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.”