T

he No. 7 Michigan men’s 
basketball team enters 
Wednesday’s top-15 
showdown 
with North 
Carolina 
ranked just 
four spots 
ahead of 
the Tar 
Heels.
How they 
got there 
couldn’t be 
more dif-
ferent.
North Carolina’s high-pow-
ered offense is averaging 96.6 
points per game in its 6-1 start. 
The Wolverines, meanwhile, 
have ascended to their highest 
regular-season ranking in six 
years on the back of a defense 
that allows just 48.8 points per 
game.
One — or more likely, both 
— of those numbers is going to 
change Wednesday evening. 
The question for Michigan 
is where that balance will be 
struck.
Because if its defense can 
stop the Tar Heels, it can stop 
anyone.
North Carolina’s offense 
isn’t the best in the country — it 
currently ranks fourth in Ken-
Pom adjusted offensive effi-
ciency, behind Nevada, Duke 
and Gonzaga. But as far as the 
Wolverines are concerned, it 
may as well be. The difference 
between the Tar Heels and the 
three teams ahead of them is 
negligible and, more impor-
tantly, they may be the team 
best built to overcome Michi-
gan’s stifling defense.
As Villanova learned two 
weeks ago, the Wolverines’ 
defense makes it extremely dif-
ficult to score once an opposing 
offense settles into the half 
court. It chases shooters off 
the perimeter, and uses quick 
hands to stop guards from pen-
etrating into the lane.
What Michigan hasn’t faced 
— since its 86-71 loss in Chapel 
Hill a year ago — is an offense 
that can run like North Caro-
lina’s. Transition offense has 
always been a staple of Roy 

Williams’ offenses, but this 
team is unique. Of Williams’ 
five teams that have ranked in 
the top-10 in adjusted tempo, 
two won the national champi-
onship. This year’s version of 
the Tar Heels is 11th through 
seven games. The Wolverines 
have yet to face a team in the 
top 200.
“When they’re running, they 
are running downhill,” said 
Michigan coach John Beilein 
on Tuesday. “It’s like a freight 
train coming at you.”
Last year, against a less 
talented North Carolina 
team, the Wolverines couldn’t 
handle that tempo. But, as 
sophomore forward Isaiah Liv-
ers notes, that was just their 
eighth game under assistant 
coach and defensive specialist 
Luke Yaklich. Since that loss 
last November, Michigan has 
allowed more than 72 points 
just twice — against Purdue 
and Villanova, the nation’s two 
best teams by adjusted offen-
sive efficiency.
“We were experimenting 
with a new defense,” Livers 
said of last year’s game. “And 
now, I feel like our defense is 
experienced enough and (has) 
more veterans to understand 
our roles.”
As good as last year’s defense 
was, Wednesday is the Wol-
verines’ opportunity to prove 
that this group is deserving of 
its billing as the nation’s best. 
It hasn’t allowed more than 61 
points in a game and held Vil-
lanova — at Villanova — to its 
lowest point total in six years.
But the Wildcats are still 
finding themselves after losing 
their top three scorers from 
last season. The Tar Heels, at 
least offensively, know who 
they are — and it works.
Point guard Coby White 
looks like a star, averaging 
26 points and 5.5 assists last 
weekend at the Las Vegas Invi-
tational. Guard Cameron John-
son is shooting 48.5 percent 
from three. Forward Nassir 
Little, who played with Michi-
gan freshman forward Ignas 
Brazdeikis in a high school 
showcase, is projected to be a 

top-five NBA draft pick.
“He’s just one of those play-
ers that can do it all,” Braz-
deikis said. “It’s just gonna be 
exciting to matchup with a guy 
like that.”
That’s before you get to 
forward Luke Maye, who was 
a Wooden Award finalist last 
year and is one of the early 
favorites to win it this year. 
Maye presents a unique prob-
lem for Michigan because of 
his ability to play as a stretch 
‘5,’ countering the Wolverines’ 
small-ball lineup that features 
Livers at the ‘5.’
If there’s a trick to beating 
the Wolverines’ defense — 
whether that be speed, talent 
or style — North Carolina has 

it. Michigan could give up 90 
points on Wednesday and still 
have a very good defense. But 
if the Wolverines are able to 
extend their streak of holding 
opponents under 62 against the 
Tar Heels, they’ll prove that 
they can stop anybody.
Just ask Beilein.
“Don’t hand national cham-
pionships to anybody until 
you see this team tomorrow,” 
Beilein said, referring to North 
Carolina.
Then he paused.
“These two teams tomor-
row.”

Mackie can be reached on 

email at tmackie@umich.edu, 

or on Twitter @theo_mackie

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 — 7A

Wolverines to take on Navy in Tournament

With Thanksgiving now in 
the rearview mirror, the end of 
November means one thing for 
Division I women’s volleyball: 
the Big Dance is upon us.
This Friday, the No. 18 
Michigan women’s volleyball 
team (22-9 overall, 11-9 Big 
Ten) will travel to Pittsburgh 
to take on unseeded Navy (23-8 
overall, 13-3 Patriot League) 
in the opening round of the 
NCAA Tournament.
Friday’s clash features two 
programs that took drastically 
different paths to the Steel 
City. 
Though 
Michigan 
finished seventh in the Big 
Ten 
standings, 
its 
fourth 
consecutive 
20-win 
season 
proved strong enough to earn 
an at-large bid. The Big Ten has 
seven teams in the field — more 
than any other conference in 
the nation.
Despite being seeded outside 
of the top-16, the Wolverines 
still enter the Tournament 
as one of the most polished 
teams in the field of 64. With 
2017 
All-American 
Carly 
Skjodt leading the charge on 
offense and senior libero Jenna 
Lerg anchoring the defense, 
opponents have struggled to 
find a weak link in Michigan’s 
starting lineup.
After beginning the season 
unranked, 
the 
Wolverines 
clawed their way up to as high 
as No. 12 in the AVCA Coaches 
Poll before closing out the 
regular season ranked 18th in 
the poll and 21st in RPI.
The team lost redshirt junior 
middle blocker Cori Crocker 
to an ankle sprain and junior 
opposite Sydney Wetterstrom 
to an undisclosed injury for 
the entirety of October, but 
both starters made their way 
back into the fold during 
November. Their absences gave 
Michigan coach Mark Rosen 
a chance to develop young 
talent under authentic match 

conditions, which could be a 
key component of the team’s 
potential tournament run.
On the other hand, Navy will 
be making its first tournament 
appearance in program history 
after 
securing 
the 
Patriot 
League’s autobid. The Mids 
guaranteed themselves a spot in 
the Big Dance by upending top-
seeded American University in 
the conference championship 
game behind a match-high 25 
kills from sophomore outside 
hitter Maddi Sgattoni.
Under the guidance of first-
year head coach Paco Labrador, 
Navy has relied on Sgattoni 
to spearhead its offense all 
year long — she has recorded 
1,252 attack attempts, while 
none of her teammates have 
even eclipsed 725. Though she 
has regularly posted high kill 
tallies, quantity hasn’t yielded 
quality 
for 
Sgattoni, 
who 
finished the regular season 

with 
an 
inefficient 
attack 
percentage of just .181.
In order to compare the 
Wolverines and the Mids on 
the same scale, take a look 
at each team’s result against 
Rutgers, one of their common 
opponents during the regular 
season. The Scarlet Knights 
are 1-99 — yes, you read that 
correctly — against Big Ten 
opponents since joining the 
conference in 2014, with their 
lone triumph coming against 
Maryland in 2015. 
Rutgers defeated Navy in 
four sets on Sept. 8, outscoring 
the Mids by 17 in the process. 
Meanwhile, 
Michigan 
trounced Rutgers to the tune of 
a 3-0 sweep on Sept. 28, while 
holding the Scarlet Knights to 
under 15 points in two of the 
three sets. The discrepancy in 
each team’s outcome against 
the same opponent in a 20-day 
span shows a wide gap in talent 

between the rosters.
Navy 
comes 
into 
the 
tournament slotted at 90th in 
national RPI, 69 spots behind 
the 
Wolverines. 
The 
Mids 
are the Patriot League’s only 
team ranked in the top 100 
of the RPI rankings, while 16 
of Michigan’s regular season 
opponents — 13 of which 
compete in the Big Ten — 
finished in the top 100.
The 
big 
takeaway? 
The 
Wolverines, who have made 
the tournament in 17 of Rosen’s 
20 seasons at the helm of 
the program, are far more 
prepared for the tournament’s 
level of competition and its 
accompanying pressure than 
their rookie opponent.
When push comes to shove, 
Michigan’s first round fate will 
lie in its ability to keep Sgattoni 
in check while simultaneously 
varying 
its 
own 
offensive 
attack.

