8 — Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Robinson takes on mentorship role for blossoming Livers
Duncan Robinson heard the
whistle and knew just what that
meant.
He walked off the court with
2:07 left and the score tied
against Houston on Saturday
night — fouling out for just the
fourth time in his career —
knowing it could be his last time
doing so in his Michigan career.
But Robinson didn’t sulk or let
the moment get to him.
He had one specific message
for one specfic person: Isaiah
Livers.
“Duncan told me when he
fouled out, ‘Isaiah, there’s a
reason why we’re both out here,
why we both play the game,’”
Livers recalled in the aftermath
of Michigan’s second-round win
over the Cougars. “ ‘You have
talent, so believe in yourself.
Have all confidence.’ ”
This has become a theme
between the fifth-year senior
on his way out the door and
the freshman just scraping the
surface of what he can become.
It’s
hardly
an
uncommon
phenomenon for a veteran to
take a younger player under his
wing, to share words of wisdom
and help guide what’s to come.
But
even
for
two
mild-
mannered players, this close-
knit relationship is one bred of
unusual circumstances.
Robinson started the season
the clearcut starter at the ‘4’
far more out of necessity than
fit. He’s vascillated between a
starter and an offensive bench
threat
his
entire
Michigan
career. Never known for his
defensive
prowess
against
quicker
and
more
athletic
opponents, the ‘4’ was a peculiar
fit borne out of positional
scarcity after D.J. Wilson left
unexpectedly for the NBA Draft.
“We
all
know
Duncan
Robinson is a mismatch ‘4,’ that
we don’t have another answer
right now, right?” said Michigan
coach John Beilein after an
early January game in Iowa.
“D.J. Wilson was the answer
this year, and he’s not here.”
So why not Livers?
“I
mean,
if
you
saw
some
of our practices
(early
in
the
season),
you
would
question
why we gave him
a
scholarship,”
Beilein said.
But Livers was
on
scholarship,
and
the
only
scholarship
player with a natural fit at the
‘4’ at that. If circumstances had
been different, the freshman
likely would have seen limited
minutes, if any at all. Instead,
his opportunity blossomed into
real growth quicker than Beilein
could
have
imagined.
Real
growth led to real minutes. Real
minutes led to real production.
In a six-game stretch in
January, Livers shot 10-of-16
from
3-point
range, averaging
9.3
points
per
game
in
that
span
while
providing
a
physical upgrade
defensively.
This, coupled
with
prolonged
shooting
struggles
from
Robinson,
soon
sparked a competition for the
starting role. It was a team
captain fighting the demons of
a disappointing senior season
up against a freshman starting
to figure out how he could help
right away.
Livers was the “stretch-four”
of the future and the stopgap of
the present.
On Jan. 13 against Michigan
State,
Livers
offically
won
out.
Beilein
inserted
him
in the starting
lineup at Breslin
Center
in
an
83-73 upset win
over
Michigan
State.
And
he
hasn’t left the
starting
lineup
since, aside from
a minor ankle
injury that kept
him out of a January win at
Wisconsin.
For Robinson, the benching
was
rock-bottom,
further
sending
his
senior
season
spiraling out of control. Until it
wasn’t.
Since that Wisconsin game,
Robinson
has
re-discovered
his shot, shooting 49 percent
from 3-point range and scoring
in
double-figures
in
seven
of
11
games.
Despite
Livers’
regular
role
in the starting
lineup, Robinson
has
regained
the bulk of the
minutes, earning
more
playing
time than Livers
in 14 consecutive
games.
But
through
it all, the relationship between
sage veteran and eager youngster
has only strengthened.
“I always try to be in his
ear,”
Robinson,
increasingly
introspective by the week, said
early Sunday morning. “His
biggest thing is, he doesn’t
realize how good he is, how
talented he is. Once he can tap
into that, his whole career will
take off. He’s been so good for
us already, but he’s just getting
going. He’s got to continue to
chase it, chase it, like he was
when he was coming for the
starting spot that he ultimately
ended up winning. I’m happy
that I’ve got a guy, when I foul
out, that can go in there and
battle the way he can.”
