively 
and 
with 

more 
ease, 

demonstrating 
comfort 
in 

the net. These 
qualities 
were 

not 
nearly 

as 
evident 

during the last 
series 
with 

the Spartans. And right now, 
Pearson 
believes 
Lavigne’s 

morale is at a season peak.

“His 
calmness, 
his 

confidence, he’s up on the top 

of his crease more,” Pearson 
said. “When you see him up 
on the top of the blue paint, 
and then when you see less 

movement from 
him, he’s not all 
over the place 
…. he’s playing 
and 
handling 

the puck better 
and coming out 
of the net and 
moving it.

“It’s 
a 
lot 

of those little 
things. He just 
seems 
more 

dialed in and he’s got a lot of 
confidence right now. And 
you have to earn that, it’s not 
something you can go into the 
store and buy. … And he’s done 

a good job of that.”

Confidence 
can 
manifest 

itself in different ways during 
a shootout, either positively 
or negatively, due to the way 
in which the high-pressure 
situation 
puts 
a 
spotlight 

on every move a goaltender 
makes.

For Lavigne on Friday, the 

former held true. But though 
he made it look easy, playing 
in goal during a shootout is 
anything but.

“It’s kind of a mental battle 

between who is more patient 
between the shooter and the 
goalie,” Lavigne said. “It’s 
definitely a tough situation, 
kind of 50-50 on each one. As 
long as I can out weight (the 
shooter), usually I have a good 

chance to make the save.”

There 
is 
a 
significant 

amount of strategy that goes 
into how a goaltender adjusts 
his 
positioning 

and 
degree 

of 
movement 

in 
shootout 

situations. 
Lavigne has been 
working 
on 
an 

approach 
that 

works 
well 
for 

him.

“I try and get 

out a couple feet 
above the crease 
and match his speed coming 
in so that we’re kind of coming 
back together,” Lavigne said. 
“But at the same time, it’s a 
lot of timing. If he’s shooting 

the puck, you’re still out far 
enough. But if he dekes, you 
still have enough speed to 
move laterally.”

These situations — though 

fairly rare as the Wolverines 
have seen just three — hold 
importance as they provide 
the victor with an extra Big 
Ten point. Lavigne has played 
in the net during each of these 
outings this season.

Given 
the 
high 
stakes, 

they are often replicated in 
Michigan’s practices.

“We have some shootouts 

every day before the game,” 
Pearson said. “It’s more of a 
fun shutout, not too serious. 
But there’s different drills, 
where you’ll have a break 
away type of situation, so (the 
goaltenders) see enough of 
those.”

While confidence in the 

shootouts is necessary, this 
attitude 
first 
stems 
from 

a 
goaltender’s 
confidence 

in 
regulation. 
And 
though 

strategy can get a goaltender 
so far, the key thing to keep in 
check, according to Lavigne, is 
mentality.

And with the stakes rising 

given that the Wolverines’ 
regular season is coming to 
a close, keeping mentality on 
point is more important than 
ever for Lavigne. However, the 
added pressure of a potential 
home-ice advantage in the 
Big Ten Tournament and a 
potential bid to the NCAA 
Tournament seem to be acting 
as motivators. 

“There’s 

definitely 
a 

little 
bit 
(of 

additional 
pressure), but 
at 
the 
same 

time, 
that 

makes it more 
exciting,” 
Lavigne said. 
“That’s 
why 

we 
come 
to 

play at a school 

like this, to play in these big 
games. So, with the pressure 
comes more excitement, comes 
a louder fan base, so it’s a good 
atmosphere to be around.”

Michigan looks to reverse course

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball team will face its 
mirror image on Wednesday.

The 23rd-ranked Wolverines 

(9-5 
Big 
Ten, 
20-7 
overall) 

have fallen from the proverbial 
mountaintop, dropping three of 
their last four after being ranked 
as high as 13th. Minnesota (8-4, 
19-6) has done the opposite, 
winning five of its last six to insert 
itself into the NCAA Tournament 
conversation.

A 
few 
weeks 
ago, 
ESPN 

projected them as a four-seed, 
with 
home-court 
advantage 

in the first two rounds, in the 
site’s latest Bracketology, the 
Wolverines were given a nine-
seed. Their margin of error is 
slipping away and, after freshman 
forward Hailey Brown suffered a 
lower leg injury during Sunday’s 
loss at Michigan State, the picture 
looks even more bleak.

