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Sports
Thursday, December 5, 2019 — 5A
Granowicz learning from emotion-driven error
Nick Granowicz could only
watch.
The freshman forward saw
Wisconsin forward Cole Caufield
skate with the puck from the right
side of the boards over to center
ice. Caufield spun to face the net
as senior forward Nick Pastujov
slid on his knees to try and block
the shot.
A shot never came though —
Pastujov fell for Caufield’s fake
shot deke.
Then
senior
defenseman
Luke Martin dove on one knee
attempting to do what Pastujov
couldn’t, but it was too late. The
puck had already left Caufield’s
stick.
A moment later, it connected
with the back of the net.
The penalty box door swung
open,
and
amid
Wisconsin’s
celebrations, Granowicz skated
back to the bench — dejected at his
costly mistake.
He’d served just 56 seconds of
his two-minute minor penalty for
roughing.
The call was the result of a
punch Granowicz had thrown at
a Badger play after the two had a
battle on the boards.
As he sat on the bench, the
reality of the situation hit him.
The Wolverines’ two-goal lead
was gone, and the Badgers were
clawing their way back into the
game because of his penalty.
“I felt horrible right after I
did it,” Granowicz said. “I knew
I messed up right away. I let my
emotions kind of get the better of
me. It was just a bad feeling. After
they scored, it just made it even
worse. I felt really bad because I
let my teammates down at that
point.”
After having a front-row view
of Caufield’s goal from the box,
Granowicz spent the remaining
five-and-a-half
minutes
of
Sunday’s 3-1 watching the game
from a different vantage point —
the bench.
But the decision wasn’t a
punishment, rather a learning
moment, according to Michigan
coach Mel Pearson.
Pearson pointed out at that
point, Wisconsin had all the
momentum and was threatening
to repeat a second comeback effort
after scoring three unanswered
goals to beat Michigan 3-2,
on Saturday. So he used the
repercussions of an untimely
penalty as a way to teach the
players what to do in the situation.
It was an opportunity to show
not only Granowicz, but the entire
team, the importance of emotional
control.
“We’ve all done some things,
taken
some
bad
penalties,”
Pearson said. “It’s a good learning
lesson for our whole team, it’s an
emotional game, we want guys to
play with emotion, but it has to be
controlled emotion.”
Caufield’s goal didn’t end up
mattering.
Forty-five
seconds
later, Ty Emberson received a
five-minute major and a 10-minute
game misconduct for contact with
Pastujov’s head. The Wolverines
caught a break and finished the
game on the power play.
When senior forward Jake
Slaker scored an empty net, power
play goal, Granowicz breathed a
sigh of relief. His momentary lapse
in emotional control proved to be
relatively inconsequential.
But still, Granowicz felt he
owed his team an explanation. So
in the locker room, he addressed
his teammates.
“It’s just accountability and
ownership
for
your
actions,”
Granowicz said. “If you mess
up you should apologize to your
teammates and tell them you’re
sorry. Telling them you know you
messed up. You’re sorry that you
let them down, and you’re going
to try and change and not let that
happen again.”
No one on the team placed any
blame on him. Slaker recalled
two weekends ago when junior
forward Michael Pastujov took
a penalty after the whistle and
negated a power-play opportunity
for Michigan. The team wasn’t
mad then, and it isn’t now.
Sometimes players lose control
of their emotions. The important
thing the Wolverines have chosen
to emphasize is their willingness
to reflect on the situation and
learn from it.
“We were going to kill the
penalty for him no matter what,”
Slaker said. “(Granowicz) came
in, and I thought he played a great
game which is the most important
part.”
For
Granowicz,
learning
emotional control is part of the
adjustment from junior to college
hockey.
At the junior level, referees
are sometimes more lenient with
physical play. But in the NCAA,
referees are more strict and aim to
keep the game well controlled.
This strictness hurt Granowicz
especially — he hasn’t seen much
lineup time this season, so the
adjustment has been harsh.
He’s only dressed four times,
but he’s not using that as an excuse
for his loss of control. Pearson’s
message for him was well-received
and well-understood — mistakes
are okay, but it’s critical to grow
from them.
Granowicz’s
penalty
aside,
Pearson and his teammates were
impressed with his performance.