Added
Livers
after
the
first round of the Big Ten
Tournament: “I don’t know
why, I don’t know what it is, but
people were just saying, ‘Maybe
they don’t get along. Maybe they
do.’ No way. We get along. It’s
his senior year. I wanna do it
big for him. … All love. We talk
all the time, he helps me all the
time. Just a great leader and a
great veteran.”
Either could have let the
competition breed resentment.
Robinson could have sulked
after
being
benched
for
a
freshman, just as Livers could
have questioned his decreasing
role as the season winds to a
close.
Neither happened, and now
both are better off for it.
Which brings us back to
Saturday night and the moment
the mentor needed the mentee
to help prolong his career.
Livers, throwing the inbound
dart right on the money to
senior guard Muhammad-Ali
Abdur-Rahkman, certainly did
his part in the miraculous win.
“I didn’t want Duncan to go
out that way,” Livers said after
the game. “That’s my guy. Senior
fouling out like that, I couldn’t
(let it) go.”
That wasn’t Isaiah Livers’
response
to
helping
save
Robinson’s career or how he felt
coming into a tight game with
the season on the line. That was
Livers’
answer,
unprompted,
on how it felt to be going to Los
Angeles.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson and freshman forward Isaiah Livers have grown a relationship despite competing for the same position.
“ ‘You have
talent, so
believe in
yourself.’ ”
“His biggest
thing is he
doesn’t realize
how good he is.”
MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor
Three keys to Michigan’s first round matchup with Northeastern
On
Sunday
afternoon,
the
Michigan hockey team celebrated
an NCAA Tournament bid in year
one of the Mel Pearson era.
The
Wolverines
(20-14-3
overall),
the
third-youngest
team in college hockey, won just
13 games a season ago. In mid-
January this year, they were just
27th in the PairWise rankings.
Just reaching the dance is a
monumental accomplishment in
and of itself.
But if Michigan has learned
one thing from playing in the Big
Ten, arguably the nation’s best
conference, it’s that success — no
matter how unexpected — that
only has so many rewards.
With that said, the Wolverines’
first-round draw against No. 3
seed Northeastern (23-9-5) seems
almost preordained. On paper,
the Huskies, PairWise’s ninth-
ranked team, are a brutal matchup
for Michigan. They possess a
dangerous offense and a staunch
defense, ranking fifth and sixth
in the country, respectively. Their
power play is better than all but
two teams nationally. And stud
freshman
goaltender
Cayden
Primeau is the owner of a pristine
.932 save percentage.
Much of this might sound
familiar to Wolverine fans. In
fact, Northeastern is a team
constructed like the last team they
played.
Ohio State earned a No. 1 seed
in the NCAA Tournament with
an efficient offense, lockdown
defense
and
goaltending
and
terrific special teams play — like
the Huskies. Michigan played the
Buckeyes five times this season
and lost all five.
There
are
still
positive
signs, however. On Mar. 10, the
Wolverines, riding a seven-game
winning streak at the time, took
Ohio State to overtime in the
Big Ten Tournament semifinal,
by
far
their
best
showing
against the Buckeyes. If that
performance showed anything,
it’s that Michigan is peaking at
the right time. But to take down
Northeastern, that must continue.
The Daily looks at three things
the Wolverines must do this
Saturday to advance to another
national championship.
Better defense against the
Big Three
The
Wolverines
may
have
the ‘DMC’ line — the dynamic
forward combination of seniors
Tony Calderone and Dexter Dancs
and junior Cooper Marody. But
Northeastern has the Big Three.
Hobey Baker finalists Adam
Gaudette and Dylan Sikura as well
as captain Nolan Stevens make
up the Huskies’ top forward line,
a lethal combination of speed,
skill and power — and a possible
nightmare for an ever-fluctuating
Michigan defense.
Gaudette, the Hockey East
Player of the Year and newly-
announced Walter Brown Award
nominee, led the nation with 30
goals, 60 points and eight multi-
goal games. The junior also
notched 11 power play goals, two
shorthanded tallies and two hat
tricks.
Not far behind is Sikura, whose
52 points — 20 goals and 32 assists
— rank third-best in the country.
He’s also tied for second in college
hockey with 5.09 shots on goal per
game. Stevens rounds out the trio
with 24 goals and 17 helpers in 37
games.