Michigan could still get in even 

if it loses the next two. It has a 
strong resume, having beaten 
then-No. 8 Ohio State on the road, 
the Big Ten is third in RPI and a 
run in the conference tournament 
would 
mitigate 
late-season 

troubles.

Or, the Wolverines could avoid 

needing to make the argument at 
all. The way to do that is simple: 
Beat the Golden Gophers.

But 
simple 

doesn’t always 
translate 
to 

easy.

Minnesota 

starts 
four 

guards, 
a 

combination 
that will force 
Michigan 
to 

switch between 
man and zone 
on 
defense. 

If 
Brown 
is 

unable to go, the Wolverines will 
likely start freshman guard Deja 
Church in her place and go man-

to-man. That would entail putting 
senior forward Jillian Dunston on 
a guard, but Michigan coach Kim 
Barnes Arico has been unafraid 
to do that in the 
past. Dunston is 
capable in those 
situations, but a 
size 
mismatch 

could favor the 
Golden Gophers. 
If Brown plays, 
the 
Wolverines 

will start in zone, 
moving to man 
when 
Church 

is in the game. 
Either way, Michigan will shuttle 
between them depending on 
which lineup is in the game.

It 
doesn’t 
help 
that 
the 

Minnesota one of the highest-
scoring teams in the nation, 
notching 110.5 points per 100 
possessions, 
according 
to 

HerHoopStats. 
Kenisha 
Bell, 

Carlie Wagner, Destiny Pitts 
and Gadiva Hubbard — their 
four 
starting 
guards 
— 
all 

average 
double-digit 
points. 

Though defense hasn’t been 
the Wolverines’ issue of late, 
Michigan will be tested on that 
end.

The Wolverines’ best chance 

of winning on the road will be 
via shootout. Michigan scored 
below .85 points per possession 
in two of its last three games, 
accounting 
for 
its 
worst 

two 
offensive 

performances 
since a 74-49 loss 
against 
then-No. 

5 
Louisville 
in 

November. 
Not 

so coincidentally, 
the 
Wolverines 

turned it over 26 
and 23 times in 
those two games, 
respectively.

“That’s 

been 
really 
the 

problem, and we work on it,” 
Barnes Arico said after Sunday’s 
loss. “... I think, coming into the 

year, we really knew that that 
might be something that could 
be a problem for us because we 
weren’t returning a point guard. 

… When we get 
frazzled a little 
bit, when we get 
bummed, when 
it’s 
physical 
a 

little bit, we have 
turned it over. So 
it’s definitely a 
work in progress.

“I think part 

of it is, you know, 
not really having 
that true point 

guard. 
You 
know, 
Katelynn 

(Flaherty) has done a tremendous 
job for us filling that role, but 
now we’re looking at Katelynn to 
distribute, to score, to do a little 
bit of everything. So, you know, 
it’s important that somebody else 
relieves some of the pressure for 
her, which I think Deja’s doing 
and is gonna improve on. But 
she’s not completely ready yet.”

If that’s the case, Church 

has to get ready fast. Michigan 
has gone with a seven-woman 
rotation for most of the season. 
Without 
Brown, 
sophomore 

guard Akienreh Johnson will 
likely see a minutes uptick, but 
she’s been a less than reliable 
scorer this season, albeit in just 
7.5 minutes per game. Junior 
guard Nicole Munger will pick up 
some of the slack, but it’s hard for 
Flaherty to do much more than 
the 23.6 points in 36.7 minutes 
she’s averaging right now.

There’s an element to this 

game that can’t be measured with 
statistics, though. A win will seal 
the Wolverines a tournament 
berth, at least as much as a thing 
like that can be sealed.

Michigan 
has 
been 
free 

falling. The Golden Gophers are 
fast-rising. It’s crunch-time. If 
the Wolverines don’t reverse 
course, they will either back into 
the tournament by the grace of 
good luck or not get in at all.

Time to put up or shut up.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Editor

“What we have 

to do is play 

well, we have to 
play together.”

“... We have to 
be connected 

on the 

defensive end.” 

ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer

Michigan could 
still get in if it 
loses the next 

two.

“... When it’s 

physical a little 

bit, we have 

turned it over.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Sophomore goaltender Hayden Lavigne played well against Michigan State this past weekend, holding the Spartans to just three goals over two games.

ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer

“... He’s playing 
and handling 

the puck 
better.” 

“It’s kind of a 
mental battle 
between who is 
more patient ...”