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

DARBY STIPE/Daily
Michigan coach Mark Rosen is preparing the Wolverines to play against Navy in the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Johnson adds depth, 
leadership to lineup

Three days after Hailey 
Brown went down with a leg 
injury last February, then-
sophomore 
guard 
Akienreh 
Johnson scored a career-high 
19 points against Minnesota.
From that point on, Johnson 
— “AK” as she’s known by her 
teammates — was a staple 
of 
the 
Michigan 
women’s 
basketball lineup. She went 
from seeing barely any minutes 
off the bench to excelling as 
the Wolverines’ sixth-woman 
— scoring in double figures in 
three of the last six games of 
the season.
“AK 
had 
an 
outstanding 
finish 
to 
last 
season,” 
said 
Michigan coach 
Kim 
Barnes 
Arico. “She really 
came on strong 
late. She helped 
in the Big Ten 
Tournament and 
helped us in the 
NCAA Tournament. So I think 
she brings a level of experience 
playing in big games.”
That stretch did wonders 
for Johnson’s confidence. Her 
ascent to the starting lineup — 
or at the very least, significant 
minutes 
off 
the 
bench 
— 
looked within reach heading 
into 
her 
junior 
campaign. 
Unfortunately for Johnson and 
the Michigan team as a whole, 
she suffered a broken hand 
right before the season got in 
the way of that. She missed the 
first three games of the regular 
season and only returned to 
practice a few days before her 
season debut against Missouri 
in the Gulf Coast Showcase.
“I was a little nervous 
because 
I 
had 
only 
had 
like 
a practice and 
a 
half 
before 
getting into the 
game,” Johnson 
said. “So I was 
a little nervous 
to get my feet 
wet. But I think 
coming 
back 
was good for me 
mentally, 
too, 
because I came 
back against such competitive 
teams that I’ll be ready for the 
rest of the season.”
Over the course of the Gulf 
Coast 
Showcase, 
Johnson 
averaged 
14 
minutes 
per 
game against the likes of the 
21st-ranked Tigers, No. 5 Texas 
and Washington — a figure 
that will likely increase as the 
season goes on.
The benefits of her return are 
two-fold for the Wolverines.
On the court, Johnson’s size 
at the guard position makes 
her a tough matchup for a lot 
of players. She has shown an 
ability to both shoot from the 
outside and drive the basketball 
with success, but her real 
contribution takes shape in her 
rebounding ability.
“I’m more of a taller guard,” 
she said. “A lot of guards are 
smaller than me so they don’t 

expect the wings to be able to 
rebound. So I think I’m more 
of 
a 
rebounding, 
stronger, 
physical guard that can get to 
the basket but also shoot the 
wide-open jump shot.”
Now a junior, her feel and 
game experience also suits 
a relatively young Michigan 
squad.
“She’s 
been 
through 
practices,” Barnes Arico said. 
“I think the game is starting 
to slow down for her. She 
has a good feel for the game. 
She knows how to cut, she 
knows how to read, she’s 
really a student of the game. 
I think she’s really going to 
provide a lot 
of experience 
at the guard 
spot.”
The 
second, 
and 
arguably more 
important, 
aspect of her 
return is her 
development 
as 
a 
team 
leader.
Following her stellar end to 
last season, Barnes Arico and 
the other coaches encouraged 
Johnson to be more outspoken. 
Sidelined with her hand injury, 
she finally embraced a more 
vocal role in practice and 
during games.
“Off the court, I do a lot like 
take the freshmen places,” 
she said. “If they need a ride, 
I’ll do that to try and build a 
relationship off the court, so 
that on the court, I can be more 
trustworthy to people and I 
can have a better relationship 
with them.”
Johnson’s 
experience 
at 
Michigan thus far is one that 
resonates with her younger 
teammates. 
Her 
basketball 
career 
has 
been 
riddled 
with adversity. 
Two 
ACL 
injuries 
over 
the course of 
three 
years, 
having to bide 
her time on the 
bench 
until 
her 
number 
was called at 
the end of her 
sophomore 
season 
and 
then 
getting 
injured again shortly after is 
a sequence of events not easily 
overcome.
And yet, Johnson has battled 
through it all.
“She is a kid that didn’t play 
much in her younger days,” 
Barnes Arico said. “For the 
younger kids to see that and to 
see her growth and now where 
she is, I think they believe 
‘Hey, that could be me. I need 
to buy in and I need to keep 
working.’
“AK is soft-spoken, but she 
connects with everyone, and 
I think she’s helped the rest 
of the players in our program 
really believe in that vision.”
Johnson may not be a starter, 
but 
her 
continued 
growth 
as both a player and a leader 
could be a major asset for the 
Wolverines going forward. 

Stop UNC, stop anyone

CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer

FILE PHOTO/Daily
Junior forward Akienreh Johnson is helping lead a young Michigan team.

“I think coming 
back was good 
for me mentally, 
too.”

THEO 
MACKIE

“I think the 
game is starting 
to slow down 
for her.”

