8 — Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tom Izzo reverses rivalry narrative
Tom Izzo was standing at the
podium and making a point about
defense when the shout came.
Hey Tom! Hey Tom! Hey Tom!
A fan on the Crisler Center
staircase — it didn’t matter what
colors he wore — wanted Izzo’s
attention. The Michigan State
coach stopped talking. He leaned
his head forward and obliged.
“Yeah, thanks.”
After Sunday, he deserved all
the credit he got.
For the last year, the Michigan-
Michigan State rivalry has been
defined by Izzo’s unwillingness
to change — and John Beilein
subsequently
tearing
the
Spartans to shreds. Prior to the
second matchup between the
two last year, the adjustment was
out in the open for Izzo to make:
put Jaren Jackson Jr. at center to
match up with Moritz Wagner,
switch ball-screens, neutralize
Michigan’s pick-and-pop game.
Instead, Izzo changed nothing.
Jackson sat for key stretches of
the second half. The Spartans
kept
hedging
ball-screens.
Beilein’s offense — predicated
on ball-screens with Wagner —
hummed to the tune of 75 points,
15 of them from the German. The
Wolverines won, easily, and the
root cause stood on the sideline.
So, maybe it’s understandable
that Beilein didn’t anticipate
Izzo would switch up his defense
ahead of Sunday’s game. After
the fact, it’s certainly easy to
understand why Izzo did just
that.
Jackson
and
Wagner
are
both long gone, but on Sunday,
Michigan
State
switched
screens anyway. Beilein and the
Wolverines were caught off-
guard, forced to play one-on-one
basketball. The result: a 77-70
win for the Spartans — one in
which Michigan totaled all of
six assists, its lowest since last
year’s national title game against
Villanova.
“We have certain habits that
are not good for some one-on-
one situations,” Beilein said.
“And we’re trying to break those
habits, but when that’s been
going on for 10 years, it’s hard
to break it in the short time we
have.”
Izzo’s
adjustments
worked
and worked well. By the end of
the game, Michigan was left with
multiple scoreless stretches and
no answer to the
question of who
should get the
ball late.
“We
didn’t
make the right
decisions
at
times,”
said
freshman
forward
Ignas
Brazdeikis. “I feel
like we could’ve
definitely
done
better offensively, for sure, that
(there) was definitely matchups
and stuff that we could’ve went
to. I feel like we’re gonna be more
ready next time.”
On the other sideline, Beilein
tried playing off Michigan State’s
Kenny Goins, daring the center
to shoot. He hit three 3-pointers
in the first half, all of them wide
open.
Michigan’s defense — ranked
third
in
KenPom’s
adjusted
efficiency — gave up its most
points per possession all year.
It forced just six turnovers. It
let the Spartans get to the free
throw line 30 times.
For a group whose identity
rests on doing the exact opposite,
getting picked apart by Izzo and
guard Cassius Winston was a
rude awakening.
Even
when
junior
guard
Zavier Simpson managed to
get over ball-screens, Michigan
State’s point guard manipulated
space in a way befitting of the
likely Big Ten Player of the Year
winner. He scored 27 points, and
the
Wolverines
could do nothing
about most of
them.
But when the
topic
of
ball-
screen
defense
came
up
late
in
the
press
conference,
Beilein
was
a
little
more
revealing.
“(Winston’s) gonna get himself
into
a
one-on-one
situation
with (Jon) Teske,” Beilein said.
And he’s deceptive enough to
get around him a couple times.
A couple of times, (Simpson)
wanted to get back but (Simpson)
didn’t have leverage yet. So
then he got back and there,
(Winston’s) going into the basket.
“So, we’re a really good ball-
screen defense team. We weren’t
good today. And credit him.”
Credit Winston if you want
— you wouldn’t be wrong. But
in a rivalry defined by two Hall
of Famers on the sideline — one
future, one current — the latter
came out on top.
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
Behind the glass, Will Lockwood waits for worst
Throwing out his hands in
disbelief, Will Lockwood simply
couldn’t believe it.
In his eyes, his stick had
simply lodged in between the
Ohio State player’s legs, and he
quickly dropped it to prevent
any calls. Nothing intentional.
No ill-intent.
But the whistle was blown
anyways, and despite the junior
forward’s pleas of it being a
mishap, his emotions got the
best of him when the referee
refused to alter his call.
“What? What kind of call
was that?” Lockwood shouted,
according to Michigan coach
Mel Pearson.
The
stoppage
came
right
as a double-overtime period
began in the Michigan-Ohio
State matchup — a game that
ended in a 4-3 double-overtime
Wolverine loss. Right as the
first overtime ended, freshman
forward Dakota Raabe drew
a penalty on Buckeye forward
Mason Jobst, sending him to
the box and giving Michigan a
full two minutes on the man-
advantage to start the sudden-
death second overtime period.
However,
right
as
the
Wolverines fought for the puck
during a faceoff at the opening
of the period, the penalty was
assessed on Lockwood, and the
reaction ensued.
“I mean, Lockwood didn’t
say anything,” Pearson said.
“Usually you get a misconduct if
you say something that’s going to
embarrass the referee or swear
at him or something like that.”
Lockwood,
however,
lost
focus and allowed his emotions
to get the best of him. It was
a critical juncture in a rivalry
game. The thought of ruining
the man advantage prompted
an unwarranted attempt to kick
his stick that had dropped on
the ice. He missed, of course, but
the referee didn’t miss the sight
of his tantrum. An additional
whistle was blown, ejecting him
from the game.
And just like that, Lockwood
found himself in a spot all too
familiar.
The junior had spent the
majority
of
his
sophomore
year sidelined, though due to
a shoulder injury back then.
Instead of missing the games
or sitting in the bleachers, he
stayed close to the ice. After his
ejection Saturday, Lockwood,
instead of going
to
the
locker
room like two
other
ejected
players had done
that day, stood
behind the glass
paneling leading
to the Wolverine
tunnel like he
had done much
of last year.
It
was
the
same back then as it is now.
Unable
to
play,
he
stood
behind the glass, a gesture his
teammates appreciated. Instead
of being on the ice, he stood.
And he watched. And he waited
for the result of his absence to
unravel. Two minutes later, with
a Jobst goal, it did.
“I was angry at the ref, but
more angry at myself, I have
to control my emotions a little
bit
better,”
Lockwood
said.
“Overall, it was kind of a selfish
act. … It was unfortunate what
the outcome was, but I wasn’t
going to miss the chance to see
what the outcome was.”
Ohio
State
initiated
the
first push down ice after the
call. Winning the faceoff, the
Buckeyes shot toward the net but
the puck deflected out of play.
Lockwood watched helplessly,
pointing to things happening on
the ice while a
student manager
comforted
him
to the side.
“Being
a
former
player,
you
don’t
feel
good,”
Pearson
said. “Especially
if
it’s
a
bad
penalty.
When
you’re in the box
and get scored
on, it’s not a good feeling. That’s
my personal two cents on it.”
After Ohio State started its
second
push,
a
two-on-one
breakaway, Lockwood couldn’t
help but pound on the glass
after sophomore defenseman
Quinn Hughes and freshman
goaltender
Strauss
Mann
stopped the odd-man rush.
And then, after a few more
pushes up and down the ice,
the clock began ticking. The
Buckeyes’ penalty which kept
the game even-strength was
about to expire.
“I was watching the clock,”
Lockwood said. “And I don’t
think many guys really knew
exactly what was happening and
when you’re tied up in a game
like that, it’s really tough to be
aware of that.”
But he saw it coming. Jobst
rushed out of the box and into
a one-on-one with Mann after
all
three
Michigan
players
were caught off-guard in the
offensive zone. The Buckeyes’
leading scorer finished the job,
hammering the puck into the
net.
“It’s just kind of unfortunate
when
you’re
three-on-three,
and you don’t know whether the
guy’s coming out in a whistle to
come back to three-on-three or
what the deal is,” Lockwood said.
“So it’s kind of just an awkward
situation, unfortunately. It’s bad
timing for us.”
Lockwood remained in his
spot, staring at the pile of Ohio
State players building up on the
ice as they rushed to celebrate
the game-winner. Afterward, he
apologized to the team for his
mistake. It was on him, though
no one seemed to press him
about it.
“I owned up to it at the end,”
Lockwood said, “and made sure
everyone knew it wasn’t going to
happen again.”
A look at the defensive mindset of ‘M’
Mishandling a grounder off a
short hop. A bare-hander just a
split second from being a web-gem
play if the runner hadn’t slid in.
The briefest of fumbles behind the
plate blocking a pitch in the dirt.
The stat sheet lists all of these
plays as slip-ups. A fielding error. A
wild pitch.
But these kinds of plays are the
exact kind of slip-ups Michigan
coach Erik Bakich wants his team
to make.
“We want aggressive mistakes.
We don’t want passive mistakes,”
Bakich said. “If we’re going to make
a mistake, it’s going to be because
we’re going for it, we’re taking the
chance, trying to make the great
play. We’re okay with that.”
As the 17th-ranked Wolverines
continue to shake off the rust
of their eight-month offseason,
they’ve made a few of these
mistakes. In the opening series
against
Binghamton,
senior
infielder Blake Nelson made five
errors at third base over the first
two games. Bakich then benched
Nelson, moving fellow senior
infielder Jimmy Kerr from first to
third base.
It’s early enough in the season
that these small inconsistencies in
Michigan’s infield defense haven’t
cost the Wolverines any games. A
few issues at the beginning of the
season are expected and give the
team motivation to work harder
and something to work on.
“Physical errors happen. That’s
baseball; that’s opening weekend,”
Bakich said. “Nobody expected us
to come out firing on all cylinders,
and we wanted that; we wanted
mistakes. We challenge our players
to make these aggressive mistakes,
and there were
some
good,
aggressive errors
that were made.”
Since
the
Binghamton
series, Michigan’s
defense
has
already
shown
improvement.
The
Wolverines
had
no
errors
in their second
series of the season at The Citadel
last weekend. Sophomore catcher
Joe Donovan caught a runner
trying to steal second with an
aggressive cross-diamond throw
to get the out, and kept any pitches
in the dirt well under control. Kerr
also appeared to settle into his
new starting role at third; he had
no errors on the weekend series
and made several strong plays off
grounders.
But the defense is coming up
on its toughest challenges of the
season so far. Next week, Michigan
will play eight games in 10 days on
a trip to California. The Wolverines
will face their first two ranked
opponents of the year in No. 3
UCLA and No. 19 Oklahoma State
in the Dodgertown Classic, which
will be played at Dodger Stadium,
on March 8 and 10. The Bruins
have scored 45 runs in a season that
is seven games old. The Cowboys
have scored 48 in
as many games,
including
one
where they scored
17.
It will be a
trial-by-fire
for
Michigan’s
aggressive-
mistakes strategy.
But
Bakich
is
confident in his
mindset.
“In sports, there’s a lot of talk
about some teams getting the
breaks and some teams not getting
the breaks,” Bakich said. “And you
can make your own breaks just
by taking more chances, by being
the aggressor, and finding those
opportunities wherever they are.
“That’s the mindset we want
our players to have. We want them
to just go for it. We want them to be
on the attack. We want them to be
fearless.”
Infield finding footing
So far this season, the
Michigan softball team has
been erratic, at best.
While it’s easy to point to an
offense yet to find its rhythm,
scoring a total of 52 runs in
14 games, the defense has
seen its fair share of uneven
performances,
particularly
in the infield. No two games
better sum up the strengths
and pitfalls of this season’s
infield better than the two
losses against No. 7 Louisiana
State (13-3) this weekend.
The Wolverines (6-8) made
several smart plays in both
games, giving up four total
runs to the highly-ranked
team over the course of the
weekend. The second inning
of
Friday’s
game,
in
particular,
highlighted
Michigan’s
defensive
prowess when
freshman
right-hander
Alex Storako
caught
a
runner trying
to steal third.
The infield is composed
of several veteran players
including
senior
second
baseman
Faith
Canfield,
sophomore
infielder
Taylor Bump, junior third
baseman Madison Uden and
sophomore infielder Natalia
Rodriguez,
among
others.
Theoretically,
this
should
work in the Wolverines’ favor.
“(Having an experienced
infield) is a huge advantage,”
Uden
said
on
Feb.
5.
“Faith
does
a
great
job
communicating, Natalia has
a really great glove. But it’s
really nice having Natalia
and Faith there because you
kind of already know how
they play, what their range
is, what you can expect from
them, honestly to the nitty-
gritty of how they throw the
ball to you is huge because
it’s consistent and you know
what to expect.”
This hasn’t always been
the case, though, as there
were also several times this
weekend when the infield
faltered,
starting
with
a
fielding error by Uden in
the third inning of Friday’s
game. The error allowed a
runner to advance to second
and eventually cross home,
the deciding factor in a 1-0
Michigan loss.
Communication
was
particularly an issue in the
bottom of the fourth inning
during
Sunday’s
game
when Storako misread a cue
from senior catcher Katie
Alexander. While the ball
was caught in left field, the
miscommunication
could
have been costly as Louisiana
State had two
runners
on
base.
“I
think
we
can
all
communicate
a
little
bit
better,”
Bump
said on Feb. 19.
“I don’t want
to say there’s
been a lot of
hesitation
but
there’s
definitely
been
instances
where
we
can
communicate
a
little
bit
better where someone in the
infield can call timeout and
bring us all together when
we’re struggling, when our
pitcher’s struggling.”
Stronger
communication
is likely to develop over time
as the Wolverines adjust to a
consistent lineup, something
that has yet to materialize.
With
the
lineup
still
varying from game to game,
Michigan will have to work
a little harder to develop a
strong dynamic amongst the
infield players.
“I think our entire infield
is working on their trust
relationship,”
Bump
said
on Feb. 19. “I think that’s
something we’ll get toward
by the end of the season.”
LANE KIZZIAH
Daily Sports Writer
I think
we can all
communicate a
little bit better.
SOFTBALL
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Tom Izzo’s adjustments helped the Spartans beat Michigan on Sunday.
I feel like we’re
gonna be more
ready next
time.
ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer
DARBY STIPE/Daily
Senior infielder Blake Nelson committed five errors over two games against Binghamton before being benched.
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Junior forward Will Lockwood was ejected during Michigan’s double-overtime loss to Ohio State on Saturday.
I owned up to
it in the end,
and made sure
everyone knew.
We want them
to just go for it.
... We want them
to be fearless.