8 — Thursday, November 29, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

A 4-part series of forums on 
accountability, transparency 
and powerholders in Ann Arbor

Wednesday, Dec. 5 @ 7PM
Ann Arbor District Library
343 S 5th Ave. Ann Arbor

FEATURING PANELISTS

Who Holds the Power
 in Ann Arbor?

Speak Truth to Power: 
The Role of Journalism

PRESENTS:

ALEXA ST. JOHN
2018 Michigan Daily
Editor in Chief and Moderator

ROBERT YOON
Political Journalist
Howard R Marsh 
Visiting Professor

MICKI MAYNARD
Forbes contributor
 Adjunct lecturer at UM

DAVID JESSE
Higher Education reporter,
Detroit Free Press

KATREASE STAFFORD 
Detroit government 
watchdog reporter, 
Detroit Free Press

Michigan ready for challenge against No. 13 North Carolina State

When Michigan heads to 
Raleigh, N.C. on Thursday to 
face No. 13 North Carolina State, 
there will be plenty of storylines 
to watch for.
One storyline pits the youth 
of the Wolverines (5-1) against 
the experience of the Wolfpack. 
Michigan 
— 
which 
features 
just three upperclassmen in 
its regular rotation — relies 
on youth, balance and depth 
to dismantle opponents. NC 
State (6-0), meanwhile, uses 
experience, 
efficiency 
and 
high-volume scoring from its 
players, as it has only three 
underclassmen in its regular 

rotation. 
This matchup will be the 
Wolverines’ first time in a hostile 
road environment this season, 
and it remains to be seen how the 
young squad deals with intense 
noise and pressure, which is 
something it will see more of 
come conference play. Michigan 
did travel to Kalamazoo earlier 
this season to take on Western 
Michigan, 
but 
the 
Broncos 
averaged a mere 679 fans per 
game last season. The Wolfpack, 
on the other hand, averaged 
2,500-plus fans last year.
Despite the age and experience 
gap between the two teams, as 
well as the road environment, 
Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico is not worried about her 

freshmen.
“I think (freshman guard) 
Amy Dilk has been waiting for 
this 
opportunity 
her 
whole 
entire life, … as 
did 
(freshman 
forward) 
Naz 
Hillmon,” Barnes 
Arico said. “Our 
other freshmen, 
I 
mean 
the 
opportunity that 
they have every 
day in practice 
to 
go 
against 
some of the best 
players 
in 
the 
country really prepares them.” 
Another storyline to keep 
in mind will be the battle on 
the boards. Both teams have 

dominated the glass thus far in 
the season and have yet to be 
outrebounded by their opponent 
in a game. 
The 
Wolverines have 
outrebounded 
their opponents 
by an average of 
over 16 rebounds 
per game, while 
NC 
State 
has 
out 
rebounded 
its opponents by 
over 11 rebounds 
per game, good 
for the eighth- 
and 
26th-best 
rebounding 
margins 
in 
the 
nation, 
respectively. 
Michigan, which will take on 

its third ranked team in a four-
game span, will also look to 
senior center Hallie Thome to 
step up and lead the team.
Thome, who averaged over 21 
points on 70-percent shooting in 
22 minutes over the first three 
games, has struggled since the 
competition heated up. Over 
the course of the three game 
Gulf Coast Showcase, Thome 
averaged only 10.3 points on 
48-percent shooting in nearly 29 
minutes.
In addition to heating up on 
the offensive end, Thome will 
have her hands full on defense 
with 
her 
matchup 
against 
Wolfpack freshman center Elissa 
Cunane. Despite averaging just 
20 minutes per game, Cunane 

has 
scored 
13.3 
points 
on 
61-percent shooting in her six 
games thus far. 
Still, Barnes Arico remains 
undeterred, 
preaching 
total 
confidence in her players and 
knows that all of Thome’s hard 
work will pay off in the end for 
the Wolverines — regardless of 
the stats next to her name in the 
box score. 
“(Thome) has continued to 
work and work and work for 
an opportunity to be the best 
player she can be, but also for an 
opportunity to help the team be 
the best team that we can be,” 
Barnes Arico said. “I think she 
continues to work (hard) and 
… she just sets a great example 
every day.”

BENNETT BRAMSON
Daily Sports Writer

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

“... she just sets 
a great 
example every 
day.”