Tied
for
seventh-worst
nationally in goals allowed per
game with 3.35 and ranked 35th in
team defense, the Wolverines will
need a stalwart backline to combat
the Huskies’ offensive juggernaut.
While Pearson was quick to
point to Northeastern’s top line,
he stressed the overall importance
to lock down defensively.
“D-zone coverage, a lot of back
pressure and tracking, just getting
ready to play hard without the
puck,” Pearson said. “We’ll play
hard with it, we just have to make
sure we have the mindset that
we have to play extremely hard
without the puck.”
More robust scoring
In the first round of the Big
Ten Tournament, the Wolverines
swept Wisconsin in a masterful
showing
of
offensive
output,
tallying 13 total goals over two
nights.
Where
that
output
came
from, however, was different
both nights. In game one of the
quarterfinals, Calderone scored
four times to lead Michigan to a
6-5 victory.
But the team that took the ice
the next night looked nothing like
the team from a night before.
Michigan found twine from
all over the ice in that fateful
second matchup, as skaters like
sophomore defenseman Griffin
Luce
made
it
past
Badgers
goaltender Jack Berry.
From the forwards, freshmen
Jack Becker and Dakota Raabe
alongside junior Brendan Warren
all contributed as well, proving
that the Wolverines boast an
eclectic front line.
However, a week later in the Big
Ten semifinal matchup against
Ohio State, Marody netted both of
Michigan’s goals.
While there’s nothing wrong
with the Wolverines’ two best
scorers doing what they do best,
if Michigan wants to make a run
deep in the NCAA Tournament,
it will have to exude the versatile
style of play from the second
matchup against Wisconsin rather
than the first.
After all, if Calderone and
Marody are the only two skaters
that can produce, powerhouse
teams
like
Northeastern
and
Cornell will figure out how to shut
down two of five.
“Everyone on the roster has to
work hard” — which stands as the
perennial sentiment from coaches
around the country — may just not
be enough in the Tournament.
Killing penalties and blocking
shots, which Wolverines such
as
Raabe
and
Becker
have
championed, is just the tip of the
iceberg.
Everyone needs to produce
results in the scoring summary if
Michigan wants to see its name
slated for the Frozen Four.
Stay out of the box
This
might
be
the
most
important key — because it doesn’t
only apply to Saturday’s game.
Michigan’s penalty kill — in the
kindest possible language — is a
mess, and has been all year. The
Wolverines rank 57th out of 60
teams in the country when down
a man. Their timid approach to
killing penalties has constantly
left shooters open and sophomore
goaltender Hayden Lavigne out
to dry. Even last weekend at Ohio
State, that showed no signs of
changing, as the Buckeyes’ two
goals in regulation came with the
extra man.
Northeastern’s
power
play,
meanwhile, has scored on 27.2
percent
of
its
chances
this
season. Sikura and Gaudette have
combined to score 24 goals with the
man advantage themselves — for
comparison, the Wolverines have
scored 26 as a team. The power
play might be the Huskies’ biggest
strength, and it feeds straight into
Michigan’s greatest weakness.
The
Wolverines
have
two
options here. One is to unleash
the speed of players such as
Jake Slaker, Warren and Raabe
to create havoc and possibly
even
shorthanded
scoring
opportunities. Michigan caught
a glimpse of what that might look
like back in February against
Wisconsin, where Raabe was a
one-man wrecking crew, drawing
two penalties against the Badgers
in their own zone.
The second option is not to
commit penalties in the first place.
In this regard, the Wolverines have
been fine — ranking 24th in the
nation in penalty kill attempts per
game — barring four preventable
penalties last weekend against
the Buckeyes. Obviously, staying
out of the box is the best option,
but it’s one of those things that is
much easier said than done.
While the Wolverines’ roster
might have the talent to be at
least an effective penalty kill,
that ship sailed a long time ago.
With at most four games left in
the season, Michigan is what it
is. If the Wolverines are to beat
Northeastern, it almost certainly
will come in spite of their special
teams, not because of it
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes and the rest of Michigan’s defense needs to be clicking on all cylinders in order to stop Northeastern’s dynamic offense.
BENJAMIN KATZ
Daily Sports Writer
ROBERT HEFTER
Daily Sports Editor
JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer