The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Sports Friday, January 31, 2020 — 7 Franz Wagner does what Michigan needs most If Franz Wagner proved one thing in the first half of the Wolverines’ Big Ten slate, it’s that he doesn’t shy away from big moments. For the Michigan men’s basketball team, Tuesday’s game against Nebraska was one of those moments. With senior point guard Zavier Simpson (suspension) and junior forward Isaiah Livers (injury) unavailable, the Wolverines were without two main sources of offense as they limped into Lincoln with a 0-5 road record. Riding the program’s longest losing streak in five years, it appeared the perfect storm was brewing — one that would bring a loss with the potential to impact Selection Sunday in all the wrong ways. Instead, Michigan overcame the absences and road environment, ending its drought with a 79-68 win. While junior guard Eli Brooks scored a game-high 20 points, it was Wagner’s aggressiveness that stood out most. The freshman wing took a team-high 15 shots in 25 minutes, scored 18 points, tied his season- high with eight rebounds and added three steals. What’s more important, though, is how he reached that statline. Before Tuesday, more than half of Wagner’s shots against conference opponents came from beyond the arc. Michigan coach Juwan Howard is relentless in encouraging his players to let it go when they’re open, but there also seemed to be times when the 6-foot-9, long- armed Wagner could be taking advantage of matchups in other ways. Against the Cornhuskers, he was more than a spot-up shooter. And when the Wolverines needed him to do it all, that’s exactly what he did. The Daily took a closer look: While Wagner’s height and length give him a physical upper- hand in most one-on-one matchups, they’re perhaps most valuable on the open floor. Against a Nebraska team that posed few intimidating size matchups, Wagner took advantage. His long arms allow him to disrupt a scoring opportunity and turn it into one of his own. His ball- handling made the difference after the initial steal, particularly the left- handed push dribble and behind- the-back move. Because both moves came in stride, he got to the rim and finished through contact with his off hand. Few players on the court can do all that in one fell swoop. By now, Wagner has made a name for himself within the Big Ten as a 3-point shooter. But when Michigan needed him to make a difference in the interior on Tuesday, he delivered. Offensively, the team used his size to solve Nebraska’s zone defense. By keeping senior center Jon Teske on the block, the Wolverines made the Cornhuskers commit at least one defender to the post. That opened space for Wagner to remain at the free throw line, waiting for a chance to slip into a gap as the zone shifted in response to perimeter passes. With six minutes left in the second half, Brooks’ pump fake toward the post creates one of those gaps. Wagner, then, needs only one dribble to get to the rim and finish strong. Wagner made his interior presence felt on defense, too. Knowing Teske would hedge hard on ball screens, he adjusted his off- ball defensive position accordingly. By shifting into the paint, Wagner was able to help on Teske’s assignment in case the hedger couldn’t recover in time. His defensive IQ kicked in, as he straddled the line between committing to Teske’s assignment and remaining close enough to his own man to defend any cross- court skip pass. Sure enough, Teske couldn’t recover in time, giving Nebraska a chance to take advantage. But when Kevin Cross left his feet for what he thought would be an open layup, Wagner was there to protect the rim. Above all else, Wagner’s versatility defined his effectiveness on Tuesday. Because of his ability to score at all three levels, Howard can play him alongside a true center like senior Austin Davis and sophomore forward Brandon Johns Jr., who often works out of the post. With each of them on the floor, Wagner’s scoring chances come in bunches when defenses collapse. With 13 minutes left in the game, he was left wide open on the perimeter when Johns’ post touch draws four Cornhuskers into the paint. Wagner makes his way to the top of the key once he notices the defensive collapse, which creates an easier passing angle for Johns’ kickout. Nobody is within eight feet of Wagner when he catches it, and he promptly buries the three. With Livers on the shelf for the foreseeable future, Wagner’s evolving offensive game could help pull Michigan out of the Big Ten’s bottom half. To do that, though, the Wolverines need the multi- dimensional version of Wagner — not the spot-up shooter who’s made just five of his last 26 3-point attempts. “Franz is a high-IQ basketball player,” Howard said. “He knows that we need his offensive leadership. He knows that we need his offensive talent. And today, he did a really good job of mixing in both by attacking the basket and making outside shots.” On Tuesday, Wagner showed what his offensive game looks like when the puzzle pieces are put together. If those pieces can remain intact once Simpson and Livers return, Michigan’s offense could very well peak at the right time. ‘M’ freshmen looking to replace senior class The Michigan softball team is aware it has big shoes to fill. Five seniors from last year’s team — each one a key cog in the lineup and a vital presence in the locker room — are gone. A class that coach Carol Hutchins often endorses as one of the best she’s ever had graduated in May, leaving behind sizeable holes. There’s no blueprint when it comes to potential replacements. Second baseman Faith Canfield was All-Big Ten first team with a .404 batting average, while outfielder Natalie Peters and first baseman Alex Sobczak were members of the All-Big Ten second team. Sobczak and catcher Katie Alexander shared the team lead with 10 home runs, and infielder Mackenzie Nemitz drove in 31 runs while drawing 35 starts as the designated player. Still, it’s apparent that the current Wolverines firmly believe in the group of players they have. At Tuesday’s Media Day, players spoke with unwavering confidence, seemingly unfazed by the roster turnover. “Obviously, we had some great, great girls that graduated,” sophomore pitcher Alex Storako said. “But I think being a part of Michigan softball, we’re always going to have key players stepping in. It’s just a matter of getting that chance, and a lot of girls are ready to finally get that chance. We’re all very talented, and I’m very excited to see that all of the pieces finally fit into the puzzle.” The first piece of the puzzle is putting together a batting order, and with just four starters returning, there are an abundance of open spots. “We’re going to try to find the best nine that play together,” Hutchins said. “But it’s competitive. And I like that because the competitors are the ones that will win the positions. Competition makes you better.” As to which players will claim the contested starting roles, Hutchins maintained nothing is set in stone, conceding that a consistent lineup cannot be ironed out until everyone is given ample opportunities in real game play. She noted junior infielder Taylor Bump, senior outfielder Thais Gonzalez, sophomore infielder Morgan Overaitis and freshman infielder Julia Jimenez as several players who have impressed thus far. “Players that need to step up in their positions have stepped up,” senior third baseman Madison Uden said. “Maybe there was a bit of pressure in the fall, but now it feels good. Where we need to fill gaps, we’re filling those gaps.” Stepping up in terms of providing offensive production is, then again, only half the task. The leadership voids left by the seniors are also substantial. Uden is the only returning captain, with fellow 2019 captains Canfield and Alexander having graduated. In response, Hutchins has implemented a new leadership scheme, deviating from the traditional route of naming captains in favor of a more community-oriented alternative. Throughout the offseason, the team worked with a Navy SEAL program. Upon the program’s completion, SEALs identified the strongest leaders. The group — Bump, Gonzalez, Uden and junior shortstop Natalia Rodriguez — operate under the title of the “leadership council” and meet regularly with Hutchins for debriefing sessions. EVANSTON — Welsh- Ryan Arena exploded, again. The Wolverines’ work on the offensive end quickly forgotten, the Wildcats answered in a resounding, soul sucking move. It was a torturous pattern in Thursday night’s 81-73 loss to No. 23 Northwestern (18-3 overall, 8-2 Big Ten) for the Michigan women’s basketball team (13-7, 4-5). The Wolverines continuously found themselves in a five-to- six point hole, occasionally poking their heads up and snagging a lead, but every time they fought back the Wildcats hammered them back down. Early in the first quarter, though, the match seemed on its way for a repeat of Michigan’s last match against a ranked opponent. Michigan’s starting lineup could barely handle defending senior Abbie Wolf. Northwestern’s switches off the ball left sophomore guard Amy Dilk, and at times sophomore guard Danielle Rauch, on the much larger center. There were easy shots for her, until Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico made a quick switch by putting her own center in — freshman Izabel Varejão. Her introduction stopped the bleeding on the inside, while also offering an offensive spark. She gave the Wolverines its first true sign of offense in the first quarter, scoring a quick four points and gathering another assist. “Our best is when we’re playing zone with our hands up,” Dilk said. “(Varejão), she’s the biggest one on the court with her wingspan and I think tonight she finally realized ‘if I play with my hands up I’m gonna get tips,’ and she did a great job of that. Our two guards up top were doing a great job of that. It was making them change the angles of passes which slowed them down just a half second.” Unfortunately, she could do nothing to help the emergence of the Wildcats’ outside shooters. Senior Abi Scheid drained two threes, and after the second Barnes Arico was livid — the shooter was Varejão’s to close out on, but she didn’t. At the end of the first quarter, it looked like the game would go down as another culmination of turnovers and poor defending of the 3-point line for Michigan. It committed eight turnovers in the first quarter, Northwestern shot 60 percent from three. A fiery Barnes Arico leaned into her players in between quarters, but the results were elusive for the first five minutes of the second quarter. “We were just definitely trying to pick each other up,” sophomore forward Naz Hillmon said. “And talking about how we still have the opportunity to get out there and hustle, and play really hard and we all need to focus in and make sure that we’re playing hard from start to finish.” Added Barnes Arico: “We need to regroup, we had just talked about it in the locker room, we just need to regroup and we just need to settle in and we gotta chip away. And I thought we did, I thought our focus after that first quarter was really good and we were able to regroup and make it a game down the stretch.” And