And while Sunday night proved
an important learning moment for
Granowicz, it granted Pearson a
chance for reflection on the lineup
decisions he’s been making.
“I thought he had a really good
game,” Pearson said. “For a kid
who has only played three games,
we’ve got to play him more, coach
isn’t playing him enough. We’ve
got to get him involved.”
Uche declares for NFL,
Anthony enters portal
Linebacker Josh Uche has
announced that he will declare
for the NFL draft, though he
will still play in Michigan’s
bowl game.
“Me and my family have
made the decision to forego
my final season of eligibility
and enter my name in the NFL
Draft,” Uche said in a statement
on Twitter. “I am still working
hard with my teammates to win
our 10th game of the season
in the Bowl Game and I am
excited to represent Michigan
one last time.
“I want to thank Coach
(Jim) Harbaugh, Coach (Don)
Brown, and all my coaches for
believing in a kid from Miami,
Florida and giving me a chance
to come to Michigan. Thank
you for pushing me to be my
very best in every way and for
giving me the chance to be a
Wolverine.”
One of the Wolverines’ top
pass-rushers
the
past
two
years, Uche played in all 12
games this season and finished
with 11.5 tackles for loss, 8.5
sacks, six quarterback hurries
and two forced fumbles. He
was named to the All-Big Ten
second team by coaches and the
third team by media.
Uche is officially listed as
a senior on Michigan’s roster
but played in just four games
his
freshman
year.
With
the new four-game redshirt
rule coming into effect last
year, Uche potentially could
have earned an extra year
of eligibility should he have
chosen to remain with the
program.
Additionally,
redshirt
sophomore linebacker Jordan
Anthony
has
entered
the
transfer portal, per reports.
Anthony
was
a
four-star
prospect out of IMG Academy
in Florida but has played in
just 16 games in two years and
had little impact on the stat
sheet. In 2019, he appeared in
nine games and finished with
11 tackles and a quarterback
hurry.
Anthony has not commented
publicly on his decision, but his
spot in the linebacker rotation
was in question due to redshirt
freshman Cameron McGrone’s
emergence at middle linebacker
and junior Josh Ross’ decision
to redshirt this season after
injury.
First-half scoring woes cripple ‘M’
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Not
much about the KFC Yum!
Center in downtown Louisville
is quiet.
The
coaches
who
shout
directions at their players from
the sidelines? Not quiet.
The teams’ benches, which
cheer
on
their
teammates,
protest every call against them
and urge for the whistle in
indignation every time one of
their players is touched? Not
quiet.
And
22,000
screaming
Cardinals fans, decked out in
white and waving matching
rally towels above their heads?
Definitely not quiet.
But No. 4 Michigan’s first-
half offense on Tuesday night?
Quieter than the Law Library
before finals week.
Gone was the efficient ball-
screen offense. Gone was junior
forward Eli Brooks’ success
from the arc. Gone was senior
center Jon Teske’s dominance
in the paint.
Gone, for all accounts and
purposes, was the Wolverines’
offensive attack.
“A lot of the shots just
weren’t falling,” Teske said
after the game. “I told the
team, just keep shooting those
same shots.”
In the first half, Michigan
shot for a dismal 17 percent on
its three-point attempts, and
an even worse 11 percent on its
layups. The Wolverines shot
only 33 percent in the paint and
11 percent on second-chance
scoring attempts.
They just couldn’t find the
bottom of the net.
Some
of
it
could
be
attributed to the Cardinals’
defense, which was effective
all night at shutting down
Michigan’s
ball
screens
—
plays that have set up much
of the Wolverines’ success on
offense this season. But not all
of Michigan’s offensive woes
can be credited to Louisville.
The Wolverines had plenty
of scoring opportunities, and
even managed to open up a few
easy shots for themselves. Even
then, it seemed they were only
hitting rim and backboard.
“We missed some shots that
normally go in,” said Michigan
coach Juwan Howard.
In the second half, Michigan
had at least somewhat more
success
offensively,
even
drawing
within
a
four-
point margin at one point.
But by then, it was too late.
The Cardinals had taken a
10-point lead into the break,
and from there, the game was
never really in question again.
Though the Wolverines drew
closer at various points in the
second half, the damage was
already done. The outcome
of the game was, by then,
unavoidable.
The Cardinals were far from
the juggernaut they’ve been at
times this season on Tuesday
night. It’s a credit to Michigan’s
defense that they weren’t. But
on offense, the Wolverines just
couldn’t quite do enough. As
low-scoring and as gritty as
this game was, Louisville was,
simply put, the better team.
And
for
this
game
—
Michigan’s offense the only
quiet thing about it — that was
enough.
“We messed up a lot of
assignments
that
we
had
coming into the game,” said
junior forward Isaiah Livers.
“We’ll keep taking the same
shots. They fall, they fall,
they don’t — let’s get back and
defend.
“We’re looking to the next
game on the schedule. We just
gotta stay positive, stay locked
in.”
Wolverines looking for signature win
The
Michigan
women’s
basketball team has made short
order of most of its opponents.
Mid-major teams like Morgan
State, Eastern Michigan and
Bradley
have
offered
little
resistance, and as a result, the
Wolverines’ six wins came at an
average margin of 23 points.
But against Notre Dame — the
only real challenge Michigan
has faced — the Wolverines fell,
76-72, their only loss so far this
season. While the loss has little
impact on the team’s goals for the
remainder of the season, it raises
question marks about whether it
can truly compete in Big Ten play
this year.
Michigan has an opportunity
to answer some of those questions
at Crisler Center Thursday night,
when it hosts Syracuse in the Big
Ten/ACC Challenge.
Though the Orange dropped
out
of
the
rankings
after
consecutive losses to Stanford
and Green Bay, they received the
most votes outside the Top 25 in
both the AP and Coaches’ Polls,
effectively making them the No.
26 team in the country. Much like
the Wolverines, they’ll be looking
to notch their first signature win
and build some momentum going
into conference play.
Offensively,
much
of
Syracuse’s
production
comes
from beyond the arc. Despite
shooting just 31 percent from
three so far this year, the Orange
rank 13th nationally in 3-pointers
made, sinking 9.6 triples per
game.
Guard
Gabrielle
Cooper
exemplifies
this
average
efficiency, high volume style of
play. So far this year, she has sunk
14 of her 51 attempted 3-pointers
— both numbers the most on the
team. She is followed closely by
forward Digna Strautmane, who
has shot a slightly more efficient
13-for-41, good for 31.7 percent
from beyond the arc.
But Syracuse’s most valuable
offensive weapon by far is
guard Kiara Lewis. The Ohio
State transfer was thrust into
the starting role after ACC
Player of the Year candidate
Tiana Mangakahia was forced
to redshirt to recover from
chemotherapy treatments.
Lewis has shined in her new
role, leading the team in both
points and assists per game — 15.9
and 6.0, respectively. Her ability
to drive the lane and draw fouls
adds diversity to the Orange’s
offensive
attack
and
forces
opponents to play tentatively to
avoid fouling out.
“They can go inside-out, and
they shoot a ton of threes,” said
Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico. “So it’s going to be a real
test for us (defensively).”
Syracuse also boasts a defense
that matches up well against the
Wolverines’ struggles to take care
of the ball on offense. Michigan
averages over 16 turnovers per
game, and its 24 giveaways were
crucial in the loss to Notre Dame.
The Orange’s signature zone
defense — as well as their length
and quickness in the guard spot
— could cause similar problems
for the Wolverines’ turnover-
prone offense.
“We
have
to
limit
our
turnovers,” said senior guard
Akienreh Johnson. “(We have to)
score on the offensive end on the
best shot every single time we’re
on offense. Take pride in our
possessions.”
Michigan
showed
promise
against
Morgan
State
on
Sunday, when it followed up a
12-turnover first half with only
three in the second half. That
change will need to stick if the
Wolverines want to pick up their
first signature win Thursday
night.
“They’re a tremendous team,”
Barnes Arico said. “We need to
be able to handle their pressure,
their length, and their zone
defense … It’s going to be a great
opportunity for us to get another
great opponent at home.”
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Linebacker Josh Uche declared for the NFL Draft on Wednesday.
ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior center Jon Teske was unable to dominate the paint on Tuesday against Louisville as Michigan lost, 58-43.
BRENDAN ROOSE
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior guard Akienreh Johnson wants Michigan to limit its turnovers against Syracuse on Thursday night.
MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Freshman forward Nick Granowicz took a key penalty on Sunday, though Michigan won, 3-1, over the Badgers.