then, down 30-21 with five minutes to go in the half, Varejão came back in. The offense opened up, and the defense locked down. A 14-6 run ensued, giving Michigan its first lead of the game with 1:04 left in the half after freshman guard Michelle Sidor stole the ball and Varejão drained a layup. “I thought our post really could take advantage of them and that’s why we went with that big lineup of (Varejão), (senior forward) Hailey Brown and Naz Hillmon,” Barnes Arico said. “I thought that really helped take advantage of the inside and I thought (Hillmon) did a really great job inside as well.” After forcing a bad buzzer- beater shot from Northwestern to end the half, the bench — and Barnes Arico — erupted, ending the quarter on a much different note than the last one. Neck and neck for most of the third quarter, Michigan let the Wildcats pull away for a quick six-point lead at the end of the quarter. They wouldn’t look back, and the distance was stretched in the fourth quarter. Wolf couldn’t be defended and neither could junior guard Lindsey Pulliam, who pulled up for jumpers from every corner of the court. She muscled Sidor under the basket, made corner threes and drained fadeaways all over. Unlike the first quarter, it wasn’t the Wolverines’ mistakes that gave Northwestern the lead. It was two unstoppable players. EVANSTON — Down nine midway through the second quarter, and with sloppy play preventing any sort of rhythm, the Michigan women’s basketball team needed a spark. Amy Dilk had been at the forefront of the Wolverines’ ugly first quarter. After turning the ball over twice in the first two minutes of the game, it looked like it might be a lost night for the sophomore guard. But rather than letting her work out the kinks on the court, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico took her out four minutes into the game and talked to her. And the message resonated. “She knows I can put more effort than what I’m putting in,” Dilk said. “I need to be more dialed in from the start and that’s obviously on me. Basically I just need to play harder.” With 6:21 left in the second quarter, Dilk saw her chance to be that spark. She poked the ball out of Northwestern guard Lindsey Pulliam’s hands at the 3-point line, and as it was rolling out of bounds, Dilk dove to the floor to save it. The Wolverines called a timeout to keep possession, and despite the nine-point deficit, they were fired up. “I think I owed it to my team to get some hustle plays, and I think I got some tonight,” Dilk said. “Obviously, when any of our teammates dive on the floor, it brings the momentum and energy up on the bench, on the court. So, just being able to do that and bringing the momentum up was huge for us.” While Michigan’s play improved out of the timeout, it couldn’t overcome its first- quarter struggles, leading to an 81-73 loss. But Dilk wouldn’t let the Wolverines go down so easily. At the top of a 2-3 zone, she continued to give the Wildcats trouble, deflecting passes and forcing Northwestern to reset its offense and settle for tough shots. She logged three steals in the quarter. Offensively, she settled down. While the Wildcats continued to press, Dilk didn’t try to force passes upcourt to avoid it. Instead, she trusted her ability as a ball handler and only passed the ball when she was stifled by Northwestern defenders. As Dilk’s play improved, so did Michigan’s. But in the end, it wasn’t enough. After her steal, the Wolverines grabbed a one-point lead with a 16-6 run — during which Dilk scored four points and assisted on the go-ahead basket — but they couldn’t extend it any further, leaving the door open for the Wildcats. “I thought that she just started to … really take care of the ball a lot better and handle pressure a lot better,” Barnes Arico said. “She also moved extremely well without the ball and was making some cuts and … making herself available and finish plays around the rim.” In the third quarter, Dilk showed no signs of slowing down. She continued to give the Wildcats problems defensively, and offensively, she only improved. When Dilk is at her best, she is driving with confidence and going up strong, qualities on full display Thursday night. But the Wolverines struggled from the floor in the third — shooting just 4-of-14 and missing layups and open 3-pointers — and Northwestern got hot, shooting over 50 percent. Dilk gave Michigan much-needed baskets and kept them in the game, scoring eight of her 15 points in the third, and the Wolverines led with 2:36 left. Though, the Wildcats ended the quarter on a 9-2 run, and there wasn’t much Dilk could do to keep the game from slipping away. “She’s such a great passer that as soon as you bring through two or three at her, she’s dropping it off to me, or dropping it off to (freshman center Izabel Varejão),” sophomore forward Naz Hillmon said. “She’s very unselfish, but it does help us a lot when she’s able to get into the paint and get those buckets.” Dilk got those buckets, but the rest of the Wolverines couldn’t follow suit. Wildcats, everywhere Wolverines unable to contain Northwestern stars, drop game in Evanston, 81-73, to go below .500 in Big Ten play DANIEL DASH Daily Sports Writer ASHA LEWIS/Daily Freshman wing Franz Wagner made more plays off the dribble on Tuesday against Nebraska in a 79-68 win. SOFTBALL JARED GREENSPAN Daily Sports Writer Read more online at MichiganDaily.com KENT SCHWARTZ Daily Sports Writer JACK KINGSLEY Daily Sports Writer EMMA MATI/Daily Sophomore forward Naz Hillmon scored 27 points but it wasn’t enough as Michigan fell to Northwestern, 81-73.